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.
Wishing
Microbunny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wishes for the sun to rain
Looks inside his little world
And he wonders...
And I'm wishing...
Emily...she wipes her hands
And she tried to give her best
Wanted to pay more
And I'm wishing...
And under the smoke storm
She tried to reach his hand
It's dripping wet with gold dust
She sinks away into the sand
And I'm wishing...
The lyrics of Microbunny's song Wishing seem to be describing the wishes and desires of different characters, as well as the idea of wishing in general. The first verse refers to a character named Mr. Laurence, who is described as a "wishing well." This implies that he is someone who people go to in order to make their wishes, rather than someone making his own wishes. The lyrics suggest that Mr. Laurence is wishing for something unusual or impossible - for the sun to rain. This could be interpreted as a commentary on the futility of wishes or the desire for things that are out of reach. The line "Looks inside his little world and he wonders" implies that Mr. Laurence is introspective and reflective, perhaps contemplating the nature of his own wishes.
In the second verse, the focus shifts to a character named Emily, who seems to be a customer at some kind of establishment where money is thrown to the floor. The lyrics suggest that she is trying to give her best, perhaps in terms of tipping or patronage, but feels that she falls short in some way. The line "And under the smoke storm, she tried to reach his hand" is somewhat mysterious, but could be interpreted as a metaphor for the difficulties of communication or connection. The image of gold dust suggests something valuable, but the fact that Emily sinks away into the sand implies that it is ultimately unattainable.
Throughout the song, the repeated phrase "And I'm wishing..." suggests a sense of longing or dissatisfaction. It could be interpreted as a call to action - an acknowledgement that there is something missing, but a hope that it can be found or achieved.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr. Laurence is a wishing well
A metaphorical reference to Mr. Laurence as a place where one can cast their desires or wishes upon.
Wishes for the sun to rain
Mr. Laurence's desire for the impossible, wanting for things that do not exist and cannot happen.
Looks inside his little world
Looking into his innermost thoughts to contemplate his deepest desires and obscure thoughts.
And he wonders...
Mr. Laurence is lost in thought and contemplating the unknown or seemingly impossible.
And I'm wishing...
The singer relates to Mr. Laurence's desire for the unattainable as they also yearn for something that cannot be.
Emily...she wipes her hands
A reference to an individual named Emily cleaning their hands, which could symbolize a form of purification of the self.
Turns and throws the money to the floor
Emily discards or throws away something significant like money as they either do not value it or believe it is not worth keeping.
And she tried to give her best
Emily is trying their utmost to achieve something, despite the potential futility of their efforts.
Wanted to pay more
Emily feels that what they are contributing is not enough, and they should contribute more, despite their inability to do so.
And under the smoke storm
A metaphorical reference to a chaotic and dire situation or environment.
She tried to reach his hand
Emily attempts to reach out to someone, perhaps for comfort or reassurance, but without success.
It's dripping wet with gold dust
Reference to an object that is typically valuable but has been corrupted or destroyed.
She sinks away into the sand
Emily is giving up or falling under the pressure of their surrounding circumstances.
And I'm wishing...
The singer again relates to Emily's feelings of despair and hopelessness and desires for something unattainable.
Contributed by Connor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
L
So cool