Nathan Walter, front man for The Space Coast electro rock trio Quiet Science, describes the band’s second full length album as “one long fight song.” The 2011 album titled Dark Words On Dark Wings is a collection of stories about characters facing the darkest hours of their lives and how in these tremendously difficult times, the characters choose to respond. “In a world where hurt is easy to come by and despair is not always addressed, we want to plant a seed of hope and a challenge for all of us to help mend the broken.”
For Dark Words on Dark Wings, the band enlisted Jeremy SH Griffith (Underoath, Sunbears, Norma Jean) to produce and engineer, Drew Lavyne (Foo Fighters, White Stripes, Moby) to master the album. The result is a sonic masterpiece that sounds big enough to fill arenas while maintaining the innovation to demand multiple listens. The keys and guitar take turns providing a sonic landscape for its counterpart to charge through the foreground, while intense drumming gives the music its adrenaline.
For two years Quiet Science has toured the country non-stop sharing the road with artists including Switchfoot, Showbread, Abandon Kansas, Sleeping At Last, Cool Hand Luke, Future of Forestry, and Remedy Drive. Quiet Science’s first full length album, [With/Without] gained the band much attention including several features in publications such as Relevant Magazine and received airplay on radio stations across North America. Quiet Science has been in demand at many festivals including Cornerstone, Ichthus, and Summer Side Show. The band moved over 3,000 copies of [With/Without] independently, while playing over 150 shows a year since it’s release in 2010. Music from the album has been featured on E!’s Married to Rock.
With influences ranging from U2, Radiohead, and Depeche Mode the band’s sound lands somewhere between Shiny Toy Guns and The Killers but with a sound that is all their own.
With DWODW, Quiet Science hopes to create community, spark conversation and bring inspiration to all who choose to listen.
Cumulus
Quiet Science Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Searching the parts of the world that were
Famous for their gardens and the rare flowers that bloom there
They say the winds stops dead at the shore
The sails at the harbor have all taken their last breath
So we took to our rowboats to navigate the ocean
I'd be standing there with you
Beneath cumulus clouds that
Surround the full moon
I saw some children out to play in the street
I looked to the heavens and I uttered this prayer
"Lord, don't let them grow old and cynical as me"
If everything was as it should be
I'd be standing there with you
Beneath cumulus clouds that
Surround the full moon
The only thing that comforts me
As I watch the world breaking
That in spite of the stillness
God' you're still moving
If everything was as it should be
I'd be standing there with you
Beneath cumulus clouds that
Surround the full moon
The only thing that comforts me
As I watch my world breaking
That in spite of my stillness
God you're still moving
Oh, God you're still moving
The lyrics to Quiet Science's song Cumulus (+Pistis) speak of a world in disarray where things that once bloomed no longer do. The opening lines "I hear the grass won't grow anymore, searching the parts of the world that were famous for their gardens and the rare flowers that bloom there" suggests a world where beauty and growth are no longer prevalent. The following line "They say the wind stops dead at the shore, the sails at the harbor have all taken their last breath" hints at a world where even the forces of nature have stopped working in their usual rhythm. Against this backdrop, the singer yearns for a world where things are as they should be.
The chorus "If everything was as it should be, I'd be standing there with you, beneath cumulus clouds that surround the full moon" speaks of a desire to be in a world where things are normal, where beauty exists, and where the moon and clouds hold the same wonder they once did. The prayer for children not to grow old and cynical emphasizes the idea of innocence and beauty that the singer wants the world to retain.
The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer recognizing that despite the brokenness around him, God is still moving. The line "The only thing that comforts me, as I watch the world breaking, that in spite of my stillness, God you're still moving" suggests that there is still hope for the world, and that even in stillness, things are changing for the better.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the grass won't grow anymore
The singer has heard that even the grass is unable to grow in certain parts of the world.
Searching the parts of the world that were
Despite this, the singer is still searching for places that were once known for their flourishing flora.
Famous for their gardens and the rare flowers that bloom there
These places were famous for their beautiful gardens and the unique, rare flowers that grew there.
They say the winds stops dead at the shore
It is said that the winds abruptly stop at the shore.
The sails at the harbor have all taken their last breath
The ships anchored in the harbor can no longer set sail due to the lack of wind.
So we took to our rowboats to navigate the ocean
The singer and others have resorted to using rowboats to travel the ocean instead of their usual means of transportation.
If everything was as it should be
The singer is reflecting on how things might be if they were as they should be.
I'd be standing there with you
In this imagined scenario, the artist would be standing with someone else.
Beneath cumulus clouds that
The setting in this imagined scenario includes cumulus clouds.
Surround the full moon
These clouds are surrounding a full moon.
I saw some children out to play in the street
The singer watched as some children played in the street.
I looked to the heavens and I uttered this prayer
Upon seeing this scene, the artist looked up to the heavens and said a prayer.
"Lord, don't let them grow old and cynical as me"
The prayer was asking that the children not end up like the singer in their old age.
The only thing that comforts me
Despite the difficulties in the world, there is one thing that brings the singer comfort.
As I watch the world breaking
The singer is watching the world around them falling apart.
That in spite of the stillness
Despite the apparent stillness of the situation, there is still something happening behind the scenes.
God' you're still moving
The artist believes that God is still at work behind the scenes, even if it's not visible.
Oh, God you're still moving
This phrase is repeated to emphasize the singer's belief in God's movement in the world.
Contributed by Mia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.