After being with the band for seven years, Al became clear of the new direction he wanted for his music. His resume includes music placement in a HBO film, XChange, as well as a Dutch TV film and TV shows including PSI Factor and Mutant X. A Brian Eno fanatic, a lover of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch's directorial styles, a respectful mimic of all three creeps into Al's music.
Dead Stars Al Okada’s latest project as Microbunny, is at once a showcase of his musical diversity (he plays almost all of the instruments!) and a forage for new polyrhythmic heights. This collection is meaningfully whimsical, deep in texture and demanding of the ear's attention. Al’s belief is that the musical compositions be reflective of his playing and personality. Although modern in capture, the tracks are organically electronic. Dead Stars is devoid of robotics, devoid of airbrushing, Al opting instead to allow the freshness of human inaccuracy to epitomize the end result. A more enduring and time-consuming process, it ensures that the music has an identity all its own.
With the provocative vocal stylings of Tamara Williamson, Al and Tamara have found a comfortable succinctness that incorporates Tamara's voice as a tool that at times provides melody and at other times simply accents the instruments. Instead of concentrating on lyrics and verbiage, the listener is free to inflect their own ideas regarding sentiment. For live performances, Microbunny adds a much greater humanizing element to the music with the addition of upright bass player King Kong Girio (aka Mitch Girio) and drummer Reverend Cino Evil (aka Sam Cino). By using a technique of live loop triggering, the band is free to improvise with little constraint, unlike many electronic "live" performances driven solely by computer sequencing or recorded music.
This approach earned the band top prize in the CBC 2002 Big Break Contest for Ontario out of 700 entries and a live television appearance on the CBC show ZeD. Be sure to check out Microbunny’s live trip-hop, slow jazz vibe at the Toronto Record Release, Feb 28th at the El Mocambo.
More dates in Ontario (including Guelph-March 4th, London-March 26th and Hamilton-March 27th) to follow.
Ether
Microbunny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I move on you will keep going strong
And he's .....
Staring out to see
Cars rolling by endlessly
Like waves on a pebble beach
In these black days in fashion halls
In these black days in fashion halls
In these black days...
This black day's end
Wind is in my face and I'm older
And there's someone looking over my shoulder
(Break)
In these black days in fashion halls
In these black days in fashion halls
In these black days...
This black day's end
The first two lines of this verse speak to the idea that in silence, without actually speaking, one can convey a great deal of meaning. This is a theme that runs throughout Microbunny's song Ether - that there is so much left unsaid and unexpressed between people, and that this silences can be just as meaningful as words. The next line, "When I move on you will keep going strong," seems to suggest that even when someone leaves others behind, they will still find a way to carry on. This might be interpreted as a message of hope - that even when change is difficult or painful, life keeps moving forward.
The second half of the verse paints a vivid picture of someone standing at a window, looking out over a world that seems to move without end. The "cars rolling by endlessly" are like "waves on a pebble beach," a natural, never-ending force that has its own rhythm and life. This might be seen as a form of escape for the person in the scene, who is watching from the outside, detached and separate from the world they see before them. The break between verses creates a sort of pause, a moment of contemplation before the next section begins.
Line by Line Meaning
When I don't speak I say everything
My silence is more meaningful than any words I could speak.
When I move on you will keep going strong
Even though I'm leaving, I'm confident that you will continue to thrive and persevere.
And he's.....
Referring to an unknown person or situation.
Staring out to sea
Gazing intently at the vast and infinite expanse of the ocean.
Cars rolling by endlessly
Vehicles passing by in an unceasing and unremitting procession.
Like waves on a pebble beach
Similar to the repetitive and constant ebb and flow of waves on a small and insignificant pebble beach.
In these black days in fashion halls
Referring to bleak and depressing times spent in the superficial and shallow world of high fashion and consumerism.
This black day's end
The conclusion of another miserable and hopeless day.
Wind is in my face and I'm older
Feeling the gusts of wind against my skin and realizing the passing of time and aging.
And there's someone looking over my shoulder
Sensing the presence of an unseen and potentially dangerous entity watching me closely.
This black day's end
Another miserable and hopeless day has come to a close.
Contributed by Samantha F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jerrance Bowman
Nice song