And get to work he did. D'Arcy retreated alone to the basement of his childhood home: armed with little more than a Roland 707 drum machine, a clutch of vintage Moog keyboards, and a sixteen-track recorder, he was determined to create sounds that reflected the passion that led him to music in the first place. After nearly a year of woodshedding, D'Arcy fulfilled his goal, emerging with Small Sins. A masterpiece of heartfelt electro chamber-pop, Small Sins bubbles with gorgeously layered harmonies, synth gurgles, and hook-filled tales of love lost and found as honest and bracing as the Canadian winter. Despite its intensely personal nature, Small Sins became D'Arcy's most well-received musical venture yet.
Boompa Records, a Vancouver-based independent label, initially released Small Sins to critical acclaim across Canada in September 2005. The buzz became even more prevalent after Boompa Records' label showcase at Austin's SxSW music festival, where Small Sins (a.k.a. The Ladies and Gentlemen) were one of their showcasing artists. Astralwerks then signed D'Arcy under the Small Sins moniker in 2005 for the rest of the world.
And with success came the comparisons. Critics found parallels in Small Sins sound to the melancholy atmospherics of the Magnetic Fields, the widescreen man-machine pop of Grandaddy, and the superstar electronica-indie hybridists the Postal Service. While complimentary, D'Arcy finds such assessments largely coincidental. "Those are the obvious comparisons that are very easy to draw, as those bands use keyboards and drum machines, too," D'Arcy explains. "Grandaddy have a cool balance of electro and organic sounds, but I don't really think my music sounds like them; I didn't even hear the Postal Service album until I was almost done with the record. Actually, the last couple years I've had dissatisfaction with modern music in general. I haven't appreciated too many new bands these days. There are some standouts -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco and the first three records by Spoon are amazing--but other than that, I've stopped paying attention to what other people are doing."
Instead, D'Arcy's been listening to old punk rock like the Ramones and Buzzcocks and even older iconoclasts Neil Young. "Neil Young is totally punk rock," D'Arcy says. "There's something going on there that you can't describe. Maybe every vocal part isn't nailed, maybe the production is shitty; still, there's something in it that's so special and organic you can't put your finger on, that can't be reproduced. That's been an influence on this record: if something isn't recorded or played perfectly, if it works for the song, I kept it in." This handcrafted approach keeps Small Sins' electronic-based music from the robotic. "I tried hard to make everything sound human," D'Arcy says. "You might not be able to tell if something is a loop, but knowing that I played it all the way through by hand, maybe there's some sort of feel in there coming through."
A human touch as well comes out in the literary, minimalist songwriting captured on Small Sins, which documents the ins, outs, ups, downs and betrayals of D'Arcy's mid-twenties crisis: via his near-whispered vocals and delicate yet complex instrumentation, D'Arcy spins evocative, simple tales of little junkie girls and the boy-men that love them, the challenging confessional subject matter belied by insistent pop hooks. "Stay," the album's first single, couples its drum-machine pulse and disembodied synth lines with a dark but maddeningly infectious chorus: "You can stay if you want to/But you can't sleep in my bed." D'Arcy doesn't rely entirely on electronic sonics for emotional color, however: he strips away much of the circuitry on the largely acoustic, fragile "At Least You Feel Something" before it simmers anew into a haunting, affecting space-rock ballad.
The journey to Small Sins began when D'Arcy was born in the UK's Isle of Guernsey in 1979, an island in the English Channel with a rich history. His family immigrated two years later to Toronto, Canada, where D'Arcy's music career began in earnest as he reached high-school age during the grunge era. "I'm young enough so that I liked the Breeders before I knew who the Pixies were," D'Arcy laughs. "And when all your friends and your older brother were starting bands, you started a band, too." D'Arcy named and conceived of his first band, Pseudonym, in 1994 -- even before he'd bought a bass guitar to play. Pseudonym evolved into D'Arcy's next band, the Carnations, in 1996. But by 2004 D'Arcy was burnt out by the band dynamic, and found himself preferring his homemade demos to the studio recordings made by the band. "I found that a lot of the music I was making at home was changing in a way I didn't like once it got converted by the band," D'Arcy explains. "I wanted to make music that was true to what I was inspired to do on my own. I made a rule that when I wrote songs, I recorded every part myself. As well, I pledged to write no more meaningless pop songs--the words had to mean something to me."
In that personal, intimate way, Small Sins were born. Since finishing the album, however, D'Arcy has put together a live unit featuring keyboardist Todor Kobakov, drummer Brent Follett, and keyboardist/handclapper Kevin Hilliard ("How can you not have fun listening to handclaps?" D'Arcy notes). Guitarist Steve Kreklo, meanwhile, is D'Arcy's former bandmate in the Carnations, which brings it all back home. "Steve taught me to play bass," D'Arcy explains, "and we wrote our first songs together." Kreklo is in fact one of the few outside musicians on Small Sins, contributing the guitar solo on "At Least You Feel Something" (as well, engineer Simon Head is responsible for the backwards guitar figures on "Threw It All Away," while the lap-steel drones on "She's The Source" are courtesy Jamie Robertson).
Small Sins live show has evolved into a different beast from D'Arcy's more nuanced solo recordings: onstage, the band wears all white costumes and memorably amps up the material with more volume and thrust, edging Small Sins back to D'Arcy's more band-oriented roots. This contrast between band and project makes it hard to place Small Sins in Canada's thriving, diverse indie universe of bands and artists like The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Peaches, Feist, and Metric. D'Arcy sees Small Sins as operating somewhere between the lines of the current mega-hype. "Those bands have actually been around for a while--I think I saw the Arcade Fire three years ago at a club that holds like just under 100 people," D'Arcy says. "Those bands are doing really well right now, they're making a lot of great music, but I don't feel any connection to them. I don't think I'm part of their community; I probably won't have a guest spot on the next Broken Social Scene record like everybody else. But the community is small enough is that I know most of the guys. Canada really is like a small town: there has to be some sort of connection as to why all these bands emerged from the same scene. We are all from the same 'hood, so there has to be something in the air here."
All the Way
Small Sins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
fewer televisison shows
go out and find a job and slip
into gender roles
we'll go out shopping for clothes
we'll shave on tighter schedules
and make our days seem useful
pay out bills on time,
my friends call on the phone
and ask why i sound tired
i say i just got up
but i pull the blankets higher
my friends don't know me at all
my friends don't know much at all
i took a pill for this
and made up my mind
we'll go all the way
we'll go all the wayx2
we don't believe in what your sayin'
we believe in better days
this is a wake up call
for all those loaded questions of yours
with our new circles of square friends
and even all our stores
we'll go out shopping for clothes
we'll shave on tighter schedules
and make our days seem useful
pay out bills on time,
The lyrics of Small Sins’s song All The Way seem to suggest a disillusionment with modern society and its materialistic values. The song opens with a call to break free from the influence of television and to seek employment that conforms to gender norms. This is followed by references to mundane activities such as shopping for clothes, adhering to schedules, and paying bills on time. The overall message is that conformity and routine are suffocating, and that there must be something more to life than mindlessly going through the motions.
The second verse further emphasizes this sense of alienation from society. The singer describes their friends’ inability to understand their tiredness and their implied lack of knowledge of the singer's deeper struggles. It seems as if the singer has reached a breaking point and has decided to take a pill to alleviate their feelings of disconnection. The chorus repeats the phrase “we’ll go all the way” twice, as if to signify a resolution to fully embrace a different way of living.
Overall, Small Sins’s All The Way appears to be a commentary on the emptiness of modern life and a call to live with more authenticity and purpose. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but they convey a sense of restlessness and a desire for something more meaningful. The song’s catchy beat and lively instrumentals contrast somewhat with the melancholy undertones of the lyrics, creating a unique listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
this is a wake up call to watch
We need to be mindful and conscious of our actions and how much we consume media.
fewer television shows
We need to spend less time watching TV and more time being productive and working.
go out and find a job and slip
We need to be responsible and take on traditional gender roles in order to contribute to society.
into gender roles
Men and women have distinct roles and responsibilities in society.
we'll go out shopping for clothes
We will spend our money wisely and invest in clothing that is useful and necessary.
we'll shave on tighter schedules
We will manage our time more efficiently and not waste precious hours on unnecessary things.
and make our days seem useful
We will work hard to feel productive and make a difference in our lives and others'.
pay out bills on time,
We need to be financially responsible and pay our bills on time to avoid additional stress.
my friends call on the phone
My social circle reaches out to me through phone calls.
and ask why I sound tired
The people in my life are curious as to why I sound exhausted.
I say I just got up
I'm trying to avoid uncomfortable conversations by lying about my current mood and wellbeing.
but I pull the blankets higher
I prefer to avoid engaging in real social interactions and instead retreat into my bed and my own world.
my friends don't know me at all
The people around me do not understand me or my situation.
my friends don't know much at all
My friends do not have a comprehensive understanding of me or my life.
I took a pill for this
I'm using medication to help me cope with emotional struggles or mental health issues.
and made up my mind
I have made a decision to face my struggles head-on and work towards healing and growth.
we don't believe in what your sayin'
We do not share your beliefs or opinions.
we believe in better days
We have hope for a better future and are determined to work towards it.
this is a wake up call
We need to be aware and conscious of our choices and their consequences.
for all those loaded questions of yours
We are tired of being asked invasive questions and being judged for our choices.
with our new circles of square friends
We are expanding our social circles to include people who may not conform to traditional societal norms.
and even all our stores
Even the places where we shop and spend our money are changing and evolving.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BOB MORRISON, JIM ZERFACE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Doug D
Most underrated song of all time
Zou B
even the new one only 400 views :D unbelievable
Darcy Harlow
agreed
Erika Sigurdson
I come here at least once a month to play this song so I can dance,
Ossamakilla
Love this song! Makes the road trips so much better!!
Captinsappy58
one of my favorite songs I love every part of it
MinivanMegafun100
Watching this over and over, the editing is absolutely superb. This video should seriously be up for awards.
Derek Garcia
great band! I havent seen them live yet hopefully they come to New York soon.
zuluamuse
The best song of theirs so far!
Anahi Gómez
nunca me canso de escucharla! :)