The first seeds of the band were originally planted on Canada’s salty-aired East Coast in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Young Warren C. Spicer and Matthew ‘the Woodman’ Woodley had begun playing together in high-school bands. The sea winds eventually carried them through the vast plains of Quebec to Montreal (a journey they would come to know intimately as the years wore on). It was in the now hallowed halls of Concordia University’s music department that they would come upon Nicolas Basque, a strange francophone native that shared their musical inclinations (and a trappeur’s finely-tuned taste in cuisine). It wasn’t until then that the three boys became men, signified their union with a name, and that Plants and Animals emerged from the wildlife.
In 2003 they bat out an instrumental menagerie of song-like folk-beasts, and put some of them to tape in the form of a recording that local label Ships at Night would later release. By 2005 the three young men were taming the sprawling wilderness of their sound and sculpting real songs, as Spicer also lead the way to a (hitherto unheard of) vocal domination of their material—as if he had been possessed by the ghost of some recently departed soul singer. During this time Spicer and Woodley would occasionally stop by to care for some of the neighbours—Timber, Socalled, and Katie Moore—and play. All the while, the Halifax-born were jamming and pruning with Basque, harnessing the band and its songs like a wild horse. Some called it post-classic-rock. Some called it folk-prog. Those who knew better didn’t say anything at all.
In about the summer of 2005 they carried a 24-track Studer “bull” up the stairs of Spicer’s apartment and split their time between their new makeshift studio there (aka Le Carillon Tropical), and the Treatment Room. By fall 2006 the foundations of what would later become Parc Avenue were layed, the band was playing shows (and singing), and a relationship with Montreal label Secret City Records was formed. By summer 2007 the once-monster was complete, temporarily tamed, housed, and ready to be unleashed. While the band awaited the release of Parc Avenue, they kept busy touring in the US, Canada, and Iceland, working on their album art and recording with/avec EP that was released in Canada in October 2007.
Since Parc Avenue was released in early 2008 the band has played over 175 shows, circling the Western world more than once, including appearances at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, Primavera in Barcelona, Central Park Summer Stage with the National, and even one night in Columbus opening for Gnarls Barkley, after Danger Mouse discovered Parc Avenue and invited them out.
In January 2010 Plants and Animals announced their latest offering, La La Land, due out on April 20th on Secret City. The album was recorded at the band’s home-base studio in Montreal, The Treatment Room, and at Studio La Frette outside Paris, a brokedown old mansion filled with vintage gear and a killer board in the cellar instead of wine. Spicer says, “the Paris stuff is like a nice Bordeaux and the Montreal stuff is more like a baked potato. Sessions in Paris ended by 10pm, sessions in Montreal by 6am.” Rum and cokes supposedly inspired the initial Treatment Room sessions in late 2008. The album’s first track, “Tom Cruz,” eventually came out of these late nights. As the Woodman tells it, “it was December, pre-Christmas, so we fuelled the session with rum and cokes. They made us feel like Tom Cruise. It gave us killer smiles and made our enemies wither.”
2010
Plants and Animals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Минута паузы — и в бой...
И ощущенье, будто нам
Уже не встретиться с тобой...
Но что-то крепче нас
Держит связь.
И не дает упасть
Последний шанс.
Но я пришел в этот мир любя,
И мир отдал мне себя, смеясь...
Обман. Я сделал лишь шаг вовне,
А там — один только дождь и снег...
Пути трамваев — как рубцы
На спинах наших городов.
Мы обрываем все концы,
А после зашиваем вновь.
Стены вокруг сердец
Серым кирпичом.
И верим, что мы здесь
Ни при чем...
Но мы пришли в этот мир любя,
И мы уйдем в никуда, когда поймем:
разорвана связь, и в грязь лицом,
Да так, что уже не встать...
Как-то надо жить...
Я пытаюсь,парюсь, трачусь, старюсь...
Но как любить?
Научить не сумели, учителя те еще...
Буду пить,
До тех пор, пока город не выиграл спор со мной.
Он, может быть,
Мне подкинет приманку
На вечной стоянке...
На вечной стоянке...
На вечной стоянке...
The lyrics to "2010" by Plants and Animals convey a sense of longing, nostalgia, and reflection on the passing of time and the ties that hold us together. The opening lines paint a picture of time spreading in the corners, with a momentary pause before the battle. There is a feeling that the singer and the subject of the song will never meet again. However, there is something stronger that keeps their connection intact, refusing to let the last chance slip away.
The second verse expresses a sense of deception and disappointment. The singer entered this world with love, but the world gave itself away, laughing. It seems that taking just a step outside reveals only rain and snow, implying a harsh reality and a loss of innocence.
The chorus speaks about the tram lines as scars on the backs of our cities, symbolizing the marks left by our actions and decisions. We break all ties only to sew them back up again. The walls around our hearts are built with gray bricks, signifying a protective barrier. Despite this, we believe that we are not responsible for the circumstances we find ourselves in.
The final verse acknowledges the inevitable departure from this world, just as the arrival was greeted with love. The connection is severed, and the singer feels defeated, unable to stand up and face the mud in their face.
Overall, "2010" explores themes of love, the passing of time, disillusionment, and the struggles we face in navigating life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Разводит время по углам:
Time scatters in the corners:
Минута паузы — и в бой...
A moment of pause, and into battle...
И ощущенье, будто нам
And the feeling as if
Уже не встретиться с тобой...
We can no longer meet each other...
Но что-то крепче нас
But something stronger than us
Держит связь.
Holds our connection.
И не дает упасть
And prevents us from falling
Последний шанс.
The last chance.
Но я пришел в этот мир любя,
But I came into this world with love,
И мир отдал мне себя, смеясь...
And the world gave itself to me, laughing...
Обман. Я сделал лишь шаг вовне,
Deception. I only took a step outside,
А там — один только дождь и снег...
And there was only rain and snow...
Пути трамваев — как рубцы
Tram tracks are like scars
На спинах наших городов.
On the backs of our cities.
Мы обрываем все концы,
We break all ties,
А после зашиваем вновь.
And then stitch them back together.
Стены вокруг сердец
Walls around our hearts
Серым кирпичом.
Made of gray bricks.
И верим, что мы здесь
And we believe that we are here
Ни при чем...
Not responsible for anything...
Но мы пришли в этот мир любя,
But we came into this world with love,
И мы уйдем в никуда, когда поймем:
And we will leave into nowhere, when we understand:
разорвана связь, и в грязь лицом,
The connection is broken, and faces in the mud,
Да так, что уже не встать...
To a point where we can no longer stand...
Как-то надо жить...
Somehow we have to live...
Я пытаюсь,парюсь, трачусь, старюсь...
I try, I struggle, I waste, I try...
Но как любить?
But how to love?
Научить не сумели, учителя те еще...
The teachers still failed to teach...
Буду пить,
I will drink,
До тех пор, пока город не выиграл спор со мной.
Until the city defeats me in a battle.
Он, может быть,
It, maybe,
Мне подкинет приманку
Will lure me with a bait
На вечной стоянке...
In the eternal parking lot...
На вечной стоянке...
In the eternal parking lot...
На вечной стоянке...
In the eternal parking lot...
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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