Currently, Little Red Lung is rapidly filling up their calendar with live performances in and around the Los Angeles area including being featured on the Ship Stage at the 13th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival, and venues such as The Satellite, Pehrspace, The Echo, Hotel Cafe, and The Central SAPC, as well as completing production on their second full length album. In addition, they are currently filming a series of stop motion music videos for their first full-length album "Get on the Boat." They plan to release the videos and the album as a special addition double disk package in early 2012.
"A very sophisticated blend of programmed beats, keyboards, strings and expressive, imaginatively phrased vocals, Little Red Lung presents that rarity, a totally individual, completely coherent artistic vision. They really don’t sound like anyone else, although there are moments when a hint of something shines through, a whiff of Portishead or a distant rumble of Suzanne Vega… Excellent stuff throughout." - Live Unsigned
Ink Blot
Little Red Lung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not nearly salvaged as the blade
That cuts the maps and figure eights
To occupy that little space
Your better half is on parade
Internal organ pop-up display
A star is just as deadly as the day
We've been relying on ink blot test
Tethering white silhouettes
Oh avalanche, you're wasting your time
Come hell or high water I wont die
If there's a blood stain in the road
I can't help the innuendo
I can't help the innuendo
You think that you're a storm cloud in heat
Vertebrae a thousand daggers deep
The wet air cracks your mouth to speak
From battle line's long suffering
In worn custody burning the seeds
We've been relying on ink blot test
Tethering white silhouettes
The opening lines of Ink Blot express the disparity between the way things appear in a picture and the way they really are. The weight that is carried within a picture frame is not as valuable as the tool that cuts paths and creates shapes, but both are necessary for occupying the limited space within the picture frame. The next two lines speak to the internal and external displays of the "better half" and how even things that appear beautiful or "star-like" can also be deadly or dangerous.
The chorus hints at a sense of hopelessness or resignation, as the singer acknowledges that they have been relying on an ink blot test - which is notoriously unreliable - to guide their perceptions and decisions. They are "tethering white silhouettes," or basing their understanding of the world on incomplete or imagined representations.
The next verse introduces the concept of a storm cloud in heat and the pain that comes with that. The final lines refers to the burning of the seeds, which could be interpreted as the destruction of the potential for something new to grow. Overall, the lyrics seem to suggest a struggle to understand and navigate the complexity of the world, while acknowledging that the tools and methods available for doing so are incomplete at best.
Line by Line Meaning
The weight inside a picture frame
The importance given to something doesn't always match its material value, similar to how a picture frame may be heavy but the picture inside may not hold much significance
Not nearly salvaged as the blade
Something that is damaged or broken cannot be fixed as easily as something that has been cut or sliced, which is easily healed
That cuts the maps and figure eights
The blade is used to cut and manipulate the physical world around us, shaping it like the intricate and complicated patterns of figure eights or maps
To occupy that little space
All the cutting and shaping is done to fill that small, insignificant space, striving to make the most of a small area
Your better half is on parade
Your best qualities are on display for everyone to see and admire
Internal organ pop-up display
Your internal workings are also visible, like they are popping up for everyone to observe like a disturbing parade float
A star is just as deadly as the day
Just because something is bright and full of life, doesn't mean it can't cause pain and hurt as much as anything else
We've been relying on ink blot test
Our perception and understanding of the world is based on our interpretation of ambiguous situations or images, much like the ink blot test used in psychology
Tethering white silhouettes
We try to make sense of undefined things by tethering them to familiar shapes or ideas, represented by the white silhouettes
Oh avalanche, you're wasting your time
The unstoppable force of nature is futile against the artist's determination
Come hell or high water I wont die
No matter the obstacles or challenges faced, the singer will not give up or perish
If there's a blood stain in the road
Even if there are signs of danger and violence, the artist will not be swayed from their path
I can't help the innuendo
The singer cannot resist the suggestive double meaning in their words or actions
You think that you're a storm cloud in heat
The other person believes they are intense and powerful, like a storm cloud during a heat wave
Vertebrae a thousand daggers deep
The pain and hurt inflicted is not just on the surface, but goes deep into the core of the other person, like a thousand daggers piercing their spine
The wet air cracks your mouth to speak
The intense emotions and tension make it difficult for the other person to even speak, causing their breath to catch in the wet air
From battle line's long-suffering
The pain and hurt has been building for a long time, like soldiers suffering in a long-lasting war
In worn custody burning the seeds
Holding on to the pain and hurt, refusing to let go and burning the memories like they are in worn custody
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.