Pile was initially the solo project of Boston-based singer/guitarist Rick Maguire. He issued a pair of rough but engaging lo-fi albums (2007's Demonstration and 2009's Jerk Routine) that segued between experimental folk, jagged indie rock, and elements of post-rock. Transforming Pile into a collective, Maguire assembled the full-time lineup of guitarist Matt Becker, bassist Matt Connery, and drummer Kris Kuss in 2010 and released Magic Isn't Real, establishing the dark and noisy tones that would become one of the group's hallmarks. Following a 2011 EP titled Big Web, Pile signed with Exploding in Sound and made their label debut with 2012's widely touted Dripping. The 7" release Special Snowflakes/Mama's Lipstick preceded 2015's You're Better Than This as the band continued a daunting touring schedule, hitting North America and Europe. With each release, Pile's sound continued to evolve, adding piano, banjo, and strings on 2017's A Hairshirt of Purpose, which ran the gamut from slow, orchestrated tracks to massive noisy assaults. Jack White's Third Man label issued Pile's first live album, Live at Third Man Records, in late 2017. Between albums, the band collected singles and other miscellaneous tracks on the appropriately titled 2018 collection Odds and Ends before returning with seventh studio album Green and Gray in the spring of 2019. By this point Maguire had moved from Boston to Nashville and enlisted new member Chappy Hull (guitar) and Alex Molini (bass) to join him.
After releasing 2020's Second Other Tape, a set of experimental sketches, Maguire began revisiting Pile's earlier catalog and approaching it from a new angle. Recorded entirely on his own over the course of a three-day session, 2021's Songs Known Together, Alone, consisted of 16 reworked compositions that went as far back as 2007's Demonstration. It was followed later that year by the fully improvised In the Corners of a Sphere-Filled Room which, like its predecessor was self-released. 2023's All Fiction marked Pile's return to longtime label Exploding in Sound and was seen as a proper follow up to Green and Gray. Kuss, still living in Boston, rejoined the band for these sessions, which featured a more textured and complex sound.
Biography by Timothy Monger
There are other artists with the same name:
2.) Pile is a Japanese Singer and Seiyuu, Her real name is Hori Eriko (堀絵梨子) and she was born in 1988. She released a indies solo single in 2007 called "Your is All... " but didn't make a major solo debut until 2014 with the single "伝説のFLARE", which was used as the third ending song for the anime "Tenkai Knight".
3.) Tech house duo consisting of Markus Nikolai and Thomas Franzmann, founders of the Perlon label. Mainly active in the late 1990s, Pile produced a handful of tracks, first on the Epic label and finally on Perlon. Their unique style blended irregular, stripped-down house beats and distorted techno melodies with unorthodox vocal samples and characterized the early tech house sound. The group is no longer active, but Nikolai and Franzmann continue to work under different aliases.
Dogs
Pile Lyrics
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I hear the release and then silence
Then I pretend to sleep
I'd rather on the ground than in your bed
I'll sleep on the lawn or stay up instead
There's a deep well that seems mostly empty
I stand at its edge and stare it down helplessly
Then I pretend to be alone
I'd rather on the ground than in your bed
I'll sleep on the lawn or stay up instead
Stink and sweat and moan and dream of different air
Too tired to think and too dumb to care
I wander out, my swollen feet
To whatever pond I can leave peacefully
The lyrics to Pile's song "Dogs" are haunting and introspective, seeming to grapple with feelings of isolation and detachment from others. The singer describes hearing the barking of dogs around them, which could represent the chaos of the world, or the clamor of other people's lives intruding on their own sense of peace. They hear the sound of release and then silence, perhaps referring to the tension and stress that builds up in certain situations and then suddenly dissipates.
The singer then speaks of pretending to sleep, indicating a desire to withdraw from the world and retreat into themselves. They would rather sleep outside on the ground than in someone's bed, perhaps because they don't want to be too close or intimate with others. They talk about a deep well, which seems to represent a sense of emptiness or lack of fulfillment in their life. They stare helplessly into it, suggesting a feeling of being trapped or stuck in their current circumstances.
The singer then speaks of pretending to be alone, again emphasizing the desire to disconnect from the world and retreat into isolation. They would rather stay up all night than sleep in someone's bed, indicating a deep distrust or discomfort with close relationships. They express a sense of apathy, being too tired to think and too dumb to care, perhaps indicating a sense of helplessness or resignation. They wander out with swollen feet, perhaps suggesting they feel burdened and heavy as they move through life, searching for a peaceful place to rest.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear the barking of dogs around their bed
I can hear the dogs barking all around their sleeping place
I hear the release and then silence
I hear the dogs stop barking abruptly and fall silent
Then I pretend to sleep
I pretend to be asleep, maybe to avoid confrontation or intimacy
I'd rather on the ground than in your bed
I prefer sleeping on the ground than being in your bed, maybe to keep my independence or avoid commitment
I'll sleep on the lawn or stay up instead
I'll either sleep on the grass or stay awake, rather than be with you in bed
There's a deep well that seems mostly empty
I see a deep well, but it appears to be mostly empty
I stand at its edge and stare it down helplessly
I stand at the edge of the well, feeling powerless and unable to do anything about it
Then I pretend to be alone
I act as if I am alone, maybe to cope with loneliness or to avoid dealing with others
Stink and sweat and moan and dream of different air
I feel dirty and uncomfortable, and I yearn for fresher air and a different life
Too tired to think and too dumb to care
I am too exhausted to think straight and too indifferent to care much
I wander out, my swollen feet
I walk out, despite my swollen feet that hurt and make me uncomfortable
To whatever pond I can leave peacefully
I go to any pond where I can be alone and have peace, maybe to reflect or meditate
Contributed by Makayla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@andrescarrasco2384
GREAT SHOW Thank you for the POST. BRAVO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@user-mu1bd9gg8j
Stellar band. Top of their game so far.❤
@nognuisagoodgnu
thanks for sharing this goodness ❤️✌🏻
@galacticstargazer9968
fav jam band rn!!!!
@augustwest5487
❤
@aaronweeks9207
Love when yall do "around in circles". Fawking stellar boys! 🤙🔥
@tylerthompson1842
These guys and Goose are the best in the scene
@calvinbaxter7151
Thanks!
@augustwest9274
Sooooo good… these kids goin places 📈📈📈
@user-hi8jl3qf3c
I love this song ❤ loves yous