Michael Borja - Bass & Vocals
Bil… Read Full Bio ↴Rob Benedict - Lead Vocals & Guitar
Michael Borja - Bass & Vocals
Billy Moran - Guitars & Vocals
Stephen Norton - Drums & Vocals
LOUDEN SWAIN
By Nick DeRiso
Fronted by lead singer and actor Rob Benedict, Louden Swain also includes bassist Mike Borja, lead guitarist Billy Moran and drummer Stephen Norton. The band has just released its fourth full-length recording – Eskimo, on their own 3 Car Wreckords label.
This fizzy amalgam of sound ties together a wide array of influences. Benedict and Borja, who formed the band in the late 90s, shared a background of indie/college rock legends like R.E.M., the Pixies, Pavement and the Replacements. The addition of Moran completed the band’s sound, as he and Norton brought in early musical influences from the hard rock/metal world – notably Kiss and Gun ’n Roses. The quartet’s common ground, early on, could be found in classic rock icons like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Who – and that provided additional spices in their melting pot of musical textures.
Louden Swain’s first album with Moran, 2009’s A Brand New Hurt, reflected the earliest flowerings of the band’s current sound, and began to rapidly expand its fanbase. In addition, Benedict’s connections to the acting world – he’s appeared on TV’s “Felicity,” “Alias” and “Supernatural” and films like “Waiting” have also attracted attention for the band. Recently they penned the tune “Help You” which was placed in the Jenna Fischer movie “A Little Help,” in which Benedict co-starred. A 2011 successful tour of Europe through England, Germany and Austria also brought Louden Swain to new audiences.
Louden Swain now aims to build on their already considerable momentum with the forthcoming Eskimo, which features 13 of their most polished songs to date. This time through they enlisted the help of several industry veterens--the album was mixed by Joe McGrath (Ryan Adams, Green Day, B.B. King), Mike Farrell (Morrissey, Macy Gray) guested on keyboards, and the finishing touches on the album were provided by the Grammy winning mastering of Gavin Lurssen.
For more information on Louden Swain, go to http://www.LoudenSwain.com.
Medicated
Louden Swain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The treads of my distress
Grip onto cow that
Is my seat and speed the plow
Your words were gentle oh
Reflected in my window I knew
You
That I could talk to
And you seem like your kinda strange
Why can't you be a little less insane
I may be crazy at least I'm medicated
Later on that day
When sun began to fade
The Nebraska sky showed
Why it was Nebraska
You said I was intense
I quietly took offense
You laughed but I didn't think it was funny
I was saving your place
Fear that you'd be replaced
How can I stop myself from
Making the same mistake
Only one thing
As awkward as goodbye
Having to stand up in your seat to let her by….
Never meet again
Never speak again
Maybe in another life, maybe, we could have been--
The lyrics of Louden Swain's song Medicated depict a personal and emotional narrative of a person who is struggling with mental health issues and seeking solace through medication. The opening lines "Pavement can caress The treads of my distress" allude to the idea that the singer is seeking refuge from their pain in the comfort of their vehicle. The line "Grip onto cow that Is my seat and speed the plow" conjures images of holding onto something steady, and using it to move forward through life.
Then the lyrics shift to a chance encounter with someone who strikes the singer as a good listener, someone who is worthy of being confided to. "Your words were gentle oh Reflected in my window I knew You Would be the kind of girl That I could talk to". However, an internal conflict ensues when the singer questions the other person's mental state, suggesting that they too are dealing with their own mental health problems. "And you seem like your kinda strange Why can't you be a little less insane I may be crazy at least I'm medicated".
The song then continues with an account of how the singer's emotions, fears, and uncertainties get in the way of their ability to connect with others. "You said I was intense I quietly took offense You laughed but I didn't think it was funny". The song concludes with a note of longing for a different outcome, with the realization that sometimes things just don't work out. "Never meet again Never speak again Maybe in another life, maybe, we could have been--"
Overall, Medicated is a powerful and vulnerable depiction of living with mental health struggles, and the ways in which medication can both provide relief and exacerbate the feeling of being disconnected from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Pavement can caress
The roughness of the pavement seems to comfort me in my distress
The treads of my distress
The pattern of the pavement gives me a sense of solace amidst my worries
Grip onto cow that
Hold on tight to the steering wheel that resembles a cow to take control
Is my seat and speed the plow
The driver's seat is where I sit and steer the vehicle like a farmer on a plow
Your words were gentle oh
Your speech was kind and compassionate
Reflected in my window I knew
I saw your reflection in my car window and something clicked within me
You
You are the girl I am talking to
Would be the kind of girl
You strike me as the type of girl
That I could talk to
Who I could open up to and have a genuine conversation with
And you seem like your kinda strange
You appear to be quite peculiar
Why can't you be a little less insane
Why can't you tone down your craziness just a bit?
I may be crazy at least I'm medicated
I might be insane, but at least I have medication to help me
Later on that day
As the day progressed
When the sun began to fade
As the daylight started to dwindle
The Nebraska sky showed
The sky in Nebraska presented itself as a sight to behold
Why it was Nebraska
Demonstrating the distinctive qualities of this state called Nebraska
You said I was intense
You remarked that I was too emotionally intense
I quietly took offense
I felt deeply hurt, although I didn't show it externally
You laughed but I didn't think it was funny
You found it amusing, but I didn't share your sense of humor
I was saving your place
I was keeping a seat for you, worried that someone might take it
Fear that you'd be replaced
Worried that someone else might replace you
How can I stop myself from
What can I do to prevent myself from
Making the same mistake
Repeating the same error that I made in the past
Only one thing
The worst thing
As awkward as goodbye
As uncomfortable as the moment of parting
Having to stand up in your seat to let her by….
I had to awkwardly lift myself out of my seat to make way for her as she left
Never meet again
We will never see each other again
Never speak again
We will never have another conversation
Maybe in another life, maybe, we could have been--
We might have had a chance in another existence, but it's unlikely now
Contributed by Tyler K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.