It didn't take long before Josh's unique voice and song writing style, influenced by the likes of Elliott Smith, Evan Dando, and Sparklehorse, began to find favour amongst music tastemakers, critics and Triple J listeners. The first taste, the assured 'Kids Don't Sell Their Hopes So Fast', found high rotation on Triple J and soon 'Silver' and the gently sweeping 'Doldrums' followed to similar praise and airplay. These tracks are now available on the CD 'Recordings 2003-2005' through The Million records.
Josh signed to Ivy League Records in 2005 and shortly afterwards travelled to New York for some further writing, performing and demoing and upon return set about recording what was his debut release under his own name, a mini album entitled "Feeding The Wolves".
"Feeding the Wolves" signified a great deal more than a change in name: It revealed a huge step in the development of Josh as an artist and songwriter. The subject matter was as broad as titles like "Beg Your Pardon", "Private Education", "Middle Of The Hill" and "Goldmines" suggest, however it's Josh's lyrics that draw this collection of songs together into a complete package. He cleverly dissects human emotion and feelings and shows them for what they are: complex, abstract, fascinating.
There is hope in the opening track 'Beg Your Pardon' and in 'Fill You In' there is emptiness and longing. The first single, 'Middle Of The Hill', is a near-stream of consciousness of a suburban childhood - family affection coloured by those sometimes darker, sometimes trivial details that for some reason stay with you. 'Goldmines' a vision of a land, or maybe a talent, stripped of its riches - but here and there a flash of colour survives. A relationship that seems to be an ongoing test is at 'Private Education's' centre. The title track finishes it, with Josh quick to point out the Wolves are not those wanting a piece of you for whatever reason - but those uncontrollable, irrational, emotions inside yourself that you have to keep in check.
With production by the much-lauded Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Underground Lovers, Youth Group, just about any Australian act of note...), "Feeding The Wolves" had the artist now rightly known as Josh Pyke letting his talent flow without constraint. The words seem to tumble out of him: honest, evocative, and emotional all at once. The playing - again mostly all Josh - is one moment sweetly melodic, then turning urgent and insistent as needs be. This range of feelings, packaged so they bounce around inside your head like good songs do, and given so generously, go together to make "Feeding The Wolves" the sound of an artist beginning to realise an enormous potential.
In 2007 Josh released his first full-length album 'Memories and Dust'. Although the record features three of the stand-out tracks from 'Feeding the Wolves' there are a further 8 tracks of similar quality, including the title track, which was the first single taken from the new batch. The release is again through Ivy League Records.
Josh's second album Chimney's Afire was released 4 October 2008 and was recorded at Sydney's Linear Recording studios. The first single off the album was "The Lighthouse Song", and the second was called "Make You Happy".
Bones
Josh Pyke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I bet you lock your doors at night,
But it don't mean nothin' to me now.i bet you like the candle light,
The way it flickers on the walls alright,
But it don't mean nothin' to me.
I can see it's a lie, i can see it's a lie, it's a lie, it's a lie.
It's in the look in your eye, and the lay of the land and the sweat on your hand.
I can tell it from a mile away,
And i don't hear a single word you say,
But it don't mean nothin' to me now.
Did she do it all again,
I'm not lookin' just to see an end,
But it don't mean nothin' to me.
See the elevator come undone
It's fallin' faster past the things you wanna become now
Check it as the colours fade,
You settle back into the grey,
But it don't mean nothin' to me now
In "Bones," Josh Pyke addresses a person who he believes is hiding something or not being completely honest. The first two stanzas suggest that this person puts on a façade of being secure and safe, locking their doors at night to protect their bones. However, Pyke believes that this is not the real them and that they are lying. He sees through their "candle light" image and can tell that they are not as they seem. He can see the lie in their eyes and their body language. In the next stanza, Pyke wonders if this person has done something deceitful again, but again, he is not interested in confrontation or punishment. Ultimately, the person's dissembling and dishonesty do not matter to Pyke.
The final stanza takes a turn, with Pyke describing an elevator that has come undone and is plunging past the person's dreams and aspirations. The elevator's fall is a metaphor for this person's failures and disappointments, and he sees that they have given up hope and settled back into a grey life. He understands their sense of defeat but is not affected by it. Pyke's message is clear that people can try to hide or pretend all they want, but he sees through those veneers, and ultimately those deceptions do not matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Well i bet you keep your bones inside,
I believe you like to hide your true self and emotions within you.
I bet you lock your doors at night,
I am certain that you try to protect yourself from experiencing anything new or unknown.
But it don't mean nothin' to me now.
But I have now come to accept and understand that aspect of you.
I bet you like the candle light,
I'm sure you have a fondness for a certain kind of ambiance and aesthetic.
The way it flickers on the walls alright,
You must appreciate the way light plays its part on the surroundings around you.
But it don't mean nothin' to me.
But, it has no emotional significance in my eyes anymore.
I can see it's a lie, i can see it's a lie, it's a lie, it's a lie.
I can recognize that you're hiding something from me, and it's a deception that's become transparent to me.
It's in the look in your eye, and the lay of the land and the sweat on your hand.
Your body language and mannerisms make it obvious that you're not being truthful.
It's on the tip of my tongue now.
I know what you're hiding, and I'm willing to confront you about it.
I can tell it from a mile away,
I can perceive from far away that you're not being honest with yourself or those around you.
And i don't hear a single word you say,
I am unable to believe anything that you tell me, no matter how convincing you try to make it sound.
But it don't mean nothin' to me now.
But, I have learned to accept that aspect of you.
Did she do it all again,
Has she committed the same mistakes again?
I'm not lookin' just to see an end,
I'm not interested in merely concluding this matter, but want to go deeper.
But it don't mean nothin' to me.
But, I have learned to let go of the past and not be troubled by it anymore.
See the elevator come undone
The situation has become chaotic and unpredictable.
It's fallin' faster past the things you wanna become now
The situation is slipping out of control, and it is affecting your future aspirations.
Check it as the colours fade,
See how everything around you is becoming dull and uneventful.
You settle back into the grey,
You seem to have accepted a mundane life, and not want to rock the boat anymore.
But it don't mean nothin' to me now
But, I have now learned to accept this aspect of you and move on.
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.