Hannah Levin's review of the Black Angels album, Passover, described them as "Walking in the shadows cast by Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized mastermind Jason Pierce" and compared them to The Warlocks and Black Mountain, also invoking "dirges" reminiscent of both The Velvet Underground and the 13th Floor Elevators. The band's icon is a stylized image of Nico.
In December 2007, the group announced on their blog that their second album would be released in Spring of 2008. In March 2008 a release date of May 13th was announced for their second album, Directions to See a Ghost. Their third album was "Phosphene Dream" released in 2010. This record is slowly starting to give Black Angels international recognition.
http://www.theblackangels.com/
The Sniper
The Black Angels Lyrics
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No one hears it but us
Some starving and proud,
No one chooses but us
You can hide up upstream,
We will trap and scalp you
Change the color of your skin,
Never meant to hurt no one,
Only meant to move myself
Yeah, I try and I try,
'til I'm red in the face
We decide what goes inside your head
You see yourself in me
How'd you do that? How'd you?
Beyond your towers wall,
He waits on the killing call
And he tries and he tries,
'til he's red in the face
We decide what goes inside your head
The Black Angels' song "The Sniper" is a dark and brooding commentary on the nature of violence and the way it is normalized and internalized by society. The opening lines, "It's quiet and loud / No one hears it but us" evoke a sense of secrecy and isolation, as though the violence being described is hidden beneath the surface of everyday life. The lyrics proceed to describe a world in which violence is an expected and accepted part of daily existence, with some people even being "starving and proud" of their ability to inflict harm on others. The repetition of the phrase "Only meant to move myself" seems to suggest that the violence being described is driven by a desire for personal gain or validation, rather than any higher purpose.
The chorus of the song, "We decide what goes inside your head," is a chilling indictment of the way that violence and aggression can be used to control and manipulate others. The singer seems to be suggesting that those who engage in violence are able to shape the thoughts and beliefs of those around them, perhaps through fear or intimidation. The final verse of the song adds a further layer of complexity to these themes, by introducing the character of the titular sniper who waits "beyond your towers wall" for the "killing call." This figure seems to represent the way that violence can be orchestrated and directed at specific targets, often under the guise of nationalism or other ideological justifications.
Line by Line Meaning
It's quiet and loud
The violence we inflict is often unnoticed, yet it echoes loudly in our minds
No one hears it but us
Our conscience is the only witness to the harm we cause
Some starving and proud,
Those who suffer from poverty and oppression may be proud of the little they have, but that does not justify our mistreatment of them
No one chooses but us
We have a choice to either perpetuate or stop the cycle of violence and discrimination
You can hide up upstream,
People may try to escape our reach, but we will hunt them down
We will trap and scalp you
We will capture and harm those we perceive as a threat or inferior
Change the color of your skin,
We may discriminate against someone based on their race or ethnicity
But sure as night we'll find you
We are determined to carry out our aggression, no matter what obstacles we may face
Never meant to hurt no one,
We may try to justify our actions, but our violence always results in harm to others
Only meant to move myself
Our actions are often selfish and only serve our own interests
Yeah, I try and I try,
We may struggle with our conscience and attempt to justify our actions
'til I'm red in the face
Our self-delusion and rationalization can only go so far before we are faced with the reality of our violence
We decide what goes inside your head
We may use violence and discrimination to control and manipulate others
You see yourself in me
Our violent tendencies may be reflected in and perpetuated by others
How'd you do that? How'd you?
We may be unaware of how our actions influence and harm others
Beyond your towers wall,
Our violence knows no boundaries and can penetrate even the most fortified defenses
He waits on the killing call
The perpetrators of violence eagerly wait for their next opportunity to harm others
And he tries and he tries,
The perpetrator may struggle with their conscience and attempt to justify their violent tendencies
'til he's red in the face
The perpetrator may become so consumed by their self-delusion and rationalization that they are blind to the harm they cause
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEXANDER MAAS, GEARY CHRISTIAN BLAND, KYLE HUNT, NATHANIEL RYAN, STEPHANIE BAILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind