With no agenda, expectations, or even intention to release music, guitarists Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson began getting together as a way of letting the sounds inside of them find their way out into the open. Byrd describes it this way: "There are times when the need to create a thing begins to interrupt your life. And if you don't give in to it, everything else starts to suffer."
After about a year of sporadic sessions, Byrd and Thompson began to gather up all of the recordings - which were strewn about on everything from cassette recorders to hard drives to two-inch tape - and were surprised to discover that they had around forty pieces of music. Out of this pool of songs came their 2005 debut Kenotic, which introduced audiences to their densely textured aesthetic and shimmering guitar-driven compositions. Theirs is a unique sound - it is “sleepier” than the often-brash crescendos of their post-rocker cousins, drawing from the ethereal minimalism of Stars of the Lid and reminiscent of 80's Brian Eno and Nick McCabe of the band The Verve. Byrd and Thompson describe it simply as "Southern Ambient", citing the wide-open spaces of the South's rural landscape as an all-pervading influence in their music (Byrd's nickname in Arkansas was "Marc Marc Marc" because of his delay-drenched guitar sounds).
Although hailed as a classic in the Shoegaze genre, Kenotic revealed a band inspired by many different musical styles, from Electronic, Ambient, Minimalism-Drone to Post-Rock. Byrd and Thompson expanded on their unique amalgam of these sounds on their next release, the July 2005 EP Stranded Under Endless Sky. What followed eight months later was somewhat of a stylistic turn for the band, the heavily conceptual longform drone-influenced album The Sleepover Series, Vol. 1 (Remastered). November 2006 saw the release of the band's proper sophomore LP, Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo, an album frequently hailed for its canny fusion of melodic accessibility and intrepid experimentalism. The band was attracting consistent acclaim from influential media such as Pitchfork, BBC, The Wire, and NPR, but most meaningfully to Byrd and Thompson, also from artists they admired like Mark Eitzel (solo and AMC), Brian McBride and Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid), Steve Kilbey and Tim Powles (The Church), BT, The Antlers, and Jonsi and Alex.
In Fall 2007, Hammock was invited by Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros, solo artist, Jonsi & Alex) and Alex Somers (Parachutes and Jonsi & Alex) to perform at the overseas debut of their art collaboration, Riceboy Sleeps. This created confluence of firsts for all four artists, as it was to be Hammock's first-ever live show. Byrd and Thompson wrote new music especially for the occasion, and these songs would ultimately become Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow, a "studio performance" album of the music they played at the Riceboy Sleeps premiere. Birgisson and Somers as Riceboy Sleeps created the artwork for the release.
Chasing After Shadows...Living With the Ghosts followed in May 2010, along with a freestanding four-song Outtakes EP. Darker, heavier, and more massive sonically than Hammock's previous releases, the album was mixed by Tim Powles of The Church and features the duo's first usage of a horn section, string quartet, and live drums. David Altobelli's influential video for “"Breathturn"” was released in late March 2010. Chasing... was praised by BBC as "one of the most beautiful albums of the year" and received accolades from Pitchfork and PRI-syndicated show "Echoes", where it was named #1 in its "Best Albums of the Year" list.
On December 14, the duo released the EP Longest Year, a beat-less and wordless "mini-album" held for release until the dead of winter and whose title referenced the band's difficult 2010 (which included the near-total destruction of Byrd's home by an epic flood the likes of which had not been seen in Nashville in over 100 years).
The aforementioned digital-only EP of outtakes from the May 2010 LP, Chasing After Shadows...Living With the Ghosts, contained four songs, two of which were tagged with "instrumental" in the titles even though no other versions existed. That changed on October 25, 2011 with the release of the EP Asleep in the Downlights, which features vocals and lyrics from Steve Kilbey and Tim Powles of The Church and two new songs from Hammock.
Departure Songs, the band's first double album and fifth LP, was announced with the release of "Tape Recorder", a video from David Altobelli, which premiered at PAPERMAG on July 9, 2012. Officially released on October 2, the album was mixed by Tim Powles (The Church), mastered by Taylor Deupree (solo artist, 12K label), and features contributions from Keith Kenniff (Helios, Goldmund). Not as fragile as previous efforts, Departure Songs shows Hammock going massive as they meditate on grand themes of death and loss, retaining their signature approach to music-making, but this time out, heralding their muse in all capital letters. The album was frequently mentioned in 2012 "best-of" lists and held the top slot at Sputnik Music (across all genres) and was named as the #1 album of the year by the PRI-syndicated show "Echoes", Hammock's second such honor in the last three years.
On November 26, Hammock released Oblivion Hymns, their most ambitious recording to date. Hammock reaches as far as they ever have, adding a string quartet, children’s choir, accordion, French horn, glockenspiel, and more to their growing arsenal of instrumentation. Coupled with their familiar bank of guitars and effects, the end result is a special kind of magic waiting to be experienced, not simply listened to. Oblivion Hymns redefines what listeners have come to expect from a Hammock record, leaving all traces of traditional rock or pop far behind and introducing the band’s unique take on neoclassical music. Bathed in intricate layers of sweeping strings, strident horns, and delicately pressed keys, Oblivion Hymns rides a cascade of sound to the farthest-reaching corners of your heart and delivers a deep emotional connection, capable of ferreting out the most precious of memories. Oblivion Hymns is best described as an expedition across sight and sound. You won’t know where you’re headed, and you’re bound to feel drained by the end, but wherever you arrive, the journey will have been unforgettable.
Sinking Inside Yourself
Hammock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too gone to see
Every time you come down
So far from me
From me...
Next time when you wake up
I just watch you sink down
You fade away from me
From me...
Where do you go
When the life slips from your eyes?
I'll never know
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Goodbye...
Where do you go
When the life slips from your eyes?
I'll never know
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Goodbye...
The lyrics of Hammock's song "Sinking Inside Yourself" evoke a sense of longing and loss, with the singer lamenting the distance between themselves and a loved one who seems to be slipping away from them. The first verse sets up a pattern: "Every time you wake up, too gone to see / Every time you come down, so far from me." It seems as though the person is going through some kind of cycle, perhaps struggling with addiction or mental illness or some other issue that makes it hard for them to be fully present and engaged with the singer. The second verse brings this metaphor to its logical conclusion: "Next time when you wake up, you're lost at sea / I just watch you sink down, you fade away from me." The sense of helplessness and hopeless resignation in this verse is palpable, as the singer realizes that they cannot save this person from their internal struggles.
The chorus asks a series of questions that are never fully answered: "Where do you go when the life slips from your eyes? / I'll never know why you smiled and waved goodbye." The first question is particularly poignant, suggesting that the person is not really "here" in the same way when they are struggling with their demons. The second question adds a layer of complexity to the situation, as it seems as though the person has actively chosen to withdraw from the singer's life. The repetition of these lines in the chorus underscores the singer's sense of loss and confusion.
Overall, "Sinking Inside Yourself" is a haunting and beautiful song that captures the pain of watching someone you love struggle with their inner demons. The cyclical structure of the verses, the vivid metaphor of sinking down, and the unanswered questions of the chorus all contribute to a sense of emotional depth and complexity.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time you wake up
Every time you regain consciousness after being unconscious
Too gone to see
Being too lost/drunk/high to realize what's happening around you
Every time you come down
Whenever you're not high anymore
So far from me
Being emotionally distant from someone who cares about you
Next time when you wake up
When you come to again
You're lost at sea
You're in a state of confusion and disorientation, unable to find your bearings
I just watch you sink down
I see you slowly succumb to your problems/issues
You fade away from me
You get farther and farther away from the person who cares about you
Where do you go
Where do you mentally/emotionally go
When the life slips from your eyes?
When you lose the will to live or the spark in your eyes
I'll never know
I'll never find out/understand
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Why you left without warning or reason
Goodbye...
An acknowledgement of the end of something
Contributed by Adrian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
AmishEnjineer
Every time you wake up
Too gone to see
Every time you come down
So far from me
From me...
Next time when you wake up
You’re lost at sea
I just watch you sink down
You fade away from me
From me...
Where do you go
When the life slips from your eyes?
I’ll never know
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Goodbye...
Where do you go
When the life slips from your eyes?
I'll never know
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Goodbye...
Özgür Şentürk
Every time you wake up
Too gone to see
Every time you come down
So far from me
From me...
Next time when you wake up
You're lost at sea
I just watch you sink down
You fade away from me
From me...
Where do you go
When the life slips from your eyes?
I'll never know
Why you smiled and waved goodbye,
Goodbye...
mandy thompson
i'm not sure if anyone is going to read my comment. But this is exactly how i felt some time ago in the past. it's like this darkness that takes over your mind , and it starts to change your perspective of life, every aspect is affected. Even if i feel better now, i will never forget this feeling, and i still wish i would have die, but i'm here and i'm not happy but i'm okay, and that is really what i take pleasure in, my well being. thank you for reading. and may you find a way out .
Rahul Sharma
Hey, don't worry ahead the darkness lies a bright sunshine. We all will reach there once we fight our inner demons in this world! We all shall pass through, I know it!
Philippe Corthout
There can only be light, when there was darkness. Hope you're fine.
Clouded minds can become overwhelming at times, but always picture the silver lining.
And do burst into tears once in a while when listening to Hammock... nothing wrong with that.
JT
Seek the Lord with a pure heart!!!!
Érika Zúñiga
🖤
ZacaryIndie
Hello, I just read you, after a year. But, I hope you are much better!! 🥺
S96Blue
I don't understand how could someone dislike this art. Please don't stop hammock.
TRIPZVILLE
because feeling this kind of emotion scares them.
Alley B OT
just 44 demons, don't worry
Albert Zayha
True dat. Hammock rocks. Softly.