Inspired by the groundbreaking music of Chrome, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Portion Control, The Legendary Pink Dots, and others, Skinny Puppy experimented with electronic recording techniques and methods. the band composed multi-layered music generally using keyboards, synthesizers, found sounds, drum machines, live percussion, tape splices, samplers, and conventional rock music instruments. Whereas many contemporary remixes and re-edits of songs were created in order to make a song more suitable for dancing or different radio formats, Skinny Puppy approached remixing and re-editing as an artistic process of reinterpreting compositions, often using remixes to push their sound into styles of ambient, dub and techno. Skinny Puppy's often informal, improvisational approach to musical composition is indicated by use of the term brap, coined by them and defined as a verb meaning "to get together, hook up electronic instruments, get high, and record".
Skinny Puppy's first two proper releases, Bites and Remission, fall somewhere between the found-sound chaos of early Cabaret Voltaire and the abrasive, futuristic synthpop of the Units or Crash Course in Science. While the intense synth programming, abstract rhythms, and surreal samples--all Puppy trademarks--are present here, the albums owe as much to new wave as to industrial.
A subsequent EP, Chainsaw, featured a remix of Bites's "Assimilate" that earned the band some attention from club DJs. 1986's Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse earned Skinny Puppy greater attention, as "Dig It" and "Stairs and Flowers" became alternative club and college radio hits; the video for the former was played occasionally on MTV. The album is arguably less club-friendly than its predecessors, as the band continues to refine a claustrophobic, almost surreal sound that buries rhythm and melody. The follow-up, Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate treads similar territory.
VIVIsectVI was a breakthrough for the band, with "Testure" becoming their biggest club hit to date, and the album itself was received warmly by college radio. The title of the album was a pun intended to associate vivisection with Satanism (ie. the "666 sect"). The album shows SP integrating more political and social themes: "Testure" is an animal rights song; "VX Gas Attack" concerns the use of chemical weapons; "State Aid" promotes sexual abstinence to stop the spread of AIDS/HIV.
Ogre had become very interested in Ministry and Al Jougensen's side projects, and he persuaded the rest of the band to allow Jourgensen to produce Rabies. While "Worlock" (a track Jourgensen didn't produce) remains an industrial club classic, the album was received coolly, as many thought Jourgensen's heavy metal guitar-based signatures did not compliment SP's more complex, intricate sonic sculptures. The band briefly disbanded afterward.
They reformed and returned to their electronic roots with Too Dark Park, a hallucinogenic album that owes as much to psychedelia as industrial music. Two years later, "Last Rights" covered similar territory, culminating in the epic sound sculpture "Download." Although their sound had moved away from industrial dance, these albums expanded the band's audience, and provided the template for many industrial bands of the 1990s.
Following "Last Rights", the band, poised for a major breakthrough in the wake of Nine Inch Nails' commercial success, left their longtime label Nettwerk for American Recordings. Their highly anticipated followup was unfortunately marred by personal tragedy - the death of Dwayne Goettel - and the band's inability to agree on a direction for the record. Numerous producers, including Martyn Atkins (PigFace/Invisible Records founder) and Roli Mosimann (Swans), came and went without success; finally the band regrouped with longtime collaborator Dave "Rave" Ogilvie to finish "The Process". The band expanded their range, working with gothic pop and heavy metal, alongside their familiar electronic textures. While seemingly rushed to completion following Goettel's death (it sounds half-finished in parts), it is an interesting change for the group. Unfortunately American Recordings, tired of waiting for the record, did little to promote it. Skinny Puppy broke up afterward.
With interests in filmmaking, they made a number of music videos, each attempting to further the theme and concept of the composition at hand. Most of these videos received little air play by major music video networks such as MTV (USA) and MuchMusic (Canada) and some were outright banned. For example the video for "Worlock" was universally banned because it is a "non stop gore fest" of clips from various horror movies. Because none of these clips were authorized for usage in the video it has never been commercially available.
Their concerts have been marked by their bizarre and bloody conceptual performance art, which for every concert was planned with the intention of challenging the notions of all who observed. Their music had some acceptance in dance clubs because of its danceable beats, but had little play on commercial radio. Skinny Puppy had little commercial success outside of Canada, but their influence on industrial music is immense.
The band began with the intention of doing something "raw" and "real." Ogre's vocals, one of Skinny Puppy's most recognizable features, are typically roughly growled snarls of half-sentences and fragmented stream of consciousness. Lyrical themes included animal rights, politics, religion, horror, drug abuse, disease, and environmental degradation; these themes were often lyrically and conceptually intertwined. Other core aspects of the Skinny Puppy sound include the mixture of heavy sampling and experimental noise with softer musical styles sometimes approaching synthpop.
Post-punk politics are a recurring theme utilised by Skinny Puppy. Some say the meaning of their name is that their music and lyrics give a view of the world from the eyes of a starving animal. They have long had an interest in animal rights; this is most obvious in their song Testure, which is about vivisection and other animal testing being scientific fraud. During many of their concerts Ogre would take the role of "scientist" and experiment on a stuffed animal. In 1988 they were arrested for their mocked-up vivisections, and found it ironic to be arrested for a parody of what was happening for real across the street from their concert. During their TGWOTR tour, criticism of the Bush regime was a recurring theme, particularly during their performance of VX Gas Attack, a song about atrocities perpetrated by Saddam Hussein, originally released while he was still considered an ally of the United States.
The last two studio albums are points of contention for old school Puppy fans. During the recording of The Process, the band broke up. Even more tragically, Dwayne Rudolph Goettel died, from an apparent heroin overdose at his parent's home, soon afterwards. Some people say that cEvin, Nivek, and Dwayne didn't connect as well on this album as they had earlier because their respective musical interests were diverging at the time, others claim it was the heroin.
Key and Ogre later reunited as Skinny Puppy for a one-off concert in Germany in 2003. Afterwards, they decided Skinny Puppy should continue as an ongoing project. The newly reconstituted Skinny Puppy released The Greater Wrong of the Right in 2004, their first studio album in 8 years, and have been continuing since, constantly evolving their sound.
There have been a number of Skinny Puppy side projects, both before, and after the breakup in 1995. The Tear Garden is a collaboration between cEvin and Edward Ka-Spel (and later most band members) of The Legendary Pink Dots. Other noteable side projects include Download, Hilt, Plateau, Cyberaktif (a collaboration between Key & Goettel and Bill Leeb, a.k.a. Wilhelm Schroeder), Rx (one-off collaboration between Ogre and Martin Atkins), ADuck (Goettel's side project), A CHUD Convention (one-off collaboration with a;GRUHM...), Ogre's contributions to Pigface, Ogre and Mark Walk's band ohGr and solo releases from cEvin Key.
Double Cross
Skinny Puppy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not to mention a gamet of sexual goodies...
It is true then!
You have a younger man
This, may well be the last one
This, justice.. I don't know
It's fine with you
Those eyes are truly prestegous
Come on women
These lies and batrayal
It is I, I had to kill
I took a sword "These are her words"
First I cut his face
That I can believe
Then, I cut his hand
Then.....
"Argument"
Don't look soo traggic old boy
You must learn to accept the secrets
It's a lack of control
They can't intend to adhear you
Get you're head in the papers all over again
In other words that don't mean shit
Double Cross
You all saw what happened
I had it in my hand
Look at him, that greatest loss here
Alright..
"Whispering"
Well you'll never get him
Don't touch him
Don't you ever ever touch him like that again....
The lyrics of Skinny Puppy's "Double Cross" describe an individual who is engaging in despicable acts. The list of activities includes drug addiction, alcoholism, hatred, bestiality, mutilation, murder, vampirism, necrophilia, and cannibalism. The song suggests that this person has a younger man, who may be the last one, and who the perpetrator may have killed. The character seems disturbed, and the lyrics insinuate that they are involved in some sort of criminal activity.
The song has a conversational cadence, with a lot of the lyrics spoken instead of sung. The tone is dark and unsettling, with the subdued music adding to the eerie vibe. The lyrics suggest that the character is struggling with inner demons, and that their actions are driven by their lack of control.
Overall, "Double Cross" is an intense song that explores the darker side of human nature. It doesn't shy away from taboo subjects, and the lyrics are often jarring and unsettling. The song is a challenging listen, but it rewards those who are willing to delve into its disturbing imagery and confront the harsh realities it portrays.
Line by Line Meaning
Drug addiction alcoholism hedonism bestiality mutilation murder vampirism necrophilia cannibalism
The subject matter of this song is depicting deviant and perverted behaviors.
Not to mention a gamet of sexual goodies...
In addition to the twisted behaviors mentioned in the previous line, there are countless sexual perversions being indulged in.
It is true then!
The singer is confirming that some horrible act has occurred.
You have a younger man
The singer is addressing someone who has a younger male partner.
This, may well be the last one
This young man may be the last partner for the person being addressed.
This, justice.. I don't know
The singer is questioning whether any justice will be served in this scenario.
It's fine with you
The person being addressed is comfortable with the situation.
This young man, hard not to see through
This young man is either transparent or easily understood.
Those eyes are truly prestigious
The young man has distinctive, important, or respected eyes.
Come on women
The singer is addressing other women or asking for their support.
These lies and betrayal
Lies and betrayals have been committed in this scenario.
It is I, I had to kill
The singer confesses to being responsible for a death.
I took a sword "These are her words"
The singer used the weapon quoted by someone.
First I cut his face
The first step of murder or violence was to cut his face.
That I can believe
The fact that the singer cut their victim's face seems plausible.
Then, I cut his hand
The next step of violence was to cut the victim's hand.
Then.....
It is not disclosed what happened next, leaving the audience to imagine.
"Argument"
The following lyrics are part of an argument being had.
Don't look so tragic old boy
Someone is being addressed, likely a male, and instructed not to look so sad.
You must learn to accept the secrets
The addressed individual is being told to learn how to manage and accept the secrets they know.
It's a lack of control
The deviant and perverted behavior mentioned previously is possibly stemming from a lack of control.
They can't intend to adhere you
The perpetrator or perpetrators do not intend to keep the addressed individual safe from harm.
Get your head in the papers all over again
The addressed individual might receive media attention again.
In other words that don't mean shit
The advice and information given to the addressed individual is not helpful.
Double Cross
The singer accuses someone of a double cross, or betrayal.
You all saw what happened
The singer is addressing a group and indicating that they witnessed what occurred.
I had it in my hand
The singer had something in their hand, likely a weapon.
Look at him, that greatest loss here
The loss of the young man mentioned previously is the greatest tragedy in this scenario.
Alright...
The song ends on this note, leaving the audience to contemplate the story that has been told.
"Whispering"
At the end of the song, there is whispering that could be interpreted as a warning or a threat.
Well you'll never get him
The whispering individual states that the addressed individual will never have the young man back.
Don't touch him
The young man is off-limits.
Don't you ever ever touch him like that again....
The whispering individual is warning the addressed individual not to touch the young man like they did before.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tiefinderN8
There is an element in Skinny Puppy's music, like a hidden treasure, once you felt it, it's like a perception of what music can be, can come so close, like blood in your veins, like breath of your soul, bliss of life and this very special song reveals it a bit more than others. It shows the unbelievable greatness and depth of this band that they released it years after creating it. This band is a mystic secret, tracks are like not done by human. Seems to be from outer space and the closest to my soul at the same time!
@rhughes1795
Of all their songs, many of which I find so engaging one day while another the next, this to me is the masterpiece, the crown jewel, the one that delivers on all levels. I couldn't believe such a monumental piece of music was on Brap. I wondered why they didn't release it immediatly. I'm thankful they finally did.
@tiefinderN8
so nice said and so true!
@PositiveLastAction
No other band in the world can infuse such pure beauty and synchronization with chaos so perfectly.
@tiefinderN8
nice said! and so true
@geogecko137
I might name one other band as well! DOWNLOAD - but hey, that's also basically a descendant from SP.
@tiefinderN8
shows perfectly the awesome mysterious beauty of this band of all time!
@Zefyrpop
I totally agree with you. This one is the most amazing (pre-)period in Skinny's sonic universe. When i got this album, me and and a closely friend of me had been listening this song constantly with Jackhammer too.
@emphryio
Loved SP for decades but never heard this one! Sounds incredible on first listen.
@walterbenford
SP has a way for creating vibes, ambient, worlds you could even call them that never existed. Just about every song... The right samples at the right time, simple beautiful synths and rhythms. But perfect. How do the do it.