Now, with July 4th right around the corner, I could stop there. I’d have a perfectly good PSA, the judge would be satisfied and I would be one step closer to having that unfortunate Easter Sunday incident expunged from my record. But I have a reason for telling you this. As part of Ken’s physical therapy, he sat down at a piano for the first time in his life and learned to play. Today, Ken’s a pretty damn good barrelhouse player, despite the fact that he has a very unorthodox style and can only play in C, owing to those missing fingers. And go figure, Django Reinhardt, Tony Iommi and Jerry Garcia all overcame similar challenges by approaching their instruments differently.
I have no idea if Marco Mahler has all his appendages (I may actually be a tad disappointed if he does), but he’s clearly doing the guitar thing a little differently than the majority of the singer-songwriter flock. A sculptor by trade, I will leave the “guitar as paintbrush” metaphors to Adrian Belew and simply say Mahler hears the world a little differently than you or I. On June 29th, he will release Laptop Campfire Speed , the next step in his ongoing process of rethinking (or is that unthinking?) guitar. His 2007 debut, Design In Quick Rotation , was the work of a man with a singular, perhaps obsessive, vision, and may be the best record you’ve never heard from that year. If you’re not prepared to take my word for it, take advantage of Mahler’s generosity and join his weekly free song club, which doles out free alternate and demo versions of songs from the new record each week.
I’m not sure if calling his music math-folk is accurate, but Marco Mahler is what I imagine a collaboration of Nick Drake, Fugazi and Kraftwerk on Unplugged would sound like. Rarely have such complex and contrarian melodies united with such deceptive simplicity. Eschewing anything as pedestrian as a chord, Mahler’s guitars bubble, buzz and briefly dance at the edge of the frame before drifting off into the corners of your consciousness. Focus on any one instrument, any one riff, and you may wonder if the man has all of his faculties, but step back and the effect is often breathtaking. Add his impressionistic lyrics, rarely delivered above a whisper, and Laptop Campfire Speed is one of those rare and wonderful releases capable of cutting through the noise by hardly making a sound. Very highly recommended.
- My Old Kentucky Blog (June 22 2010)
Design In Quick Rotation
Marco Mahler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oil cubicles and vinegar in the rain
Light and chronology
Compressed urban memory
You smile in your sleep while your flowers grow wild
Corn fields and trucks like sleeping crocodiles
Sparrow on a silver screen
Close your eyes
It's going out on printer number fifty
Abandoned model home communities
Your heart beat putting me to sleep
It's design in quick rotation
The first verse of Marco Mahler's song Design In Quick Rotation uses unconventional imagery to talk about the experience of moving through a city landscape. The "irregular way of walking through airplanes" could suggest the disorienting feeling of navigating a busy airport or subway station, and the "oil cubicles and vinegar in the rain" could be a metaphor for the clash of industrial and natural elements in urban environments. The reference to "compressed urban memory" touches on the idea that cities are sites of layered histories and experiences that can be overwhelming to take in.
The second verse shifts to a more dreamlike scenario, with the singer referencing "flowers grow[ing] wild" and "corn fields and trucks like sleeping crocodiles." The surreal image of a sparrow on a silver screen suggests a disconnect between the natural world and the mediated, tech-driven experience of urban living. Finally, the phrase "love and psychology" adds a personal note to the observations of city life, hinting at the complex emotional landscapes that exist within individuals and communities.
Overall, Design In Quick Rotation feels like a meditation on the complexity of human experience within urban spaces, with the singer trying to make sense of the various elements and sensations they encounter.
Line by Line Meaning
It's an irregular way of walking through airplanes
Navigating through different situations with an unconventional approach.
Oil cubicles and vinegar in the rain
Feeling a sense of discordance and dissonance in one's surroundings.
Light and chronology
The passage of time and its effect on how things are perceived.
Compressed urban memory
The way cities condense history and memories into small, condensed spaces.
You smile in your sleep while your flowers grow wild
Finding joy and contentment in the simple pleasures of life.
Corn fields and trucks like sleeping crocodiles
The gentle and steady rhythms of rural life.
Sparrow on a silver screen
The intersection of the natural world and modernity.
Love and psychology
The complexities of human relationships and emotions.
Close your eyes
Taking a moment to reflect and internalize.
It's going out on printer number fifty
The repetitiveness and routine of modern life.
Abandoned model home communities
The decay and failure of certain parts of modern society.
Your heart beat putting me to sleep
The comforting presence and rhythms of a loved one.
It's design in quick rotation
The fast-paced and ever-changing nature of design and innovation in modern society.
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.