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
The Colors Changed
Sylvan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looked around me as I noticed some flowers covering stony space
And it felt like a rush of blood to my head
And it woke in me feelings I had hidden away
Colors please grow for me, paint my world rosily,
Show me …
Was it raining from the facades when the walls started to fade?
Look around me and it seems like all the colors have changed.
And it feels like a rush of blood to my head
And it wakes in me feelings I had hidden away
[Refrain]
Colors please grow for me, paint my world rosily,
Keep me just sheltered and warm.
Save my lost blossomy, values I trusted in
Show me …
And it feels like a rush of blood to my head
And it awakes in me feelings I had hidden away
And I start to paint this place as marvelous as it can be
And I paint it colorful to cover all the cracks I see
Draw the lines I should have made so long ago with grateful strokes
Let it fill the place of distrust and impenetrable smoke
Colors in my eyes replace the achromatic atmosphere
Do I fantasize or it's the sound of birds that I can hear?
When I chase the falling leafs and track their path so mindfully
Will they finally guide me to my world and to eternity?
Would you shoot up, grow my garden, please my Eden grow for me.
Show me how you decorate the streets that brought me misery
Outspread all your roots and blow up all these stones that build the wall
Shatter all that binds me here, don't give me up, please hear my call …
[Refrain]
The lyrics to Sylvan's song, The Colors Changed, describe a transformation from a bleak, monochrome world to a vibrant and colorful one. The singer has been fighting their way through gloomy alleys, facing the storm in their face, when they notice some flowers covering the stony space around them. This small hint of color inspires them and brings forth hidden feelings that were long ignored. The singer pleads for colors to grow and paint their world rosily, keeping them sheltered and warm, saving their lost blossomy and values they previously trusted in. The transformation continues as they paint the world as marvelous as it can be, drawing lines they should have made so long ago with grateful strokes, letting it fill the place of distrust and impenetrable smoke.
The singer sees colors in their eyes, replacing the achromatic atmosphere, and wonders if they are fantasizing or if they can hear the sound of birds. They chase falling leaves and track their path mindfully, hoping to be guided to their world and to eternity. They ask for their garden to be grown and for their Eden to be shown to them, for the streets that brought them misery to be decorated, for all roots to be outspread, and the wall of binds to be shattered.
The song overall speaks to the power of transformation and the hope that it brings. It showcases how a small burst of color and inspiration can change one's entire perspective on the world and generate positive change in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Fought my way through gloomy alleys, felt the storm in my face
I struggled through dark, depressing streets and weathered the harsh winds on my journey.
Looked around me as I noticed some flowers covering stony space
I saw that amidst the bleak surroundings, there were beautiful flowers that brought life and color to the barrenness.
And it felt like a rush of blood to my head
The sight of the colorful flowers surged through me with energy and excitement.
And it woke in me feelings I had hidden away
The experience stirred up emotions within me that I had buried and repressed.
Colors please grow for me, paint my world rosily, Show me …
I ask for the colors to spread and brighten my life, making it more positive and joyful.
Was it raining from the facades when the walls started to fade?
As the walls lost their color, was it as if the rain had washed the facade down with it?
Look around me and it seems like all the colors have changed.
I observe my surroundings and it appears that everything looks different and more vivid than before.
And I start to paint this place as marvelous as it can be
I take it upon myself to transform my environment into something that is truly amazing and beautiful.
Colors in my eyes replace the achromatic atmosphere
The bland, colorless environment is now bursting with hues that are a feast for my eyes.
Do I fantasize or it's the sound of birds that I can hear?
Is the sweet music of the birdsong real or is it only my imagination that wakes these senses up in me?
And I paint it colorful to cover all the cracks I see
The cracks that once made this place ugly and flawed are now covered with paint that brings life and vibrancy.
Would you shoot up, grow my garden, please my Eden grow for me.
I ask nature to come alive and cultivate my paradise for me.
Shatter all that binds me here, don't give me up, please hear my call …
I plead with nature to destroy all the things that tie me down and restrict me, and to listen to my desperate entreaty.
Colors please grow for me, paint my world rosily, Keep me just sheltered and warm.
I want the colors to spread, making my world a warmer and more cheerful place that provides me respite and safety.
Save my lost blossomy, values I trusted in Show me …
I hope to recover the values that I had lost along the way, and want the colors to surround me and guide me towards them.
Draw the lines I should have made so long ago with grateful strokes
I use my paintbrush to create order and beauty in the places where I should have drawn lines ages ago, doing so with gratitude.
Let it fill the place of distrust and impenetrable smoke
The bright colors will take the place of the mistrustful and dark smoke that once filled the environment, transforming it into a much happier one.
When I chase the falling leafs and track their path so mindfully
As I follow the path of the falling leaves and observe them closely, I become more mindful and introspective.
Will they finally guide me to my world and to eternity?
I wonder if the falling leaves will lead me to my imaginary world or to a state of contentment that is everlasting.
Contributed by Vivian B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.