Anchored by vivid songwriting and eclectic instrumentation, The Acorn produce an original brand of experimental, popular folk music that effortlessly marries modern and traditional forms. Inspired by the natural beauty of the Outaouais region, and with his principle projects all on hiatus, Rolf Klausener started writing under the moniker The Acorn in the summer of 2002.
Initially an excuse to teach himself home-recording, these furtive experiments quickly started eating up the majority of his free time. These early musings would eventually become The Acorn’s first full-length release, The Pink Ghosts. A mellifluous, mostly-instrumental tribute to the Ottawa region, The Pink Ghosts was by released in July 2004 on Jon Bartlett’s proudly independent community-based label, Kelp Records. By this time, The Acorn had grown to include the talents of guitarist Jeff Debutte, visual artist and guitarist Howie Tsui and drummer Jeffrey Malecki.
In the fall of 2005, they released Blankets! , a more melodically focused effort showcasing the bands emerging synthesis of experimental folk and pop. Blankets! earned the band notable praise from CBC radio, independent media, and campus radio stations across the country. Inspired by the road and the communities they discovered beyond their sleepy capital city, The Acorn made every effort to travel the country, touring independently and as often as they could. Throughout 2005, they forged ties with a new, burgeoning independent Canadian music scene which grew to include Ohbijou, We’re Marching On, Snailhouse, Elliott Brood, Montreal’s People for Audio and many more.
A genealogical quest in late 2005 would prove to be the bands most challenging and sprawling project to date. Having lost his father to cancer at the age of 16, Rolf began conducting interviews with his Honduran-born Mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya, to help form a more complete picture of his family. These interviews, both harrowing and awe-inspiring, would push Rolf to apply for several arts grants to produce a song-cycle based on them. In the spring of 2006, The Acorn was awarded an Ontario Arts Council grant and City of Ottawa music grant to produce Glory Hope Mountain. The immensity and scope of the project triggered an insurmountable bout of writers block, forcing Rolf to spend his time poring over his recorded interviews and researching Honduran native music and culture. Taking a break from the album, the band called up Montreal friend, pianist Keiko Devaux, and booked three days at Ottawa’s legendary Little Bullhorn Prods (Kathleen Edwards, Wooden Stars, Howe Gelb, etc.) to document some older material. It might have been the nausea-inducing heat, or the clock on the wall, but the band squeezed out three new songs as well, and walked out of the studio that weekend with a new six song EP titled Tin Fist.
Tin Fist was released on Toronto’s Paper Bag Records (Woodhands, Laura Barrett, Deadly Snakes, Tokyo Police Club, etc.) in late 2006 to glowing reviews. The band followed with their first headlining tour. With the unerring expertise of Little Bullhorn’s Jarrett Bartlett and a lot of borrowed equipment, The Acorn spent the first seven months of 2007 finishing Glory Hope Mountain in a rented house in Ottawa’s Centretown.
Not quite biography nor musical folk tale, Glory Hope Mountain, harbours the triumphs, discoveries, sorrow and life-affirming adventures of a life both remarkable and happily modest. Armed with drums, gut-strings, ukuleles, marimbas and the collective’s best songwriting to date, The Acorn created a stirring musical document. Since the release of Glory Hope Mountain, The Acorn have graced the cover of Canada’s National music magazine, Exclaim, garnered innumerable rave reviews across Canada, the United States, and abroad, both online and in print, and were nominated to the 2008 Polaris Award long list.
free EPs available at the band's web site: http://theacorn.ca
http://www.myspace.com/theacorn
Misplaced
The Acorn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the rumble in my room
It's the mix of muscle
And the wind on the dunes
That makes me want you
If you wanted a well
Through the break and bramble
And make the least of your day
In my own way
Oh, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know
I won't be misplaced
No, I know, I know, I know
I won't be misplaced
But if I leave the land a second too soon
Would you pull apart the dark and leave from the room
I called the wandering stars the wandering June
Later then around the dark I'd settle for moon
There's no serve for prefix
That binds to your name
It gets my tongue tied, twisted
Like a snow fall in May
There's just no way
Oh, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know
I won't be misplaced
No, I know, I know, I know
I won't be misplaced
The Acorn's song Misplaced is a romantic and introspective piece that is an exploration of entwined emotions of passion and uncertainty. The opening lines "You're the late night tussle, You're the rumble in my room" is an invocation of the powerful surge of physical desire that consumes the singer. The reference to "mix of muscle" and "wind on the dunes" speaks to the unstoppable and uncontrollable nature of the passion. The singer acknowledges the danger and unpredictability of the situation but it does not stop them from being drawn toward the feeling.
In the following stanza, the singer acknowledges their own shortcomings and limitations. They offer themselves to the object of their desire as someone who could get caught in a well or make the least of their day, but in their own way. The singer is honest about their own fallibility and how it interplays with their own desires. They know that they are flawed, but they still offer themselves without reservation.
The chorus of the song is a declaration that the singer will not be misplaced. They are confident in their own ability to handle the intensity of the emotions and the risks that come with it. They refuse to be pushed aside or treated as a disposable object, asserting their own self-worth and value. The repeated phrase "I know, I know, I know, I won't be misplaced" serves as an affirmation of this idea.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt exploration of the complexities of desire and the sacrifices that come with it. It speaks to the way we can be drawn to someone against our better judgement, and the risks that come with that.
Line by Line Meaning
You're the late night tussle
You bring excitement and chaos into my life, like a physical struggle in the middle of the night.
You're the rumble in my room
Your impact on me is loud and powerful, like the sound of thunder in my personal space.
It's the mix of muscle
Your physical strength and prowess are just one of the many things that attract me to you.
And the wind on the dunes
The natural forces of the world also captivate me, and remind me of your power and allure.
That makes me want you
All of these things combined are what draw me to you and make me long for your presence.
If you wanted a well
If you needed me to go to great lengths for you, even if it meant facing difficult obstacles or getting stuck.
Through the break and bramble
No matter what obstacles I may face or how difficult the journey, I would still do it for you.
I could get caught in it
In fact, I might even get stuck or trapped along the way, but I would still persevere.
And make the least of your day
Even if my efforts didn't make a significant difference in the grand scheme of things, I would still try to help you in any way I could.
In my own way
I may not do things in the conventional or expected way, but I would still give it my all and do what I can for you.
But if I leave the land a second too soon
If I were to leave this situation or relationship prematurely, before I had done everything I could or before it was truly over.
Would you pull apart the dark and leave from the room
Would you be there to comfort and support me in my time of need, even if it meant leaving your own comfort zone and dealing with difficult emotions?
I called the wandering stars the wandering June
I used to think of the stars as free and untethered, like the month of June which has no major holidays or events to tie it down.
Later then around the dark I'd settle for moon
But now, in my moments of darkness and uncertainty, I realize that the moon - a consistent and reliable presence in the night sky - is what I truly need.
There's no serve for prefix
There's no way to accurately describe or categorize your impact on me, or put a label on our relationship.
That binds to your name
No matter what label or title I might give you, it wouldn't truly encompass all that you mean to me.
It gets my tongue tied, twisted
Trying to define or talk about my feelings for you can be difficult and overwhelming, leaving me at a loss for words.
Like a snow fall in May
Like something that is unexpected and out of place, such as snow falling in the middle of spring.
There's just no way
Despite all of this, there's nothing that can stop or diminish my feelings for you.
Oh, I know, I know, I know
Reaffirming my certainty and confidence in my love for you.
I won't be misplaced
No matter what challenges or obstacles come our way, I know that I belong with you and that we were always meant to be together.
Contributed by Brody W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Montserrat Rendón
❣ Es un placer de la vida escuchar esta canción.
Playback007able
enjoyable sparse vibe...classical The Acorn in the Glory Hope Mountain pedigree. Saw you in Chicago opening for Grand Archives in 2008. You guys were very good!
Stephanie Osorio
WOW :D ¡Genial! ¡The Acorn son lo máximo!
Victoria Godfrey
I remember listening to this a year ago.
MRYUMish
Love it. Please make a new album soon, yes?
luqmanpilu
manehh elok