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)
Think Tank
Marco Mahler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Help me out here
Think tank
Nap time
Strawberries travel in the wintertime
Developer
Standing up on the hill
Helicopter view
Try too hard not to try
Your brain turns into steam
High plane light makes you clean
Float down the river on a tube fall off
Your dog's gonna wanna get back on
Cement tree
Furniture
Cement tree
Three scoops
Vitamin water and yellow hoops
Bar code
Smoke in knoxville
They told me
About that too
Don't worry, it'll all come together soon
The song "Think Tank" by Marco Mahler is a dreamy, surrealistic journey into the mind of the artist. The lyrics describe a mind that is trying to make sense of the world around it, from the practical ("Strawberries travel in the wintertime") to the abstract ("Helicopter view"). The singer is looking to a "Think Tank" for help, a place where ideas are shared and problems are solved. However, it seems that even this place is not enough, as the singer feels he still "just does not have a clue".
The rest of the song is a series of random images and ideas, seemingly disconnected from each other but tied together by the dreamlike quality of the music. There are references to falling asleep ("Nap time"), to the mind being overworked ("Your brain turns into steam"), and to the freedom of letting go ("Float down the river on a tube fall off"). The final lines of the song suggest that there is a solution to be found, that everything will eventually "come together soon".
Overall, "Think Tank" is a song that revels in the ambiguity and complexity of the mind, and invites the listener to join in the process of making connections and finding meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Think tank
A place to think and share ideas.
Help me out here
Asking for help and support.
Think tank
A place for brainstorming and new solutions.
Nap time
A time for relaxation and rest.
Strawberries travel in the wintertime
An observation that some things can thrive in unexpected situations.
Developer
A person who develops or creates products or ideas.
Standing up on the hill
An elevated perspective with a clear view.
Helicopter view
An overall view of a situation.
He just does not have a clue
A lack of understanding or knowledge.
Try too hard not to try
Attempting to force something without natural flow.
Your brain turns into steam
Overexertion leads to burnout or exhaustion.
High plane light makes you clean
Being in a state of clarity and awareness.
Float down the river on a tube fall off
Taking risks in life and accepting the consequences when things don't go as planned.
Your dog's gonna wanna get back on
A desire to try again and not give up.
Cement tree
An object that appears natural, but is actually artificial or manufactured.
Furniture
Objects used in everyday life and designed for functionality.
Cement tree
An object that appears natural, but is actually artificial or manufactured.
Three scoops
Enjoying life's pleasures and indulgences.
Vitamin water and yellow hoops
An appreciation for health and fitness.
Bar code
A system of organization and categorization.
Smoke in knoxville
A shared experience or bond with others.
They told me
Hearing advice or guidance from others.
About that too
Additional information or insights that contribute to overall understanding.
Don't worry, it'll all come together soon
A sense of optimism and reassurance despite current difficulties.
Contributed by Molly J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.