She released her full first full-length solo album, Invisible Ones, on August 23rd, 2005. A rockier affair than the measured etheriality of Azure Ray, or Maria Taylor's first solo album, it yielded the single Bloodline which bears a passing resemblance to Belly.
From the touring band she formed to promote Invisible Ones arose Art in Manila, who have so far released one album, Set the Woods on Fire.
The most recent of her many projects is O+S, a collaboration with longtime friend Cedric LeMoyne (aka Scalpelist) from the band Remy Zero, which has so far yielded one self-titled album.
In 2009 Orenda released her second solo album, the acoustic Ask The Night. In places the album echoes some of Azure Ray's starker pieces, such as Raining in Athens, foregrounding Fink's distinctive banjo playing and invoking the traditional soundscape of the American South.
Orenda is married to Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle) of The Faint, another Saddle Creek band.
Her official site is at http://www.orendafink.com.
Half-Light
Orenda Fink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lead to the swamp
In half-light
Where our shadows move
Black water pools
And Spanish moss
This is when you feel us most
And the old songs carry
In the wind
Bound by the great oak
Remains of home
We are the long-gone
Oh whispering ghosts
Days long ago
And silver-grey hair
This is when you feel us most
When the light slips away
And cicadas begin
To sing
You feel the eyes
The waiting eyes
Our shape takes root in half-light
You feel the eyes
The watching eyes
Blinking along the edge of darkness
This is when you feel us most
When the light slips away
And the old songs carry
This is when you feel us most
When the light slips away
And the old songs carry
In the wind
The song "Half-Light" by Orenda Fink is a haunting ballad that captures the feeling of being in a place where past and present converge, where spirits still linger and memories are preserved. The lyrics evoke an atmosphere of mystery and nostalgia, as the singer calls upon the Lord of the Lost to lead them to a swamp where shadows move and black water pools. The image of Spanish moss hanging from the trees adds to the sense of otherworldliness, as if the setting exists in a liminal space between the living and the dead.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer and others like them, who are the remnants of a long-gone time. They are bound by the great oak, which serves as a symbol of their connection to the land and their ancestors. The reference to silver-grey hair suggests that they are elders or ancestors themselves, who have returned in spirit form to this place of memory and significance. The repeated refrain of "this is when you feel us most" underscores the idea that this is a special time and place where the spirits can be sensed and remembered.
Overall, "Half-Light" is a powerful evocation of a specific sense of place and time, one that is tied to the land and the spirits that inhabit it. Orenda Fink's haunting vocals and spare, atmospheric guitar work create a sense of timelessness that suits the subject matter perfectly.
Line by Line Meaning
O, Lord of the Lost
The singer is addressing a higher power as the Lord of the Lost
Lead to the swamp
Asking the Lord to guide them to the swamp
In half-light
Referring to the low light conditions of dusk or dawn
Where our shadows move
Describing how shadows seem to move and come to life in half-light
Black water pools
Referring to stagnant pools of water that are dark and unsettling
And Spanish moss
Describing the plant life found in the swamp
This is when you feel us most
Suggesting that in half-light, the singer and their companions are most present and easily felt
When the light slips away
Referring to the transition from day to night
And the old songs carry
Describing the haunting melodies that can be heard in the wind
Bound by the great oak
Describing a location in the swamp where there is a large oak tree that is significant to the artist
Remains of home
Referring to the remnants of a former dwelling, possibly the singer's home
We are the long-gone
Suggesting that the artist and their companions are no longer living
Oh whispering ghosts
Addressing the singer and their companions as ghosts who can still be heard in the wind
Days long ago
Referring to a time in the past that the ghosts are associated with
And silver-grey hair
Describing the appearance of the ghosts
And cicadas begin
Referring to the sound of cicadas signaling the end of daylight
To sing
Describing the sound of cicadas
You feel the eyes
Suggesting that the ghosts are watching and potentially following the listener
The waiting eyes
Describing how the ghosts are waiting patiently for someone to notice them
Our shape takes root in half-light
Suggesting that the image of the ghosts is more easily visible in half-light
The watching eyes
Referring again to the ghosts' presence and watchful nature
Blinking along the edge of darkness
Describing the way the ghosts seem to disappear and reappear along the edge of light and dark
And the old songs carry
Repetition of the haunting melodies heard in the wind, which suggests their importance to the story and the setting
In the wind
Describing the medium through which the old songs are carried
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.