Formed initially by members Alex Church (bass), Steven Scott (guitar) and Brian Canning (guitar), Irving began as a thrown-together rock outfit to accompany a friend’s art opening. Within a month, Brent Turner (drums) joined, and the group began working in earnest on the songs that would eventually appear on its first album, Good Morning Beautiful. The release of GMB in 2002 showcased the band’s penchant for writing witty pop songs with whimsical backup vocals and upbeat melodies.
By the year’s end, Aaron Burrows (keyboards) signed on, and the band was back in the studio. The I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now EP, released in 2003 to critical acclaim, exhibited Irving’s unrelenting willingness to experiment with pop song structures, and highlighted the innate strengths of a band in which all five members are songwriters.
In the two years since the release of the EP, Irving has opened for such notables as Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree. The band’s songwriting has also taken a noticeably more thoughtful turn. While the innate pop sensibilities continue to stand out above all else, Irving’s songwriting has matured—the sounds and structures more intricate, the subject matter more thoroughly realized.
"Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers" is the result of five musicians and their distinct influences, bound by an uncanny knack for melody and harmony. With production and engineering help from Phil Ek (The Shins, Modest Mouse), as well as Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart) and Jim Fairchild (from Grandaddy), Irving corrals its many distinct influences into a clear vision. From the oblique percussive start of the title track, to the psych-pop chaos of “Situation” to the so-bizarre-it-works background breathing on “I Want To Love You In My Room,” the band pulls unforgettable hooks out of the most unlikely places.
In 2007, Church left the band to form his own band, Sea Wolf, while the remaining members put Irving on hold to form a new band with singer Claire McKeown, Afternoons, not to be confused with (or sure to be confused with) the Welsh pop band The Afternoons.
Situation
Irving Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe you should try and take better care of yourself"
And I tried to explain that it's hard to complain when
The worst part of you is the best part of me
And you listen to me
Yeah, you listen to me
I'm just trying to relax my imagination
I'm just trying to correct the situation
My concentration level seems to throw itself out through the window
And now it's starting to rain, and I'm losing my train
Of thought, though it's hard to remember all that I forgot
It'd be fine if it were sometimes, but it happens a lot
I'm just trying to avoid a confrontation
I'm just trying to correct the situation
I swear, I was going to stop anyway due to boredom
It was not that you were just encouraging me not to do that anymore
And I don't want to have to argue with you
Because there's so many things that I'd rather do
Than to argue with you
And to argue with you
Just to argue with you
I'm just trying to ignore what you've just mentioned
I'm just trying to correct the situation
In Irving's song Situation, the lyrics present a conversation between the singer and their significant other. The singer seems to be struggling with their self-care, to which their partner comments that they have let themselves go. The singer tries to explain that it's hard to complain when their worst part is the best part of their partner. Despite this, the partner continues to listen to the singer express their desire to "relax [their] imagination" and "correct the situation."
The singer struggles with their concentration level, which seems to "throw itself out the window." They mention that it's often difficult for them to remember everything that they forgot, especially when it starts to rain. The singer is trying to avoid a confrontation, as they don't want to argue with their partner. Instead, they want to focus on correcting the situation in their life.
Overall, the lyrics to Situation seem to be a reflection of the struggles that the singer is going through. They feel overwhelmed and somewhat defeated by their lack of self-care, but they are actively trying to work on this. Their partner is supportive, but the singer doesn't want to argue or cause any problems in their relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer is trying to improve their circumstances and move forward in a positive way.
Line by Line Meaning
And you said, "Oh, my, how you've let yourself go in the worst way
You commented on my physical appearance negatively and with concern.
Maybe you should try and take better care of yourself"
You suggested that I improve my physical condition.
And I tried to explain that it's hard to complain when
I attempted to convey that it's difficult to express negative emotions when...
The worst part of you is the best part of me
...my imperfections align with your strengths and vice versa.
And you listen to me
You give me your attention and validate my feelings.
Yeah, you listen to me
You continue to listen despite any differences in opinion or emotion.
I'm just trying to relax my imagination
I aim to ease my creative and abstract thinking.
I'm just trying to correct the situation
I simply seek to remedy the current predicament.
And I know that you know that I haven't been trying so hard
I acknowledge that you perceive my effort and output as subpar.
My concentration level seems to throw itself out through the window
I experience difficulty focusing and maintaining my attention.
And now it's starting to rain, and I'm losing my train
External factors, like precipitation, are dampening my productivity and causing distraction.
Of thought, though it's hard to remember all that I forgot
My thoughts are scattered and difficult to retain cohesively.
It'd be fine if it were sometimes, but it happens a lot
Occasional distraction is tolerable; however, it's become a frequent issue.
I'm just trying to avoid a confrontation
I prefer to sidestep any potential argument or disagreement.
I'm just trying to correct the situation
Again, my goal is to rectify the current state of affairs.
I swear, I was going to stop anyway due to boredom
I promise that I intended to halt my current task regardless, as it had grown tiresome.
It was not that you were just encouraging me not to do that anymore
Your comments did not incite my decision to end my task prematurely.
And I don't want to have to argue with you
I have no desire to engage in a verbal conflict with you.
Because there's so many things that I'd rather do
My time and energy would be better spent pursuing other activities or tasks.
Than to argue with you
Debating with you is not a priority or preferred use of my resources.
Just to argue with you
I see no benefit or productive outcome from engaging in such a conflict.
I'm just trying to ignore what you've just mentioned
I am choosing to overlook or disregard your previous comment or criticism.
I'm just trying to correct the situation
As before, my aim is to remedy and improve the current circumstances.
Contributed by Kaitlyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TP
@Robert Penick the point is in a plausible logical world
If Kyrie is just saying some obvious stupid thing
People would just clown him and there wouldn't be needed to publicly mock him and punish him like this
If instead he is saying something dangerous
This would justify the strong counter reaction he is under right now
Now is it dangerously stupid and outlandish
Or is it dangerous because there's something they want you to NEVER know about them
Is it dangerous to the people who clicks on Kyrie link to Amazon or is it dangerous to the authorities counter acting on Kyrie to prevent you from accessing said content available on Amazon?
Noname
Funny how NIKE is trying to be morally right while they have kids in sweatshops working for basically no money
Lucas Brandt
They don’t actually care about that they just want to seem more noble to people so they keep getting sales
Fredrick Tate
@Lucas Brandt same with the NBA, didn’t want players speaking on China just so they can expand and be able to have games in China for a new revenue stream
Two-Liter Bowls
Sweatshops are better than the subsistence they were doing before Nike showed up.
Donovan Kim
I refuse to believe people are pressed for no reason
Bully lowenthal
Fax
1NFRN0
No reason? How is showing support to a anti-Semitic movie not a reason to receive pushback?
doggojoe
Wtf did Jews do bruh lmfao
LockDownTre2k
They seriously suspended him for retweeting a movie dumb asf
Wasabi I Think
Well the movie is anti-Semitic and he’s promoting it so yea he deserves it