Subtle began in 2001 when Dax Pierson, an employee at the Amoeba Music record store in Berkeley, CA., met Adam Drucker at the record store. They decided to try and make some music together. The first time they got together Pierson also invited Alexander Kort to the session, whom Pierson had collaborated on performing, composing and improvising a score for some classic silent films (Marty Dowers was also a part of these collaborations). Later that year, Pierson was invited to an open mic show and invited other musicians to form a one-time group for a predominately improvised twenty minute performance. Pierson invited Marty Dowers (woodwind/synth), Jordan Dalrymple (drums/guitar) — a fellow Amoeba Music employee — and Alexander Kort (cello), all of whom Pierson had previously played with. Everyone enjoyed playing together so much that they decided to continue on as a group and added mpc/drum machinist Jeff 'Jel' Logan and emcee/vocalist Adam 'Doseone' Drucker, who had both created music as the duo Themselves.
Over the course of 2002 and 2003 Subtle released their four 'season' EPs: Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, which consisted mostly of homemade recordings and were released on Doseone's own label, A Purple 100. Winter was comprised solely of one 37-minute track which was entirely improvised at midnight on winter solstice. The EPs were eventually discontinued and replaced by the compilation album Earthsick in 2004, which was made up of the tracks thought by the band to be the best of the 'seasons' EPs and added four previously unreleased, untitled, improvised tracks.
In 2003 the band signed to Lex Records and, in 2004, released their first proper full-length, A New White. This album spawned the single "F.K.O.", which stands for "Fuck Kelly Osbourne". Introduced on the record, and a recurring character in much of Subtle's work, is 'Hour Hero Yes', an aspiring middle-class poet and rapper. He is mentioned throughout the two Subtle LPs and both remix compilations, as well as in the 13 & God (a collaboration between Doseone, Jel, Pierson and the Notwist) song "Ghostwork". Album and video artwork, as well as art on Subtle's official website, suggest 'Hour Hero Yes' to be a bald man with a black and white striped face — an image which is embodied by a bust that serves as a centerpiece prop during live Subtle shows. Their live shows are particularly noted for their theatricality, incorporating hand-painted backdrops, set props, "costumes", and theatrical monologues that go alongside the musical performances.
While on tour to promote A New White in 2005, the band's van went off the road after hitting a patch of black ice on a highway in Iowa. The driver, live sound engineer Patrick Scott and five members of the band sustained minor injuries, while Dax Pierson's upper spine was severely damaged, leaving him a quadriplegic. Dax has continued however to contribute to the band, but as of now, does not tour.
In 2006 the band released the CD/DVD Wishingbone, a sister album to A New White containing remixes of tracks from A New White, some remixed by Subtle, as well as new material. Three music videos were released on the DVD included with the album, all of which were produced by animation company SSSR. SSSR would also later create the video for the 2006 single "The Mercury Craze".
Subtle signed a distribution deal with Astralwerks/EMI as of July 2006. For Hero: For Fool was released in October 2006 on Lex and Astralwerks/EMI. Dax Pierson, rendered quadriplegic by their tour accident in 2005, contributed beatboxing, vocals and harmonica to the album and his contribution is prominently displayed on the final track, "The Ends". The album was received very well by critics, with Cokemachineglow.com declaring it their 2006 "Album of the Year". The single "The Mercury Craze" was released as a 7" Vinyl and CD single and is used as an opening for the German TV show Spam Deluxe.
In November 2006, while on tour in Europe, their tour van was robbed in Barcelona, Spain. Bags containing $15,000 worth of gear and personal belongings were stolen, including a laptop containing demos, draft lyrics and unreleased work. To try and recover some of the funds, Doseone drew personalized portraits of fans from photos they would send in.
Yell&Ice, a collection of remakes and remixes, was released October 2007, It featured collaborations with Why?, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Markus Acher of the Notwist, and Chris Adams of Hood. Just as Wishingbone revisited Subtle’s first LP A New White, Yell&Ice explores and reinterprets their preceding full-length, For Hero: For Fool. Unlike a typical collection of remixes, Yell&Ice utterly reapproaches the lyrics and music of For Hero: For Fool. In order to better suit the palette and prowess of each respective collaborator, lyrics were rewritten, sounds resampled, and time signatures unlocked. These songbones were then sent to various collaborators who then rewrote, sang, and sequenced to the tune of their talents.
Both Wishingbone and Yell&Ice were fashioned to further explore Subtle’s conceptual protagonist, 'Hour Hero Yes', while creating a medium for the band’s love of collaborative music making. Doseone has likened the albums to early rap maxi-singles which would contain tracks with the same backing music but different vocals.
On May 13th, 2008 The band released ExitingARM, the third album "in the ever-widening epic of Hour Hero Yes" which was accompanied by its own website with further poems on Yes' journey. The album was an attempt to create a more accessible sound.
It is intended that Subtle's first three studio albums (A New White, For Hero: For Fool and ExitingARM) serve as a trilogy about the rise and fall of the character 'Hour Hero Yes', and the character may indeed live on throughout the course of all their studio output, with the lyrics derived from his perspective.
During the ExitingARM tour, the OughtAlmanac of AmassedFact Vol. 1, a 70 page book that acts as a guide for the world in which 'Hour Hero YES' resides, was available for purchase at Subtle's merchandise booth. Limited to 100 pieces, the Almanac featured pages all hand painted by Doseone and accompanied by a 65 track mp3 CD of Doseone reading the Almanac in its entirety. All copies of the Almanac have the first and last pages torn out except for a small bit, where it is numbered and signed. The reading on the CD featured background noise from the improvisational sessions that later became ExitingARM as well as the crackle of a blank record. Exitingarm.com served as an online version of the book/CD.
WASHERE, the first live Subtle album contains a collection of 'hand-picked' live songs, alternate versions, and "original session" improvisations from their past five years of touring. WASHERE includes tracks from the rehearsals for the A New White tour. The tracks recorded "live at the mansion" are some of the only live performances that were recorded before the tour accident that left Dax Pierson quadriplegic.
Similar to what Wishingbone was to A New White and Yell&Ice to For Hero: For Fool, SmallFear Souvenir will be a remix/ re-interpretation album of ExitingARM. Artists confirmed to be working on it are Alias ("Sick Soft Perfection), Thee More Shallows ("Day Dangerous), Black Moth Super Rainbow ("GoneBones), Genghis Tron ("Take To Take) and Trans Am ("The No).
Videos, audio and news can be found on Subtle's official website: http://www.subtle6.com/
2) Subtle is the pseudonym of Mauricio Yepes, electronic/footwork producer from the US.
https://soundcloud.com/subtlemuzik
3) Subtle can also be the short form term used as an identifying moniker of Subtle.FM; Online Radio Station based in the UK.
F.K.O.
Subtle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spread thin over 3 half finished records
Its likely The hand doctors will knock & or ring
With a child's map of your muscle and mountain top voice
To agree you need help
To the tune of twice as much popular music...
The daughters of if/but are desperate
Can be a sloppy candy
For the emotional want some of many many land U.S.A.
Another big easy for its dynamite audience
All half deciding
Who is more popular
The good great grandchild of Napolean
Or carol Burnett's spotlight mop up man
They vote by pushing colored pins into empty check box marked
Flaps of flesh Located on the backs of their miniature dogs necks
Upon doing so
While outside
The pin poked pet neck votes are then tallied
Beneath the breathy crackle of a freshly turned off cop car
By alert middle class worms hid in the heads of ford model mailmen
Who say...
They say the sun is flipped by hat tipped Private dicks
Who lean like prey eyed eagles up-on classic looking lampposts
Lined with the many levers that start + stop
All of the stars The rich folks want
And they in turn pay the gumshoe's mattress well
To sing the U.S. sparkles like George Washington at 21
Sucking solid gold from solid ground
Using his hollowed topless chopped cherry tree straw
And the wealthy west can not be asked
Who decides when they shoot a spectacular
Until the cameraman's eyesight starts hurting of coarse
And if they say so this songs isn't happening...
And
They will have their poems sung to them
Or they will have nothing at all...
The lyrics of Subtle's song F.K.O. convey a sense of chaos and confusion about the music industry and its power dynamics. The first verse seems to be describing the feeling of being overwhelmed as a musician, with the pressure to produce successful records and the possibility of being taken advantage of by those in the industry who claim to offer help. The chorus then shifts focus to the idea of American consumerism, with references to drug addiction and the desire for emotional fulfillment. The second verse takes a surreal turn with descriptions of people voting by poking their dogs with pins and the idea that the rich have control over the stars. The song ends with a declaration that art will only be made for those in power, or not at all.
One interpretation of these lyrics is that they are expressing a sense of disillusionment with the music industry and American culture as a whole. The idea that success is based solely on popularity rather than artistic merit is critiqued, as is the tendency for the wealthy and powerful to control the creation and distribution of art. The surreal imagery in the song may be meant to highlight the absurdity of this situation, with dogs being used as voting machines and the stars themselves being subject to human manipulation.
Line by Line Meaning
See When you have the face of a man
When you have a façade that hides your true persona
Spread thin over 3 half finished records
When your work is subpar due to lack of focus or inspiration and is haphazardly put together to meet deadlines
Its likely The hand doctors will knock & or ring
People will try to fix something that is not completely broken
With a child's map of your muscle and mountain top voice
Someone will try to dissect and analyse you to understand the reasons behind your struggles
To agree you need help
To acknowledge that it's important to ask for help when you need it
To the tune of twice as much popular music...
Popular music is influencing people's decision about what they should like or dislike twice as much as their personal taste and preferences
The daughters of if/but are desperate
People are constantly indecisive due to trying to overthink every possibility
Drug strung rock czars
People with a lot of power and influence who are also dependent on drugs
Can be a sloppy candy
Many folks are attracted to power and fame despite the downside that comes along with it
For the emotional want some of many many land U.S.A.
The desire for name and fame is rampant in the U.S.
Another big easy for its dynamite audience
The audience is always waiting for the next big thing, which leads to artists under immense pressure to create something fresh and unique
All half deciding
Everybody is struggling to make a decision
Who is more popular
Everybody wants to be popular and is in a rat race
The good great grandchild of Napolean
Someone who still carries their ancestors' ambition and desire for absolute control
Or carol Burnett's spotlight mop up man
Someone trying to get their 15 minutes of fame
They vote by pushing colored pins into empty check box marked
Voting means making a choice, but many folks have no good option and feel like they are being forced to choose the lesser evil
Flaps of flesh Located on the backs of their miniature dogs necks
A cynical remark on mainstream media's power over individual and collective decision-making of the people
Upon doing so
After they make their collective decisions (as a group)
While outside
Away from public scrutiny
The pin poked pet neck votes are then tallied
The group's decision is counted and added up
Beneath the breathy crackle of a freshly turned off cop car
People are suspicious and fearful, Big Brother is always watching
By alert middle class worms hid in the heads of ford model mailmen
The decision-making takes place in the head of the masses who are being manipulated by people in power
Who say...
The people who are supposedly making the decisions
They say the sun is flipped by hat tipped Private dicks
A metaphor for the concept of truth as manipulable and subjective, and those in power use it to their advantage
Who lean like prey eyed eagles up-on classic looking lampposts
Reference to powerful figures who believe they are all-seeing and control every aspect of people's lives
Lined with the many levers that start + stop
People in power control the switch between the haves and have-nots
All of the stars The rich folks want
The rich and powerful individuals hoard wealth and control over other people's lives
And they in turn pay the gumshoe's mattress well
They bribe the media to their side to keep their dominance intact
To sing the U.S. sparkles like George Washington at 21
The media manipulates people to believe that the U.S. is 'perfect' even when it is not
Sucking solid gold from solid ground
The wealthy 'sucks' resources and wealth from the middle and lower classes
Using his hollowed topless chopped cherry tree straw
'He' (people in power) manipulates and chews up everything good and pure
And the wealthy west can not be asked
Those who are powerful cannot be held accountable for their past mistakes and current wrongdoings
Who decides when they shoot a spectacular
Powerful people make decisions without regard for people's lives and the consequences of their actions
Until the cameraman's eyesight starts hurting of coarse
Only after many people start to have adverse effects and adverse consequences that affect the powerful is when they start to take responsibility
And if they say so this songs isn't happening...
The people in power dictate the status quo and decide who gets to be popular and who does not work in the entertainment industry
And
Implies a continuation of the thought/sentence to come
They will have their poems sung to them
Those who are powerful and have a lot of influence in society get to write the narrative of the people's lives and dictate what is important or not
Or they will have nothing at all...
If people do not fall in line with the desires of the powerful, they will be left with nothing
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADAM DRUCKER, JEFFREY LOGAN, DAX PIERSON, ALEXANDER WESLEY KORT, JORDAN DALRYMPLE, MARTON DOWERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@frankyebiondini
I saw this video in 2004 the first time on MTV Italy Brand New. I was very impressed about the "pulsanting rytmical" lyrics. Today I'm 38 years old and I can say that I'm never tired to hear this song
@societalcipher3866
Wish they were still making music. Had the opportunity to see them in Denver, amazing performers!
@BETAmosquito
Ahhhh, this brings back so many wonderful memories
@geoffreybeene
this is absolutely amazing
@hailboognish
holy shit, i saw this on mtv2 about six or seven years ago and totally forgot all about it. what a refresher this has been, incredible video.
@erinloveswendy
0:19 These must be the Leaf Headed Creatures evolved from Leaves after they fell from the Trees!
@120minutesMTV2
This track appeared on MTV 2's '120 Minutes' on Friday 2nd February 2007. Check out our playlists for full programme runnings :)
@KJanus222
so love tis so much! such a good tune!!!!
@sgtpepper8581
Belleza de cancion
@wouldreaux
Haha - Conservation International (ci dot org) uses this song for their credit trailer, as seen prior to and at the end of "Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge" on PBS. I've always liked the song, Shazamed it from my phone and was surprised to see who the source was. Love the tune, and the lyrics even more!