She fronted the rock trio Crowsdell in the 90's, recording two albums, Dreamette and In the curve of an arm. Both featuring her intense writing, playing and singing.
Her first solo album, Flightsafety (1999) featured a gentle acoustic sound. Her next release, Maps of Tacit (2000) brought a more vocally aggressive approach. This was further developed on her next two albums, Dyed in the Wool (2001) and Over the Sun (2004), which were both recorded with Steve Albini.
After a collaboration with French musician Yann Tiersen (Yann Tiersen & Shannon Wright, 2004), the works that followed moved in a gentler direction, mixing warm folk and rock songs with moodier pieces. These albums included Let in the Light (2007), Honeybee Girls (2009), and Secret Blood (2010).
Her next album, In Film Sound (2013), incorporated more raw and harsh indie rock elements reminiscent of earlier works. Later, on Division (2017), she experimented with a fragile keyboard-based sound incorporating sampling and electronic beats. Her most recent release, Providence (2019), also has a haunting sound mainly based on piano.
She's a frequent road warrior, playing shows everywhere from South Dakota to Brazil. Her live shows are emotionally charged, unbridled pieces of rock and roll, featuring Shannon's trademark vocal howl and multi-instrumental palette. Shannon was handpicked by Sleater-Kinney and Nick Cave to open some of their US tour dates.
When The Light Shone Down
Shannon Wright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your lavish voice down
Like a volcanic flow
That clings to the ground
When the light shone down
Upon your checkered face
You reach but don't take
In a quiet room
No more time to spend alone
This place is drab
You're the best friend I ever had
When the light shone down
Upon your checkered face
When you say the things you say
I don't know what to think
In a quiet
The things you say
No more
The things you say
In a quiet
No more
When the light shone down
Upon your checkered face
When you say the things you say
I don't know what to think
The lyrics to Shannon Wright's song "When The Light Shone Down" are full of ambiguity and evocative imagery. The opening lines describe someone with a voice that cannot be contained, like a volcanic flow that clings to the ground. The person is clearly very expressive and powerful, but there is a sense of something dangerous or even destructive about them. When the light shines down on their "checkered face," it seems to reveal both light and darkness, good and bad. The singer is unsure how to react to this person - they're the best friend they've ever had, but their words are confusing and unclear. The lyrics are full of contradictions and elusive meanings, which make the song feel deeply personal and meaningful.
The song is likely about a complex and multifaceted relationship. The singer is torn between admiration and uncertainty, love and fear. They can't quite understand this person, who seems to contain multitudes. There's a sense that the singer is trying to grapple with some difficult truths about themselves and their own emotions. The line "you reach but don't take" is particularly poignant - it suggests that the person they're talking about is maybe yearning for something they can't have, or hesitant to fully embrace their own power. Overall, the song is full of rich imagery and evocative language that invites the listener to interpret and engage with it in their own way.
Line by Line Meaning
You couldn't keep
You were unable to control
Your lavish voice down
Your extravagant way of speaking
Like a volcanic flow
Like an erupting volcano
That clings to the ground
That sticks to the surface
When the light shone down
When the illumination illuminated
Upon your checkered face
On your face that shows different moods
You reach but don't take
You try to grab but don't grasp
In a quiet room
In a calm, noiseless space
No more time to spend alone
No longer having time to be by oneself
This place is drab
This location is dull and uninteresting
You're the best friend I ever had
You are the closest and most cherished friend I have ever had
When you say the things you say
When you express your thoughts
I don't know what to think
I am uncertain about what to believe
No more
Not anymore
The things you say
Your spoken words
Contributed by Connor S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tardes Nucleares
Es hermoso