The band reformed as Stripmall Architecture in late 2008. Their discography includes: "We Only Love You" (debut LP, 1998), "Sans Soucie" (b-sides, rare and unreleased tracks, 1999), "Wiser" (2nd LP, 2001), "Threesongs" (EP, 2001), "Oceanwide" (single/maxi-single, 2001), "The Wholeness EP" (2003), "Sans Soucie (Edition Two)" (CD Baby re-issue with extra tracks, 2004), "The Separation EP" (2006), "Wholeness & Separation" (3rd LP, 2006), "Albatross EP" (iTunes-exclusive EP, 2006), "Sawtooth EP" (limited to digital downloads, 2008), "Halou" (4th LP, 2008). ("Beneath Trembling Lanterns" (2006) is credited to Halou side-project R/R Coseboom)
Rebecca and Ryan debuted in a band called Anymore. Inspired more by dreampop bands like Cocteau Twins and less by trip-hop, the band had released only two albums: "Thistlestar E.P." (1996) and "Umani" (1997). Minus Alex Ionov, the members of the band decided to start another project entitled Halou that would have more elements of downtempo electronica.
Halou's debut album, We Only Love You [W.O.L.Y.], was released in 1998 on a small independent label called Bedazzled. Featuring Rebecca's powerfully honest vocals, the album meandered irreverently through abstract beats and sumptuously languid electronic pop music. W.O.L.Y. received overwhelming praise, was spun by highly influential indie radio stations, and was reviewed by virtually every noteworthy electronic music magazine.
After W.O.L.Y., the band decided to release on Bedazzled "Sans Soucie", a CD combining tracks from "Umani", remixes, rare and unreleased tracks. Limited to 300 hand-numbered copies, the original pressing of the album was very sought after, as Bedazzled got bankrupt not long after the release of "Sans Soucie". Until the 2004 re-issue on CD Baby, Halou themselves have re-released "Sans Soucie" - a CDr reissue that was only available via Halou website. The release is widely regarded as "Sans Soucie (Edition Two)", although this name only appears on the back cover and although it was also known on the Internet as "Newhalou". Still, "Sans Soucie (Edition Two)" is most often used for the 2004 re-issue.
Halou continued to craft their unique sound on their second release, 'Wiser'. Wiser further defined Halou's sound - both crushing and delicate, electronic and organic, intense and soothing. While still embracing electronics, the addition of live cello, acoustic double bass, and drums further explored the juxtaposition of organic and electronic. Released on Nettwerk Records in October 2001, 'Wiser' was entirely self-produced by Ryan and engineer, co-producer Count.
After "Wiser", the members of Halou have also done remixes and producing for artists such as Rod Stewart, Radiohead, Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, the Velvet Underground's John Cale, Lyrics Born, RUN DMC, New Order, No Doubt and others. Also, Rebecca and Ryan worked on several side-projects: R/R Coseboom, Invisible Ballet, The Science Teacher.
In 2004, the band re-released on CD Baby W.O.L.Y. under the name "We Only Love You (Edition Two)" and Sans Soucie under the name "Sans Soucie (Edition Two)", initially used for the first CDr reissue of Sans Soucie. This edition of "Sans Soucie" also contains two extra tracks that weren't initially on "Sans Soucie". Like the first re-issue for "Sans Soucie", the two CD Baby reissues are available, along digital downloads, as CDr discs.
In anticipation of their 3rd LP, Halou have released "The Wholeness EP" in 2003 and also worked on "The Separation EP". Most of the songs that were created in these sessions ended up on their 3rd LP, "Wholeness & Separation". Released in 2006 on Vertebrae, the album received more commercial acclaim than their previous albums. With exquisite packaging screen-printed onto unique Arigato Pak (ecological version of digipak), "The Separation EP" was released in the same day with "Wholeness & Separation" and features few exclusive tracks as well as 2 b-sides from the single "Stonefruit".
In November 2006, Halou surprised the fans with "Albatross EP". Containing few tracks from the "Wholeness & Separation" sessions that weren't released before, the EP is the first Halou release limited to digital downloads, specifically exclusive to iTunes Music Store. Well-received by Halou fans, the EP is widely regarded as iTunes-exclusive, although a limited number of hard-copy "Albatross" CDs were available during a Microsoft Zune-sponsored show at El Corazon in Seattle on January 13, 2007.
Containing 5 new songs and a reinterpretation of "Hollywood Evening" (a song that was initially released on the R/R Coseboom side-project release "Beneath Trembling "Lanterns"), "Sawtooth EP" (initially entitled "We Wear Strings EP") is the second Halou release to be available only as digital downloads (this time not limited to iTunes Music Store) and has been released on February 12, 2008.
In August 2008 a new album, entitled simply "Halou", was released. The style of the new album resembles the style on their first material released as Anymore in.
Late in 2008, Halou changed their name to Stripmall Architecture.
La mer
Halou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Delicate, unaffected by the
Hands of time
Can one know intentions
Of what has created you
Can one ever be certain
That their perception is true
Show me your inner workings
I trust you implicitly
This must be what gods are for
Carry me across the water
Hold my hands to meet horizons
Things I'd never see alone
This must be what gods are for
Carry me across the water
Could it be that I have been wrong
Could it be the answers
Have been here all along
No look to make things awkward
These things are understood
With confidence it catches
And we wish to god it would
In Halou's song "La Mer," the lyrics describe an appreciation for the beauty and intricacies of nature, questioning whether we can ever truly understand the intentions behind such design. The song begins with the line, "a perfectly symmetrical design," referencing the intricacy and symmetry found in nature. The imagery of "hands of time" suggests that this design is enduring and unaffected by the passage of time.
As the lyrics continue, the singer questions whether we can ever truly know the intentions behind such beauty, asking "can one know intentions of what has created you, can one ever be certain that their perception is true." The singer then asks to see the "inner workings" of the natural world, trusting in its implicit perfection like a god. The following lines describe the singer being carried across water, an acknowledgement that we are but small beings in the presence of such grandeur.
Finally, the song suggests that the answers to life's mysteries may have been with us all along, and we simply need the confidence to see them. The song ends on the wish that we can catch this understanding, perhaps with the help of the divine being that created such a perfect symmetrical design.
Overall, "La Mer" is a meditation on the nature of beauty and perfection, and our relationship as humans to the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
A perfectly symmetrical design
The subject is referring to something that is perfectly symmetrical and well-designed.
Delicate, unaffected by the
Despite its delicate nature, the subject has remained intact over time.
Hands of time
The passage of time has not affected the object.
Can one know intentions
The subject poses a philosophical question about whether or not one can truly understand the intentions of others.
Of what has created you
The subject is questioning the intentions of the entity or entities that created it.
Can one ever be certain
Philosophical musings on the nature of certainty and subjective perception.
That their perception is true
The questioner is further questioning subjective perception and whether or not it reflects objective reality.
Show me your inner workings
The subject is asking to see the inner workings of something.
I trust you implicitly
Despite a lack of full understanding, the subject trusts the entity to be truthful and honest.
This must be what gods are for
The subject is invoking gods as an explanation for their trust and the mystery of things they cannot fully understand.
Carry me across the water
The subject is requesting or hoping for something to assist them in some manner (literal or symbolic).
Hold my hands to meet horizons
Metaphorical language about reaching new and different perspectives or experiences and needing help to do so.
Things I'd never see alone
The subject acknowledges that there are things or experiences they cannot have alone, and they need assistance.
Could it be that I have been wrong
The subject is doubting themselves and their previous assumptions.
Could it be the answers
The subject is questioning whether or not they have already had the answers to their questions/opinions, but could not see them before.
Have been here all along
The subject is wondering if the answers have been in front of them this whole time, but they were not able to recognize them.
No look to make things awkward
The subject is trying not to make things awkward and uncomfortable by changing the subject.
These things are understood
The subject has come to an understanding about something.
With confidence it catches
The subject has caught onto something and is confident in their understanding.
And we wish to god it would
The subject is wishing fervently for something to occur.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TimeandMonotony
Underrated band!
sadmachine14
More People need to hear this song and this band
Jan Muszyński
srogie gowno