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.
Octopus
Pile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
8 legs
To suck and push
What do you give to those people?
What do you take?
Read up if you want
Eat up if you want
I was shipped from overseas to learn to spell your name
And say all of those things that you don't want to explain
Don't know how my strength comes from fear
I'm beat up if you want
I'll clean up if you want
Why hate and doubt things
You thought was honest
But i was honest
The song "Octopus" by Pile is a fascinating composition that carries deep meanings embedded in its lyrics. The chorus repeats the lines "8 arms, 8 legs, to suck and push, what do you give to those people? What do you take?" These lines seem to convey the idea that people often have a tendency to cling onto others, much like an octopus with its all-encompassing tentacles. The song questions the give and take dynamics of these relationships, raising the point that people often take without giving much thought to the needs and wants of others.
The song also talks about the singer being shipped overseas to learn to spell someone's name and say things that he doesn't want to explain. The lyrics suggest that communication in the relationship is strained, and he is forced to say things, he doesn't agree with. Through lines like "I'm beat up if you want, I'll clean up if you want," the song hints at the singer's willingness to please the other person, even if it harms him.
The lines "Why hate and doubt things you thought were honest, but I was honest" detail the frustration and anger of the singer, who feels wronged by the other person's lack of trust in him. Overall, Pile's "Octopus" is a deep and thoughtful song that urges listeners to introspect their relationships and the dynamics of give and take.
Line by Line Meaning
8 arms
The octopus has 8 arms, which it uses to navigate its environment
8 legs
The octopus also has 8 legs, which it uses to crawl along the ocean floor
To suck and push
The octopus uses its arms to suck up food and push itself along
What do you give to those people?
The artist is questioning what they can offer others
What do you take?
The artist is also questioning what they take from others
Read up if you want
The singer invites the listener to learn more if they are interested
Eat up if you want
The singer also invites the listener to indulge if they so choose
I was shipped from overseas to learn to spell your name
The artist has dedicated themselves to someone or something, and has traveled far to do so
And say all of those things that you don't want to explain
The artist is willing to be the one to speak up and ask questions for the benefit of others
Don't know how my strength comes from fear
The artist is not sure where they find the strength to keep going, despite being afraid
I'm beat up if you want
The singer is willing to endure difficulties and hardships if it means helping others
I'll clean up if you want
The artist is also willing to take on responsibilities, even if they aren't pleasant
Why hate and doubt things
The singer is questioning why people choose to hate and doubt things that may actually be good
You thought was honest
The singer believes that those things that are being hated and doubted are actually truthful and genuine
But I was honest
The singer is emphasizing that they have been truthful and sincere throughout the song
Contributed by Mason Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.