Founded by Arnold and Donikian in 2000, Hypnogaja originated as an electronic studio project with early collaborator, keyboardist Sean "Dr." Brooks. As a live show began to develop, members and collaborators were added to the fold, including Grammy award nominated guitarist/producer Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet. Hypnogaja's sound evolved into new dimensions with the incorporation of rock influences into the group's initial electronic foundation. The band tours consistently and has performed shows to audiences throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has opened for bands such as Shinedown, Saliva, 311, Cold and many others.
Grammy nominated songwriter Wendy Waldman helmed production duties for Hypnogaja's live acoustic album, Acoustic Sunset: Live At The Longhouse. The band previously collaborated with Waldman on two songs - "Killing Time" and "Outside, Looking In" - from the album "Post-Hypnotic Stress Disorder". The latter song was featured as the end title of the NBC Movie "Carrie" a remake of the Brian DePalma film based on the classic Stephen King novel.
Hypnogaja's latest studio recording, Truth Decay, was released by Union State Records in June 2009. The fourteen-track, science fiction-tinged concept album includes the song "Welcome To The Future," featuring Richard Dodd of The Section Quartet on cello. The album was released to strong reviews, including a 9 out of 10 star rating from Outburn Magazine, which noted it as an "expertly crafted album." The LP's first single, "The March," spawned a music video directed by ASC Award-winning cinematographer Nelson Craggand and writer/producer Marius Markevicius
Various television shows, motion pictures and soundtracks have featured Hypnogaja’s music, including America’s Next Top Model, Carrie, Cold Creek Manor, Dirt , Las Vegas, One Life To Live, Roswell, Sex And The City, Tru Calling, Valentine and many others.
Author Frank Beddor featured Hypnogaja's Alice in Wonderland-themed song, "Looking Glass" (from the Below Sunset album) on the soundtrack for the audio book version of his 2006 NY Times Best Seller, The Looking Glass Wars. In 2007, the Warner Bros. Interactive game, FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, used the band's song "They Don't Care" (another track from Below Sunset), which was also placed - that same year - as the theme song for the Versus network's Red, White, Black and Blue Summer promo trailer. In 2008, Hypnogaja frontman, ShyBoy, co-wrote and performed two songs ("The Time Has Come" and "Shall Never Surrender") featured in the Capcom video game, The Devil May Cry 4 (the latter track appearing as the game's end title and both songs appearing on the accompanying, official Sony Music soundtrack). In 2009, Tapulous featured the Hypnogaja song "Things Will Never Be The Same" (from the Truth Decay LP) in the iPhone and iPod touch game, Tap Tap Revenge 3.
Several technology companies have featured Hypnogaja's music in noteworthy articles and promotional materials, and have invited the band to participate in events. Apple computers posted an in-depth interview and story on the band's experience in using Macs in the realms of recording, touring and promotion. AOL Music's Noisecreep property featured an interview with Hypnogaja about the concept behind Truth Decay, and offered an exclusive, free download of the song, "Worship Me (I'm On TV)." Microsoft Windows featured free downloads of two songs from Truth Decay - "Rusty Moon" and "Cellar Door" - on promotions tied to its Windows 7 release, including a slot in the January 2010 Windows Media Guide.
Hypnogaja performed at the first annual 140tc (Twitter Conference), held in Los Angeles in September 2009. In consideration of the band's success in utilizing social networking to grow its fan base (Hypnogaja has reached over one million followers on the site), keyboardist Donikian was invited to serve as one of the speakers during the conference's music panel, which also included Chamillionaire, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears and several notable music industry executives. The band rounded out 2009 with a Best Alternative Artist win at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, performing "Welcome To The Future" at the November awards ceremony. In November 2010, Arnold won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Male Vocal for his performance of the Donna Summer classic hit, "On the Radio," (released in January 2010 by Union State Records as the bonus track on the Hypnogaja digital 45, Welcome to the Future / On the Radio).
Hypnogaja's current lineup of Arnold, Donikian, Barnardo (member since 2004), Farrar (member since 2008) and Parker (member since 2009) performed an official showcase at SXSW '10 in Austin, TX and the group continues to tour and perform webcasts consistently. In July 2010, the band appeared on the debut episode of the web series, Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith (of Tears for Fears). On February 15, 2011, Union State Records is scheduled to release a new Hypnogaja digital EP entitled Dark Star which will contain a remix of the song "Dark Star" (featuring Slimkid3 of The Pharcyde). Later in 2011, there are plans to release Arnold's debut solo album (under the name ShyBoy) as well as plans to start recording a new Hypnogaja studio album.
Nothing Left to Give
Hypnogaja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can do to keep from running
The past is coming
The last to hear, the first to fear
As the lights are slowly stunning
I keep on numbing
Lives pass through me
Time eludes me
I've got nothing left to give
The wine flows, but no one knows
To come and fill my cup
There's never enough
The mind you're raping, the hole is gaping
But somehow I got stuck
And I can't give it up
Lives pass through me
I've got one more life to live
Time eludes me
I've got nothing left to give
Blood and starshine,
Guts and glamour.
Nothing seems to matter.
Lives pass through me
I've got one more life to live
Time eludes me
I've got nothing left to give
The lyrics to "Nothing Left to Give" by Hypnogaja discuss the feeling of being emotionally drained and unable to give any more of oneself. The opening line, "The mask falls and it's all I can do to keep from running," suggests a sense of vulnerability and fear when faced with the truth. The singer is haunted by their past and struggles with feelings of anxiety and emotional numbness. The line "the mind you're raping, the hole is gaping" implies a violation of the singer's psyche.
The chorus emphasizes the sense of exhaustion and futility, as the singer feels that they have nothing left to give. They mention "wine flows, but no one knows," highlighting the isolation and loneliness that comes with this emotional desolation. The last stanza, "blood and starshine, guts and glamour, nothing seems to matter," suggests that even the grandest and most dazzling parts of life are out of reach when one feels drained and empty.
Overall, the song presents a poignant exploration of the human condition, specifically the experience of struggling with self-doubt, anxiety, and the feeling of being burned out.
Line by Line Meaning
The mask falls and it's all
I can no longer deceive myself or others. The truth is exposed.
I can do to keep from running
I am overwhelmed and want to escape the situation.
The past is coming
Memories of past experiences and mistakes resurface.
The last to hear, the first to fear
I am the last to know what is happening, but I am the first to be afraid of it.
As the lights are slowly stunning
I am gradually losing awareness and feeling stunned by the situation.
I keep on numbing
I am trying to avoid the emotional pain by numbing myself.
Lives pass through me
People come and go, but I remain stuck.
I've got one more life to live
I have limited time to make the most of my life.
Time eludes me
I can't control time or stop it from passing.
I've got nothing left to give
I am drained and have nothing more to offer.
The wine flows, but no one knows
I am drinking to fill the void, but no one understands my pain.
To come and fill my cup
I need someone to help alleviate my suffering and provide emotional support.
There's never enough
No amount of external validation or substances can fill the emptiness inside of me.
The mind you're raping, the hole is gaping
Someone is taking advantage of me and leaving me feeling violated and empty inside.
But somehow I got stuck
I am trapped in this cycle of pain and can't seem to break free.
And I can't give it up
I am too attached to my suffering and can't let go of it.
Blood and starshine,
Life and death, hope and despair come together.
Guts and glamour.
Courage and beauty, but also the pain and ugliness of life.
Nothing seems to matter.
In the end, everything is meaningless and nothing seems to have lasting value.
Lives pass through me
People come and go, but I remain stuck.
I've got one more life to live
I have limited time to make the most of my life.
Time eludes me
I can't control time or stop it from passing.
I've got nothing left to give
I am drained and have nothing more to offer.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind