1. Prog Rock, German band<… Read Full Bio ↴Note: There are three artists with this name.
1. Prog Rock, German band
2. 60's female pop singer.
3. Low-Fi Dublin Band
1.
In the spring of 1990, Kay Söhl, the two keyboarders Volker Söhl and Matthias Harder, founded the band TEMPORAL TEMPTATION. By that summer the band had already played its first gig - the first live performance of the core founding members of the band. In a way it was also Sylvan's birth. At this time the band played hard rock music and sang in German. Only a small part of their music was progressive rock.
In Autumn 1990, the band changed its name to CHAMELEON, a symbol of changeability, representing the long instrumental parts in their music. The cover artwork had a likeness to early MARILLION covers and has never been issued. In summer 1991 Marko Heisig joined Chameleon as the lead singer and bassist. Between 1992 and 1994 the band had a gloomy and aggressive tonality to them and in this they were very different from the more rocky sounds of the previous years. In 1992 the first official demo tape of Chameleon was released. With Matthias Koops as lead singer, the second official demo tape was recorded. The title was 'Slaves' and its tracklist was 'Time', 'Slaves', 'Mirror of a Lifetime' and 'Childhood Dreams'. (By the way, 'Slaves' was the old title of a version of today's song 'Deliverance' after which Sylvan's first album was named!).
In winter 1995 one of the band's dreams was fulfilled: Marco Glühmann, an old friend who played many years before with Chameleon, joined the band. Within the same year the third and last official demo tape was recorded. The tracklist was 'Beren and Luthien', 'Golden Cage' and 'Outro'. All of these songs have merged into Sylvan's first studio album in one way or another.
In 1997 the last live concert took place under the name Chameleon. Marko Heisig left the band and the bass was taken over by Patrick Münster. The band changed its name to Sylvan. Their first cd was recorded in 1998 and the second was released in 2000. (Adapted from text on the official history website). The music of the band is progressive rock with some hard rock moments, and some spacey melodic pop-rock elements, probably lingering from earlier in their career. Also there are some Art-prog elements, but really not enough to call this music Art-rock as such. Other apparent influences include psychedelic rock, a little PINK FLOYD in the spacey elements, and surely MARILLION and GENESIS.
2. 60's female pop singer. In 2006 her record "We Don't Belong" first recorded in 1965, was featured on a Rhino Records compilation set "The Hatbox collection" "Girl Groups Lost and Found" which gained two Grammy Award nominations in January 2007. Now a successful photographer living in London. www.sylvanmason.com In 1965 Sylvan became the first and only Stowaway on Radio Caroline's Mi Amigo Pirate Ship. She spent the weekend with Tony Blackburn, Roger Gale and Mike Allen promoting her record "We Don't Belong" which had recently been banned by the BBC; helping the dj's with their quiz shows and making jingles whilst the headlines in newspapers screamed "Beautiful blonde Marooned with 15 men". Unlike the new film "The Boat That Rocked" which is based on Radio Caroline, it was cold, uncomfortable and a bit smelly says Sylvan but the boys were very sweet and well behaved.
3. Irish band Sylvan are a five-piece low-fi Dublin-based group, originally formed in 2000 by band members Colin Russell-Conway (drums), Paul Clynes (vox & lead guitar), and Adam McCormack (vox & guitar). Adam left the group in 2004, to move to Denmark and is now recording & gigging with his new band, Imagine I Had Hands. At this point Kieron (Beardy) joined the band to replace Adam on vox & guitar. And Fergus Russell-Conway was also recruited to join the band on bass & backing vox. The band have released 3 full-length albums to date. Their first album "The Ugly Lemon" was recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini in 2003. They then recorded their second album My Marble Eye themselves in Dublin in January 2005. Sylvan have just released their third album "We Are Lying to you through song" in September 2007, and are currently touring this album in Ireland and Europe. http://www.myspace.com/sylvan1
Forgotten Virtue
Sylvan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then from the black façades I watch the rain fall – and courage falls in me
I try to see the sky but I just see walls – they trap me silently
Some people shout at me and it's a known call: the city jeers at me
And I can not, I can not stand it all …
Exists to vandalize, I hate it much more – it kills the child in me
And naturally surrounds me day in, day out, phagocytizes all
They call it just progress I call it breakdown – am I the only one?
And I can not, I can not stand it all …
Scaffolds rising through the sky … so threatening …
They sprout and spill their concrete lies
If this is what you want to live through – just myopic curiosity
If this is what satisfies you – then I lost the faith I had in me
… Oh, you got to feel …
False vows paired with false intentions – but they drown in all the other lies
But if there's something I believe in, then there has to be another side
It leads me away, it drags me away, it pulls me away, it drives me away
Each day I leave my realm, step out of my door – I breathe in carefully
Then from the black façades I watch the rain fall – and courage falls in me
I try to see the sun but I just see clouds – and people pass my way
So with a known disgust I quickly turn round – it's just a normal day
The song "Forgotten Virtue" by Sylvan is a reflection on the modern world and the loss of innocence, hope, and meaning in everyday life. The lyrics are filled with metaphors and images that paint a picture of a world that has lost touch with its roots and has become overrun with impersonal, artificial creations.
The song begins with the singer stepping out of his door and breathing in the polluted air. He watches the rain fall on the black facades of the buildings around him and feels a sense of courage welling up inside him. However, he realizes that he cannot see the sky because of the walls that surround him. The city jeers at him, and he feels overwhelmed by the sense of claustrophobia and confinement.
As the song progresses, the singer expresses his deep dislike and mistrust of the modern world. He sees the rampant construction, the false promises, and the artificiality of everything around him, and he longs for something more authentic and real. Despite feeling defeated and overwhelmed, he holds on to the hope that there must be another side to this world, something more genuine and profound, that can provide him with a sense of meaning and purpose.
Overall, "Forgotten Virtue" is a testament to the endurance of the human spirit in the face of disillusionment and despair. It urges us to look beyond the surface of things and find the hidden beauty and truth that lies within us and the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Each day I leave my realm, step out of my door – I breathe in carefully
The singer ventures out of their home every day, taking a precautionary deep breath.
Then from the black façades I watch the rain fall – and courage falls in me
The singer looks at the dark buildings around them and gains the strength to brave the rain.
I try to see the sky but I just see walls – they trap me silently
The singer attempts to look up at the sky but feels trapped by the buildings.
Some people shout at me and it's a known call: the city jeers at me
Random people verbally abuse the singer, a common occurrence in the city.
And I can not, I can not stand it all …
The singer is overwhelmed and cannot endure the city's negative impact.
It bruises all my life and all I lived for – unfurls so ruthlessly
The city inflicts harm on the singer's existence and everything they have done.
Exists to vandalize, I hate it much more – it kills the child in me
The city exists to destroy and the singer feels it has robbed them of their innocence.
And naturally surrounds me day in, day out, phagocytizes all
The city's negative influence engulfs the singer every single day.
They call it just progress I call it breakdown – am I the only one?
While others call it progress, the singer views it as an emotional breakdown and wonders if anyone recognizes this.
Scaffolds rising through the sky … so threatening …
The singer sees construction cranes that appear ominous.
They sprout and spill their concrete lies
The singer sees these cranes as deceiving and spreading concrete falsehoods.
If this is what you want to live through – just myopic curiosity
The singer questions if anyone is truly happy living in the city, and if so, due to short-sighted curiosity.
If this is what satisfies you – then I lost the faith I had in me
If the city brings satisfaction to others, the singer has lost faith in their own beliefs.
… Oh, you got to feel …
There is a sense of yearning for emotions to be acknowledged.
False vows paired with false intentions – but they drown in all the other lies
The singer recognizes dishonesty in the city but feels that it pales in comparison to other forms of deceit.
But if there's something I believe in, then there has to be another side
The singer maintains belief that there must be another perspective and alternative to the city.
It leads me away, it drags me away, it pulls me away, it drives me away
The urge to leave the city grows increasingly stronger.
Each day I leave my realm, step out of my door – I breathe in carefully
The singer continues to go outside each day but remains cautious.
Then from the black façades I watch the rain fall – and courage falls in me
The sight of the city's buildings and rainfall inspires the singer with newfound strength.
I try to see the sun but I just see clouds – and people pass my way
The singer looks for the sun but instead only sees clouds and passersby.
So with a known disgust I quickly turn round – it's just a normal day
Feeling disgusted, the singer turns away and accepts that it's just another ordinary day in the city.
Contributed by Zoe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.