Should play melodic, minimal pop that touches on postrock and shoegaze. The… Read Full Bio ↴Should play melodic, minimal pop that touches on postrock and shoegaze. They have sketched both the noisy and the sedate in a handful of releases since 1995. Band members are M. Ostermeier, Tanya Maus, and Eric Ostermeier.

The trio originated in Austin, Texas, writing, recording, and performing under the name shiFt. Their debut six song CD-EP on Austin's ND label, 1995's A Folding Sieve, was a product of the 1990's American shoegazer scene.

After a 7" on ND in 1997, Words On Music released Should's first full length CD, Feed Like Fishes, in late 1998. Falling somewhere between shoegazer, indie, and postrock, the album garnered comparisons to Yo La Tengo, Slowdive, Galaxie 500, and Brian Eno.

In 2002 Words On Music re-released A Folding Sieve, doubling the number of tracks of the original EP. Added to the original seven songs are both tracks from a 1997 7" single that featured a version of Jean Paul Sartre Experience's "Own Two Feet," a cover of 18th Dye's "Merger," and four unreleased songs recorded in 1995 and 1996.

In December 2010 Should finished recording their third album, Like a Fire Without Sound, which was released in April 2011 on Words On Music.

In November 2011, Captured Tracks kicked off its Shoegaze Archive series with a reissue of A Folding Sieve – both on vinyl and CD. The reissue is different than the 2002 edition on Words On Music. This edition is an essentially complete collection of songs recorded in Austin from 1992-1995 and, as such, contains several previously unreleased tracks.

The beginning of 2014 saw the release of a new album, The Great Pretend, which was preceded by the three-song digital single, Down A Notch.

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Glasshouse
Should Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Although it appeared like vision
stretching time; slowing down
like a fire without sound

and I think I heard silence
for the first time it hit me
that I had nothing more
that I was going home

and I sat there for hours
at the edge of a river
and I saw nothing more
is this all? nothing more?

only on the top of the glasshouse
and the face throwing stones
hasn't ever atoned

and I sat there for hours
at the edge of a river
and I saw nothing more
and I saw nothing more

and I think I heard silence
for the first time it hit me
that I had nothing more
that I was going home

and I sat there for hours
at the edge of a river

and I saw nothing more
is this all? nothing more?

Overall Meaning

The song "Glasshouse" by Should describes a moment of reflection in the singer's life where they realize they have nothing more to give and that they are going home. The lyrics are poetic and vague but can be interpreted to be about the end of a journey, either physical or metaphorical, and the realization that there is nothing left to do or say. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, describing a vision that is stretched out and slowed down, like time has come to a standstill. The simile of a "fire without sound" adds to the feeling of quiet and stillness.

The second verse expands on this theme, with the singer describing how they heard silence for the first time and realized they had nothing more to give. This simple line captures the feeling of resignation and acceptance, that the journey is over and it's time to go home. The imagery of sitting at the edge of a river for hours, contemplating life and seeing nothing more, adds to the melancholic feel of the song. The chorus repeats these thoughts, with the singer asking whether this is all there is, and whether there is nothing more to life.

Overall, "Glasshouse" is a introspective song that captures the quiet moments of reflection that we all experience at some point in our lives. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but the feeling of resignation and acceptance is universal.

Line by Line Meaning

Although it appeared like vision
Despite seeming surreal and dreamlike

stretching time; slowing down
As time seemed to elongate and slow down

like a fire without sound
Like a flame that burned but made no noise

and I think I heard silence
And within this strange experience, I perceived true silence

for the first time it hit me
For the first time, it struck me deeply

that I had nothing more
That there was nothing left for me in this space or time

that I was going home
That my journey had ended and it was time to return

and I sat there for hours
I stayed in this state for an extended time

at the edge of a river
By the bank of a flowing body of water

and I saw nothing more
And yet it seemed like there was nothing else to see

is this all? nothing more?
Is this the extent of what's possible in life? Nothing more than this?