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
Presets
Sylvan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paid for all my past preset
Countless hours that I cried
Stigmatized but still a child
And then it followed me out and marked my way
It tried to cover me now – this was my fate
And though it killed me inside and fossilized
Why – why does it overshadow lights I have in me?
Why – why does it soil the way I feel?
Why – why can it testify the words I did not speak?
Why …
So while I figured it out, started to see
What many people somehow, they saw in me
And though I live with it now – from day to day
Still taste the flavors of how it preset my way … discriminates …
Swim inside my room and fix the walls
Turn my thoughts, my thoughts they turn it all
Lack a joint of confidence – booze the pills of ignorance
Feel I'm microscopically small
Drown inside my lit aquarium
Watched by scientists and so alone
Alice in a wonderland – silly-billy different
In a world of fake and silicone
Open your eyes to find it's right not wrong and the flavors left no trace
Open your eyes and find the rain is gone and the presets wiped away
Open your eyes to leave the wonderland – it's not your future just your past
Open your eyes and gain the confidence because the confidence will last
Linger in a sort of big balloon
Try to throw the words in cotton wool
Voices that can't penetrate – syllables you'll suffocate
Endless linguistic interludes
Leave your sea – unique you are
Strong not weak and near, not far
The song "Presets" by Sylvan explores the theme of identity and self-discovery, specifically in the face of societal expectations and prejudices. The lyrics describe the singer's experience with feeling judged and marked by their past mistakes or the expectations placed upon them by others. The singer questions why these negative experiences overshadow their positive qualities and why they are allowed to define someone's character. Despite this, the singer has started to see themselves in a more positive light and gain confidence in their unique identity.
The song's opening lines, "Tasted flavors of regret / Paid for all my past preset," suggest a sense of frustration and regret from the singer. The use of the word "preset" implies that someone else has predetermined their path in life, limiting their choices and freedom. The next line, "Countless hours that I cried / Stigmatized but still a child," highlights the unfairness of being judged for past mistakes or perceived flaws while still being young and not fully developed.
The chorus asks a series of "why" questions, questioning why negative experiences are allowed to overtake positive ones, why societal judgments can define someone, and why words left unspoken can still testify against them. The line "Swim inside my room and fix the walls" suggests introspection and the need to fix oneself before facing the world. The verses also touch on feelings of inadequacy and being alone, with lines like "Drown inside my lit aquarium / Watched by scientists and so alone" and "Feel I'm microscopically small."
Overall, the song is a commentary on the pressures and limitations placed on individuals by society and the importance of gaining confidence in one's unique identity. It encourages listeners to leave behind societal expectations and embrace their true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
Tasted flavors of regret
Experienced the bitter consequences of past mistakes
Paid for all my past preset
Faced the repercussions of decisions made previously
Countless hours that I cried
Spent many hours in tears due to emotional pain
Stigmatized but still a child
Dealt with negative stereotypes despite being young and inexperienced
And then it followed me out and marked my way
Negative past experiences continued to affect present and future
It tried to cover me now – this was my fate
Negative experiences threatened to define and consume the present
And though it killed me inside and fossilized
Past shame and pain had long-lasting and damaging effects
But how can it legitimize to judge my life?
Questioning the validity of allowing past experiences to dictate current and future circumstances
Why – why does it overshadow lights I have in me?
Wondering why negative experiences tend to overpower one's positive qualities
Why – why does it soil the way I feel?
Questioning how past experiences can taint one's present emotions and perspectives
Why – why can it testify the words I did not speak?
Asking why past experiences can still affect one's life even when no action was taken
So while I figured it out, started to see
After introspection, began to understand how past experiences influenced current feelings
What many people somehow, they saw in me
Realizing that others saw positive traits in spite of past mistakes and negative experiences
And though I live with it now – from day to day
Acknowledging that past painful experiences still affect day to day life
Still taste the flavors of how it preset my way … discriminates ...
Still feel the effects of past experiences and how it has caused discrimination
Swim inside my room and fix the walls
Retreat to personal space to reflect and work on self-improvement
Turn my thoughts, my thoughts they turn it all
Ruminating on past experiences and how they have influenced current mental state
Lack a joint of confidence – booze the pills of ignorance
Lack self-assurance and depend on unhealthy coping mechanisms to avoid dealing with issues
Feel I'm microscopically small
Inadequate and insignificant compared to the influence of past negative experiences
Drown inside my lit aquarium
Trapped in a small space with no way out
Watched by scientists and so alone
Feeling like a subject of study or scrutiny by others who are unsympathetic
Alice in a wonderland – silly-billy different
Feeling out of place and inadequate in a world where others seem to fit in effortlessly
In a world of fake and silicone
Living in a world where facade and deception are prevalent
Open your eyes to find it's right not wrong and the flavors left no trace
Perspective shift towards realizing past experiences did not define personal worth or invalidate positive qualities
Open your eyes and find the rain is gone and the presets wiped away
Realizing that past negative experiences have lost their power and no longer hold sway over present circumstances
Open your eyes to leave the wonderland – it's not your future just your past
Realizing that the past does not determine future outcomes and it's time to move on
Open your eyes and gain the confidence because the confidence will last
Embodying self-assurance and self-worth, paving the way for a more positive future
Linger in a sort of big balloon
Floating in a temporary space, awaiting a new direction
Try to throw the words in cotton wool
Struggling to articulate and vocalize difficult emotions or past experiences
Voices that can't penetrate – syllables you'll suffocate
Difficulty in filtering constructive criticism vs. destructive words and actions, leading to stifled communication
Endless linguistic interludes
Nonstop internal debates about self-worth and past experiences, causing internal resistance
Leave your sea – unique you are
Stepping out of one's comfort zone to embrace personal strength and individuality
Strong not weak and near, not far
Accepting that personal strength and support is not far out of reach, but rather an inherent component
Contributed by Liam I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.