The members of Lunarin were all classmates in Secondary School. Their common love for music, disenchantment with the world and morbid sense of humour gave rise to a tripartite friendship that would in time last for more than 12 years. Kurt Cobain died the year they turned 16. That same year, they decided it would be fun to form a band. So they did. They roped in a fourth member, Shawn Grosse, when they were in Junior College and called themselves Fuzzbox. Eventually, however, the original trio found themselves questioning their roles in Fuzzbox - they were bored with the manner that Fuzzbox were progressing and missed the initial joys of creating songs and playing music. They therefore began writing songs in secret. Eventually however, the burden of the songs became too much to bear. They therefore disbanded Fuzzbox and created Lunarin.
Lunarin consists of Ho Kah Wye (Guitars), Loo Eng Teck (Drums) and Linda Joelle Ong (Bass, Vocals). All 3 members of Lunarin were schoolmates in Dunman High School, Victoria Junior College and the National University of Singapore. Kah Wye holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering and is currently a chemical engineer. Both Eng Teck and Linda pursued law and are both litigation lawyers in litigation-based law firms in Singapore.
Although all 3 members are professionally qualified and trained in their respective jobs, the same cannot be said for their roles as musicians - in truth, none of them (other than Eng Teck who was trained in piano) received any form of formal music training. This perhaps could be the reason why they create and play their current brand of music in the manner that they do - there are no fixed structures or forms in the songs they write. More often than not, the time signatures and song tempos change at various junctures in their music. The band enjoys the concept of blending melodic vocal harmonies with a heavy guitar riff. They also think it is fun to change key halfway through a song. In short, they enjoy challenging themselves in the material that they write and believe in always pushing the envelope.
Observers have described their style of music as heavy rock, art rock, prog metal and alternative metal. The band itself however prefers the more generic tag of alternative rock for the simple reason that their influences extend beyond specific genres. The trio enjoys the heavy sounds of artistes such as Tool, A Perfect Circle, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. At the same time, they are also supporters of the lyrics and melodies of singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and Iron & Wine.
What is important to understand about Lunarin is the fact that they are firm believers in the existence of the muse. As far as they are concerned, the songs are entities in their own rights. It is the band's philosophy that through the help of the muse, they are able to become conduits for the sonic shapes that come into being. The band is the channel and never the source. How else can they explain the fact that every song is created only when all three members are present together? There is no single leading songwriter in the band. No one dictates how a sonic idea should end up - more often than not the songs write themselves.
Viewed in that context, it is not difficult to see why the band embarked on an arduous two-year journey to have their songs recorded for their debut album. With the help of veteran underground sound engineer KK Wong (more affectionately known in the scene as Ah Boy), the trio painstakingly sought to transpose the sonic shapes into songs, captured in a manner consistent with their own vision of how the songs should be. Sparing no expense, they traveled to Los Angeles in order for the album to be mastered by acclaimed mastering engineer Eddy Schreyer. The end product is a concept album styled in the form of a collection of short stories. The Chrysalis is that collection.
The Chrysalis is fully produced by Lunarin. It took the band two years and approximately $12,000 to turn the idea of the album into a reality. The band gingerly approached Universal Music with a business plan in September/October 2005 for a distribution agreement for the album. Universal Music was open to the proposal and has since agreed to distribute the album within Singapore.
Ariel
Lunarin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear hear what she is saying but all is broken
Feel nothing at all
Trapped by your own anger
You try to touch her
But your hands are unkind
And fear becomes your reason to hide
Can you breathe her in now ?
Can you cast these thoughts away ?
Can you breathe her in now ?
She's crying hard but you don't see
Her dying curse is what you can't believe
You run you hide
But you can never call out loud her name
You crave you taste
But you can never call out loud her name
Ariel…sweet Ariel…
The lyrics of the song 'Ariel' by Lunarin is about a relationship gone wrong. The singer seems to be addressing someone who has lost their chance to save a relationship, 'Run run out of time'. The person in question seems to have hurt their lover in some way and they are unable to repair the damage done. They are able to hear what the lover is saying, but the relationship is already beyond repair. They are trapped by their own anger and fear, and they cannot reach out to their lover in a way that is meaningful. They want to touch her, but their hands are unkind. This shows that the person in question understands that they have done something terrible, but they are unable to reconcile.
The chorus of the song speaks to the person in question, urging them to try and make amends with their lover, to breathe in her essence, cast their negative thoughts away and try to see her pain. The person is asked to try and connect with their lover, who is dying and crying out for help. The singer repeats the name 'Ariel' to bring attention to the person in question that they need to call out to their lover and make amends before it's too late. The overall message of the song is one of regret and urging someone to take the necessary steps to repair a broken relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Run run out of time
There is a sense of urgency as time is running out.
Hear hear what she is saying but all is broken
Although one is capable of hearing what the other person is saying, things are still broken and communication is difficult.
Feel nothing at all
There seems to be a lack of emotions or empathy in the situation.
Trapped by your own anger
One is stuck and unable to move forward due to their own anger.
You try to touch her
The person is making an effort to connect with the other person.
But your hands are unkind
However, the way in which one is trying to connect is not gentle or kind.
And fear becomes your reason to hide
Fear is driving the actions of an individual and causing them to retreat or hide.
Can you breathe her in now ?
The individual is being asked to take a moment and be present with the other person.
Can you cast these thoughts away ?
One is being asked to let go of negative thoughts and emotions that may be impacting the relationship.
She's crying hard but you don't see
The other person is in distress, but one is not fully aware or acknowledging their pain.
Her dying curse is what you can't believe
The individual cannot accept that the other person may not be able to forgive them or move past the pain they have caused.
You run you hide
The person is still retreating or hiding from the situation.
But you can never call out loud her name
Even though the person wants to reach out and connect, they cannot fully commit to doing so.
You crave you taste
The individual has a desire to be with the other person or experience them in some way.
But you can never call out loud her name
Despite this desire, the person still cannot fully commit to pursuing the relationship or connection.
Ariel…sweet Ariel…
The other person's name is Ariel and may hold particular significance or meaning to the individual.
Contributed by Anna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.