History
The band's name is drawn from a phrase in Lovecraft's story The Tomb: "I will tell only of the lone tomb in the darkest of the hillside thickets." The band formed in January 1992 after meeting at Fraser Valley College in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Afterwards they formed a local role-playing group.
After a slow start, several of their songs were picked up by music magazines and others for inclusion on compilation CDs, lending them greater recognition. They often perform live, and have performed concerts with many other bands including GWAR, They Might Be Giants, Dayglo Abortions and Nomeansno. The Thickets continue to enjoy reasonable cult success.
Members
The original three members of the band, at the January 1992 formation, were Toren Atkinson, Warren Banks and Quentin Rogers. Quentin, though, never appeared on any of their releases. The band has gone through several bassists and drummers since its inception. The discography below details band member history.
The current line-up of the band consists of vocalist and lyricist Toren Atkinson, guitarist Warren Banks, bassist Mario Nueva, drummer Jordan Pratt (former drummer for the band Mystery Machine), and backup vocalist Merrick Atkinson.
Outside of the band, Toren Atkinson is also an artist, having illustrated books for role-playing games including Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, as well as the Lovecraft-inspired collectible card game Mythos. Warren Banks and Toren Atkinson also co-wrote (along with contributions by John Tynes and Monte Cook) the roleplaying game Spaceship Zero, published by Green Ronin Publishing.
Ride The Flying Polyp
The Darkest of The Hillside Thickets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just the kind of night they would appear
I hear them coming, a windstorm is drumming,
Whipping me into crescendos of fear!
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide!
Why am I here, anyway?
Loom like colossi; I’m under their sway!
Want me to ride it, but I’m undecided--
What if it blows off my skin on the way?
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide!
Why did I even show up?
They’re gonna make me ride, I don’t feel right inside,
Oh, why in God’s name did I come to this place anyway?
(they're gonna make me ride)
(they're gonna make me ride)
(they're gonna make me ride)
(they're gonna make me ride)
(they're gonna make me ride)
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide!
Well thank God it’s Friday, 'cause
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide--
Tomorrow’s my day off, hooray!
The Darkest of The Hillside Thickets's song Ride The Flying Polyp describes the fear and dread that the singer feels in the midst of an approaching storm. The lyrics indicate a ghostly or ominous presence that is suggested to be polyps- flying creatures with tentacles. The singer is anxious and unsure why they have come to this place, which only exacerbates their fears. As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly afraid of the polyps, who are said to have immense powers that come from the black basalt towers. The polyps are pushing the singer to ride a flying polyp tide, but they cannot make up their mind about whether to do it. Despite this, the singer seems resigned to the fact that they will ultimately have to face these creatures.
The lyrics can be interpreted as a metaphor for facing one's fears, particularly when they are uncertain about what lies ahead. The fear of the unknown is palpable in the song, as well as the terrifying prospect of being overtaken by a force beyond control. The song Ride The Flying Polyp ultimately speaks about the struggle to address what terrifies us and the courage it takes to confront it.
Line by Line Meaning
It's getting foggy, which adds to the spookiness
The fog is making the atmosphere scarier
It's just the kind of night they would appear
This is the perfect night for the creatures to come out
I hear them coming, a windstorm is drumming, Whipping me into crescendos of fear!
The singer can hear them coming and the wind is freaking them out
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide! Why am I here, anyway?
The creatures are going to force the artist to ride the flying polyp and they are questioning why they even came to this place
Piping their powers from black basalt towers Loom like colossi; I’m under their sway!
The creatures are using powers from their towers to control the artist
Want me to ride it, but I’m undecided-- What if it blows off my skin on the way?
The creatures want the singer to ride the polyp but they are unsure and afraid for their safety
(they're gonna make me ride) x5
Repeating the phrase to emphasize that the creatures are going to force the singer to ride the polyp
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide! Well thank God it’s Friday, 'cause
The creatures are still going to make the artist ride the polyp but they are glad it's Friday and they will have a day off tomorrow
They’re gonna make me ride this flying polyp tide-- Tomorrow’s my day off, hooray!
The creatures are still going to make the artist ride the polyp but they are happy because they have a day off tomorrow
Contributed by Gabriel I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.