The sound of Velvet Hammer/Atlantic recording group Pulse Ultra's debut album is that of rocks amped up and taken to the next level. "HEADSPACE" is a stirring mix of cerebral and aggressive hard rock, melding complex musical constructions with dramatic melodies and harrowing, introspective lyrics.
Tracks like "Build Your Cages" and "Glass Door" reveals the Montreal-based quartet's multi-faceted sonic approach, with an array of unstoppable hooks, ethereal atmospherics, and ambitious arrangements.
Best friends since childhood, Cifarelli and bassist Jeff Feldman have spent most of their lives playing music together. Their high school band gigged at local parties and the occasional Battle of the Bands, but the band's lineup was in frequent flux, leading to a temporary parting-of-the-ways in 1997. The addition of drummer Maxx Zinno brought a new sense of direction and increased focus.
"It was a very weird time," Dominic says, "but then we got with Maxx, and the first day we jammed, we wrote three songs! It was really immediate."
While Montreal is widely regarded for the diversity of its dance and electronic-based music, it is not exactly known as a hotbed of dark and mysterious rock 'n' roll. Cifarelli, Feldman, and Zinno envisioned a band that could not be imprisoned by confinement of the city's trip-hoppin' club scene.
"Raves are huge," Cifarelli says. "There's not much room for a rock band, and the ones that are here don't usually stick together."
The band rehearsed and wrote with a fervor, going so far as to cut a few demos, but something was still missing. The missing piece of the puzzle fell into place at a 1999 Halloween party attended by the band members as well as a local singer by the name of Zo Vizza.
"Some kid put our CD on," Cifarelli recalls, "and Zo starts singing along. I'm listening to this kid's voice and I totally freaked out. The next day I called him and said, 'Let's write some songs.'" "I was about to join this French band," Vizza says, "which was like my last resort. Then Dominic called and it all started up from there."
Cifarelli and Vizza clicked immediately, penning a number of gripping, acoustic-driven songs, blending the power of Dominic's prog metal influences with Zo's evocative Doors-inspired melodies.
"We just kind of shed all the crap," the guitarist says. "We thought, 'Let's make the heavy stuff heavier and the light stuff lighter.' We want to push all the boundaries, without forgetting that it's all about the song." In the summer of 2000, the guitarist made a connection that led to the band finally getting out of the garage and into the studio. A big fan of Velvet Hammer/Atlantic recording group Taproot, Cifarelli decided to visit the band's tour bus when the Michigan-based band came to Montreal for a show.
"Taproot is very special to us," Dominic says. "So when they came to Montreal, I went over to where they were playing with a six-pack of beer and I just fuckin' knocked on the bus. (Guitarist) Mike (DeWolf) came out and I said, 'I bought you some beer, man. Congratulations on your fuckin' success and shit,' and he said 'Come on in.' I just chilled out with him and the rest of the band for a couple hours and they were fuckin' totally cool." Cifarelli passed over a CD of the latest Headspace demos, and a blown-away DeWolf handed back his manager's phone number.
"I thought, 'I'm not going to call. I don't want to ruin how special the day was,'" Dominic says. "The next day, which was my birthday, the manager e-mailed me! So I called him, we started talking, and the rest is history." Taking on the new moniker of Pulse Ultra, the band inked a deal with Velvet Hammer Management and soon found them signed to Atlantic Records. In July of 2001, Pulse Ultra left the chilly climes of Canada for sunny Los Angeles in order to work with producer Neal Avron (Everclear, Seven Mary Three).
"Neal had never done anything really heavy before," Cifarelli says, "but he was totally excited about us. When we finally met him, we loved his vibe. He was totally amazing – an amazing ear, an amazing engineer, an amazing producer, just a musical genius all around."
The sessions proved to be the most wrenching emotional experience of the band members' lives. As if recording their major label debut wasn't stressful enough, Zinno was diagnosed with an extreme hernia early into the process. Worse, Vizza's father passed away one month into the recording, sending Zo into a spiral of anxiety attacks. Pulse Ultra ultimately spent six long months in Los Angeles, but unlike many bands in a similar situation, they didn't take advantage of the many opportunities the city offers to musicians.
"We never really went out," Cifarelli says. "We were like, 'Let's work hard now, and then we'll fuckin' go crazy.' So we hid out in our rehearsal spot six days a week, practicing, and having anxiety attacks."
The resulting album – dubbed "HEADSPACE" – is fraught with the raw emotions and difficult circumstances that fuelled the recording sessions. Psychologically visceral songs like "Build Your Cages" and "Finding My Place" express Zo's refusal to sacrifice his dreams, even as the pressures built up within and without.
"I'm not a great believer in heaven and hell," he explains. "I believe you should make your heaven on earth. And a lot of people aren't doing that. They're living their lives through other people's expectations, so it's a struggle to do what you want to do. Like the fact that like I was good in school, people always kept on telling me not to sacrifice something good for music. Well, I just think you should just do what you love, period."
With their extraordinary debut about to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, the band are excited to take their explosive live set to the fans, starting in the summer of 2002 with a prestigious slot on the annual Ozzfest. "From the lowest lows you get the highest highs," muses Vizza.
For Pulse Ultra, things are about to get even higher...
==Band Members==
* Zo Vizza (Vocals)
* Dominic Cifarelli (Guitar)
* Jeff Feldman (Bass)
* Maxx Zinno (Drums)
Despot
Pulse Ultra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world seems strange to me
How can something so beautiful
Shine on something so dreadful
Realized this too late...
You sell them short for what they are
One day they'll show you who they are
The silence will add more to release
'cause talking has become a taboo
If only they knew the power that they had
I wake up and find myself unstable
I'm hoping that this world is just a fable
How can something so beautiful
Shine on something so dreadful
The hunger necessitates the slaves
To fasten and redirect their waves
One day the silence will be torn
Despoil these social straps we've worn
I wake up and find myself unstable
I'm hoping that this world is just a fable
If only they knew the power that they had
You sell them short
You sell them short
Realized this too late to fight it
Realized it's too late to fight it
Realized it's too late...
The lyrics to Pulse Ultra's song Despot seem to express a sense of confusion and disillusionment with the world. The singer wakes up in an unstable state and sees the world as strange and contradictory. They are caught between the beauty they see in the world and the terrible things that are happening around them. The line "How can something so beautiful shine on something so dreadful" seems to encapsulate this feeling.
The lyrics also touch on themes of power and control. The singer seems to be aware of some kind of hidden power, but they are unable to speak about it for fear of reprisal. The line "talking has become a taboo" suggests that there are forces at work that are keeping people silent. Similarly, the line "the hunger necessitates the slaves" suggests that there are people in power who are actively suppressing others for their own gain. The singer seems to be hoping for some kind of rebellion or revolution that will tear down these social structures.
One interesting interpretation of the song is that it is commenting on the state of the music industry. The line "you sell them short for what they are" could be read as a criticism of the way record labels treat their artists. The reference to "tape our mouths" could be seen as a comment on the way that musicians are often controlled and silenced by their contracts. This interpretation is supported by the fact that Pulse Ultra was dropped by their record label shortly after releasing this album.
Line by Line Meaning
Waking in this state
Starting off in a confused state of mind.
The world seems strange to me
The external surroundings feel unfamiliar and puzzling.
How can something so beautiful
Referring to the shining sun or natural beauty.
Shine on something so dreadful
Despite the external beauty, there are social evils present in the world.
Realized this too late...
Regretting not being aware of this fact earlier.
You sell them short for what they are
Underestimating the worth and potential of individuals.
One day they'll show you who they are
The underestimated ones will prove their worth someday.
Leave it to us to tape our mouths
We choose to remain silent.
The silence will add more to release
The power of silence can bring about great change.
'cause talking has become a taboo
Conversing openly and freely is not encouraged in the current social framework.
If only they knew the power that they had
Realizing the potential of individuals to bring about change.
I wake up and find myself unstable
Coming to terms with emotional instability.
I'm hoping that this world is just a fable
Wishing that the world's evils are not real.
The hunger necessitates the slaves
Poverty and need force people into slavery.
To fasten and redirect their waves
The slaves' energy and talents are used for others' gains.
One day the silence will be torn
Silence will no longer be the norm.
Despoil these social straps we've worn
Destroying the societal norms that restrict progress.
You sell them short
Underestimating others.
Realized this too late to fight it
It's too late to take action now.
Realized it's too late to fight it
Acknowledging that there are no more chances to fight against the social norms.
Realized it's too late...
Regretting not being able to change things for the better.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CIFARELLI, FELDMAN, VIZZA, ZINNO, Dominic Cifarelli, Jeffrey Feldman, Laurent Vizza, Massimo Zinno
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryan Pham
The variation present throughout this song, the leaps between emotions and even simple phrases, the raw feeling of the instruments, and Zo Vizza's gracefully executed vocals all mix in well. Good way to end the album...and a good conclusion to what may have become a great band.
Key Killer 74
This song should get more views, it's so good !!
Ben King
Had this CD in my truck for literally years in my truck. Sorry to see that they had but this one album. But....at least they put one helluva an album together.
Chris S
One of the only like two times a live performance has made me rush to get the album at the concert. I found it very unique.
Gheeg
Still my favorite song to this day. why wake up and find myself unstable... im hoping this world is just a fable. I still have this CD in my truck!
alec zavala
This is officially one of my favorite songs, I can't even pronounce the name of it!
Ryan Pham
[dĕs-pət] or [dĕs-pit]
Sierra Greg
Rayven Hitt des-pot. literally.
Rayven Hitt
Huh? Just read it as it is written.
Claudio Geasy
Thanks so Much for this Uploads!
Bring me back Awesome memories of my years as Amateur Aggressive Skater and Playing a lot of PS2 Racing Games like Need For Speed. Build Your Cages is present in Hot Pursuit 2.