<… Read Full Bio ↴Fossil Collective is British folk duo David Fendick and Johnny Hooker.
This is a band that do things differently. Beautiful melodic music, with rich glorious harmonies and meticulous attention to detail, it is as much an aural statement as it is a pleasure to listen to. Layer upon layer of harmony mixed with delicate uplifting sounds may well remind you of other artists, be it Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel or Midlake but this music is no mere imitation. Whilst Fossil Collective's songs tip their cap to these classic musicians, scratch the surface and you discover something more contemporary, yet equally as rewarding.
It seems impossible that something so sonically complete could appear as if from nowhere, but Fossil Collective, the Yorkshire two-piece have been perfecting their craft and working towards this moment for years. Consisting of multi-instrumentalists David Fendick and Jonny Hooker, both were local musicians from the Leeds music scene, whose paths had crossed at various points in different bands. 'What separated Jonny from the other people I'd met was his total commitment to music' begins Dave. 'Whereas other people we were around were in bands for somewhat clichéd reasons, our focus was the music and the songs and for that reason we gravitated towards each other'. After a successful album with Leeds band Vib Gyor, the duo decided to strip everything back and start again.
Hooker reminisces, "we felt we had to fold our cards and be honest to ourselves. We were listening to the kind of music we grew up with. (Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor) We decided there and then to try and capture the essence of that traditional songcraft, to strip everything back to the song, lyrics and melody'' Fendick steps in "It was actually very liberating to be able to do that".
Armed with three roughly prepared demos, the duo found themselves looking for a recording studio. 'We had no money at all, but our friends had a modest little studio in a crypt just outside of the city' says Dave. 'It was a totally surreal place to go to as it was in the middle of nowhere. We had to stop recording at various points during the day as the main church was directly above the crypt. Whenever there was a mass or a wedding for example we had to be quiet - like little church mice scurrying about downstairs.’ However, a week of intense recording paid off, and they re-surfaced with 3 songs that would become their self released 'Honey Slides' EP.
Jonny explains. 'Before we had even decided on the name Fossil Collective we realised that we wanted this project to be a continual running order of like-minded local artists. We worked on the principle that if we surrounded ourselves with an evolving stream of people we admired then our music would never become stale. Keeping away from the constraints of a 'typical' band dynamic would keep it open and interesting for us. If we wanted a harpist we'd go and find one, If we wanted a cellist we'd go and find one and so on.'
Knowing they were on to something special they wanted something visual to reflect this. Enlisting the help of Leeds animator Ashley Dean (Broken Pixel) was the next logical step. ‘Ash is a good friend and a like-minded independent local artist. We played him On & On and asked him to interpret the song.’ The result was the stop/start animated video of a courtship between a wolf and a stag that went viral on youtube, getting over 250,000 hits in 2 weeks.
Once they put their heads above water, things started happening very quickly. Their 3rd gig was at Shepherds Bush Empire, supporting Benjamin Francis Leftwich. "It was great because other artists were contacting us, saying how much they liked our music and inviting us to tour" remembers Jonny. "It was sudden, but we were lucky to have great network of friends to come play with us and help interpret the songs live … after all, who is going to turn down the chance to play Shepherds bush Empire!" The band did a full tour with Ben and then another UK support with soul singer Ren Harvieu.
On 11th June 2012 Fossil Collectives Debut EP 'Let It Go' was released. Lead track was 'Single of the Week' on iTunes USA, opening the doors to a lot of new fans. It received plays and support from Mark Riley, Radcliffe and Maconie, Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq at 6 Music. It also won the 6 music rebel playlist. Radio 2 support came from Bob Harris, Mark Radcliffe and an extremely supportive Dermot O'Leary who invited them in for a chat and to perform on his Saturday Radio2 show. 'Let it Go' also made the XFM playlist, the Q playlist & the NME 'A' list. A 10 date headline tour coincided with this, selling out in Manchester & London in a matter of days.
The band built on this success by releasing the 'On & On' EP on 22nd October. Receiving the same support from radio, they were also invited in to record an infamous Daytrotter Session. Press support came from Sunday Times, Time Out, The Fly, The Independent & NME. It was at this point that The Civil Wars starting tweeting about how much they were enjoying the music. A few friendly emails later and Fossil Collective were supporting them at the key gigs of their UK tour. (Camden Roundhouse, Manchester Apollo, Glasgow 02 Academy) 'We feel privileged to play anywhere though' says Dave - be it our last sell out London show to a couple of hundred people, or a few thousand people at Camden Roundhouse. What is important is that we always stay true to ourselves and the music.'
After a winter spent locked away in the studio, Fossil Collective came out of hibernation with “Tell Where I Lie” in hand – their beautifully crafted, ten track, debut album. The album hit record stores on April 8th 2013, the same day the band were invited into Bob Harris’ Radio 2 studio to record a two track session. Released to rapturous acclaim from both fans and critics alike; “Tell Where I Lie” was named iTunes’ ‘editors choice’, quickly climbed to number 1 in the US ‘New Artist Billboard Chart and graced the pages of Clash, Q Magazine, NME, Drowned In Sound and Hunger.
Disarm
Fossil Collective Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go and hide under a rock
Find a way to switch it off
I'll give you a light up
It happened so fast
How little we know
Half range slow motion anyway
All is slowly falling away
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
Oooooh
So another early morning sign
Out of sight and out of mind
And it's your life rearranging
And it's your life rearranging
I remember we would fall apart
I remember all the falls
Halfway slow motion anyway
All is slowly falling away
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
So remember to return to me
With all your falls
It will be alright
It will be okay
And remember to return to me
Disarm yourself
Come on come on come on
We're almost home
The first stanza of Fossil Collective's "Disarm" revolves around the idea of escaping or avoiding the harsh realities of life through sleep or hiding. The singer offers a "light up" as a way to forget, but acknowledges that we know very little about our own lives, and things are falling apart in slow motion, regardless. The chorus repeats the idea that the more we know, the less we understand, highlighting the confusion and futility of trying to make sense of the world.
The second stanza emphasizes the idea that life is constantly changing and rearranging itself, despite our attempts to control it. The singer remembers falling apart and the slow-motion decay of life, but encourages the listener to "disarm" themselves and return, regardless of the falls. The song ends on an uplifting note, insisting that we're almost home and everything will be okay.
Overall, "Disarm" presents a bleak outlook on life and the human experience, but offers a glimmer of hope in the face of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Go ahead and sleep it off
You can try to forget about it and ignore the issue by sleeping.
Go and hide under a rock
You can try to avoid the situation by isolating yourself from the world.
Find a way to switch it off
You may search for a way to escape the reality of the situation.
I'll give you a light up
I will offer you a guiding light to help you navigate through the darkness.
It happened so fast
The situation occurred rapidly, without warning or preparation.
How little we know
We realize that we lack in-depth knowledge on the subject matter.
Half range slow motion anyway
We are only able to perceive half of the situation, and time seems to slow down.
All is slowly falling away
Everything is deteriorating gradually and fading away.
The more we know
The more we learn about the situation,
The less we understand it anyway
The less comprehension we have of the situation despite acquiring more knowledge.
Oooooh
Humming sound effect.
So another early morning sign
Another indication of the situation appears early in the morning.
Out of sight and out of mind
Not seeing or thinking about the issue does not mean it does not exist.
And it's your life rearranging
The situation is rearranging and altering your life.
I remember we would fall apart
The experience of falling apart is familiar to us.
I remember all the falls
I recall every single occurrence of falling apart in the past.
Halfway slow motion anyway
We are only able to perceive half of the situation, and time seems to slow down.
All is slowly falling away
Everything is deteriorating gradually and fading away.
The more we know
The more we learn about the situation,
The less we understand it anyway
The less comprehension we have of the situation despite acquiring more knowledge.
So remember to return to me
I implore you to come back to me when you need help.
With all your falls
Bring all of your failures and challenges with you.
It will be alright
Everything will be okay in the end.
It will be okay
The situation will improve over time.
And remember to return to me
I implore you to come back to me when you need help.
Disarm yourself
Let go of your defensive behavior and open yourself up to me.
Come on come on come on
Urging the listener to take action.
We're almost home
We are close to finding a solution and making things right again.
Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@janaigadson6475
Go ahead and sleep it off.
Go and hide under a rock.
Find a way to switch it off.
I'll give you a lighter.
Happened so fast.
How little we know.
Half range slow motion anyway.
All is slowly falling away
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
Oooooh
So another early morning sign
Out of sight and out of mind
And it's your life rearranging
And it's your life rearranging
I remember we would fall apart
I remember all the falls
Halfway slow motion anyway
All is slowly falling away
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
So remember to return to me
With all your falls
It will be alright
It will be okay
And remember to return to me
Disarm yourself
Come on come on come on
We're almost home
@Embrio
Why can't we have this piece of peace in spotify?
@Bnobzzor
It was there for years, until recently...
@marcogoedendorp1231
Yeah sucks, had the number in my favorite playlist on Spotify and suddenly it was gone...wooosh
@joshsinclair539
Such an awesome song. I thought this would have at least a few hundred thousand views. I want to learn the guitar in it
@sarahsabol5474
This, is what real music sounds like. absolutely beautiful!
@cmetaylor
So beautiful, peaceful and serene!!
@janaigadson6475
Go ahead and sleep it off.
Go and hide under a rock.
Find a way to switch it off.
I'll give you a lighter.
Happened so fast.
How little we know.
Half range slow motion anyway.
All is slowly falling away
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
Oooooh
So another early morning sign
Out of sight and out of mind
And it's your life rearranging
And it's your life rearranging
I remember we would fall apart
I remember all the falls
Halfway slow motion anyway
All is slowly falling away
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
The more we know
The less we understand it anyway
So remember to return to me
With all your falls
It will be alright
It will be okay
And remember to return to me
Disarm yourself
Come on come on come on
We're almost home
@alygarcia766
Janai Gadson nice
@katokhaelan4881
this such an incredible song
@TigerPrawn_
Beautiful and I love the bass & fast-pace of it.