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
Those Defiant Ways
Sylvan Lyrics
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Yes, I followed them just to be back again
Those defiant ways
Realised too late how they tempted my will
They enchanted my youth like a bored know-all child
So naïve to believe that my fucking dreams will come true
Tranquil country lifestyle
That's why I see no way to be the man that I ever wanted to be
Rebel by heart to break the chains that keep me here
I'd like to breathe the air of a vivid endless city just to begin
Refugee in the ocean of modern age
Endless city embrace me
Motivation runs
Through me…
Endless…
Ambitious, delicious,
Adventurous, contentious,
Exciting, inviting,
I'm writing, I'm fighting
For my dreams…
Oh what a challenge to write
I work at day and by night
Can't find a minute to think
God knows I'm on the blink
Never there's silence around
Is this my dream that I found?
Got the time to breathe
Independently
Pressure lies beneath
My own liberty
So I can't believe:
Only empty sheets
Feel how time deceives
Sacred dignity!
Dignity, liberty
Sanity, mendacity
Time…against all I could not keep pace
Where is my way a shrine deserted without trace
How should I breath, how should I flee from claws
That try to suppress me?
There was no sign along my way
No guide, no help and so I pray
All tears, all cries
Forgotten..all lies
To leave…it's no defeat
Just a detour makes you see
Embraced city, I have to go
It's not you fault
Now I know
Those defiant ways
Yes, I followed them just to be back again
The lyrics to Sylvan's song "Those Defiant Ways" explore the idea of following one's dreams and then realizing too late the cost of pursuing them. The singer speaks of following their "defiant ways" and how they enchanted their youth, causing them to be naive in their pursuit of success. The lyrics speak of wanting to break free from the chains that keep them in a tranquil country lifestyle and to move to an endless city to pursue their dreams.
The singer speaks of the pressure of their pursuit of success and how it takes away their ability to think and find silence. They speak of how time is against them and how they feel lost without a guide or help. In the end, they realize that their dreams led them astray and they must leave the city behind, but they do not see this as a defeat.
Overall, the lyrics express the tension between the desire to pursue one's dreams and the reality of the costs that come with that pursuit. The lyrics also acknowledge the emotional toll that this can take on someone and how it can leave them feeling lost and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Those defiant ways
I followed a path of rebellion and non-conformity.
Yes, I followed them just to be back again
I returned to my non-conformist ways after briefly trying to conform to society's norms.
Realised too late how they tempted my will
I didn't realize until it was too late that my rebellion was more of a temptation than a true expression of myself.
They enchanted my youth like a bored know-all child
My rebellious ways were like a childish game that I played out of boredom and arrogance.
So naïve to believe that my fucking dreams will come true
I was foolish to believe that my rebellious nature alone would help me achieve my dreams.
That's why I see no way to be the man that I ever wanted to be
My non-conformity has made it difficult to become the person I wanted to be.
Rebel by heart to break the chains that keep me here
My rebel heart wants to break free from the constraints of societal norms holding me back.
I'd like to breathe the air of a vivid endless city just to begin
I want to experience the freedom and endless possibilities of city life.
Endless city embrace me
I seek the embrace of a city that has limitless opportunities.
Motivation runs
I am motivated to break free from my rebellious ways and pursue my dreams in the city.
Through me…
This motivation runs through me, deep in my soul.
Ambitious, delicious, Adventurous, contentious, Exciting, inviting, I'm writing, I'm fighting For my dreams…
I am ambitious and find the city exciting, and I am fighting for my dreams of success.
Oh what a challenge to write I work at day and by night Can't find a minute to think God knows I'm on the blink
It's a challenge to juggle work and writing, and I struggle to find time to think or rest.
Never there's silence around Is this my dream that I found?
I've found my dream, but there's never any silence, and I wonder if this chaos is truly what I want.
Got the time to breathe Independently Pressure lies beneath My own liberty So I can't believe: Only empty sheets Feel how time deceives Sacred dignity! Dignity, liberty Sanity, mendacity
I am finally able to breathe and pursue my dreams independently, but I struggle with the pressure that comes with my newfound liberty. Time seems to be deceiving me, and I am questioning the dignity and sanity of my choices.
Time…against all I could not keep pace Where is my way a shrine deserted without trace How should I breath, how should I flee from claws That try to suppress me?
I struggle to keep up with the pace of time, and my path seems deserted and unclear. I am being held back by the claws of those who try to suppress me.
There was no sign along my way No guide, no help and so I pray
I had no guidance on my journey and am left to pray for clarity and direction.
All tears, all cries Forgotten..all lies To leave…it's no defeat Just a detour makes you see Embraced city, I have to go It's not you fault Now I know
I have shed tears and uncovered lies along my journey, but leaving my rebel ways behind and pursuing my dreams in the city is not a defeat. It's just a different path that opens my eyes. I must leave the city that I once thought was the answer, and I know it's not the city's fault. I've come to this realization.
Those defiant ways
I once followed a path of rebellion and non-conformity.
Yes, I followed them just to be back again
I returned to my non-conformist ways after briefly trying to conform to society's norms.
Contributed by Colton R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.