Mothlite's second album ‘Dark Age’ is the 2012 follow-up to 2008’s ‘The Flax Of Reverie’ (Southern Records). Having spent a lot of time recently working as a collaborator in his many other projects, O’Sullivan felt it was time to return to Mothlite to work on something unequivocally personal:
“All the other things are collaborations and there’s a communal interest, but with Mothlite the content is quite personal and to do with me. It’s quite easy to neglect, particularly when you’re in a bit of a shit storm as I was the past couple of years.”
"This is prevalent in the lyrical content, which denotes a catharsis throughout a period of hysteria and emotional turmoil". He describes ‘Dark Age’ as “Dark megalomania, contradictions and paradoxes, and general bleakness”, yet rarely does such subject matter get delivered with the soaring pop aplomb as on the album’s twelve tracks, flitting from sparkle and rumble of ‘The Blood’ to the epic washes of ‘The Underneath’ and beyond.
Dark Age has allowed O’Sullivan to break free from the confines of genre, taking influence from the likes of Tears For Fears and Kate Bush from his parents’ record collection through the industrial and gothic textures of D.A.F., The Cure, Coil and Dead Can Dance to the hardcore punk of his own personal roots. Indeed, O’Sullivan’s use of contradiction within the style of the record is a very deliberate choice: “If it was too bleak, with melancholy overriding the whole thing, then I’d counteract it with a huge chorus or huge hook” O'Sullivan's chief collaborator in Mothlite is Norwegian producer Knut Jonas Sellevold (Elektrofant, King Knut). Arranger, composer and beat-maker of the highest order.
Now Dark Age is done, O’Sullivan is ready to move onto new things. “To be honest, I’m really glad that it’s over,” he says. “I felt like I couldn’t move until I got that out there.” As well as plans for a new Mothlite record, this forward surge includes exploring “ideas and schemes” as to how ‘Dark Age’ will transfer to the road. “Now that the drama has played out and everyone can see what it is, I can almost do a theatrical version of the scenes within. I don’t want to look as though I’m crying down the microphone night after night if we go on tour. I’d rather have a show.”
Cauldron
Mothlite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My sleepless state
Betrothed
For eyes unblunk
Are surely
Tearwater
Drunk
These eyes are bound with secret knots
Phantoms lurk beneath the timbering hole,
The roar of thunder in the blue sky of noon,
In jesting the orchids, plumage, blood clots
Bees are honeycombing through the lions body,
Raven sharpens her beak on olding stone,
Lotus flowers breeding with baby dragons,
In jesting the frogs, feathers, frost
And in becoming, my sleepless state
Eyelids shuddering like petals in the breeze
Eye spoke,
The undying sun will never let us sleep
The undying moon will never let us sleep
The undying stars will never let us sleep
The lyrics in Mothlite's song Cauldron depict a dream-like state where the singer seems to be drifting in and out of consciousness. The beginning of the song speaks about the journey of becoming, possibly alluding to the idea of personal growth. The singer then goes on to speak about their sleepless state, something that has likely been brought upon by their constant introspection and exploration of self. The line, "For eyes unblunk, are surely tearwater drunk," speaks to the fact that the singer is emotionally overwhelmed, and their tears are seemingly endless.
The middle of the song is a bit more abstract, littered with imagery that is open to interpretation. Phantoms that lurk beneath the timbering hole could mean that there are hidden feelings or truths lurking beneath the surface. The line, "In jesting the orchids, plumage, blood clots," could suggest that the singer is not taking themselves too seriously in this introspective state. The imagery of bees honeycombing through a lion's body and lotus flowers breeding with baby dragons is surreal, further emphasizing the dream-like and abstract nature of the lyrics.
Towards the end, the singer speaks of their eyelids shuddering like petals in the breeze, which could be interpreted as some sort of release or surrender. The final lines, "The undying sun will never let us sleep, the undying moon will never let us sleep, the undying stars will never let us sleep," can be seen as a sort of acceptance of their sleepless state, as sleep may only come once they've reached an understanding of themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
And in becoming
My sleepless state
Betrothed
I have become betrothed to my sleeplessness, it is now a permanent part of me.
For eyes unblunk
Are surely
Tearwater
Drunk
Eyes unable to blink must be crying and therefore filled with tears.
These eyes are bound with secret knots
Phantoms lurk beneath the timbering hole,
The roar of thunder in the blue sky of noon,
In jesting the orchids, plumage, blood clots
The eyes are trapped and haunted by dark and mysterious thoughts, and chaos prevails.
Bees are honeycombing through the lions body,
Raven sharpens her beak on olding stone,
Lotus flowers breeding with baby dragons,
In jesting the frogs, feathers, frost
Nature is in a state of turbulence, with strange and unexpected things happening all around us.
And in becoming, my sleepless state
Eyelids shuddering like petals in the breeze
Eye spoke,
My sleeplessness has become a tangible and physical presence, with my eyelids trembling like in a breeze, and my voice barely able to speak.
The undying sun will never let us sleep
The undying moon will never let us sleep
The undying stars will never let us sleep
We are unable to sleep, and the eternal light of the sun, moon, and stars serve as constant reminders of that fact.
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Loukas Kalliantasis
Its perfect....
Ghost Dog
could mong out to this for hours
Felipe Contreras
awesome mate