"Cargo" and "Constructions: Remixed and Dubbed" followed three years later.
It's fitting that Sofa Surfers, a band not at all afraid to switch up their sound, have entitled their latest album, "Sofa Surfers". It's sound is simple, honest and stripped down to the essence of the band; brooding and melancholy moodiness mixed with an angstful tension that at times comes dangerously close to boiling over.
Sofa Surfers familiar hip-hop/dub style has given way to a minimalized indie rock/R&B/Soul sound using sparsely arranged bass, drum and guitar with an R&B/soul vocal style compliments of Mani Obeya, but it retains the Sofa Surfers well-known personality. Describing this album as sounding "like a hardcore band after the noise has abated" is fair, but don't put too much weight into the "hardcore band" part of that statement because they sound much closer to Massive Attack than any hardcore band I know.
There is an evolution that occurs throughout the album, starting on the melancholy side, moving into angst and then back to melancholy. "White Noise" is a great lead track and soon to be released as the first single off this album.
"Sofa Surfers", an album referred to by the band as "the red album" is an intimate trip into a musical world Wolfgang Schlögl, Markus Kienzl, Michael Holzgruber and Wolfgang Frisch are proud to share, and rightly so; it's nicely written, richly emotional, and hard to define.
Premiere of their latest album "Blindside" is scheduled to 29. January 2010.
Added:
The group then left Klein for Monoscope Productions, which released Blindside in 2010 as well as 2012's Superluminal and 2015's Scrambles, Anthems and Odysseys. Also in 2015, Sofa Surfers provided the music for the crime comedy Das Ewige Leben (Life Eternal). In 2017, Monoscope issued 20, a mix of original songs and reworked favorites in celebration of Sofa Surfers' 20 years together.
Gamelan
Sofa Surfers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Idolise me
Philosophise me
Change me from the innocent to the wisest of men
Make me a believer...
Make me a believer
Disorganise me
De-civilise me
Desensitise me
Look in the eyes me
Speak to me in tongues that only you and I understand
Make me a believer...
Make me a believer
Take by surprise me
Word to the wise me
Take me deep into the core until I'm at the seams
Theorise me
Then realise me
Take me from reality into a thing of dreams
Make me a believer...
Make me a believer
Idolise me
Philosophise me
Change me from the innocent to the wisest of men
Desensitise me
Look in the eyes me
Speak to me in tongues only that you and I understand
Make me a believer...
Make me a believer
My eyes are open and my senses are bright
Rain down your light
And wake me from this night...
Magnetise me
Take me for the fool for you that I am
The lyrics of Sofa Surfers' song Gamelan are a plea to a lover or a higher power to transform the singer into a wiser, more enlightened being. The singer asks to be idolized and philosophized, to be shown the truth of what "it really means" and to be desensitized to the world around them. They want to be taken deep into the core of things, to be theorized and realized, and to be shown a world of dreams. Throughout the song, the singer asks to be changed from an innocent into the wisest of men, to be disorganized and decivilized, and to be spoken to in tongues that only they and their partner understand. The song ends with the singer asking to be magnetized and taken in, to be accepted for the fool they are.
The lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, ranging from a romantic relationship to a spiritual quest for enlightenment. The singer desires to be transformed and awakened to a greater reality, and is willing to submit to the guidance and influence of their partner or higher power. The references to being disorganized, decivilized, and desensitized suggest a desire to shed societal constraints and the limitations of rational thought, in order to tap into a deeper, more intuitive wisdom. The repeated plea to be made a believer suggests that the singer is seeking a sense of faith or trust in something greater than themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me for the fool for you that I am
Treat me like a fool since I am willing to follow and learn from you
Idolise me
Place me on a pedestal and admire me
Philosophise me
Guide me through deep philosophical ideas and concepts
Change me from the innocent to the wisest of men
Transform my naive and inexperienced state to a knowledgeable and wise one
Make me a believer...
Make me have faith and conviction in your teachings and worldview
Disorganise me
Disrupt my preconceived notions and understanding of the world
De-civilise me
Strip away my civilized and mannered behavior to expose my raw, true self
Introduce me to the truth of what it really means
Expose me to the reality of life's true meaning and purpose
Desensitise me
Numb me to the harsh realities of life
Look in the eyes me
Make eye contact with me to convey a deeper sense of understanding
Speak to me in tongues that only you and I understand
Communicate with me using a language or symbolism that is only comprehensible between us
Take by surprise me
Catch me off guard with unexpected experiences or revelations
Word to the wise me
Impart wise advice and insights to me
Take me deep into the core until I'm at the seams
Take me on a journey that delves deep into the core of existence, to the very fabric of reality
Theorise me
Guide me through complex and abstract theories
Then realise me
Help me reach a state of realization and understanding
Take me from reality into a thing of dreams
Transport me from mundane reality to a state of surrealism and dreams
My eyes are open and my senses are bright
I am alert and receptive to new experiences and ideas
Rain down your light
Shower me with divine wisdom and knowledge
And wake me from this night...
Free me from ignorance and help me see the world in a new light
Magnetise me
Draw me towards you with your incredible charisma and aura
Writer(s): Wolfgang Frisch, Michael Holzgruber, Markus Kienzl, Wolfgang Schloegl Copyright: Ed. Monoscope Audio, Austro-mechana Gmbh
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.