For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
Landrover
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The year you disappeared
The ash on the road is still quite warm
Reading the map in the map light
And the engine is old and the tyres are worn
Driving and searching through the long dry ocean
Weaving deep in a bed of abandoned desire
Or the Landrover breaks down
Tranquility Bay .....
Saline levels normal .....
Nocturnal visibility average to good .....
Three in the morning on October the fourth
The year you disappeared
The canyons are watching me with your eyes
Craters like scars from a quarrel
And the petrol is low and my mouth is dry
Driving and searching through the long dry ocean
Weaving deep in a bed of abandoned desire
I'll be threading this wheel from hand to hand 'til you're found
Or the Landrover breaks down
The arc of buggy tracks in moondust .....
Your face glowing in its frame in the dash .....
Alimentation and oxygen supplies critical .....
Life functions now endangered, unpredictable .....
Strange emotional pattern recorded at 300 and again towards dawn .....
Foreboding .....
Log discontinued
Driving and searching through the long dry ocean
Weaving deep in a bed of abandoned desire
I'll be threading this wheel from hand to hand 'til you're found
Or the Landrover hits
Sunday airports
The face of the waters
Service stations
Unrepeatable offers
Trial by jury
The god of the crossroads
Furnished quarters
Unfaithful lovers
Sunday airports
The face of the waters
Service stations
Unrepeatable offers
Trial by jury
The god of the crossroads
Furnished quarters
Unfaithful lovers
The song "Landrover" by Momus tells a story through its lyrics about searching for someone who has disappeared. The singer narrates their experience driving through a "long dry ocean" searching for someone who has gone missing. They describe the ash on the road as still warm, indicating that it has not been long since their disappearance. As they drive, they face obstacles such as worn tires and low petrol, but their determination to find this person keeps them going. They mention Tranquility Bay, saline levels, and nocturnal visibility, suggesting they may be a search and rescue team or law enforcement personnel.
As the night progresses, the singer's search intensifies, and they describe the canyons watching them with the eyes of the missing person. They see craters like scars from a quarrel, furthering the sense of danger and urgency in the song. Despite facing critical alimentation and oxygen supplies and unpredictable life functions, the singer keeps searching until they find the person they are looking for or their Landrover breaks down.
Overall, "Landrover" is a haunting and suspenseful story-song about searching for a missing person. The singer's determination to find this person despite obstacles and danger creates a sense of urgency and suspense throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Four in the morning on October the third
It was early in the morning on the third of October.
The year you disappeared
This was the year you disappeared without any trace.
The ash on the road is still quite warm
The road seems to have been used not so long ago, and it's still picking up warmth from the ash on it.
Reading the map in the map light
Trying to navigate through the darkness using the dim light of the map light.
And the engine is old and the tyres are worn
The vehicle is old and not in a great condition, with worn-out tyres and an unreliable engine.
Driving and searching through the long dry ocean
Driving through an extensive, dry and unforgiving plain, searching for something very important.
Weaving deep in a bed of abandoned desire
Traveling through a path filled with old, abandoned hopes and dreams.
I'll be threading this wheel from hand to hand 'til you're found
I'll keep driving tirelessly until I find what I'm looking for.
Or the Landrover breaks down
If the car breaks down, then all hope is lost.
Tranquility Bay ......
With a location called Tranquility Bay, everything should be peaceful and calm.
Saline levels normal ......
The levels of saline in the environment are normal, which is good.
Nocturnal visibility average to good ......
The visibility during this night time is reasonable to good.
Three in the morning on October the fourth
It's another early morning, now on the fourth of October.
The canyons are watching me with your eyes
The canyons seem to be looking at me with the same eyes that you had.
Craters like scars from a quarrel
There are large, open craters everywhere that look like wounds or scars from some argument.
And the petrol is low and my mouth is dry
The fuel in the Landrover is running low, and the driver is thirsty, indicating the arduousness of the journey so far.
The arc of buggy tracks in moondust ......
There are tracks left by buggies that resemble an arc in the moondust, indicating that technology has been here before.
Your face glowing in its frame in the dash ......
The face of the person this search is for is still vivid and bright, appearing in the dashboard of the Landrover like a picture frame.
Alimentation and oxygen supplies critical ......
Critical supplies that help in keeping one alive, such as food and oxygen, are running dangerously low.
Life functions now endangered, unpredictable ......
With such a lack of basic supplies, it's no longer clear if life functions can be maintained, and uncertainty is a big factor.
Strange emotional pattern recorded at 300 and again towards dawn ......
A sudden change in emotions was recorded around 300 miles back and again, more recently, as morning approaches. The reason for this is unclear.
Foreboding ......
There is a sense of something ominous or dark that is impending or possibly found on this journey.
Log discontinued
The recording of events and findings stops suddenly, possibly meaning that the driver couldn't complete the mission or something unspeakable occurred.
Driving and searching through the long dry ocean
Same as above.
Weaving deep in a bed of abandoned desire
Same as above.
I'll be threading this wheel from hand to hand 'til you're found
Same as above.
Or the Landrover hits
If the driver loses control and the Landrover hits something, then all hope is lost.
Sunday airports
Fancy, popular airports that people like to use on a Sunday.
The face of the waters
The appearance of water bodies, frequently connected to a mystical or spiritual essence.
Service stations
Stopping points for vehicles, providing them with essential services like petrol, food, water etc.
Unrepeatable offers
A one-time-only offer or promotion that can't be repeated, something like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Trial by jury
When a court arrangement has a group of random people decide a verdict for an accused individual.
The god of the crossroads
In many cultures, the crossroads is seen as an intersection of different paths, with the god personifying it as a meeting point for destiny or fate.
Furnished quarters
A dwelling, typically rented, that comes with furniture items and accessories.
Unfaithful lovers
People who cheat or are unfaithful in a romantic or emotional relationship.
Sunday airports
Same as above.
The face of the waters
Same as above.
Service stations
Same as above.
Unrepeatable offers
Same as above.
Trial by jury
Same as above.
The god of the crossroads
Same as above.
Furnished quarters
Same as above.
Unfaithful lovers
Same as above.
Contributed by Eliana I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.