With the foundation lain, the hunt for proper band-members commenced. Jarle Hagen, with a recent history of musical madness (Uncle Meat and Ant Man Bee) would probably not be a natural choice under normal circumstances, but nevertheless they gave him the spot as the 2.nd guitarist. The three remaining pieces of the puzzle came into place in the form of Mary Jane and future Sonic Debris member Jan Petter Ringvold on keyboards, Dewy Field drummer Bernhard and Dewy Field bass player, Gunleik's, sister Kristin Fjellseth. With the lineup complete, the time had come to start composing.
Something special was definitely brewing right from the start. The songs came pouring out, the name changed from Pangaea to Pale Forest and their first gig was just a month or two away. A recording of this first ever PF gig in Raufoss, Norway is told to be out there somewhere. Sometime into -97 it became clear that PF needed another keyboard player. JPR just didn't have the time anymore. A local jazz-keyboardist (Anders Byfuglien) joined in for a month or two, but the next regular PF member was to be 16 year old Eyvind Brox, a student at a local music college. This has been the permanent line-up ever since.
With the line-up in place the preparations for their first studio recording could begin. It was conducted at the MLP Studio in the summer of -97. This demo was sent to several record companies in the early autumn. Voices Of Wonder president Ketil Sveen was curious about the band as a result of this demo. Around Christmas he attended a PF gig in Gjøvik, and a record deal was made the following January. The first two releases are based mostly on a brushed up version of the demo, with several additional recordings made throughout -98.
Following the release of their debut album they did several concerts around east Norway (including John Dee, Oslo), and slowly built up a reputation as a live band. They continued the songwriting, and soon started preparing for the next album. A darker, more mature PF started to emerge. -99 were spent playing concerts and recording their next release. This was also done at the MLP Studio.
At the time of the domestic release of "Of Machines And Men" in february 2000, PF made their debut on TV playing at the "Metropol Live" show on Metropol, a Norwegian TV channel. They also achieved some TV-exposure with their video of "Tristesse". This year, they also went abroad, when they played Europe's largest convention for the music industry, "Pop.Komm" in Cologne, Germany in august. They appeared with the Norwegian artist Kari Bremnes under the headline "Female Voices of Norway" at the ABS club. The crowd went nuts.
Growing increasingly impatient after more than a year out of a recording-studio, they made a simple demo of what was to become "Exit Mould" around Christmas. It soon became clear that they needed lots of studio time to do this material justice. With Voices Of Wonder unable to finance the album properly, PF turned their attention to a French label called Listenable Records. They were thrilled about the prospects of working with PF, a band they had been following for quite some time.
In the midst of all this, a mail came from Dutch rock legends The Gathering about the possibility of touring with PF. One thing led to another, and alredy in February PF joined The Gathering on the first leg of their European tour as their official support act. Due to economy PF could only play John Dee in Oslo, Norway, Small Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark, Forum in Bielefeld and Tower in Bremen, Germany.
They were back in Norway for about a month or so where upon returning to Denmark for the recording of "Exit Mould", under brilliant guidance by technician and producer Jacob Hansen at Aabenraa Studiet in April 01. "Exit Mould" is their most powerful production to date, fully expressing the complex mood and feel of the compositions.
Early in 2002 a deal was struck that gave Pale Forest their first US-distribution, trough The End Records.
In April, they did a very unusual tour. Two weeks of playing colleges around the Norwegian countryside is something they've never done before (or any other band in rock history, for that matter ...). See the news-index for details. They would jump at a similar assignment in the future, it was refreshing!
Throughout 2002 new material was written and pre-produced, and the band became increasingly eager to put out something, with a European tour coming up with "The Gathering" March 2003.
Founding member Tommy Jørgensen decided in January 2003 that he wanted to pursue other interests, and leave the band before the up-coming The Gathering support-gig. The band wish him well!
January 2003, they entered East Lake Studios and recorded an EP. This was the last recording with the original line-up. A weird feeling, but life goes on ...
With a new EP (Anonymous Caesar), a totally re-vamped website, and a new guitar player (Kristian Pålshaugen from PolyJester) they face Europe again.
Fading
Pale Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What is one without the other?
Nigh5t to feed the light of day
Like a child deprived of mother
Ears to hear and tongue to say
What is dry if wet was never?
Like a fish on land forever
Understand the understood
Why does it feel like I'm fading
And why is that every time I try to make contact
They turn the other way?
What is the true code of behaving
When the minds aren't true to the words that they say?
...I don't know
What am I without my sorrow?
Darkness does contain my soul
Like the cries of pain I borrow
The exit I enter, where is my soul?
The exit I enter, where is my soul?
[pt. 2 not much]
Don't you think the time has come to look back?
To see what you have done, and what waits up the track?
Don't you think the time has come, to realise your dreams?
Before the one track mind becomes the cracking of the seams
When your the eyes become sore from the hourglass sand
When your tears are no more, together with your promised land
The lyrics of Pale Forest's "Fading" explore themes of interconnectedness, loss, and confusion. In the first stanza, the singer ponders the relationship between opposites - day and night, good and evil, wet and dry. The lyrics suggest that one cannot exist without the other, and that even when something is missing, we still carry the potential for its opposite within us. The second stanza deals with the singer's own sense of fading away, and their confusion about why people seem to turn away from them. The final stanza returns to the idea of loss, as the singer searches for a way to connect with their own soul amid darkness and pain.
Through its use of rich metaphors, "Fading" suggests that our lives are intertwined with each other and with the world around us. Whether we are experiencing joy or sorrow, we carry both within us and cannot escape their influence. The song also explores the difficulty of human connection, reminding us that even the most well-intentioned people may struggle to understand and support each other.
Line by Line Meaning
What is one without the other?
Two things cannot be separate since they complement each other
Nigh5t to feed the light of day
The bad things that happen in the night help to make the good things during the day more noticeable
Like a child deprived of mother
Feeling abandoned and alone, like a child without a mother
Ears to hear and tongue to say
Having the ability to listen and communicate
What is dry if wet was never?
The absence of something can make us appreciate it more
Evil feeds on what is good
The bad things in life tend to grow stronger by taking advantage of the good things in life
Like a fish on land forever
Feeling out of place without the environment that you're used to
Understand the understood
Recognizing things that are already known by others
Why does it feel like I'm fading
Feeling like you're losing yourself or your sense of purpose
And why is that every time I try to make contact They turn the other way?
Why do people seem to avoid or ignore me when I try to reach out to them?
What is the true code of behaving When the minds aren't true to the words that they say?
How do you know how to act when people don't follow through on what they promise?
...I don't know
Admitting uncertainty or confusion
What am I without my sorrow?
Questioning one's identity without sadness or pain
Darkness does contain my soul
Feeling consumed or trapped by negative emotions
Like the cries of pain I borrow
Feeling overwhelmed by other people's suffering as well as one's own
The exit I enter, where is my soul?
Wondering where you'll end up or what will become of you
Don't you think the time has come to look back?
Asking if it's time to reflect on past actions or decisions
To see what you have done, and what waits up the track?
Examining the consequences of past choices and what's ahead
Don't you think the time has come, to realise your dreams?
Wondering if it's time to pursue one's aspirations
Before the one track mind becomes the cracking of the seams
Before obsessing over one thing causes one to lose focus or break down
When your the eyes become sore from the hourglass sand
Feeling exhausted or drained from the passage of time
When your tears are no more, together with your promised land
Realizing that what was once considered a dream or goal is no longer achievable
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind