A pastiche of post-rock, chamber-pop and contemporary classical composition, the self-titled debut album is strongly influenced by Ludwig-Leone's background in classical music, which includes a job assisting composer/arranger Nico Muhly.
After finishing his musical studies at Yale, Ludwig-Leone wrote the album in six weeks while holed up in a studio on the mountainous border between Alberta and British Columbia. He focused on lifeʼs top-shelf issues – youth, nostalgia, anxiety, unrequited love – and tied these vast themes to different characters through vocal contributions from longtime friend Allen Tate, as well as Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius.
The first track released from the album, Sonsick, tackles many of these larger themes head-on. ”It’s like a panic attack disguised as a birthday party,” Ludwig-Leone says. ”I realized that the most intense moments are the ones in which conflicting emotional worlds exist inside you, equally, at once.”
San Fermin is not an album of singles but rather a sweeping, full-bodied listen with multiple distinct peaks and ambitious thematic connections. Ludwig-Leone composed all of the album’s arrangements and lyrics in full prior to collaborating and recording, noting that “writing for a large group of unknown musicians infused the writing process with a kind of operatic scope.
Since then, the band has coalesced into a core of eight members in addition to Ludwig-Leone: Allen Tate and Rae Cassidy, lead vocals; Eliza Bagg and Rebekah Durham, vocals/violin; John Brandon, trumpet; Stephen Chen, saxophone; Tyler McDiarmid, guitar; and Mike Hanf, drums.
The Cormorant
San Fermin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woken by the children
Playing on the playground
Golden light is streaming in
Floating dust above your bed
A teacup on the bedside
Waking from a dream in which
By a great black cormorant
His wings are vast and open wide
Razor beak and diamond eyes
The bird begins to speak
In a voice both harsh and deep
Rising from an ancient sea
Caked in salt and fish scales
He says on this morning you will die
But before then you must try
To show me what you were
Tell me who to give your heart
Though it hurts to pull apart
And where to leave your body
Pressure felt behind the head
Then you′ll float up from your bed
You start to hear the voices
The lyric begins with a mundane morning scene where the singer is woken up by children playing on the playground, and golden light streaming in. However, the placid imagery suddenly changes as the singer wakes up from a dream in which he is visited by a great black cormorant. The cormorant is described as having vast, open wings, a razor-beak, and diamond eyes, and he speaks to the singer in a voice that is both harsh and deep. The bird tells the singer that he will die that morning, but before then, he must show the bird what he was. The singer must also tell the bird who to give his heart and where to leave his body.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is facing a confrontation with his mortality, and the cormorant is a symbol of death. The bird represents a force that is beyond the singer's control and that he must confront before he dies. The cormorant's request for the singer to show him what he was and who to give his heart to before he dies suggests that the singer must confront his own legacy before he passes away. The song's poignant lyrics and haunting melody create a sense of introspection and emotional depth that allow the listener to contemplate their own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning in your room again
You begin your day in your personal habitat
Woken by the children
You are awakened by the youthful energy around you
Playing on the playground
Their joyous activity in an open field
Golden light is streaming in
Radiant beams of sunshine
Floating dust above your bed
Tiny particles suspended in mid-air
A teacup on the bedside
A vessel for a warm, comforting beverage
Waking from a dream in which
Emerging from a subliminal experience
Sleeping you are visited
While in slumber, you are paid a call
By a great black cormorant
A majestic bird, with onyx feathers and sharp talons
His wings are vast and open wide
Expansive pinions, spread to their fullest extent
Razor beak and diamond eyes
A hooked bill and gleaming pupils
The bird begins to speak
It breaks the silence with words
In a voice both harsh and deep
A tone that is rough and resonant
Rising from an ancient sea
Hailing from a primordial ocean
Caked in salt and fish scales
Covered in crystals and remnants of marine life
He says on this morning you will die
The bird foretells your mortality that day
But before then you must try
Before your passing, you have a task
To show me what you were
Demonstrate your identity, character, and values
Tell me who to give your heart
Indicate who deserves your affection and loyalty
Though it hurts to pull apart
Even if it causes you emotional pain to let go
And where to leave your body
Specify where your remains should rest
Pressure felt behind the head
Sensations experienced in the cranial region
Then you'll float up from your bed
Your spirit will levitate from your resting place
You start to hear the voices
The afterlife channels conversations to you
Writer(s): Ellis Ludwig Leone
Contributed by Abigail Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.