Dangers and Stephens left Perennial Divide in 1988 to record an album, but the tapes were burnt in a studio fire. They then recorded the EP Storm The Studio, which found them pigeonholed as an industrial act. In response, they recorded 99% in 1990 which was more techno-influenced. Later that year, they released Armed Audio Warfare, which was an effort to re-record the burned tapes of the would-be debut album.
The band's live show was conceived as an intense audio-visual experience, with dancers, led by choreographer Marcus Adams, in costumes designed by artist Craig Morrison and video clips accompanying live instruments, sequenced electronic instruments, and live DJing. In the United States, they opened for Nine Inch Nails on their debut national tour in 1990. Adams appeared in many of the band's promo photos with his trademark "popcorn" hairstyle (mostly shaved, with scattered tufts of braided hair) until Satyricon in 1992.
In 1992, the band released Satyricon which continued to show Meat Beat as more of an electronica band. In 1994 Dangers relocated from England to San Francisco, resulting in Stephens' departure from the band. Dangers continued the band as a solo-plus-collaborators form, releasing Subliminal Sandwich in 1996. While this album represented MBM's major-label debut on Trent Reznor's Nothing records, it failed to reach the critical and commercial successes of previous releases.
In 1997 Dangers recruited drummer Lynn Farmer and guitarist Jon Wilson to record and release Actual Sounds and Voices in 1998, which found the group's earlier flirtations with jazz fusion featured more prominently; the record included appearances by saxophonist Bennie Maupin. The album yielded the single Prime Audio Soup which was featured in the film The Matrix.
In 2002 MBM released RUOK?, which demonstrated great steps in the evolution of their sound and prominently featured Dangers' newly acquired EMS Synthi 100. In 2003 they released a remix album for Storm The Studio, followed by ... In Dub, a remix album of RUOK?.
At the Center was released in May 29, 2005. A part of independent label Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, the album is a collaboration between Jack Dangers and jazz musicians Peter Gordon, Dave King, and Craig Taborn. It has been well-received by many critics, with one reviewer calling it "one of the best albums of the year in any genre." An EP titled Off-Centre, consisting of outtakes, a remix, and a live track, was released several months later, as well as a limited edition live album recorded during the extensive touring for At the Center. Later, in 2006, Dangers put out a DVD featuring a live MBM show at the Metro in Chicago.
Meat Beat Manifesto's 9th studio album, Autoimmune, was released on April 8th, 2008. Originally slated to be a double disc, twenty song affair, it was pared down to a single disc with fourteen tracks upon release. It features the first lyrical work from Dangers since his limited vocal appearances on 1998's Actual Sounds & Voices. In addition, Azeem and DJ Z-Trip make guest appearances. A remix EP was released on iTunes prior to the album's street date, and at least one B-side has been put up for free download on the official MBM website.
AlbumAnswers Come In Dreams was released in 2010 by Metropolis label. This time Dangers use deep dubstep bass and dark ambient sounds.
Studio albums
1989 Storm the Studio
1990 Armed Audio Warfare
1990 99%
1992 Satyricon
1996 Subliminal Sandwich
1998 Actual Sounds + Voices
2002 RUOK?
2005 At The Center
2008 Autoimmune
2010 Answers Come in Dreams
2012 Test EP
Lonely Soldier
Meat Beat Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in this world of sin
I'm fighting for my life
And I just can't win
I'm a lonely soldier
Can't nobody hear me cry
Ain't no use in staying
Ain't no use in goodbye
The lyrics to Meat Beat Manifesto's "Lonely Soldier" convey a sense of isolation, struggle, and despair. The singer describes himself as a "lonely soldier" fighting against the "world of sin" in which he finds himself. He feels like he's fighting for his life, but he's unable to win the battle. The idea of being a soldier in this context suggests that the struggles the singer faces are part of a larger conflict. He is not only fighting for himself but also for a cause or principle, perhaps a sense of justice or fairness.
The chorus emphasizes the singer's sense of loneliness and a feeling of being unheard. He cries out for help, but nobody seems to hear him. There is a sense of hopelessness in his tone, as if he has given up on finding the support he needs. The final line of the chorus suggests that the situation is so dire that he has no choice but to leave, abandoning his efforts and his fight.
Overall, the song's message seems to be one of sadness and resignation. The singer has fought alone for too long, and his struggles have left him feeling defeated and alone. The lyrics and melody work together to create a melancholy mood that speaks to feelings of isolation and despair that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a lonely soldier
I am a person who feels isolated and unsupported in my struggles, much like a single soldier fighting a battle alone
In a dusty field of ruins,
I find myself in a desolate and abandoned place, where the remnants of destruction are scattered all around me
I'm the last one standing,
I am the only survivor, the final person left to face the aftermath of devastation and conflict
Nothing left but silence,
There is complete and utter absence of sound, a deafening stillness that accompanies the absence of all activity and life
But the voices in my head,
However, I am not truly alone as the internal voices and thoughts inside my mind persist, perhaps the only company I have left
Seem to scream and shout,
My thoughts are agitated and distressed, loud and chaotic, as they grapple with the weight of my struggles and the overwhelming show of destruction around me
Echoing what's left behind,
My thoughts are reverberating with the remnants of what remains after the devastation, the wreckage of a terrible conflict that has now come to pass
I'm a lonely soldier.
I am alone in my pain, and I must face it on my own, like a soldier fighting a battle solo with little support or backup to rely on.
Contributed by Allison W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.