“I think the good in people is never lost,” Koji said. “And it’s never gone from music. Music is an art form that celebrates potential. If you’re looking for it, you’re going to find it.” - February 20, 2012 interview with Gaining Ground Media.
Koji can be seen advocating with organizations such as Resolve and Invisible Children on behalf of the child soldiers being used by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in central and east Africa as well as Humility Now to help raise awareness about the homeless right here in the United States. His concerts feature a combination of music, storytelling, media and visual art, all aimed at empowering youth to create positive, lasting change and build community.
In 2010, Koji released four records. Seaside Sessions was a demo tape that came together in one day with producer Gabe Liberti at Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn. That spring, he hit the road with his demo in tow and almost immediately after upon returning home, Koji landed a deal with Run For Cover Records. In August, RFC released Spring Song Vol. 1 - a full-length live record tracked at intimate house shows on Koji’s spring tour, followed by Some Small Way - Koji’s first full band release. In October, No Sleep Records released a full-length 12” vinyl split with Chicago’s Into It. Over It., entitled IIOI/KOJI, which was lauded by the Associated Press as one of 2010’s Most Overlooked Albums, alongside artists like Mumford and Sons, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Gucci Mane.
Koji was named one of Alternative Press magazine’s “100 Bands To Know in 2011“. He released a 12" vinyl-only split with long time friends, La Dispute, entitled Never Come Undone, which came out via No Sleep Records. The record was released amidst Koji's "Resolve Tour," where he performed in addition to sharing video and photography, collecting petition signatures and letters to congress seeking funding for the endangered LRA Strategy (it was eventually funded because of the youth advocacy community), and conducting community round table discussions to drive further into the issue of the LRA in central Africa, America's role in creating peace, and the power of an individual's voice to make change on this and any issue. His side of Never Come Undone features the song "Peacemaker" as well as Koji's take on Ted Leo's Biomusicology and was dedicated to fellow activist, Nate Henn, who was killed in 2010's World Cup bombing in Uganda.
He released "Matters" EP in 2013, and "Fury" EP in 2015.
All Below
Koji Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Koji’s song All Below is an emotionally powerful piece that urges listeners to cut ties with their past and let go of the weight and stress that comes with holding onto time. The song speaks to the consequences of lying and crossing boundaries, teaching that these actions will always echo and hold onto us. The chorus repeatedly asks what it sounds like in the internal struggle of the mind, with a ticking clock and metronome representing a bomb ready to explode as the heart beats rapidly inside the chest. The lyrics implore listeners to stop waiting for the end date to come and start living in the present, to remember and cherish the fleeting moments we often forget in our busy lives. The final lines ask aloud if there is any hope of escape from this cycle of stress and secrets, ending on a plea for clarity.
Line by Line Meaning
You could cut those ties that had you strung up to your past, but you don’t.
You have the ability to break free from your past, but you choose not to.
You got all that weight and all that stress, carrying time. Let it go.
You're burdened with the weight of time and stress. It's time to let go.
And if you tell a lie, oh, it echoes on.
When you lie, the consequences of that lie follow you.
And if you cross a line, the line holds on.
If you cross a boundary, that boundary remains crossed.
I wanna know… What does it sound like, ticking clocks, the metronome inside your head?
What does time sound like to you? Does it feel like a ticking clock?
Like bomb set to blow, heart beating in your chest, it’s a secret that you’ll keep again.
You're keeping a secret that feels as explosive as a bomb.
You’ll level out the ground when the fucking thing explodes and your friends will have to bury it.
When the secret is finally revealed and the consequences are catastrophic, your loved ones will suffer.
You could live that dash or sit wait for the ending date to come.
You have a choice to live your life or wait for death.
We work so hard, it goes so fast. We forget, become numb.
Life seems to pass us by too quickly. We get caught up in the daily grind and forget to live.
I wanna know if we’re getting out of here. Please make it clear.
Are we going to escape the cycle of life and death? Please give me an answer.
Contributed by Matthew A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.