A few months in, things were beginning to take off for the band. A limited 1000-disc run of the debut album 'Tsunami' was released and quickly sold out. It was reprinted and, pretty much instantly, sold out again. The band was taken by surprise by the phenomenal response and signed with a management company to enable them to keep focusing on the music, rather than the business.
Without having signed a record deal, Khoma started to work on the follow-up to 'Tsunami'. It soon became obvious that they had to do something about the line-up. As Khoma began as a side project, members often were scattered around the globe making it almost impossible to play live. The members didn't even consider themselves a real band, merely a project filling a musical void, something created because of a need to play together. Khoma decided to create two faces: one that writes, rehearses, and records songs and another that gathers to play live.
The band hail from varied musical backgrounds and all members still play in a number of different groups: Cult of Luna, The Perishers, and The Deportees to name three. With no pressure and total creative freedom, the members write the music they personally want to hear.
Besides playing music, all band members hold strong views on issues and ideologies spanning from anarchism, feminism and socialism to animal and environmental rights.
In creating their most recent music, the band have broadened their perspective and introduced new elements most notably cello and piano.
Jan Jämte - Vocals
Johannes Persson - Guitar
Fredrik Kihlberg - Guitar/Vocals/Piano
When the band signed to Roadrunner in 2005 and it became clear that the next records were going to be released outside of Scandinavia the band realised that the name Koma (under which they released their debut CD) was already taken – by quite a few artists! So, instead of changing to something else, the band simply changed the spelling to Khoma.
In April 2006 their second album 'the second wave' was released. It includes three songs from the debut.
The band recently made their UK festival debut on Sat 17th June 2006 at the Download Festival.
Medea
Khoma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Together for a few seconds time
As mourning sweeps
It comes and cleanses
The scent of what you left behind
Candle flickered and blew out
Scorched soul searching through the night
I came to listen
These burning bridges
Your life ran by
I caught your light
When no one knows and no one questions
What hides beneath those old scared eyes?
Candle flickered and blew out
Scorched soul searching through the night
I came to listen
Through oceans depth you're fighting life
These burning bridges
Step through, sink slowly out of sight
I came to listen
So many thorns, sleepless nights
These burning bridges
Your life ran by
I caught your light
Cause I came to listen
Cause I came to listen
Your life ran by I caught your light
The opening lines of Khoma's "Medea" creates a bleak and still atmosphere that sets the tone of the song. The silence, which is quickly broken by the sound of mourning, lasts only a moment. The scent of what has been left behind is cleansed by this mourning, perhaps as a form of purification. The lyrics then convey a sense of searching and of reaching out to someone who is struggling in life. The singer notes that "Through oceans depth you're fighting life," and questions what lies beneath the person's "old scared eyes." The image of a candle being extinguished is employed to convey the ending of life, or of something that was once burning bright.
As the song continues, the idea of "burning bridges" is reiterated throughout the lyrics. The phrase is repeated twice, emphasizing the significance of this metaphor. The suggestion is that the person in question has burned bridges, and that their life is running by. The singer of the song suggests that they have come to listen, and that they have caught the person's light. The meaning of this is ambiguous - it could be interpreted as catching the person's soul or catching the person's energy. The final repetition of the line "Your life ran by, I caught your light" suggest that the person in question has passed on, or is at the end of their life.
Overall, "Medea" is a somber and contemplative song that explores the themes of life, death, and the human experience. The imagery used throughout the lyrics are powerful and poignant, creating a stirring and emotional piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
As silence strikes, just for a minute
The song starts with the singer acknowledging the brief pause in the noise, taking a moment to remember someone who might have been gone
Together for a few seconds time
Another reference to the short time they had with the person they are remembering
As mourning sweeps
The singer acknowledges that the memory of the person is sad and painful, almost like a sweep of intense emotion
It comes and cleanses
The mourning also has a cleansing quality, washing away other emotions and leaving only the sadness
The scent of what you left behind
The memory of the person is like a lingering scent that reminds the singer of them
Candle flickered and blew out
The candle probably represents the light of the person's life, which has now been extinguished
Scorched soul searching through the night
The singer feels burned and hurt, looking for answers or solace during a dark time
I came to listen
The singer is here to pay attention to what the person they are remembering might have to say or offer, even though they are gone
Through oceans depth you're fighting life
The person the song is about might have gone through many struggles, which the singer can sense even from far away
These burning bridges
The writer speaks of past regrets, lost opportunities or relationships, and the idea of burning a bridge too hard to rebuild
Your life ran by
The person they are remembering had a life that has gone, and the singer regrets not being able to do anything about it
When no one knows and no one questions
The person might have had secrets or hidden parts of their life left unknown to other people
What hides beneath those old scared eyes?
The singer is curious about the person's thoughts and feelings that they might have kept hidden behind their eyes
Step through, sink slowly out of sight
The writer probably refers to the person sinking away from memory, and moving beyond reach or help
So many thorns, sleepless nights
The singer is probably experiencing a lot of pain and hardship in remembering the person who has passed away
Cause I came to listen
The refrain is a reminder that the writer is here to pay attention and hear what the person they remember might have to say
Your life ran by I caught your light
Even though the person's life is gone, the singer manages to keep their memory alive through the light they brought into the world
Contributed by Joseph F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tooy845
so good
@Lollis89
I absolutely love this band! <3 Khoma is great!
@ElementNeverDies
I love this song and video. pity Khoma arent so well-known in the UK.
@totalxcrap
wow. different.
@FreddoX1
awesome.. just... hmmm.. AWESOME. *Crying*
@theonewhofailed
@mjowelk agreed.
@mjowelk
this band and cult of luna most be the best bands in the world. and oh they are from umeå :D!!!
@Grimeyhoob
yeah its unfortunate theyve not made it big yet. You know what an amazing tour would be? Deftones, Thrice, Khoma, Red Sparowes that would be so sweet, a beautiful sonic experience from four absolutely stunning bands
@jfcampoamor
Great band with members of Cult Of Luna
@paulhayns
great song (though not the best), great band, amazing album.