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
Not Far From The Sky
Sylvan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here… not far from the sky… with a case, in the flickering light, beside…
Loved… their seed inside, feel feather-light… with faith in their clear eyes…
A drought… it’s passing by… just volatile… it followed them here and tonight
This once… I feel this is my chance… I’m sure we are, no doubt, somehow at home now!
Deeply… I sense that it grows in me… oh please let it, this time, be my cloud nine!
This is a magical and pure and an extraordinary time!
Here, full of candy-coloured garlands I can leave it all behind!
And in this land of milk and honey waits my natural paradise!
Where we can settle down forever, no matter what will wait outside!
Here... where prospects reside...
they're about to find out what the case could hide...
The lyrics of Sylvan's song Not Far From The Sky express a hopeful, uplifting message about feeling at home in a new place and the potential for a magical new chapter in life. The first stanza begins with a sense of anticipation and quiet excitement, as the singer and their companions approach something special. They are not just physically near the sky, but spiritually and emotionally close to something greater than themselves. The "case" mentioned may represent baggage or belongings, which the singer sees as a reminder of the journey they have made to get here. The flickering light could symbolize the uncertainty of the future, but the sense of peace and readiness suggests that the singer is not afraid of what is to come.
The second stanza continues with references to growth, faith, and resilience. The "seed inside" may refer to a literal or figurative child, but it also seems to represent hope and optimism. The phrase "feel feather-light" could either suggest happiness and freedom, or a sense of fragility and vulnerability. This is juxtaposed with the image of a drought, which represents hardship and challenges. The singer acknowledges that difficult times have followed them here, but they do not feel defeated. Instead, they view this as an opportunity to create something new and beautiful. The final lines of the stanza are especially poignant, with the singer expressing a desire for something that is deeply personal and meaningful - "this time, be my cloud nine!" It is unclear exactly what the reference to "cloud nine" means, but it could signify a state of euphoria or a feeling of total contentment.
Overall, the lyrics of Not Far From The Sky suggest that the singer has found or is on the verge of finding a place where they can truly belong. They have faced challenges and hardships along the way, but they have not let those experiences dampen their enthusiasm for the future. The repeated phrase "here, not far from the sky" reinforces the sense of groundedness and rootedness that the singer feels, while also hinting at the possibility of something greater beyond the tangible world. The overall message is one of hope and possibility, even in the face of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait… approach them inside… jointly expectant and quiet, awhile…
Take a moment of silence and anticipation before going on this journey.
Here… not far from the sky… with a case, in the flickering light, beside…
We are in a place close to heaven with a mysterious case in our possession.
Loved… their seed inside, feel feather-light… with faith in their clear eyes…
The precious cargo inside the case is carefully protected, and we have unwavering trust in our intuition.
A drought… it’s passing by… just volatile… it followed them here and tonight
Challenges have followed us to this place, and we know that they will soon pass by and leave us unscathed.
This once… I feel this is my chance… I’m sure we are, no doubt, somehow at home now!
This is a rare opportunity, and I know deep in my heart that we have found our true home.
Deeply… I sense that it grows in me… oh please let it, this time, be my cloud nine!
As we approach our destination, I feel a sense of joy and fulfillment growing inside me, and I hope that this is where we find our ultimate happiness.
This is a magical and pure and an extraordinary time!
We are living in a moment that is filled with wonder and beauty.
Here, full of candy-coloured garlands I can leave it all behind!
We have reached a place where we can let go of our past and embrace our new life fully.
And in this land of milk and honey waits my natural paradise!
Our dreams are about to be realized, and we will find our perfect home here.
Where we can settle down forever, no matter what will wait outside!
In this place, we can create a lasting home that will withstand any challenge that comes our way.
Here... where prospects reside...
We are in a place with endless possibilities and opportunities.
they're about to find out what the case could hide...
We are on the brink of discovering the mystery that the case holds.
Contributed by Wyatt V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.