Drawing on the cool but insistent sounds of 80's post-punk acts such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division and Bauhaus in a style not unlike such contemporaries as Interpol, the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party, Brooklyn's the Cloud Room became a buzz band when their superb single "Hey Now Now" became a sensation on college radio and music blogs in both America and the UK but, being an indie release, had difficulty getting airplay on Commercial American radio.
The Cloud Room are led by guitarist and singer J, who was born in San Jose, California and came to New York City to work in independent filmmaking, having been promised a job working on a Hal Hartley project (it was given to an NYU student at the last minute). J continued to work on the margins of the movie business, but never lost interest in his first love, music. In 2004, J suffered a health crisis, and was forced to wait eighteen days for the results of an HIV test. Distraught, J began working on songs, one of which was "Hey Now Now"; when he got the good news that his test came back negative, an overjoyed J decided to focus his energies on music.
Unhappy with the musicians he'd been working with, J recruited bassist Jonathan Petrow and drummer Jason Pharr from a friend's band, Morris Air (later known as Public), and hired David H (guitar) and Steven Milton (keyboards) through ads on Craig's List. Names for a Prohibition-era private nightclub located near the top of a Manhattan skyscraper, The Cloud Room's demos soon attracted the attention of the New York-based independent label Gigantic Music, and in 2005 they sent the band into the studio with producer Chris Zane to record their self-titled debut album, which earned rave reviews from hipster music journals as well as mainstream publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone and the New York Times. Mark Deming, All Music Guide
In December 2008 the Cloud Room wrote a song for a Christmas compilation called 'An Indiecater Christmas' which was put out by Indiecater Records.
Blackout!
The Cloud Room Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With Mattie Safer
And Milk-Eyed Mender
When there was a blackout
A blackout, a blackout, oh, oh
We stepped out to the pavement
Unmanned cars were
In the blackout
The blackout, the blackout, oh, oh
We'll never, ever go back
To the time when
When we'd shake, shake, shake, shake it all down
In the blackout
The blackout, the blackout
You never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
And you never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
I stepped into Lois Ida
Slowly lighter
Alone I sighted her in the
The blackout
The blackout, the blackout
Oh, we were making
Making wishes
On some missiles
We mistook for shooting stars
In the blackout
The blackout, the blackout, oh, oh
We'll never, ever go back
To the time when
When we'd shake, shake, shake, shake it all down
In the blackout
The blackout, the blackout
You never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
And you never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
In the blackout
Oh, the blackout
In the blackout
Oh, the blackout
Blackout, oh, the blackout
'Cause you never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
And you never, ever find us
We go out in the cold, cold fire
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Now we shine
The song "Blackout!" by The Cloud Room begins with the description of the singer, alongside two people named Mattie Safer and Milk-Eyed Mender, stepping into the elevator. Suddenly, there was a blackout, and they stepped out to see unmanned cars crashing into each other on the pavement. The chorus makes it clear that they will never go back to the time of "shaking it all down" in the blackout, implying that the blackout was a time of chaos and hedonism. The second verse describes the singer stepping into Lois Ida alone, and sighted her in the blackout. The lyrics then turn more surreal, as they describe making wishes on missiles they mistook for shooting stars during the blackout. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the idea that they have moved on from that chaotic time and are now shining.
The song seems to be about a specific blackout, likely in New York City (where the band is from), where the singers and others found themselves in a moment of chaos and disorientation. The chorus suggests that this moment was something they don't want to return to, implying that perhaps they learned something from the experience. The surreal imagery of the missiles and shooting stars suggests that the blackout was a time when reality was distorted, and they were not fully aware of what was happening around them. The repeated refrain of "You never, ever find us / We go out in the cold, cold fire / You never, ever, cold, cold liar / Now we shine" suggests a sense of defiance and pride in having come through the experience.
Overall, the song paints a vivid picture of a moment in time that was chaotic and surreal, but also transformative for the characters involved. It speaks to the idea that sometimes it takes a moment of crisis or disorientation to learn something about oneself or about the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I stepped into the elevator
The singer entered the elevator
With Mattie Safer
Accompanied by Mattie Safer
And Milk-Eyed Mender
Also with Milk-Eyed Mender
When there was a blackout
Suddenly, the power went out
A blackout, a blackout, oh, oh
The artist repeats the phrase “a blackout”
We stepped out to the pavement
The group exited the elevator and went outside
Unmanned cars were
Autonomous cars were
Crashing into unmanned cars
Colliding with other unmanned cars
In the blackout
Due to the power outage
The blackout, the blackout, oh, oh
The artist repeats the phrase “the blackout”
We'll never, ever go back
The group vows to never return
To the time when
To a time in the past
When we'd shake, shake, shake, shake it all down
When they used to party hard
You never, ever find us
They cannot be located
We go out in the cold, cold fire
They venture out into the unknown
You never, ever, cold, cold liar
Addressing an untruthful person
Now we shine
The group is successful
And you never, ever find us
Once again referring to their elusive nature
I stepped into Lois Ida
The singer entered a location or establishment called ‘Lois Ida’
Slowly lighter
Becoming more carefree or free-spirited
Alone I sighted her in the
The artist sees someone on their own
The blackout
Occurring during the power outage
Oh, we were making
The group was doing something
Making wishes
Hoping for good things
On some missiles
Mistaking missiles for something else
We mistook for shooting stars
Taking something for something else in error
In the blackout
Happening during the blackout
Oh, the blackout
The artist repeats the phrase “the blackout”
Blackout, oh, the blackout
The artist repeats the phrase “blackout” and “the blackout”
'Cause you never, ever find us
Because they maintain their elusive nature
Now we shine
The group is triumphant
Contributed by Leah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jaeling Gong Jung
DIOS AMO ESTA CANION!!!!!!!!
Shun
Blackout!が「バッキャロー！」って聞こえるｗ
misguidedErik2
@JiggityJames811 lol no problem man i know it can get confuseing when these people dont put up descriptions :/
Jaeling Gong Jung
@TrustZaara Ya la encontre¡¡¡ Seguro fue tu buen vibra!!! Te quiero
TrustZaara
y aún no la encuentras, jeje @chaeliin
Armitage Shanks
@Huellamisterio BLACKOUT!
misguidedErik2
@JiggityJames811 The Cloud room bro