History
The band's chief songwriters, Micah Rabwin and Sean Ogilvie have been writing and performing music together since childhood. Ogilvie is formerly of San Diego, California post-rock band, Tristeza. Musée Mécanique was founded in 2006 with the addition of Berger, Boyd and Perez.
The band is named after San Francisco, California museum, Musée Mécanique. Ogilvie said, "We love to make a song that has its own soul, just like the machines they have over there at the museum".
Hold This Ghost
This record's sound has been described by music and culture magazines XLR8R "a layered, delicate take on folk, meticulously arranged with an ear for atmosphere and texture, with surprises unfolding every moment"[3] and by Metroland (newspaper) as "subtle, elegant, yet fully modern folk-pop." Musée Mécanique has been compared to Neutral Milk Hotel and Beirut.[4]
This album was produced and engineered by Rabwin and Ogilvie and mixed by Tucker Martine who has worked with The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens and Laura Veirs.
'Hold This Ghost' received a 7.2 (on a 10 point scale) on Pitchfork Media. Writer Rebecca Raber said, "Musée Mécanique distinguish themselves from the throng [of Portland, Ore. folk acts] by ignoring Americana influences and infusing their brand of intimate melancholia with lush arrangements and electronic underpinnings."[5]
The song, "Like Home" was featured on the internationally-syndicated NPR show "All Songs Considered" on Nov. 17, 2008.[6]
The band extensively toured across the United States in 2008 and will continue to tour in 2009 to support Hold This Ghost. In 2009 Micah Rabwin and Sean Ogilvie toured the first time in Europe as Musée Mécanique together with Laura Gibson.
Like Home
Musée Mécanique Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With clouds and tape,
Strike up the bell to play,
And walk down to the lake,
Hold this ghost,
Sweet unknown,
Feels like home,
Pack all your words in case,
We take them all away,
Find us the darkest space,
In time can't quite taste,
Hold this ghost,
Feels like home,
Hold this ghost,
Sweet unknown...
In Musée Mécanique's song "Like Home", the lyrics speak of letting go of things that are precious to us. The lines "Take precious things away, with clouds and tape," suggest the idea of putting things away and tucking them in, as if they were being stored in a safe place. Yet the next line, "Strike up the bell to play, and walk down to the lake," has a more somber tone that implies a sense of loss. The bell tolling gives the image of something ending or coming to a close, while walking down to the lake could be interpreted as a way of letting go.
The chorus repeats the lines "Hold this ghost, sweet unknown, holds this ghost, feels like home." The idea of a ghost, something that is intangible and cannot be held, seems to represent the memories or feelings that are being let go of. The expression "sweet unknown" reinforces this, as something that is sweet can be seen as pleasant or desirable, yet the unknown is a source of anxiety or fear. However, the repetition of "holds this ghost, feels like home" suggests that despite the difficulty of letting go, there is a sense of comfort or familiarity in this liminal state.
The bridge of the song continues with the theme of packing away and letting go, "Pack all your words in case, we take them all away, find us the darkest space, in time can't quite taste." This speaks to the idea of not being able to hold on to memories, and that sometimes we have to let them go before they disappear on their own. The line "find us the darkest space" could be interpreted as finding a place to hide things away, almost like a secret. The final phrase, "in time can't quite taste," adds to the idea of time and memory slipping away from us.
Line by Line Meaning
Take precious things away,
Remove valuable possessions,
With clouds and tape,
Using a cloudy and mysterious method,
Strike up the bell to play,
Start the music with a significant sound,
And walk down to the lake,
Proceed to the lake,
Hold this ghost,
Keep this spirit,
Sweet unknown,
Mysterious and delightful,
Pack all your words in case,
Collect all of your words just in case,
We take them all away,
We may remove them all,
Find us the darkest space,
Locate the area with the least light,
In time can't quite taste,
Where time is difficult to discern,
Feels like home,
It gives the sensation of home,
Sweet unknown...
Mysterious and delightful...
Writer(s): Erroll Garner Copyright: Soundrights Music O.B.O. Octave Music Pub Corp.
Contributed by Alyssa F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.