Land of Talk's debut EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, was released in April 2006, and featured Chris McCarron on bass and Bucky Wheaton on drums. Wheaton left the band in May 2007 and was replaced by Eric Thibodeau. Thibodeau left in early 2008, and was replaced by Andrew Barr (of The Slip). McCarron left to play guitar for The Dears and was replaced by Joe Yarmush.
The band released their full-length debut, Some Are Lakes, on Saddle Creek Records in September 2008. They opened for Broken Social Scene on their fall 2008 tour.
On October 27th, 2009 the band released Fun and Laughter EP under Saddle Creek Records. This album was released prior to their short west coast tour that began in San Diego on October 27th and ended in Vancouver, B.C. on November 7th the same year. This showcased four songs.
The band's fourth album, Cloak and Cipher, debuted August 24, 2010 on Saddle Creek Records. After touring for the album for a while, the band was completely shrouded in mystery, no trace of them could be found. Their official website was replaced but they were/are still listed on the official website of the label. It was only in 2013, when the band manager confirmed a hiatus.
On April 25, 2015, Powell played her first show since 2011 at the Roots North Music Festival in Orillia, Ontario. On December 5, the band social media pages were updated for the first time in four years.
Breaxxbaxx
Land of Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now
You're leaving something out
Like when we leave
It's more than just a cloud
It's in me
I'm living at the station
What to be
And it sucks so bad
It's not hard
It's not free
It takes time to see
Gold
Now
We're leaving something out
Like when you leave
It's more than just a cloud
One
Two
Three
I'm living at the station
What to be
It's never rolling in and it sucks so bad
It's not hard
It's not free
It takes time to see
It's jet black
It breaks backs
It's not coming back
The lyrics to Land of Talk's Breaxxbaxx are open to interpretation, but at their core, they express a feeling of longing and uncertainty. The song seems to be about a relationship that has ended, with the singer struggling to move on. The opening lines set the tone: "Hold/ Now/ You're leaving something out." This suggests that someone has left something important unsaid, perhaps about the breakup itself or the reasons for it. The singer is left feeling incomplete and unsure how to move forward.
The repeated refrain of "It's not hard/ It's not free/ It takes time to see" underscores the difficulty of letting go and moving on. Even though the singer knows that it's not an easy process, they feel stuck at the metaphorical station, waiting for something to arrive that may never come. The use of "station" as a metaphor carries several connotations: it suggests both a sense of waiting and a sense of being in transit, as if the singer is on a journey towards some unknown destination. The use of "cloud" and "gold" as metaphors for the relationship further give a sense of something intangible and elusive that is being sought after.
The closing lines of the song, "It's jet black/ It breaks backs/ It's not coming back," leave the listener with a sense of finality and loss. The image of something that is jet black and breaking backs suggests a heavy burden that cannot be lifted. The final line, "It's not coming back," confirms that whatever was lost is gone forever. Overall, Breaxxbaxx is a poignant and introspective song that expresses the universal experience of struggling to let go of something that once was.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold
Pause for a moment
Now
At this point in time
You're leaving something out
There's a piece of information missing
Like when we leave
Similar to when we depart
It's more than just a cloud
It's not a fleeting feeling, it's something solid
It's in me
It's a part of who I am
I'm living at the station
I'm stuck in a state of limbo
What to be
Uncertainty about the future
It's never rolling in
Hopes or dreams aren't materializing
And it sucks so bad
It's really painful or unpleasant
It's not hard
It's not complicated or difficult
It's not free
There's a cost or sacrifice to be made
It takes time to see
The true meaning or value is revealed gradually over time
Gold
Something valuable or precious
One
The first step or element
Two
The second step or element
Three
The third step or element
It breaks backs
It causes great difficulty or hardship
It's not coming back
It's gone forever, can't be regained
It's jet black
It's extremely dark or bleak
We're leaving something out
There's an omission or something overlooked
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.