Their début single, 'To You', on Ugly Man Records was produced by and featured backing vocals by Guy Garvey, lead singer of Еlbow.
Début album Natural History was released in March 2001 on Wall of Sound offshoot We Love You. It was followed by the self-titled I Am Kloot in September 2003 on the Echo label. In their early years I Am Kloot were regarded by many as an example of the 'quiet is the new loud' trend in indie rock, as they gained prominence in the same years as, for example, Turin Brakes and Norway's Kings of Convenience. I Am Kloot, however mostly acoustic, were definitely not always 'quiet', if only because of Bramwell's rough singing and Hargreaves' often powerful drumming.
The third 'Kloot' LP, Gods and Monsters, was released in April 2005. The band subsequently announced their departure from the label, citing reasons such as a lack of financial support and the cancellation of singles at short notice. The band released a compilation of radio sessions, BBC Radio 1 John Peel Sessions in October 2006, a collection of two Peel Sessions and other rarities.
Their fourth album, I Am Kloot Play Moolah Rouge, was released in April 2008. Once again a compilation album followed in its slipstream, this time 2009's collection of B-sides, rare recordings, sessions, and previously unreleased material, entitled B.
Following the somewhat disappointing sales of the 'Moolah Rouge' album, I Am Kloot had Elbow's Guy Garvey and Craig Potter produce their next studio album, which turned out to be a majestic return to form. Sky at Night (released July 2010) was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and charted at #24 in the U.K. album charts.
I Am Kloot were back on the map. 2013's Let It All In became their highest charting album in the U.K. (#10), but would turn out to be their final studio LP together. There would be two more releases (a soundtrack album called From There to Here in 2014, and a 2015 live album entitled Hold Back the Night: I Am Kloot Live) before John Bramwell announced (in late 2017) that the group had quietly split up a year or so earlier.
"There was no heavy break-up or anything," Bramwell said. "I just wanted to do something else. I'll never say never to getting back together but I was in I Am Kloot most of my adult life, but just as you can go to a great place on holiday year after year, sooner or later you want to go to somewhere else."
Bigger Wheels
I Am Kloot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Later or else you won't get free,
Your dim and dismla, loves gone rotten, grim and
Greedy and best forgotten, yet still you say to me
There are bigger wheels than this, wider sky's of blue.
Hookers, lookers, pink skinned babies here's a list
Your mad, appalling love and laughter,
Stuck here for ever after
Swimming all around you
There are bigger wheels than this, wider sky's of blue.
There are bigger deals, there are bigger wheels
Than you get through.
Healers, dealer, skinflick traders, save my skin for
Later or else you won't get free,
Your dim and dismal, loves gone rotten, grim and
Greedy and best forgotten, and yet still you say to me
There are bigger wheels than this, wider sky's of blue.
There are bigger deals, there are bigger wheels
Than you get through.
Hookers, lookers, pink skinned babies here's a list
Of maybes I have saved for you.
The song "Bigger Wheels" by I Am Kloot talks about the various people and experiences that the singer has encountered. He mentions healers, dealers, and skinflick traders, perhaps referring to individuals who manage or manipulate others for their own gain. The singer pleads for these people to save his skin for later, or else they won't get free. The love that these people have given is described as dim and dismal, gone rotten, grim, greedy, and best forgotten, yet they still say to the singer that there are bigger wheels than what they have encountered before.
The lyrics then mention hookers, lookers, and pink-skinned babies, perhaps referring to individuals who are still searching for something or someone to hold onto. The singer has saved a list of maybes for these people. The love and laughter that they have experienced is described as mad and appalling, stuck forever after, with swimming all around them. Despite this, the singer sings that there are bigger wheels than what these people have experienced, there are wider skies of blue, and bigger deals that they will eventually get through.
Overall, the lyrics in "Bigger Wheels" seem to suggest that there is more to life than just the people and experiences that we encounter. There is always something bigger and better that we can strive for, and it is up to us to keep searching until we find it.
Line by Line Meaning
Healers, dealer, skinflick traders, save my skin for Later or else you won't get free,
People who try to take advantage of me, keep their help for later or they won't be doing it for free.
Your dim and dismla, loves gone rotten, grim and Greedy and best forgotten, yet still you say to me
You have a love that is dull, rotten, selfish, and should be forgotten, but you continue to talk to me.
There are bigger wheels than this, wider sky's of blue.
There are more important and bigger things in this world that one can achieve, and it is symbolized by the vast blue sky.
Hookers, lookers, pink skinned babies here's a list Of maybes I have saved for you
There are possibilities and options that I have saved for you, whether you are a prostitute, an attractive person, or an innocent baby.
Your mad, appalling love and laughter, Stuck here for ever after Swimming all around you
Your love and laughter are insane and unpleasant, and will be stuck with you forever, surrounding you like water to a swimmer.
There are bigger deals, there are bigger wheels Than you get through.
There are greater opportunities and accomplishments to pursue than what you are currently experiencing.
Healers, dealer, skinflick traders, save my skin for Later or else you won't get free,
People who try to take advantage of me, keep their help for later or they won't be doing it for free.
Your dim and dismal, loves gone rotten, grim and Greedy and best forgotten, and yet still you say to me
You have a love that is dull, rotten, selfish, and should be forgotten, but you continue to talk to me.
There are bigger wheels than this, wider sky's of blue.
There are more important and bigger things in this world that one can achieve, and it is symbolized by the vast blue sky.
There are bigger deals, there are bigger wheels Than you get through.
There are greater opportunities and accomplishments to pursue than what you are currently experiencing.
Hookers, lookers, pink skinned babies here's a list Of maybes I have saved for you.
There are possibilities and options that I have saved for you, whether you are a prostitute, an attractive person, or an innocent baby.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andrew Hargreaves, John Bramwell, Peter Jobson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind