The Illinois-based combo's full length debut, "The Kicks of Passion" (released 31 July 2007), sees Powerspace unleashing its own inimitable sound, a brightly colored mash-up of pure power pop and electronica-inspired invention. Tracks such as "Powerspace Snap Bracelet" and "Right On, Right Now" literally snap and crackle with the just-out-of-their-teens quartet's uncontainable charm and energy.
The Powerspace team came together back in 2005 at Ohio's Miami University. Guitarist Tom Schleiter and bassist Daniel McMahon, both of whom played in bands in their native burbs of Chicago, had long discussed making music together. A year older, Schleiter spent his freshman term at Miami working with drummer Kevin Kane in a local band, an experience the guitarist describes as "unsatisfying." He spent the next summer focusing on writing songs for an as-yet-undetermined new band. When he told McMahon what he'd been up to, the bassist suggested the two form a new combo upon Dan's arrival at school in the fall.
Once they began collaborating, the three musicians embarked on a search for a lead singer. While they were excited about this new musical outlet, they admit to treating their initial quest with a grain of salt.
They worked briefly with an avant-garde poet and a girl singer who was plagued by shyness, not a particularly helpful quality in a frontperson. Their personnel problem was solved on a car trip home from Miami, when Schleiter's mom suggested that their high school friend and fellow Miami U. student Alec Cyganowski might want to give singing a shot.
With Cyganowski behind the mic, Powerspace was complete. The band started playing shows around Miami University and Cincinnati and by the summer, felt ready to do some recording. Rather than simply cutting a standard issue demo, they decided to enlist producer Mark McClusky (Hit the Lights, Ludo, Scenes From a Movie), who McMahon worked with in one of his previous bands. They laid down five songs in five days, resulting in the "Houston, We Have a Party" EP.
The EP quickly brought Powerspace to the attention of major label bigwigs and weasels, all of whom began waving contracts under the band's noses. In the end, Powerspace inked with the label that most reflected their own aesthetic views and artistic goals – Fueled By Ramen.
Rather than splitting their focus between the band and their studies, Powerspace chose to take an indefinite breather from Miami University. They played a number of local gigs, sharing stages with such bands as June, Quietdrive, and 2*Sweet. More significantly, they spent endless time in their practice space, concentrating on their chosen craft.
By December 2006, they were ready to record, again opting to work with McClusky. But first, the producer needed the band to give him a hand setting up his new digs in Lincoln Park, dubbed "Dorisland," after McClusky's beloved pooch.
Powerspace spent much of the winter in the studio, carefully crafting what would be dubbed – for reasons the band prefers to keep close to the vest – "The Kicks of Passion." Taking off from such diverse influences as INXS, The Darkness, The Wrens, and Squarepusher, the album is bracingly creative, displaying Powerspace's multi-layered pop stance, a glamtastic sonic approach kissed with electro textures and metallic virtuosity.
"The Kicks of Passion" is alive with ingenious vigor, with soaring tracks like "It Smells Like Electricity In Here" evincing the band's artistic ambition. The skyscraping melodies and overall exuberance are counterpointed by deeply personal lyricism, often touched with a melancholy and reflection that the band attributes to its time at Miami U.
With "The Kicks of Passion" ready to go, Powerspace is turning its attention to playing out. Having spent much of the last year honing their craft, the band is full-on fired up about at last hitting the road and getting down with the kids.
Drummer Kevin Kane announced the band's break up on February 17, 2010.
The Remaining Members minus Alec are in a new band Bad City
I Met My Best Friend In Prague
Powerspace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think the world is trying to bring you down
You think that moving on
Means getting passed around
But every move you make
Just takes you further down
These are simple times
A substance state of mind
What I had left to treasure
I know it's been a while
But I swear you wouldn't be so lonely
If only you'd let me in
So look at you now
The spark in your eyes is gone, somehow
I wish you would hang up and turn around
And let me see those eyes
They'd be the same brown eyes
I can't help thinking so much about
How such a girl could dig a hole so deep
You can't find a way to get out
I'm not a helping hand
I'm a rope to pull you through
Just give me, give one more chance
To turn you back to you
Take this feeble mind
And mold it into something better
And help me realize that I won't live forever
I know it's been a while
But I swear you wouldn't be so lonely
If only you'd let me in
So look at you now
The spark in your eyes is gone, somehow
I wish you would hang up and turn around
And let me see those eyes
They'd be the same brown eyes
You're not here
Every night is a nightmare
So look at me now
The spark in my eyes is gone, somehow
I wish I could stand up and turn around
And let you see my eyes
They'd be the same brown eyes
The lyrics in "I Met My Best Friend In Prague" by Powerspace tell the story of someone trying to reach out to a friend who they haven't seen or spoken to in a while. The friend appears to be going through a tough time and feels as though the world is against them. The singer tries to offer support and help, but their friend is resistant.
The chorus describes how the friend's spark has gone out, and the singer longs to see their friend turn around and look at them. They miss the days when life was simpler and wish they could help their friend return to that happier time. They want to mold and shape their friend into something better and help them realize life is short. The lyrics suggest that the friend is not physically present, and the singer is unable to rest well in their absence.
Overall, the song conveys a message of friendship, loneliness, and the yearning to rekindle the spark that has dimmed in a loved one's eyes. It paints a picture of a complex relationship, where one person is trying to help, but the other seems unwilling to accept it.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at where you've got yourself now
The singer is drawing attention to the listener's current situation.
You think the world is trying to bring you down
The listener feels like they are constantly being held back by outside forces.
You think that moving on
Means getting passed around
The listener believes that every new experience just leads to more disappointment and hardship.
But every move you make
Just takes you further down
The listener's attempts to improve their life seem to make things worse.
These are simple times
And now I miss your simple pleasures
The singer longs for the good times they used to have with the listener.
A substance state of mind
What I had left to treasure
The singer valued the listener's ability to find joy in simplicity.
I know it's been a while
But I swear you wouldn't be so lonely
If only you'd let me in
The singer believes that they could help the listener if only the listener would allow them to do so.
So look at you now
The spark in your eyes is gone, somehow
The artist observes that the listener is struggling and has lost their vitality.
I wish you would hang up and turn around
And let me see those eyes
They'd be the same brown eyes
The artist wants the listener to open up to them and show them the person they used to be.
How such a girl could dig a hole so deep
You can't find a way to get out
The artist wonders how the listener got to such a low point and feels that there's no way out.
I'm not a helping hand
I'm a rope to pull you through
Just give me, give one more chance
To turn you back to you
The singer acknowledges that they cannot magically solve the listener's problems, but they want to support the listener in their journey towards recovery.
Take this feeble mind
And mold it into something better
And help me realize that I won't live forever
The singer is asking for help in improving their own mindset and outlook on life.
You're not here
Every night is a nightmare
The singer feels lonely and distressed without the listener's company.
So look at me now
The spark in my eyes is gone, somehow
The singer now admits that they themselves are struggling and feel as though they've lost something precious.
I wish I could stand up and turn around
And let you see my eyes
They'd be the same brown eyes
The singer wants to reconnect with the listener and show them that they too are still the same person at heart.
Contributed by Colton O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.