The group started as a friendship nearly two decades ago in Birmingham, Alabama. “Orenda and I have been friends for 16 years,” Lemoyne offers. “When Remy Zero was just starting and becoming successful in Birmingham, Orenda and her musical partner Maria were a 16-year-old songwriter duo that would just hang around. We quickly recognized a talent in them and knew they would do well.” Many years later, an artist-in-residence program in Omaha would provided them with unusual creative control, resulting in several recordings of experimental pop songs.
Fink had moved to Omaha because of her involvement in Azure Ray and their Omaha-based record company Saddle Creek Records. When the local Bemis Center of Contemporary Arts offered Fink a musical art residency, she accepted, and with no guidelines in place, Fink considered using her collection of field recordings (recorded in, among other places, Omaha, Haiti, and an Alabama church) as source material for loops and pop songs. Fink: “My idea was to go and collect field recordings from all over. Places that inspired me in a kind of atmospheric way”
Fink invited her old friend Lemoyne to participate in the art project and he soon took residence at the Center in Omaha, where their early meetings took place in the basement. Lemoyne explains: “We’d take samples of sounds of Haitian rituals, street noises or whatever, then cut them into loops. We’d arrange them into forms and write songs with them or, she might have started a song and I would take some of these sound materials to create bodies of music around it.”
As the project began to take shape, both recognized its commercial as well as artistic potential. “We didn’t know what would happen and that was afforded by the fact that it was an art residency – we had freedom,” Fink says. “Ultimately, it ended up working really well. We created a cohesive work.”
The result has been compared to the work of Angelo Badalamenti. “We listened to a lot of David Lynch soundtracks and 10cc,” confesses Fink. “I was looking for this balance of light and dark. You don’t know why it is dark because it is actually very light sounding. That is what I was going for,” she adds.
Their debut, produced by Michael Paterson (Beck, Notorious B.I.G., Ladytron) is characterized by drum loops, shifting from acoustic guitar and angelic vocals to plodding piano, tinkling bells and a mixture of unidentifiable voices.
Toreador
O+S Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
cling like vines to us, my dear.
I hide beneath the rubble
a weakened seedling growing here
the fight, the constant struggle
is this the dénouement of fear?
I loved you more
We fought together
lovers arm in arm
Toreador
I never saw us
for what we were
or what we had
Adversaries with knowledge
of how to hurt with the most efficient hand
I struck out first
but my wound fared worst
We fought together
lovers arm in arm
Toreador
I loved you more
Toreador
The lyrics to O+S's song "Toreador" portray a tumultuous relationship between two people, in which troubles and struggles are constantly intertwined with their love. The first line sets the scene for the entire song, explaining how love and troubles "cling like vines" to the two, using a metaphor to depict how love can become suffocating and all-encompassing. The singer then describes how they feel weak and vulnerable, as if hiding beneath rubble, but also growing into something new. The second verse references a fight, yet it is unclear whether it is a physical altercation or an emotional battle. The singer mentions "blood and gore," hinting that the fight may be literal, yet they describe fighting "arm in arm," suggesting it may be symbolic of two people coming together to fight against some external force.
The chorus brings the focus back to the title of the song, "Toreador." This word is typically associated with bullfighting and the toreador, or bullfighter, who engages in a dance with the bull. The toreador symbolizes a strong and fierce warrior, who is unafraid of danger and faces it head-on. In this context, the singer is likening their relationship to a bullfight, where they are fighting against each other or an external force, arm in arm. The phrase "I loved you more" is repeated several times throughout the song, suggesting that despite the battles and struggles, the love between the two is intense and overpowering.
Line by Line Meaning
Love and some such troubles
Relationships and various issues often go hand in hand.
cling like vines to us, my dear.
These troubles often have a firm grip on us and are hard to let go of.
I hide beneath the rubble
I am trying to conceal my vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
a weakened seedling growing here
My inner strength, though small at the moment, is slowly growing and developing.
the fight, the constant struggle
Life is a continuous battle, filled with challenges and difficulties.
is this the dénouement of fear?
Am I about to give up and let my fears take over?
I loved you more
I had a deeper affection for you than you did for me.
amid the blood and gore
In the midst of violence and chaos.
We fought together
We battled side by side.
lovers arm in arm
Despite the danger, we stayed together and supported each other.
Toreador
We were like matadors, constantly facing danger and fighting to survive.
I never saw us
I didn't realize the true nature of our relationship.
for what we were
I didn't recognize our roles as opponents in the fight of life.
or what we had
I didn't appreciate the love and support we shared.
Adversaries with knowledge
We were enemies who knew each other's weaknesses and how to take advantage of them.
of how to hurt with the most efficient hand
We knew how to inflict maximum damage on each other with minimal effort.
I struck out first
I made the first move in our battle.
but my wound fared worst
Despite my initial strike, I ended up suffering more.
Contributed by Peyton W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.