1. An industrial group from LA
Read Full Bio ↴Spahn Ranch is the name of two bands:
1. An industrial group from LA
2. A post-punk act from Detroit
The first and most well known is the Los Angeles electronic-industrial music group, formed in 1992 by Matt Green and his New York-based collaborator, Rob Morton. The group signed to Cleopatra Records. That same year, a self-titled, four-song EP with vocals supplied by Scott Franklin (later to become bassist for The Cramps), was released. In 1993, they added vocalist Athan Maroulis and recorded their debut album Collateral Damage. Their sophomore effort, The Coiled One, appeared two years later in the midst of Morton leaving the band due to creative and logistical differences. After his departure, the line-up was expanded to include Christian Death drummer David Glass, Screams for Tina guitarist Kent Bancroft, and Tubalcain drummer Harry Lewis. This offered a beginning of the fuller, more diverse, dark electro-industrial sound that Spahn Ranch would continue to pursue. By 1997 Spahn Ranch pared themselves down to a tight, three-piece unit of Green, Maroulis and Lewis.
Architecture, released in 1997, featured contributions from Killing Joke/Prong bassist Paul Raven and Rockats/Nancy Sinatra guitarist Danny B. Harvey. This album took an even more experimental appraoch to the Spahn Ranch sound, incorporating elements of drum and bass, dub and for the first time, live guitar parts. Beat Noir, in 1998, followed a similar path even further and included work with Bauhaus/Love & Rockets bassist David J.The band regularly toured throughout North America during their existence with the likes of Front Line Assembly, Front 242, Switchblade Symphony and The Electric Hellfire Club. Spahn Ranch also made a couple of European treks prior to their demise as a group in 2000. Closure was a posthumous release in 2001 of their final album recorded in 2000.
The second band was formed in Detroit, MI in 1986 and released one album in 1987 called Thickly Settled. In it's infancy, the band played in many local venues on the bill with various local bands. Quickly a strong following developed, which immediately precipitated a self titled cassette release of six tracks on the Ikthus Network label. After having missed their own billing at a show, the band was introduced to Eric Cope of Insight Records from San Francisco, CA. He offered them a contract with Insight after reviewing their cassette and video work. The band accepted and began recording their first LP, 'Thickly Settled' in California where they were welcomed by receptive audiences. 'Thickly Settled' was hailed as one of the best albums of the year by England's Underground Magazine, and also met favorable reception in the U.S.A. None of the members of Spahn Ranch had any formal music training and had not played an instrument prior to forming the group. "The sound they create is tense and raw, not polished to distract from the music itself. Drummer Odell Nails lays down a thick, almost tribal drum beat, accompanied by Hobey Echlin's bass foundation for the music. Guitarist Bradley Horowitz adds the energetic, consuming guitar melodies, changing the tunings for each song in order to make no two sets alike. Bob Sterner's vocals with a touch of folk influence, mesh with the instrumental sounds that give the finished product, intense music which envelopes and audience." Hobey Echlin later joined the band as bassist.
Vortex
Spahn Ranch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unrivaled in this form
Planned movements
Another to detonate
Open valves
Restraint enter the play
Watched it all unfold
In parts assembled solely
Vortex
Blacken the view
Torque and screw
Exhaust and opinion
The deeper the ulcer
Control the situation
The level of hate
Taught by experts
A bag of pieces
Embodied before me
The lyrics to Spahn Ranch's song Vortex are packed with evocative imagery that hints at a sense of impending chaos. The opening line, "Breathing an image," suggests the idea of something being brought to life, perhaps even given a kind of sentience. That idea is reinforced with the phrase "planned movements" which suggests that whatever is being described is not just alive, but actively scheming or preparing in some way. The mention of "another to detonate" drives home the sense of danger, as if this entity is creating something destructive.
The second stanza adds more texture to the picture being painted, with the imagery of "torque and screw" and "exhaust and opinion" hinting at an industrial or mechanical process. However, the reference to "the deeper the ulcer" moves the focus back to the human body, and the idea of something festering and deep-set. This idea of something being embodied is reinforced by the final line "a bag of pieces embodied before me" which suggests that whatever this entity is, it has a physical form that is fragmented and incomplete.
Overall, the lyrics to Vortex suggest a sense of ominous anticipation, with a powerful entity gradually coming to life and preparing for something destructive. The images of industry and the human body give the song a visceral quality, while the sense of something being slowly pieced together creates a sense of dread and inevitability.
Line by Line Meaning
Breathing an image
Creating a mental picture within oneself
Unrivaled in this form
Not comparable to anything else in its current state
Planned movements
Intentional actions
Another to detonate
Someone else to cause destruction
Open valves
Allowing unrestricted flow
Restraint enter the play
Self-control becomes a factor
Watched it all unfold
Observed the events as they happened
In parts assembled solely
Made up of individual elements put together
Vortex
A state of confusion or chaos
Blacken the view
Obscure or darken the perspective
Torque and screw
Manipulating or twisting
Exhaust and opinion
Wear out and express thoughts
The deeper the ulcer
The more intense the pain
Control the situation
Taking charge of the circumstances
The level of hate
The extent of intense dislike or animosity
Taught by experts
Learning from experienced individuals
A bag of pieces
A collection of fragments
Embodied before me
Presented in physical form
Contributed by Kennedy Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.