Their debut album, The Dust of Retreat came out in 2006. At this time, the band was signed to Artemis Records and had 8 members. In 2008 the band signed to Epic Records and (on 7 October) released two new albums, Animal! and Not Animal. The band originally planned to just release "Animal!". However, Epic disagreed on their song choice, and compiled a different list, which would later become "Not Animal". Eventually, after dispute over which version would be released, it was decided to release both at the same time.
In August 2009, 5 of the band's members left. They are all involved in other projects, most notably Pravada.
While the band, and Richard specifically have given many explanations to the band's name; this is all in fun. As the name was created as an anti-name; not meant to have any real meaning, just to make fun of other ridiculous names. The name "Margot" comes from Gweneth Paltrow's character in Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums".
The band's sound, categorized as "chamber pop", has been compared to the indie rock groups Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and The Shins, while incorporating elements of singer/songwriters like Paul Simon and Conor Oberst.
Current Members are:
Richard Edwards - lead vocals, guitar, bells, melodica, banjo
Ronnie Kwasman - lead guitar
Tyler Watkins - bass guitar
Brian Deck - drums
Eric Kang - guitar
Cameron McGill
Former Members include:
Emily Watkins - keys, backup vocals
Andy Fry - guitar, bass, lap steel, percussion
Jesse Lee - cello
Casey Tennis - percussion
Chris Fry - drums, percussion
Mariel's Brazen Overture
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mary, I was unfaithful to you, and it kills me.
And I have a son that I've never met.
Martin, you can be honest with me if you want to, but I don't want all your devils to hold me and haunt me.
'Cause I have a love for you that's absurd.
For 80 miles, oh how we drove.
For 80 miles, puffin; our smokes.
(I smoked), you smoked. We smoked together!
But you loved me. (Yes, I loved you)
For 7 days, oh how we drank. (I drank) you drank.
We drank together! At roadside pubs.
In the rain. (I drank). You drank. Let's drink together.
But you need me. (Yes, I need you)
Mariel! Someone is bleeding the wall.
The house is beginning to crumble!
The baby's on fire. Oh dear!
The zebra's are scaling the roof.
The mice are beginning to scatter. Oh Mary!
You tied my shoes for me.
You tied them tight.
But the roof blew off, and you fell out of love.
I wasted time on you.
I wasted socks.
But the sun went down, and I fell out of love.
Mariel, would you love me if I was a liar?
The opening lines of "Mariel's Brazen Overture" suggest that the singer is confessing to his lover Mary about his infidelity and that he has a child that he hasn't met yet. The lyrics convey a sense of guilt and remorse for his actions, and he seems to be comforting Mary, telling her that he still loves her despite his mistakes. Mary, in turn, expresses her love for him, assuring him that he can be honest with her but doesn't want the demons of his past to haunt her.
The next part of the song depicts a journey the two took together, where they smoked and drank together, symbolizing their intimacy and shared experiences. The refrain "But you loved me" and "But you need me" shows how they rely on each other for emotional support and how their love is still strong despite the missteps. However, the final lines suggest that Mariel has fallen out of love with the singer, and he realizes he has wasted his time and energy on her.
The song's title is a reference to Mariel who is mentioned in the last stanza, but the lyrics also contain other references to various imaginative and surreal images and scenarios. The song is written in Margot & the Nuclear So and So's's distinctive indie rock style with catchy harmonies and a poetic lyricism that is both thoughtful and captivating.
Line by Line Meaning
now that we have expired, I should be honest.
After we've been apart for a while, I need to confess something to you.
Mary, I was unfaithful to you, and it kills me.
I really regret cheating on you and it hurts me to tell you.
And I have a son that I've never met.
In addition to my infidelity, I also have a child that I haven't seen yet.
Martin, you can be honest with me if you want to, but I don't want all your devils to hold me and haunt me.
I want you to be truthful with me, but I don't want to have to deal with your dark secrets and regrets.
'Cause I have a love for you that's absurd.
Despite everything, I still have intense feelings of affection for you.
For 80 miles, oh how we drove.
We drove a great distance together.
(I drove) you drove, we drove together!
We took turns driving during our long journey.
For 80 miles, puffin; our smokes.
During our car trip, we both smoked cigarettes.
(I smoked), you smoked. We smoked together!
We both indulged in this bad habit, and enjoyed doing so together.
But you loved me.
Despite our flaws, we still had strong feelings for each other.
(Yes, I loved you)
Indeed, I felt very fondly towards you.
For 7 days, oh how we drank.
We spent a week drinking and socializing.
(I drank) you drank.
We both participated in drinking alcohol.
We drank together! At roadside pubs. In the rain.
We enjoyed each other's company while visiting different pubs, despite the bad weather.
But you need me.
Despite whatever differences we might have, you still feel a strong attachment to me.
(Yes, I need you)
Indeed, I still have a strong emotional dependence on you.
Mariel! Someone is bleeding the wall.
Hey Mariel, something is really wrong and unsettling is happening around me.
The house is beginning to crumble!
Things are really starting to fall apart and become chaotic.
The baby's on fire. Oh dear!
Something terrible has happened, like a baby being in very real danger.
The zebra's are scaling the roof.
Things are becoming extremely surreal and unexpected.
The mice are beginning to scatter. Oh Mary!
The sense of chaos and confusion is escalating to a new level.
You tied my shoes for me.
You helped me with a small task, and I appreciated that.
You tied them tight.
You did a really thorough job of taking care of me in this way.
But the roof blew off, and you fell out of love.
Despite the help you gave me, things went wrong and our relationship started to fall apart.
I wasted time on you.
Ultimately, the time we spent together may not have been valuable or productive.
I wasted socks.
I did something that wasn't really worthwhile, like misusing a pair of socks.
But the sun went down, and I fell out of love.
Eventually, my feelings of fondness towards you waned and disappeared.
Mariel, would you love me if I was a liar?
Hey Mariel, I'm curious if you would still love me despite my inability to be honest with you.
Contributed by Nora L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.