In 2005, Karate announced their demise, quietly closing the door on a 12-ye… Read Full Bio ↴In 2005, Karate announced their demise, quietly closing the door on a 12-year run that included 6 studio albums and almost 700 performances in 20 countries. They exited the indie rock world without much fanfare, except from the small enclaves of devout fans who have followed their music since Geoff Farina's early 90's work with The Secret Stars. The band’s beginnings in the early '90s Boston indie scene, their love for improvised music and classic rock, and their adherence to the DIY punk ethos of their youth made them freaks in any scene, defying classification with their strange fusion of punk, blues, jazz and rock.

The band was formed in 1993 by Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt and Gavin McCarthy. In 1995, Jeff Goddard joined the band as bass player, and Vitt moved to second guitar. Vitt departed Karate to pursue a medical career in 1997.

Karate’s perfectionism and attention to detail belied the off-the-cuff ethos of the indie rock world, and some considered them to be as un-punk as it gets. But fans would say that their auto-didactic music studies, compulsive control of their song arrangements, ascetic studio values, and Geoff’s work modifying old tube amplifiers and creating original album artwork, was pure DIY. Karate was even compulsive about naming this recording, which was originally called "594” since it was believed to be a recording of their 594th show, according to “The Showlist.” Culled mostly from Jeff Goddard’s elephantine memory, The Showlist is a mammoth list of Karate’s 695 shows, complete with dates, venues, support bands, and even the specific tour vehicle used to get to each show. But when Gavin recently discovered a flyer for a forgotten early show that had somehow evaded Jeff’s memory, the band quickly changed the title to '595'.

The early incarnation of Karate included Eamonn Vitt on bass and guitar, and when Jeff Goddard joined early on, they recorded In Place of Real Insight as a four-piece. When Eamonn left to pursue medical school, the lineup stabilized and remained a trio until their 2005 demise. Karate also built up a close-knit community of collaborators who shared their same no-nonsense values, including Tape Op tech guru Andy Hong who engineered most of their studio albums, Flower Booking’s Mahmood Shaikh who booked the band for over a decade, and tour manager / live sound engineer Greet Vyvey who traveled with the band on all their European tours.

Since the band's breakup, Jeff and Gavin recorded a bass/drums project called Possible Path, and Gavin began drumming for the legendary Boston psych-rock band Cul De Sac. Geoff and Gavin have a new band called Glorytellers that also features Josh Larue (Mice Parade, Him, The Sorts ) on electric guitar. Geoff started work on a new solo release for Southern Records, a recording of pre-War blues songs with Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Pullman, The New Year), and recently appeared on an all-covers record called Guilt by Association with Devendra Banhart, Mike Watt, Will Oldham, Petra Haden, Mark Mulcahy, Jim O'Rourke, and other great performers.

Cacophony
Karate Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't say a word
Not because I know what you mean
Not because I've heard you say this before
But in this semblance of Democracy
It's like vacuum for what you overheard
Don't say a word

Don't call me back

Not because I didn't call
Because I'm busy watching TV on my day off
And you might startle me with rational words
Contradicting all the new I've just heard
So don't call me back

Now a word is tense and bare like a trigger just a hair away
From being pulled
You know I can't pretend to know how this is going to end
But don't you feel like, don't you feel like you're being fooled?
But you don't say a word

Are you at work?
I called this morning but I guess I was late
Now we're both waiting for the day when the dreams wane
With possibilities permanently sealed
Atrophied after their purpose revealed
To keep you at work

Now, have you gone out?
You know I called but the place was too loud
This cacophony, I couldn't make out
If you wanted me over tonight
Another private tease as sense comes by daylight
Or we could go out

Nouns pass for narration and camp sights for nations
But you're just driving out of range
You struggle with phone, but it doesn't matter, I'm not home

Besides, I've got nothing, nothing to say
Don't say a word

Overall Meaning

In Karate's song "Cacophony," the lyrics express a sense of detachment and disconnection in a relationship. The singer advises the other person not to say a word or call back, not because they know what is being communicated or have heard it before, but because the current political climate feels like a vacuum for overheard conversations. There is a sense of freedom that the singer is enjoying in watching TV on their day off, but they are also wary of any rational words that might contradict what they have just heard. There is tension in the silence, which feels like a trigger being pulled but also a sense of being fooled without words.

The lyrics then shift to a conversation that took place earlier in the day, with the singer asking if the other person is at work. The dreams of the day are withering, and there is a sense of purposelessness and stagnation in what they are doing. The singer then asks if the other person has gone out, but the noise of the cacophony is too much to discern any clear meaning. There is an underlying tone of uncertainty and disengagement that permeates throughout the song, and the silence between the two people feels both tense and all-consuming, like a vacuum.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't say a word
Please do not speak or communicate with me

Not because I know what you mean
It's not because I understand your intentions

Not because I've heard you say this before
I haven't heard you make this statement before

But in this semblance of Democracy
In this imperfect society with the appearance of freedom and equality

It's like vacuum for what you overheard
It seems like everything you heard has vanished into thin air

Don't call me back
Please do not return my phone call

Not because I didn't call
I did call you, but I have my reasons for not wanting you to call me back

Because I'm busy watching TV on my day off
I am occupied with television entertainment during my free time

And you might startle me with rational words
I might be caught off guard or surprised with common sense statements from you

Contradicting all the new I've just heard
That goes against everything that I have been exposed to recently

So don't call me back
It is better if you do not return my call

Now a word is tense and bare like a trigger just a hair away
Words are powerful and sensitive, like a gun that's about to go off

From being pulled
From being used or spoken

You know I can't pretend to know how this is going to end
I cannot predict how our situation will conclude

But don't you feel like, don't you feel like you're being fooled?
Do you have a sense that you are being deceived?

But you don't say a word
You remain silent despite any suspicion you may have

Are you at work?
Are you currently at your place of employment?

I called this morning but I guess I was late
I attempted to contact you earlier, but I am assuming I wasn't successful in reaching you

Now we're both waiting for the day when the dreams wane
Now we are both anticipating a time when our ambitions will fade away

With possibilities permanently sealed
With options that are now forever closed off from us

Atrophied after their purpose revealed
Having weakened and deteriorated once their purpose has been fulfilled

To keep you at work
To prevent you from leaving your place of employment

Now, have you gone out?
Have you left your home for the evening?

You know I called but the place was too loud
I tried to reach you by phone, but the noise level was too high at your location

This cacophony, I couldn't make out
I could not decipher the chaotic sounds in the background

If you wanted me over tonight
If you desired my company for the evening

Another private tease as sense comes by daylight
Another alluring invitation that appears less enticing when looked at in the light of day

Or we could go out
Alternatively, we can choose to go out together

Nouns pass for narration and camp sights for nations
Inexperienced storytelling may be used in place of factual accounts, and small gatherings may be mistaken for large, united groups

But you're just driving out of range
However, you are currently driving out of range or out of reach

You struggle with phone, but it doesn't matter, I'm not home
You may have difficulty using your phone, but it ultimately does not affect me since I am not at home

Besides, I've got nothing, nothing to say
Additionally, I have nothing of importance to communicate

Don't say a word
Please do not say anything further

Contributed by Sophie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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