2… Read Full Bio ↴1. A British indie pop and "urban folk" band fronted by Darren Hayman.
2. electronic downtempo artist Lee Jones who released an album called Residue,
3. An experimental side project of Swedish indie, electronic, hip hop artist Lechy
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1. Hefner were a British indie pop and "urban folk" band fronted by Darren Hayman. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs.
Hefner began as a live band in 1995. In 1996 Darren Hayman recorded a tape for Sticky Records (named The Devotion Chamber) on which all instruments were played by Darren himself. His friend from art school, Antony Harding, assisted, providing backing vocals.
The band's first release was in April of 1997 when the 7" single "A Better Friend" was released by Boogle Wonderland. The single featured Antony on drums and John Morrison (from Rhatigan) on bass. Shortly after the release, the record label Too Pure offered a record deal to Darren, who extended the offer to Antony and John.
After a few more singles, Hefner recorded their debut album Breaking God's Heart. A lo fidelity album primarily recorded in one take, Hayman has declared that this album is the one he is least interested in listening to, due to its unrealized potential.
The Fidelity Wars would be their next record (with the recent addition of multi-instrumentalist Jack Hayter playing on some tracks, who would later join the band properly); a darker collection of songs. In the official website of the band Darren has explained that all of the songs gravitate around the concept of breaking up.
Hefner had, at this point, recorded a large number of singles and EPs. Boxing Hefner collected some of those tracks that had not appeared on the previous albums, often as new recordings. The compilation also included some unreleased material. The band stated that this album was released primarily to mark Jack's actual joining.
We Love the City marked a change in direction for the band. In contrast with previous records, which had older songs, all of the compositions on We Love the City were made for this record, which had better production value and more varied instrumentation.
Dead Media, released in 2001, continued the interest that Hefner had shown in exploring new ways. Dead Media is certainly different from previous records in the sense of its electronic weight, an interest that led Darren to eventually create The French.
After the band's final gig at the ICA in London on 10 December 2001 and the release of an EP called The Hefner Brain the following March, the band went on a seemingly permanent hiatus, save for one reformation for the "Keeping It Peel" tribute show, marking the death of one of their biggest supporters, Radio 1 DJ John Peel. In 2005 a t-shirt was released that read "Hefner, Britainâs Largest Small Band (1997-2002)", and in an interview Darren Hayman said "no, no reunion planned".
In 2005, after a legal dispute between Darren Hayman and Too Pure, the rights to all the band's Too Pure recordings have reverted to Darren. As a result, he has released The Best of Hefner 1996-2002 (on Fortune & Glory) and Catfight (Cargo), a 2 CD collection of 43 unreleased songs, both in 2006. The full recording of Hefner's special live Peel Session performance from 23rd August 2000 in the eight piece We Love the City formation (amelia fletcher and a horn section - part of which appeared as a limited bonus disc with some copies of the CD of We Love the City) has been released under the title of Maida Vale in November 2006. All of the band's albums have also been reissued with bonus tracks.
In 2008 Darren and Jack got together and played Hefner songs on a limited number of venues around Europe. This project is not planned to continue further after September 2008 though.
Darren Hayman tours and releases music as a solo artist - sometimes as Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern, but he has been involved in several solo projects: The French, the Stereo Morphonium and Hayman, Watkins, Trout and Lee.
Antony Harding's solo project is known as Ant
Jack Hayter releases solo stuff as well.
www.hefnet.com
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2. The other is Lee Jones who released an album called Residue, a number of 12"s and remixes on Inertia Records.
Residue sold 85,000 albums independently through Inertia Records. Lee Jones, in response, took the project on the road around Europe, playing throughout Holland, Germany, Italy and France. Also appearing on national TV in both Germany and Holland. The album was voted number 3 in the BBC Radio 1 urban albums poll.
Then all went quiet. He worked on Josee's solo album, Lost Souls Dancing, and moved to Berlin.
At this time in order to satisfy demand Inertia released a compilation of his best remixes called "Reworks" featuring his versions of tunes by Lamb, 4 Hero, Omar faruk Takbilek and others and took time off to produce some other artists.
In 2003 Inertia hooked Hefner up with Frazey Ford, lead singer of The Be Good Tanyas, a fantastic rootsy, folky band from Vancouver. The resulting material was magical but due to recording commitments to EMI the project had to be stalled until the Be Good Tanyas album was finally released. As of the end of 2006 the project has been revitalised with the partnership working together again. An album is due at the end of 2007.
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3. Dr. Hefner, the Prince of Holmiapolis
The Weight Of The Stars
Hefner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the film wasn't wound on, the camera was broke so all of the pictures were lost.
There was a photo of her face, she looked about 23,
A photo of her grey flannel dress that was cut just below her knee.
The weight of the stars made the night fall down,
Her hair made the whole town swoon,
No matter what my friends say there's no rhyme or reason,
I know I did something wrong.
Oh she had the wit, she had the knack,
The night didn't seem too long.
The freckles upon her back, the grey hairs amongst the black,
The quiver in her lips when she spoke far too quick,
The lines upon her hands.
The weight of the stars made the night fall down,
Her hair made the whole town swoon,
My heart was led by her pale skinny legs to the mattress in her room.
No matter what my friends say there's no rhyme or reason,
I know I did something wrong.
Oh she had the wit, she had the knack,
The night didn't seem too long.
The weight of the stars made the night fall down,
Her hair made the whole town swoon,
My heart was led by her pale skinny legs to the mattress in her room.
No matter what my friends say there's no rhyme or reason,
I know I did something wrong.
Oh she had the wit, she had the knack,
The night didn't seem too long.
The Weight Of The Stars by Hefner is a song about a journey, a mysterious girl and regret. The opening verse describes how the singer took photos during his journey but unfortunately lost them all as the camera was broken, with the film unwound. However, among the lost photos was a picture of a girl on a bus who looked about 23 years old, dressed in a grey flannel dress with its hemline cut just below her knees. The singer's regret is evident as he ponders about what could have been if he still had the picture. The chorus features an intriguing metaphor - the weight of the stars made the night fall down - perhaps referring to the overwhelming sense of gravity or destiny that drew the singer to the girl. Her hair, the second line of the metaphor, has a similar effect on the whole town, implying that she may have been a mysterious and captivating character.
In the second verse, the song focuses on the girl herself, not just her appearance, but her freckles, gray hairs, and the lines on her hands. This presents a more realistic view of the girl, making her seem more human and relatable. The singer is drawn to her personality as well, as she had the wit and the knack, leading him to spend the night with her. The bridge then reflects on the singer's feelings about the situation, with an acknowledgment that he must have done something wrong, despite there being no rhyme or reason for his actions. It's left open to interpretation whether he thinks he messed things up with the girl, or if his regret is more general. The song concludes with the final chorus repeating the metaphor of the weight of the stars and how it led the singer to this mysterious girl, leaving the listener with a sense of bittersweet longing.
Line by Line Meaning
I took photos along the journey, a photo of a girl on the bus,
During my journey, I captured moments with my camera, one of them being a picture of a girl on the bus.
But the film wasn't wound on, the camera was broke so all of the pictures were lost.
Unfortunately, due to a mishap with the camera, all of the pictures I took were lost.
There was a photo of her face, she looked about 23,
One of the photos I lost was a portrait of the girl's face, and she appeared to be around 23 years old.
A photo of her grey flannel dress that was cut just below her knee.
Another missing photo was of her wearing a grey flannel dress that was cut to just below her knees.
The weight of the stars made the night fall down,
The celestial bodies in the universe - stars - were responsible for casting the world into darkness at night.
Her hair made the whole town swoon,
The girl's hair was so beautiful that it captivated not just one person, but the entire town.
My heart was led by her pale skinny legs to the mattress in her room.
I was drawn in by the girl's pale, thin legs and ended up having intimate relations with her in her bedroom.
No matter what my friends say there's no rhyme or reason,
Despite my friend's opinions, there was no clear explanation as to why I was so attracted to this girl.
I know I did something wrong.
Deep down, I feel guilty or regretful about something that happened between me and the girl.
Oh she had the wit, she had the knack,
The girl possessed intelligence and skill, which I found attractive about her.
The freckles upon her back, the grey hairs amongst the black,
When I was intimate with the girl, I noticed the freckles on her back and the grey hairs mixed in with the black.
The quiver in her lips when she spoke far too quick,
The girl's lips trembled when she spoke too quickly, and I couldn't help but notice.
The lines upon her hands.
I also noticed the lines on her hands, perhaps signifying her age or struggles over time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DARREN HAYMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind