On 18 April 2009, the band announced on its site that it was no longer Pretty Balanced, but would instead be performing under the name The Alphabet. On the band's website, Shimer says "it was a long time coming; we talked about it for well over a year and finally settled on one we all really loved. one of the main beefs with "pretty balanced" was that people had a hard time remembering it (got a lot of "perfectly balance" and stuff) and also, it was a little complacent for what we've become. and as anna maria stjarnell pointed out in her review on collected sounds, "pretty balanced make an album that is anything but." she meant it as a compliment, and we took it that way. it is good to be excitingly funny-looking and terrifyingly aschew."
On 17 February 2010, Jude announced on their blog for side project The Sneaky Mister that the band had recently dissolved.
The musicians were Jude Shimer (also of The Sneaky Mister), Forest Christenson (also of Solarist, formerly The Liberty Tax), and Parker Ross.
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Pretty Balanced Lyrics
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And put you in little places around my room
So that when i wake up in the morning
I'd see your face
And when i'd look into my wardrobe to take out a dress
You would be standing in the back
Wearing my shoes
I wish i could see you in everything
I know you too much
I wish i could run on your sidewalk
And breathe in the air you exhale
I want to be part of your atmosphere
I want to be part of your color
I wish i could cut you apart into shiny new pieces
And put them in corners and crannies all over my room
The lyrics to Pretty Balanced's "Pieces" express a desire for deep intimacy and a feeling of being so close to someone that they become a part of one's world in every sense. The singer wishes that they could physically dissect this person into pieces and place them all around the room as a way to symbolically be surrounded by them. The verses describe this vividly, with mentions of seeing the person's face first thing in the morning, finding them standing in the closet and wearing the singer's shoes. These images illustrate a need for the person to be present and intertwined with the singer's daily life.
The chorus furthers this theme of closeness, with the desire to not only see the person, but to physically be around them and inhabit the same space. The singer wants to run on their sidewalk and breathe in their air, in essence becoming a part of their atmosphere. The song culminates in the wish to cut this person into small, shiny pieces and scatter them around the room, so that they can be seen and found in every crevice.
Overall, "Pieces" is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks to the deep human need for intimacy and connection. The lyrics evoke a feeling of longing for something that is just out of reach, and the desire to capture it and make it a permanent part of one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish i could cut you apart
Expressing a desire to physically cut up the person being addressed.
And put you in little places around my room
Desire for intrusive possession of the person, manifested in a desire to physically place them around the living space.
So that when i wake up in the morning
Indicators of an obsession - personification of the desire, daydreaming about it as a daily occurrence.
I'd see your face
Expressing the desire to make the person a permanent part of daily rituals.
And when i'd look into my wardrobe to take out a dress
Extending the desire to include aspects of daily life that are personal and private.
You would be standing in the back
Imagery reinforcing the idea of the person being present and a part of everyday life.
Wearing my shoes
Taking on an aspect of the person's identity as a way of further possession.
I wish i could see you in everything
Expanding the idea of possession and desire for the person's constant presence to all things and places.
And in everywhere i go
Indicating a need for the person's presence to be a constant, omnipresent feature of the artist's existence.
I know you too much
Acknowledging the intensity of the artist's connection to the person, which borders on obsession.
I wish i could run on your sidewalk
Desire to be physically present in the person's life, even on a mundane level, such as walking on their sidewalk.
And breathe in the air you exhale
Further reinforcing the above idea of wanting to actively participate in the person's life, even on a physical, biological level.
I want to be part of your atmosphere
Longing to be integrated into the person's life, both on a physical and emotional level.
I want to be part of your color
Desire to be a part of the person's emotional life, to be an integrated part of their emotional palette.
I wish i could cut you apart into shiny new pieces
Reiteration of the idea of physical possession, expressed in a desire for the person's dissection.
And put them in corners and crannies all over my room
Further expressing the desire to physically possess the person, this time by means of dismemberment and appropriate placement.
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alan
A beautiful song describing and romanticizing really horrendous obsession of wanting to be with someone and know what he does all the time, that's why I love this band.
LadyBirdGerhl
Love Pretty Balanced! I can't believe I haven't heard this song before - it's beautiful. Easily a new favorite song. :3 Thanks so much for posting!
Dr Ivana Mihajlovic
Very nice instrumental. Looovely