The original use of strings: cello, violin, guitars, a full string quartet diverts the traditional perception of those classic instruments when they deal with electronics and the result is emotionally moving.
The album has been written and recorded between Berlin and Rome, it took nearly two years to be made, Teho and Blixa worked next to each other choosing carefully every sound, every word and silence.
There are 12 songs on Still Smiling, including a new version of A Quiet Life and a cover of Alone With The Moon by The Tiger Lilies.
Amongst collaborators there are The Balanescu Quartet and cellist Martina Bertoni.
Lyrics are visionary and are sung in english, german and italian, Blixa reveals a really personal and intimate side to the listener this time.
Still Smiling is an album whose special vision covers all the sky between Rome and Berlin, daytime and nocturnal.
It'll be released on Teho's label Specula on april 22nd in Italy and it'll be distributed all over Europe on June 28th 2013.
There's also an italian tour in May: 7th Roma, Circolo degli Artisti, 9th Milano, Alcatraz, 10th Moncalieri/Torino, Audiodrome, 11th Bologna, Senza Filtro where Teho and Blixa will be joined on stage by cellist Martina Bertoni.
Tracklist:
1 Mi Scusi
2 Come Up And See Me
3 Axolotl
4 Buntmetalldiebe
5 Still Smiling
6 Nocturnalie
7 Alone With The Moon
8 What if...?
9 Konjunktiv II
10 Nur Zur Erinnerung
11 A Quiet Life
12 Defenestrazioni
Here's the video by Chiara Battistini of Mi Scusi, the first track from the album http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXzcBpIGKas&feature=youtu.be
Musicians
Teho Teardo - baritone guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, rhodes piano, synths, piano, percussions, electronics, programming
Blixa Bargeld - voice, hammond organ, clavichord, electric slide guitar, water percussion, re-arrangements, glockenspiel
featuring:
Martina Bertoni - Cello
The Balanescu Quartet
Alexander Balanescu - violin
James Shenton - violin
Katie Wilkinson - viola
Nick Holland - cello
Elena De Stabile - violin
Elisabetta Pacini - italian accent voice
Crew
Recorded in Berlin at Anderebaustelle studio and Rome at Basement recordings, 2012/2013
A Quiet Life
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe this time I'll outwit my past
I throw away the numbers, the keys
And all the cards
Maybe I can carve out a living in the cold
At the outskirts of some city
I'll extinguish all my recent pasts
Become another man again
A quiet life for me
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
And a quiet life for me
I lost, I ran
I started once anew
In northern grey, in drizzling rain
In salted slush and bitter hale
But the order as always merciless
It wants to see me fail
So the hunter is now the hunted
Past voices call my name
I renounce my past to live again
A quiet life
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
And a quiet life for me
I thought I have been given
Another chance again
But heaven lies as usual
I repented but in vain
It tries to cheat me out of my good aim
Take away what I never really got
My quiet life
No quiet life for me
No quiet life
No quiet life
No quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
No quiet life for me
Even if I have to stray again
There is a life for me
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life
The lyrics to "A Quiet Life" seem to be about the desire for a fresh start, a chance to escape one's past and live a peaceful, simple life. The singer is hopeful that this time, they will be able to leave behind the negative influences that have weighed them down in the past. They are willing to give up material possessions and even their old identity in order to achieve this goal. The singer expresses a longing for solitude and calmness, perhaps seeking refuge from a chaotic or painful existence.
However, the lyrics also delve into the harsh reality that such a life is not always attainable. Throughout the song, the singer faces obstacles and struggles to maintain the "quiet life" they desire. They have to flee their old life and start anew, but they soon discover that they cannot fully escape their past. The "order" or forces that seek to keep them from succeeding are unrelenting, and the singer finds themselves becoming the "hunted." Despite this, they remain determined to keep trying and to find a way to live a peaceful life, whether or not they are successful in the end.
Overall, the lyrics to "A Quiet Life" are poetic and introspective, portraying both hope and struggle in equal measure. The song seems to be a reflection on the human desire for simplicity and tranquility, and the difficulties that can arise in trying to achieve it.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe this time
I hope that this time things will be different.
Maybe this time I'll outwit my past
Maybe I'll finally be able to overcome the things that have held me back in the past.
I throw away the numbers, the keys
I'm getting rid of everything that has tied me to my old life.
And all the cards
I'm leaving behind everything that has defined me up to this point.
Maybe I can carve out a living in the cold
Perhaps I can start a new life somewhere harsh and unwelcoming.
At the outskirts of some city
Perhaps I can find a place to live on the edge of civilization.
I'll extinguish all my recent pasts
I'll do everything in my power to forget all the things that have happened to me recently.
Become another man again
I'll be someone different, someone new.
And have a quiet life
I'm seeking a life without drama, a peaceful existence.
A quiet life for me
This is what I want above all else.
I lost, I ran
I've failed before, I've fled before.
I started once anew
I've tried to start again from scratch.
In northern grey, in drizzling rain
I've sought refuge in bleak and inhospitable places.
In salted slush and bitter hale
I've endured harsh conditions.
But the order as always merciless
The world is indifferent to my struggles.
It wants to see me fail
It seems like the universe is conspiring against me.
So the hunter is now the hunted
I'm on the run, I'm the one being chased.
Past voices call my name
The things that have happened to me before haunt me still.
I renounce my past to live again
I'm swearing off everything that has come before, in the hopes of finding a new way forward.
No quiet life for me
It seems like my dreams of a peaceful existence will never come true.
Even if I have to stray again
Even if I end up off course one more time.
There is a life for me
There's still a chance for me to find happiness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christian Emmerich, Mauro Teardo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MichaelPchelnikov
Maybe this time,
Maybe this time I’ll outwit my past
I’ll throw away the numbers, the keys
And all the cards
Maybe I can carve out a living in the cold
At the outskirts of some city
I extinguish all my recent pasts
Become another man again
And have a quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
An acquired life for me
I lost, I ran
I started once anew
In northern grey, in drizzling rain
In salted slush and bitter hale
But the order as always merciless
It wants to see me fail
So the hunter is now the hunted
Past voices call my name
I renounce my past to live again
A quiet life
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
An acquired life for me
I thought I have been given
Another chance again
But heaven lies as usual
I repented but in vain
It tries to cheat me out of my good aim
Take away what I never really got
My quiet life
No quiet life for me
No quiet life
No quiet life for me
A quiet life for someone
No quiet life for me
Even if I have to straighten
There is a life for me
A quiet life
A quiet life for me
(A quiet life...)
@elhorrendo7026
This song takes all of the great dreams and hopes that never came to fruition, hidden in my heart.
This song squeezes at my heart, reminding me to breath.
And as it squeezes, the tears that remind me.
They remind me the life I wanted, The loves I worked for,
The secret, special ambitions I knew I could achieve.
The secret special ambitions were never meant for me.
So the the picked bass, the downward strings, the lyrics,
The lyrics are reminders that repentance does not bring joy.
And the tears, streaming from your eyes to your cheeks.
Tears come from your heart,
Gripped by the hand of mortal love,
Squeezed each time you dare to hope,
Each time you dare to dream.
The quiet life and the billows,
It’s too late for hope’s embrace.
The quiet life is how we fond out,
The tears just water the garden,
Of what could never be.
@YannExploration
33 years later, this music is still incredible!
@BeelySalasBlair-uy5wn
Lol 333 waiting 🪟
@luisramirez-ut8vh
The most beautiful song of a time traveler that’s stuck in a loop.
@hadoobebe2286
Hmmmm i wonder where i have watched that storyline.
@shazamman2287
That song went surprisingly well with testing out my explosives
@cezaravelar6259
"sic mundus creatus est"
@cesarsantamaria644
i discovered this song before watching Dark and I remember I almost cry when it started to sound on that last episode, Dark is an awesome serie indeed
@scboyca
If a watcher of the show said they not once shed a tear id call em a liar and then tell em when they do have that realization we could be friends again.
I cried no lie every other episode and a few times I didn't even know why. When I watched the show twice and was able to see and ear and feel different aspect than I did the first time, the show made even more sense, and I cried in different parts than prior! There's a magic in this show that I can't identify but that doesn't mean its not there!
You all have felt it too.
@MonsieurCorbusier
it was the same for me with Sol Seppy - Enter One
@miguelmeloqueiroz3553
Now imagine exactly that but in the aftermath of an Ayahuasca experience. You don't almost cry. You cry like a fountain.