Kan Wakan arrive with a striking breadth of vision that immediately places … Read Full Bio ↴Kan Wakan arrive with a striking breadth of vision that immediately places them among modern pop’s most beguiling and inventive new artists. The Los Angeles-based group’s extraordinary debut LP “Moving On” introduced their ornate and enveloping amalgam of moody, hypnotic-soul, post rock, electronica and noir jazz, all reshaped and rearranged to create something both startlingly original and utterly contemporary. This darkly sensual and cinematic quality was championed by the ever-influential public radio stations, KCRW, WFUV and BBC Radio 6.

Kan Wakan emerged in early 2012, the musical brainchild of composer/producer Crooked Waters who was recently named in LA Weekly’s ’10 Best Songwriters in Los Angeles’. The Bulgarian-born musician originally set out to create solely instrumental music inspired by his lifelong passion for classical minimalism. In 2010, Waters split time between writing orchestral music for motion picture and performing in groups around Los Angeles, whilst recording bedroom demos. These early recordings served as the blueprints for Kan Wakan’s forthcoming debut album. “Many roots of the music are inspired by moving picture and fiction. A lot of arrangement ideas usually start with a quick sentiment, and develop viscerally undocumented over some time before I feel comfortable enough writing them down.”, Waters says.

Inspired by artists such as Massive Attack, Air and SBTRKT, the projects identity became deeply rooted in multiple collaborations. In 2011 Waters partnered up with guitarist / co-producer Peter Potyondy who helped push the projects vision forward. Together the duo spent the better part of 2012 shaping and molding the groundwork for their debut LP “Moving On”, which incorporates seamless integration of musical styles, from orchestral to r&b, trip hop, electronica, jazz, folk and psychedelia. Waters says, “It took a very natural course as we spent a year or so experimenting with sounds in our rehearsal room and finding our groove while we searched for vocal collaborators and more like minded musicians to perform with live.”

As the duo built upon a truly variegated palette of influences, common musical themes began to manifest, including an epic but cinematic hypnotic-soul approach inspired by such icons as Bill Withers and Nina Simone. “Forever Found” – the band’s first fully fleshed track – proved the aural template from which Kan Wakan lit out on their exploration of what Waters refers to as “the juxtaposition of song and symphony.” The Independent UK calls it ” A glorious, swirling, joyous and notably non-ironic take on a time when pop could be grand and orchestral, as well as playful and arch”. The track soon became a local favorite at KCRW, “It’s rare that Jason Bentley will play a single track every day for a week on MBE, but the track “Forever Found” by LA-group Kan Wakan has earned that distinction”.

Kan Wakan’s debut LP earned high praise from the editors at Rolling Stone, who called it” Dreamy, intricate stuff worth repeated-rehearings”, The Fader dubbed them “One of the most exciting acts of the year” and Buzzbands LA listed ‘Moving On’ as their #1 album of the year. The Daily Mirror added, “Impressive Arctic Monkeys-endorsed debut from LA-based newcomers”. Yahoo Music named Kan Wakan in their 2014 ’11 Best New Artists of the Year’ wrap-up. Which proved LA Weekly’s 2013 prediction true, when they included the band in their ‘Artists About to Blow Up’ list.

Having made an instantaneous impact, the band then spent the better part of 2014 touring behind their debut album “Moving On”, with stops at the ever influential SXSW and CMJ festivals, extensive touring in the UK including a performance at the buzz-worthy Great Escape Festival in Brighton. Later in 2014, Kan Wakan went on to support UK giants Royal Blood and the Arctic Monkeys on their respective sold out tours. Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys and fiancee Breana McDow, directed and starred in the bands latest music video for the song “Are We Saying Goodbye”. The band’s first single “Like I Need You” was selected as the theme song for HBO’s Game of Thrones Spring preview, which soon became an indie favorite on summer playlists. In December 2014 their track “Why Don’t You Save Me?” was featured in an episode of “State of Affairs”.

Kan Wakan continued their stride into 2015, with a feature performance for CBS that aired every night for a week during the Late Night Show with David Letterman and announced that they are beginning work on their sophomore album, which will feature exciting new collaborations.

Moving On
Kan Wakan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Met the ghost of you and I
And this I can't disguise
Said you had me for a fool
But I got what I need from you
No truth can turn me now
It's too hard to pretend

We are moving on

The time has come
We are moving on
The time has come

Give me a reason to forgive you
Drag your shadow down the hall
Can't deny I've done you wrong
I just thought we're having fun
Go on, you can tell your friends
I'm like the rest of them

We are moving on
The time has come
We are moving on
The time has come
We are moving on
The time has come

We are moving on
The time has come

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kan Wakan's song "Moving On" convey a sense of closure and release from a past relationship. The opening line "Met the ghost of you and I" sets a reflective and introspective tone, suggesting that the singer is coming to terms with the lingering memories of the relationship. The singer acknowledges that they were "had for a fool" but also suggests that they were able to derive something meaningful from the experience. However, the singer also admits that "no truth can turn me now," implying that they have made a decision to let go and move forward.

The chorus, with its repeated refrain of "we are moving on, the time has come," gives a sense of finality and closure to the emotional journey. The singer calls on their former partner to "give me a reason to forgive you," but seems to feel that the relationship is irreparably broken. The final line, "I'm like the rest of them" suggests a sense of resignation and acceptance that the relationship has run its course.

Overall, the lyrics to "Moving On" are powerful and emotive, conveying a sense of self-awareness and growth as the singer comes to terms with the end of a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Met the ghost of you and I
Encountered the memory of our past selves and relationship

And this I can't disguise
I cannot conceal or ignore the emotions associated with this encounter

Said you had me for a fool
You claimed to have taken advantage of me

But I got what I need from you
Despite your actions, I gained something valuable from our time together

No truth can turn me now
Nothing you say or do can change how I feel

It's too hard to pretend
I cannot fake or force my feelings any longer

Give me a reason to forgive you
I need a compelling justification to let go of my anger towards you

Drag your shadow down the hall
Leave the negative remnants of our relationship behind and move on

Can't deny I've done you wrong
I acknowledge and take responsibility for my own mistakes and shortcomings

I just thought we're having fun
I mistakenly believed that our relationship was purely for enjoyment

Go on, you can tell your friends
You have permission to speak ill of me to others