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.
Song Meat
Subtle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By all means...
its The slowing down of your brain
Around that certain sort of math.
The result...
Completely destroys the snow globe
Which results in...
One calling for an Eyewash and hand replacement
............. ..............
...........................
I suppose I've been brave
The highly unlikly rock and all its valves
Are roped off .
As is the would find luggage dilemma
Of love and money
I know now the problem
Lies in no one wire of the human heart
No none of its 12 plugs can be pulled
To tear all veins in one fell swoop
Like wall socket roots
Through their smooth calm sheets of plaster skin
And much thinking makes so little of time
and of lives
what's left are fires beating off of faces
Spreading in the heat left after beards.
The bright red skeleton of a cynic,
And the fine line differences in skin consistancy.
however so slightly permanent
These are the things that will never be songs...
never more wet concrete for song street...
This is not more wet concrete for new song street...
not poor silked concrete for beneath lord songs soft feet...
not poor song meat...
not song not more raw wheat...
for the poem popes and sing job's
Mastering the fast mean walks of big show street...
Fast
The lyrics of Subtle's song "Song Meat" are open to interpretation and there are several possible meanings that can be derived from them. The first verse talks about the slowing down of the brain, which is represented by a frozen lake that is solved or thawed. The certain sort of math mentioned here could be a reference to complex calculations that require a lot of mental effort. The result of this slow-down is the destruction of a snow globe, which leads to someone calling for an eyewash and hand replacement. This could be seen as a metaphor for the disorientation and loss of control that can come with mental exhaustion.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the limitations of the human heart and the futility of trying to break it all at once. They describe the heart as having 12 plugs that cannot all be pulled at the same time. This could be interpreted as a reference to the various emotional attachments and obligations that people have, and the difficulty of freeing oneself from them. The final lines of the song imply that there are certain experiences that may be too raw or too personal to ever be turned into songs or art, and that some things are simply meant to be experienced and remembered.
Line by Line Meaning
A frozen lake is solved.
The realization dawns upon one's mind.
By all means...
However possible.
its The slowing down of your brain
The confusion caused by a certain type of calculation.
Around that certain sort of math.
When dealing with a specific numerical problem.
The result...
The outcome of solving the problem.
Completely destroys the snow globe
Causes a major upheaval.
Which results in...
Leading to a certain consequence.
One calling for an Eyewash and hand replacement
The mess created by the chaos requires extensive cleaning.
I suppose I've been brave
I assume I have shown courage.
The highly unlikely rock and all its valves
An improbable feat that requires extreme attention to detail.
Are roped off.
Are kept away from public access.
As is the would find luggage dilemma
Just like the problem of locating lost baggage.
Of love and money
The complex relationship between the two.
I know now the problem
I have finally realized the underlying issue.
Lies in no one wire of the human heart
Cannot be attributed to any one aspect of human emotions.
No none of its 12 plugs can be pulled
No single factor can be isolated as the cause.
To tear all veins in one fell swoop
To cause a catastrophic breakdown.
Like wall socket roots
Similar to the electrical circuitry of a house.
Through their smooth calm sheets of plaster skin
Penetrating deep into the human psyche.
And much thinking makes so little of time
Excessive contemplation leads to a loss of precious time.
and of lives
Affecting the quality of life of individuals.
what's left are fires beating off of faces
The intense emotions that are displayed.
Spreading in the heat left after beards.
Spreading rapidly and uncontrollably.
The bright red skeleton of a cynic,
The harsh reality that a cynic exposes.
And the fine line differences in skin consistency.
The minute variations that distinguish individuals.
however so slightly permanent
In spite of being subtly etched into our existence.
These are the things that will never be songs...
These experiences are not beautiful enough to be romanticized.
never more wet concrete for song street...
Will not inspire art or creativity.
This is not more wet concrete for new song street...
These events do not hold any potential for artistic expression.
not poor silked concrete for beneath lord songs soft feet...
Will not serve as a foundation for poetic narration.
not poor song meat...
Not fodder for musical inspiration.
not song not more raw wheat...
Not even basic material for artistic expression.
for the poem popes and sing job's Mastering the fast mean walks of big show street...
Only for those who live life in the fast lane.
Fast
The pace of life.
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAX PIERSON, ALEXANDER WESLEY KORT, JORDAN DALRYMPLE, MARTON DOWERS, ADAM DRUCKER, JEFFREY LOGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind