Information Society (aka "InSoc") is an electronic music group from Minneap… Read Full Bio ↴Information Society (aka "InSoc") is an electronic music group from Minneapolis, MN, USA that consisted of Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen, nee Kurt Larson), Paul Robb, and James Cassidy, the latter two reconvening the band in 2006. Their breakout hit was 1988's "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)", a dance pop hit that included a sample of Leonard Nimoy (as Star Trek's Spock) saying "pure energy" while opening with Jackson DeForest Kelley (as Star Trek's Leonard McCoy) saying "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet!"

Over their career, the group has been very influential on American electropop and freestyle artists from both their music and their strident, colorful visuals, being best known for their 1988 self-titled album. The band was formed in Minneapolis in the early 80s, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip-hop. In 1983, they independently released two albums, 'The InSoc EP' and 'Creatures Of Influence'. Two years later, they released "Running", their first single, which became a hit popular in New York City's Latino nightclubs and "put them on the map". That song, a 7-minute effort that touched on contemporary techno, was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon after. Their growing success led them from their native Minneapolis to NYC, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led them to record their proper debut album.

Their first major release album. 1988's 'Information Society', received critical acclaim, giving the group breakout commercial success as the album hiked up to #25 on the Billboard 200. In addition to "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" (which hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart), the album also had other hits in "Walking Away" (#9 on that chart) and a cover of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me" (#12 on the Hot Dance Music chart). The disc was one of the few to use CD+G, which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music. The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy, a fan of the band and son of Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy.

The second release, Hack (1990), wasn't as successful, but had small hits with Think and How Long but still managed to sell quite well in the fall of 1990.

Kurt was also the owner of the heavily-modified The Road Warrior-inspired art car named "Vector" featured on the cover of Hack. The car sported a functioning ranging laser, among other unusual features. Vector was eventually given to a friend at Burning Man in the mid-1990s.

The third release, Peace & Love, Inc. (1992), proved to be more powerful and critically acclaimed, although their label failed to do much to promote them. Their first single Peace & Love, Inc. reached #1 on the 'Billboard Dance Chart'. A music video was produced for the track, but MTV declined to play it. The album is also notable for being perhaps the first album ever produced to contain a track of modem tones, which when played into a telephone connected to a computer resulted in a bonus text message from the band.

The fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997), written and performed by Kurt Harland alone and produced by Steven Seibold, was more industrial-driven. Cleopatra Records released the album, but - like Tommy Boy Records - did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a CD-ROM filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997.

There was also a carefully-orchestrated digital scavenger hunt culminating in the discovery of a bonus track called White Roses. The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Kurt which pointed the way to a website where the search began. There is also a cover included of Gary Numan's Are 'Friends' Electric?. Also included is Ozar Midrashim, a track which was later used as the main theme for the videogame Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver.

During the course of those four albums and about a dozen remix singles from them, Information Society's sound went from more electronic pop music to a darker industrial type, though they will always be remembered for their first hit song and the cardboard guitars they wielded in its music video.

However, in 2006 Paul Robb and James Cassidy announced their intention to re-form Information Society, and began working on a new album. They also performed live at several venues across the US with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist. The Ep "Oscillator" was released in early 2007 followed by the album Synthesizer in late 2007. Christopher Anton provided the vocals on Oscillator, and Synthesizer and was the co-writer on several of the tracks as well.

http://informationsociety.us/

Somnambulistic
Information Society Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't keep my eyes open
Don't want 'em closed
There are too many demons
Don't want exposed

Always walking so far
In my sleep
Somehow I followed you so far

But not too deep
Some say I'm a narcoleptic
Some say I'm a somnambulistic
I'll dream of you tonight
I'll dream of you tonight

It's after midnight, baby
Can't close my eyes
Maybe I'll take a pill
It can't hurt to try

Always walking so far
In my sleep
Somehow I followed you so far
But not too deep
Some say I'm a narcoleptic
Some say I'm a somnambulistic
I'll dream of you tonight
I'll dream of you tonight

I'm always walking in my sleep. I'm always talking in my sleep...

Some say I'm a narcoleptic
Some say I'm a somnambulistic

I'll dream of you tonight
I'll dream of you tonight

Overall Meaning

In the song Somnambulistic by Information Society, the singer expresses their difficulty in keeping their eyes open due to the fear of exposing too many demons. The demons could be interpreted as one's innermost thoughts that they are not ready to reveal or confront with others. The singer mentions their tendency to walk great distances while asleep, possibly indicating their lost state of mind. They have followed the person they dream of so far, but not deep. This could portray a sense of longing towards a person, but the singer is not willing to reveal the extent of their feelings.

The song talks about the singer dreaming of the person they long for, despite their struggles with sleeping. It highlights their confusion and desperation, taking pills to help them sleep. The phrase "Some say I'm a narcoleptic, some say I'm a somnambulistic" depicts the confusion surrounding their sleeping patterns; they are not sure if they are a narcoleptic who uncontrollably falls asleep or a somnambulist who walks in their sleep. Either way, the singer struggles with sleeping and is fixated on dreaming of their desired person.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't keep my eyes open
I am unable to stay awake

Don't want 'em closed
I do not wish to close my eyes

There are too many demons
There are too many unsettling things that I don't want to come face to face with

Don't want exposed
I do not want these unsettling things to be seen or discovered

Always walking so far
I am constantly moving even while asleep

In my sleep
During my state of unconsciousness

Somehow I followed you so far
For some reason, I seem to have been following you even while asleep

But not too deep
I haven't gone too far into the dream state

Some say I'm a narcoleptic
Some people believe that I have a sleep disorder making me fall asleep suddenly and uncontrollably

Some say I'm a somnambulistic
Some people believe that I have a sleep disorder causing me to walk or perform other activities while still asleep

I'll dream of you tonight
You will appear in my dreams tonight