After live-appearances together with Scream Silence and Whispers in the Shadow the Band released their dark wave/postpunk-like debut-album "Stigma 3.am" in 2000, which found regardful attention by the audience and the press.
In 2001 Drummer Nestor de Valley joined the Band and the result of the more stronger and the more intensive sound was the very dark and nihilistic album "Thalassemia". It followed concerts with Clan of Xymox, The Crüxshadows and Ikon.
After some changes in the line-up (the Band´s long time friend and live-keyboarder Sven Wolff became permanent member of the GOLDEN APES) the Band released "Helianthos and the War", their third studio-album. It was a balancing act between the experimental facings of the bands origins and the dark melancholy of their later work and it convinced even the last sceptics.
This combination of earcatching melodies, an atmosphere, which oscillates between the singer´s dark melancholic voice, powerful guitars and elegising soundscapes and the complex, surreal lyrics became soon the trademark of the band, then with their fourth album "Structures [The Inner Scars]" (2004) they consolidated their reputation to be one of the most innovative and interesting German Goth-Rock Bands, proved by several sampler contributions and live-appearances at well-known festivals, most important the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig/Germany.
In early 2007 the GOLDEN APES are going to release their new album, which will be called "The Geometry of Tempest".
Taken from there MySpace Site
http://www.myspace.com/goldenapes
http://www.goldenapes.com/
The Scheme of Things
Golden Apes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wash my face with lies for keeping promised things inside
And when I watch the skies I try to spell out all their names,
But the letters make me sick so like your last try...
I wash my face with rocks, ignoring all the cutting truth
I spread dirt among the ruins you left when you went back
When you stand on the stone you'll feel how basically it is
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be snow
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be rain
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be storm
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
The lyrics of Golden Apes's song The Scheme of Things express a sense of disillusionment with reality and the struggles of coping with it. The singer of the song appears to be attempting to escape the harshness of life by engaging in self-destructive behaviors. They wash their face with sand and rocks, ignoring the truth and instead relying on lies and manipulation to keep things going. They also try to find solace in the heavens by writing out the names of stars, but the effort makes them feel sick.
The singer goes on to talk about spreading dirt amongst ruins left by someone who has gone back, perhaps implying a failed relationship that has left emotional wreckage behind. The line "when you die on the stone you'll feel that it was me" is particularly striking, suggesting a deep-seated sense of guilt or responsibility for the destruction.
Despite these struggles, the singer attempts to find peace by being quiet and reshaping the "scheme of things." They try to let the pain be snow, rain, and storm, perhaps indicating a desire to cleanse themselves of their troubles and find a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
I wash my face with sand, ignoring all the liquid truth
I avoid facing reality by choosing to believe what I want to believe and avoiding the harsh truth.
I wash my face with lies for keeping promised things inside
I deceive myself by telling myself untruths to make myself feel better and to live up to the promises I have made to myself.
And when I watch the skies I try to spell out all their names,
I attempt to make sense of the universe by giving labels and names to things that cannot be explained.
But the letters make me sick so like your last try...
However, these labels and names only confuse and disorient me, just like the last attempt I made to right my wrongs.
I wash my face with rocks, ignoring all the cutting truth
To further avoid reality, I choose to confront it with something equally harsh - rocks - because I would rather feel physical pain than emotional pain.
I spread dirt among the ruins you left when you went back
I try to rebuild and restore something - whether it be a literal ruin or a metaphorical one - even when you have left and it feels as though it is beyond repair.
When you stand on the stone you'll feel how basically it is
When you face reality, you will realize how simple it truly is, despite how complex and chaotic it may seem.
And when you die on the stone you'll feel that it was me...
If you refuse to accept the truth, it will eventually lead to your downfall, and I will be the cause of it.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be snow
In an attempt to understand and accept reality, I try to be still and let the pain freeze over like snow, rather than trying to fight it.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
Instead of fighting against life's circumstances, I try to change my own perception of the world and find my own meaning within it.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be rain
I accept that sometimes the pain is unavoidable, and instead of trying to ignore it or fight against it, I let it take its course like the rain.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
I continue to try to find my own meaning and purpose in life, even as the world around me changes and things seem out of my control.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to let the pain be storm
When the pain is too much to bear, I try to weather it like a storm, knowing that it will eventually pass and that I will come out stronger on the other side.
And so I try to be quiet, I try to reshape the scheme of things
Even in the midst of chaos and upheaval, I try to find my own way and make sense of the world, always reshaping the scheme of things to fit my own understanding of it.
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.