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)
Fields
Marco Mahler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I make you stop thinking and make you see what i said
I give you sunshine with a glass of water slaughtered
New notions of aesthetics may seem pathetic to you
Because you're nostalgic and you do,
What's already been done, i don't see the fun
There's so much beauty in science that alliances
Cease to be abstract
And become one with my wife
Alive i dive into solitude again
And there's no end
Cause without infinity nothing exists
So i persist
The senses perception is past
Conception will last
The vast ignorance, delivers the difference
Between reflecting gases
In front of dark space and the sky
Goodbye
I destroy your fields and give you bread
See what i said
The lyrics to Marco Mahler's song "Fields" are an expression of his artistic philosophy. He begins the song by claiming to "destroy your fields and give you bread". This line is a metaphor for the idea that by upheaving conventions and established expectations, he is able to give his audience something nourishing and new. He goes on to say that he can make you stop thinking and make you see what he's saying, indicating a kind of complete immersion in his work.
Mahler then alludes to the notion that his work may be seen as "pathetic" by some, as new ideas and aesthetics may be difficult for those who are nostalgic or unwilling to embrace change. He sees himself as a kind of explorer, always pushing into the new and the unknown, and he suggests that there is a kind of beauty in scientific exploration that can inspire art.
The final lines of the song suggest that there are limits to human perception and understanding, but that this should not discourage us from continuing to pursue knowledge and create. Even in the face of vast ignorance, Mahler believes that there is value in the pursuit of novelty and the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
I destroy your fields and give you bread
I disrupt your familiar surroundings and provide sustenance in the form of new ideas or creations.
I make you stop thinking and make you see what i said
I challenge your preconceived notions and beliefs, urging you to consider my perspective and adopt it as your own.
I give you sunshine with a glass of water slaughtered
I offer you the promise of possibility and growth, despite the obstacles and opposition that may lay ahead.
New notions of aesthetics may seem pathetic to you
The ideas of creativity and beauty that I present may seem unimportant or useless to you, due to your strong attachment to traditional methods or beliefs.
Because you're nostalgic and you do, What's already been done, i don't see the fun
Your attachment to past methods and traditions limits your ability to see the potential and excitement in new and innovative ideas.
There's so much beauty in science that alliances Collapse and perhaps Cease to be abstract
The discoveries and innovations presented in science are so stunning and game-changing, that they have the power to shift long-standing alliances or affiliations to be more aligned with scientific discoveries.
And become one with my wife Alive i dive into solitude again And there's no end Cause without infinity nothing exists So i persist
Through my work and dedication to my craft, I am able to establish a connection with the world around me and feel alive. My pursuit of knowledge does not have an end, as I believe the limitlessness of knowledge is what gives life meaning.
The senses perception is past Conception will last The vast ignorance, delivers the difference Between reflecting gases In front of dark space and the sky Goodbye
The physical senses are limited and only tell a small part of the story. The power of the mind to imagine and create new things is a gift that should be valued and honed. The vastness of the universe offers endless opportunities for discovery and exploration, with much left for us to learn and uncover.
I destroy your fields and give you bread See what i said
I challenge you to question what you know and open yourself up to new ideas, because only then can you experience true growth and innovation.
Contributed by Bailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.