Creative experimentation
Experimentation is one of the main philosophies of Psy’Aviah. This is portrayed by both incorporating different genres into their own sound and by the different collaborations they have done over the years: from poetry with Suzi Q. Smith and Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242), to EBM power-pop with Jennifer Parkin (Ayria), trip-hop & lush warm vocals by Kyoko Baertsoen (ex-Hooveprhonic & Lunasxcape), covered by Chaos all Stars ft. Mona Roukachi, and even to Enya-esque reminders with Kristell Lowagie.
Due to this varied pallet in both music and lyrics, the band fits well on different stages: from main-stream pop, rock and electronic festivals, as well as more gothic, EBM and experimental oriented shows.
Track record…
Formed in 2003, but mainly focusing on experimenting and playing live shows, the band really took form in 2007 when they released their first album “Creationism”. Shortly after that release Psy’Aviah was signed to “Alfa Matrix” records and with them they released the albums “Entertainment Industries” (2008), “Eclectric” / “Eclectricism (2CD Limited Edition)” (2010), “Into The Game DJEP” featuring Ayria (2011), “Introspection ~ Extrospection” / “Restrospection” (2CD Limited Edition)” (2011), “Contraspection” (Digital Only Release) (2011) and “OK / Virtual Gods DJEP” (2012) with remixes by Jan Vervloet, M.I.K.E., Radical G, NUDE, and more…
Renewing their contract in 2012 the band worked on releasing the concept (mini)-album "Future Past" (2013) and a single/remix EP "Our Common Future ft. Kyoko Baertsoen" (2014) to mark the new "Era" of Psy'Aviah: collaborating once again with a lot of new artists to bring variety in the vocal palette. At the moment Psy'Aviah is working on a new full length album.
Members
The band was initially founded in 2003 by producer and composer Yves Schelpe. In 2007 he was joined by vocalist Emélie Nicolaï and guitarists Kristof De Clerck (2007-2011) and Ben Van de Cruys (2011-...). From 2013 on with the album "The Xenogamous Endeavour" the project moved away from a tradition line-up, and Yves focused back on inviting guest vocalists and musicians on the songs, thus returning back to the roots.
Some facts
* Played with acts such as Subsonica, IC 434, Emilie Autumn, Implant and 32Crash.
* Played various festivals including SONFest, Delta Festival Hague, Gothic Festival and BIMFest.
* Collaborated with Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242), Jennifer Parkin (Ayria) and IC 434 (Geert de Wilde).
* Banned by YouTube for supposedly explicit content in their videoclip for “Moments feat. Suzi Q. Smith)”.
* Asked to participate in the Microsoft Windows 7 marketing with the song “Tired”.
* Played live inside an internet-banner for a DEXIA campaign with the song “Tired”.
* Music (“Fear”) used for footage of the “Dirty Dancing” fashion show with clothing of Nicky Vankets, Othello and hair products of Paul Mitchell.
* Scored a top 20 entry in the “BBC Next Big Thing” contest. Among the judges were Tori Amos, Nina de Man and Nitin Sawhney.
* Won the weekly Studio Brussel’s demopoll in 2003 with the unreleased song “The Future of The Sun”.
Sites: MusicBrainz, Wikipedia, Facebook, MySpace and http://PsyAviah.com
Kings & Queens
Psy'Aviah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too easy ignoring the means
It's so simple, without a sense of doubt
Too simple, not having to cry out
Wrong judgements, from the wrong point of view
False assumptions from a false feeling you once knew
Fake impressions, living in fairytales
It's so easy, living in black and white
Too easy leaving others out of sight
It's too simple among kings and queens
Too simple, ignoring the screams
You know nothing about life
The lyrics of "Kings & Queens" by Psy'Aviah highlight the ease with which those in positions of power and privilege can ignore the struggles of others, and the dangers of living in a world where one's own limited perspective is assumed to be universal. The opening lines suggest that, for those who are born into a position of power and privilege, it can be all too easy to ignore the harm that may be caused in the pursuit of one's goals. The repetition of the word "easy" throughout the song emphasizes the insidious nature of this kind of ignorance, and the fact that it can become so deeply ingrained as to seem natural.
However, the lyrics also point out the limitations of such a perspective. The lines "Wrong judgments, from the wrong point of view / False assumptions from a false feeling you once knew" suggest that those who live in fairy tales, without ever having to confront the harsh realities of life, are likely to make significant errors in their understanding of the world. They are likely to misunderstand others' needs, and to fail to recognize the harm that their actions may cause. The final lines of the song, "You know nothing about life", drive this point home, emphasizing the precariousness of living in a world where the experiences and perspectives of others are routinely discounted.
Overall, the lyrics of "Kings & Queens" serve as a warning against the dangers of living in a world where one's own perspective is assumed to be universal, and the importance of actively seeking to understand the experiences and perspectives of others.
Line by Line Meaning
It's too easy among kings and queens
It's effortless to follow the crowd and conform to societal standards.
Too easy ignoring the means
It's simpler to turn a blind eye to what's happening behind the scenes or how things are achieved.
It's so simple, without a sense of doubt
It's uncomplicated to believe in something blindly, without questioning it.
Too simple, not having to cry out
It's less challenging to remain silent and not speak up about issues.
Wrong judgements, from the wrong point of view
Making hasty decisions based on a biased perspective.
False assumptions from a false feeling you once knew
Having unrealistic expectations that are based on a previous inaccurate experience.
Fake impressions, living in fairytales
Having a distorted perception of reality, living in a make-believe world.
A careless world, so shut your mouth
A world where nobody cares, so it's easier to not voice your opinion.
It's so easy, living in black and white
It's effortless to see the world in simple terms with no nuances or complexities.
Too easy leaving others out of sight
It's simpler to disregard people who are different from you or don’t fit your perception of normal.
It's too simple among kings and queens
It's too easy to go along with those in positions of power and ignore our own moral compass.
Too simple, ignoring the screams
It's more straightforward to not listen to the cries for help in our world.
You know nothing about life
In spite of living in such a complex world, you remain ignorant of its ways.
Contributed by Elliot F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.