Before recording under the name Phosphorescent, Houck traveled the world playing under the moniker Fillup Shack and, in 2000, self-released a limited pressing of the album "Hipolit". In 2001 Houck changed his recording name to Phosphorescent, and, in 2003, released the full-length album "A Hundred Times or More". Interestingly, in the liner notes of the album, Fillup Shack is credited with the drum recordings. The following year, he released the EP "The Weight of Flight".
Phosphorescent rose to wider critical acclaim after releasing "Aw Come Aw Wry" in August 2005 and "Pride" in October 2007. The latter was named the 12th best album of 2007 by Stylus Magazine and received a 8.0 rating from indie website Pitchfork Media. In 2009, inspired by Willie Nelson's tribute album to Lefty Frizzell entitled "To Lefty From Willie", Houck crafted a tribute album to Nelson himself entitled "To Willie" which was released through Dead Oceans. Phosphorescent released "Here's to Taking It Easy" in 2010 and "Muchacho" in 2013.
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A New Anhedonia
Phosphorescent Lyrics
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The howling at midnight had called me away
Out in the moonlight on a half-bended knee
I said, Oh now, cousin, hey, what's happened to me
All of the colors I couldn't believe
I called out, now cousin, hey, are you foolin with me?
All of the pleasures now avoiding me
Oh it's unbearable then
To find you feeling so terrible, friend
I know you were chasing it, ah well you had to have been
So holy and wasted, like a prayer in the wind
Out of my shoes I stepped clear of the trees
Out on the dunes among the towering reeds
Out in the blue we both bowed in the breeze
All the music now all now foreign to me
Oh it's unbearable then
To find you feeling so terrible, friend
To know you were chasing it, ah well you had to have been
So holy and wasted, like a prayer in the wind
All holy and wasted
Just a prayer in the wind
In "A New Anhedonia," Matthew Houck (the artist behind Phosphorescent) seems to be grappling with the disillusionment that can arise from pursuing a life of hedonism. The song's title is a term used in psychology to describe the inability to experience pleasure - a phenomenon that can occur after someone has excessively indulged in pleasure-seeking activities. The opening lines describe the end of a night of debauchery ("The call of the night came and we called it a day"), and the singer's note of his friend's turmoil as he struggles to find meaning in his life ("I know you were chasing it, ah well you had to have been / So holy and wasted, like a prayer in the wind").
The song progresses to describe a moment of clarity, as the singer steps out into nature ("Out of my shoes I stepped clear of the trees / Out on the dunes among the towering reeds"). Here, he realizes the futility of his previous pursuits, as he finds that "All the music [is] now foreign to me." The song's title is significant here, as it seems that the singer is experiencing the downturn in pleasure that can come after a period of excessive indulgence - he is now unable to enjoy things that once brought him pleasure.
The final line of the song, "Just a prayer in the wind," echoes the theme of disillusionment throughout. The image of a prayer that is swept away by the wind suggests a sense of futility - that even the most fervent hopes and desires can be powerless in the face of circumstance. Ultimately, "A New Anhedonia" is a poignant reflection on the transience of pleasure, and the often-disappointing nature of its pursuit.
Line by Line Meaning
The call of the night came and we called it a day
We decided to stop working for the day when we heard the creatures of the night waking up.
The howling at midnight had called me away
I was drawn to the eerie sound of a wild animal howling at midnight.
Out in the moonlight on a half-bended knee
I found myself in the pale light of the moon, kneeling with uncertainty.
I said, Oh now, cousin, hey, what's happened to me
In confusion and disbelief, I turned to my friend and asked them what was going on with me.
All of the colors I couldn't believe
I was overwhelmed by the vividness and intensity of the colors around me.
I called out, now cousin, hey, are you foolin with me?
I questioned my friend's honesty, thinking that they might be tricking me.
All of the pleasures now avoiding me
I was unable to enjoy the simple pleasures in life that once brought me joy.
All the music now boring to me
Music, which was once a source of inspiration and entertainment, now held no interest for me.
Out of my shoes I stepped clear of the trees
I left behind what was holding me back and stepped out into the open air.
Out on the dunes among the towering reeds
In the vastness of the desert, I was surrounded by the undulating reeds reaching towards the sky.
Out in the blue we both bowed in the breeze
My friend and I stood there in the open expanse, waving back and forth with the wind.
All the music now all now foreign to me
Even the music that was once familiar to me now felt strange and unrecognizable.
Oh it's unbearable then
The feeling of hopelessness and despair at that moment was too much to bear.
To find you feeling so terrible, friend
To see my friend also struggling with their own inner turmoil was especially painful.
To know you were chasing it, ah well you had to have been
I realized that we were both chasing something, though we didn't quite know what it was.
So holy and wasted, like a prayer in the wind
The sense of spirituality we felt was both profound and unsettling, like a fervent prayer carried away by the wind.
All holy and wasted
Despite the confusion and despair, there was a sense of transcendence and beauty to the moment.
Just a prayer in the wind
Our struggles and doubts felt insignificant compared to the vastness and power of the natural world around us.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW HOUCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind