Four vans destroyed and sold for scrap metal. Five guitar amps crackled, hissed, and went silent, exhaling a final puff of smoke. An irreplacable vintage keyboard face down at the bottom of a flight of stairs, 13 keys cracked and lifted, never to make a sound again.
A string of misfortune seemed to follow the five young men comprising Michigan's Mason Proper (named for an obscure phrase relating to Freemasonry) last year as they toured in support of their 2007 debut album, There is a Moth in Your Chest. Each time they packed up their belongings to head to another town, they would search their bags and equipment for arcane symbols, unexplained objects, anything that might prove to be evidence of the curse of unluckiness they seemed to be living under. "It was a ritual we took up half-jokingly," singer and primary songwriter Jonathan Visger said, "but the second part of the joke was always that if we ever found anything, it would certainly explain a lot."
The band powered on through the mishaps and continued to play as many of the shows as they could make it to, despite sending van after van to the junkyard. The early shows were energetic and bubbling with enthusiasm, but as the band encountered more and more trouble they became progressively wilder and more dangerously frenetic, coping by learning to take a sick delight in watching the chaos around them. They were in the grip of mental instability. During this time period, keyboardist Matt Thomson would often disappear for hours at a time without telling anyone where he was going. He even missed the beginning of several shows, including a well-documented incident at Denver, Colorado's Monolith Festival, where he disappeared into the mountains. Around this time a wild-eyed and bruised Jonathan was quoted as saying, "I'm disappointed if I don't shed a little blood by the end of a show," when asked about his wild and self-destructive performances.
The band's most fervent supporters are a group known as "The New Destroyers," named after an unreleased song the band retired from their live set after noticing that things would mysteriously break whenever they played it. Some of the New Destroyers cracked the coded messages woven into the artwork of Moth, and through it discovered the secret website the band had created, allowing anonymous communication with the band via the same code.
Shortly after they began using it, several unsettling coded messages came in threateningly alluding to private matters in the band's lives. Shaken by the amount of information the person seemed to have, Mason Proper temporarily shut down the site, but not before one last message came in; it decoded as: KEEP GOING CURSESTELLO.
Convinced that this was a reference to the Elvis Costello-like glasses Jonathan wore through this time period, bassist Zac Fineberg and guitarist Brian Konicek refused to do any further touring with what they now suspected was the cursed item. Jonathan refused to destroy them, saying they had sentimental value and that he would just lock them away instead, but drummer Garrett Jones, the most superstitious of them all, stole them in the night and burned them in Zac's fire pit.
After the allegedly cursed glasses were gone, the band decided to turn over a new leaf and look to the future, hopefully leaving their dark past behind them. They met with producer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead), and with him selected 10 songs from a pool of 30 they had to choose from, aiming to make a very cohesive album, with a tone that reflected the band's collective state of mind as accurately as possible. They rented a small, empty house for a month and recorded the album, and Jonathan met up with Chris again at Carriage House Studios to mix what would become Olly Oxen Free (on the same console the Pixies' "Doolittle" was mixed on).
While some of the songs on Olly Oxen Free do update the dense, electronically-enhanced rock sound the band wielded recklessly on it's debut (which are sure to please longtime fans), it is the times when the band veers off into entirely new territory that are the most intriguing. On "Point A to Point B," nearly all the band's trademark noisiness is gone, while Jonathan sings "In past lives I was wealthy, so probably unhappy. Oh, I'm so glad I died," over a bouncy beat, and a sparse bed of bass and guitar ambience, before opening up to a beautifully simple chorus of, "I swore to myself last time was the last time." The band chose to close the record with "Safe for the Time Being," a song that had surprised the band by becoming an instant live favorite in the months before. A post-apocalyptic slow burner that stays sparse with only a heartbeat kick drum, thin guitar, and the most dynamic vocal melody the band has ever penned, until it explodes at the end in a grand wall of fuzz.
Olly Oxen Free will be out September 23rd on New York's Dovecote Records.
written by Lewis Muzynski, band friend and historian.
Related links:
Mason Proper (official site)
Mason Proper on Myspace
Dovecote Records
Safe For The Time Being
Mason Proper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
oh my god, the covers have all been torn
a warning we all ignored
oh my god, oh, save yourself,
the loonies are right, so why would i lullaby
alone?
follow a swarm of flies
heart choked dreamin' / sordid night
over the golden eyes
(heart choked dreamin)
starting to lose it over the golden eyes
heart choked dreamin / sordid night
oh my god, this fog all around's
the breath of a friend face down
he's coughin' but sleeping sound
oh my god, gotta save the sleeper
but how?
the buzzin' is dying down
the trail is cold we're crawling out all your highways
we're safe for the time being
we are safe for the time being
The opening lines of Mason Proper's "Safe For The Time Being" paint a bleak picture of a desolate world in which there is no one left. The singer makes repeated appeals to God, highlighting the desperation of their situation. The covers have been torn, implying a sense of violence and destruction, and there is a sense of regret: "a warning we all ignored." In the absence of a benevolent deity, the singer implores listeners to save themselves, acknowledging that "the loonies are right" and that there is no comfort to be found in lullabies. The word "alone" is repeated at the end of this verse, emphasizing the sense of isolation and despair.
The second verse introduces the image of crawling out of highways, evoking a sense of desperation and confusion. The swarm of flies creates a vivid scene, hinting at decay and death. The phrase "heart choked dreamin'" suggests vivid, suffocating nightmares, and this feeling is intensified with the repetition of "sordid night." The golden eyes are an ambiguous symbol, but they seem to represent something unsettling and inscrutable. The tenuous feeling of safety is reinforced with the repetition of the phrase "we're safe for the time being" at the end of the song.
Overall, "Safe For The Time Being" is a haunting meditation on isolation, despair, and the fragility of our sense of safety. The repetition of the phrase "oh my god" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's sense of helplessness and the absence of any higher power to rely on. The crawling highways and swarm of flies add to the sense of confusion and disorientation, while the golden eyes remain an enigmatic and eerie presence throughout the song. In the end, the only consolation is the fragile reassurance that we are "safe for the time being", a reminder that safety is fleeting and can be shattered at any moment.
Line by Line Meaning
oh my god, there's no one left
There is nobody around for miles, and it is causing anxiety and fear.
oh my god, the covers have all been torn
Everything has been destroyed or taken away, leaving one feeling vulnerable and exposed.
a warning we all ignored
Something happened that we were cautioned about, but we neglected to take appropriate actions.
oh my god, oh, save yourself,
It's every person for themselves; one should focus on self-preservation.
the loonies are right, so why would i lullaby
The people who others perceive as crazy or irrational have valid points, so there is no reason to try and pacify them.
alone?
Is there anyone else who shares similar fears or experiences, or am I alone in this?
crawling out all your highways
Moving away from one's comfort zone or familiar places and exploring new paths, even if they are difficult or uncharted.
follow a swarm of flies
Pursuing something that is unpleasant, repulsive, or brings death or decay.
heart choked dreamin'
Feeling overwhelmed or suffocated with emotions that are unpleasant or frightening, which can lead to disturbing dreams or nightmares.
over the golden eyes
Focusing on something that is alluring or valuable but also potentially dangerous or deceptive.
(heart choked dreamin)
Repeating the feeling of being emotionally overwhelmed or suffocated.
/ sordid night
A period of time filled with unpleasant or shameful events, which intensify one's negative emotions.
oh my god, this fog all around's
Feeling disoriented or unable to see a clear path because of confusion or uncertainty.
the breath of a friend face down
Realizing that someone close has passed away and feeling a sense of grief, sadness, or guilt.
he's coughin' but sleeping sound
Realizing that someone close is struggling or in pain, but unable to do anything about it and feeling helpless as a result.
oh my god, gotta save the sleeper
Feeling a sense of obligation or responsibility to help someone in need, even if it comes at a personal cost.
but how?
Feeling uncertain about how to help or what to do next, which can lead to a sense of frustration or desperation.
the buzzin' is dying down
Feeling a sense of relief or resolution after experiencing anxiety or fear for a prolonged period of time.
the trail is cold we're crawling out all your highways
Feeling like time is running out or the opportunity has passed, so one needs to try different approaches or explore new possibilities to find a solution.
we're safe for the time being
Feeling a temporary sense of security or relief that the danger or uncertainty has passed, but not knowing what will happen in the future.
Contributed by Lila P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
midgbycrawdad
this song vibrates at the same frequency as my soul how is this not more popular than it is
SiriusAl
It makes me so sad that bands like this can't get to the top, and dies somewhere between first and second EP. Great music imo
Inn S
Olly Oxen Free is amazing...really anything these guys done has been awesome...all the way back to Cunning Linguists etc...
Gido
I’d only ever heard the Wallpaper Mixtape version of this song, and never looked up the lyrics until now. Such a different feel than I’d expected from that remix. This is amazing. I dig both versions.
Delaney
I <3 YOU!!! I still have my signed vinyl on display from a couple of years ago!!!!!
indicamanita hallusativa
been listening to this since they were unsigned. what happened to them?? love it!
indicamanita hallusativa
had your dream/and so did i
pollz05
Is there gonna be anymore music from Mason Proper?
crujones27
i agree, its a shame they broke up
franzchick66
<3