The Depreciation Guild (2005-2010) was a dreampop band from Brooklyn, New Y… Read Full Bio ↴The Depreciation Guild (2005-2010) was a dreampop band from Brooklyn, New York, United States. Recognized as much for their unexpected arrangements as for their unique blend of gauzy guitars and Nintendo Famicom programming, The Depreciation Guild developed somewhat of a cult following in their five years in existence.

Originally a vehicle of songwriter / producer Kurt Feldman, the band's first recorded output was Nautilus, an EP made available for free download through New York netlabel 8bitpeoples in 2006. After recruiting Akira Hashizume as second guitarist, the group went on to record their first LP, In Her Gentle Jaws, which was released as a free download from their website in December of 2007. This album was self-engineered in New York and mixed by Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv, Sons Of Magdalene) in Chicago, Illinois. Hashizume left the band in 2007 and was replaced by guitarist Christoph Hochheim. Anton Hochheim joined the band in 2008 as drummer.

In 2009, the trio signed to Kanine Records who released the remainder of their recorded work: two singles, Dream About Me (June 2009) and Blue Lily (September 2010) as well as their second full-length album, Spirit Youth (May 2010) which was also engineered, mixed and produced by Joshua Eustis. A limited edition vinyl reissue of the now deleted In Her Gentle Jaws album was released in 2009 as well. Depreciation Guild's second and final album, Spirit Youth, aimed to broaden the group's sonic palette, emphasizing pop hooks over gimmick and adding layers of live instrumentation to their already lush sound. To accommodate this, Raphael Radna joined the band on live bass guitar and keyboard.

After touring extensively in Europe, the United States and Japan in 2009 and 2010, the band amicably split to pursue other musical endeavors.

In August of 2010, the band released an original iPhone puzzle game called TileWild as a collaboration between Kurt Feldman and programmer Hayden Cacace, which featured three new compositions written for the game. While the band is currently defunct, Depreciation Guild, Inc. continues to develop games for the iPhone OS.

On August 3, 2013, The Depreciation Guild's original line-up of Kurt Feldman and Akira Hashizume reunited for a one-night show at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, where the duo played In Her Gentle Jaws in its entirety. There are currently no plans for additional shows or a new record.

Currently, Kurt writes and produces music for his synthpop project Ice Choir. He has also played drums in The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, and has done production work for bands like Anamanaguchi and Roman à Clef. Christoph is a touring guitarist for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and has his own project, Ablebody; Anton is also a touring member of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Ablebody, and has also played drums in the Brooklyn-based experimental rock band Dinowalrus. Raphael is currently a member of Ice Choir, in which he plays synthesizer.

Crucify You
The Depreciation Guild Lyrics

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we were always meant to be
and even if you disagree
you could never get away
with your arm chained to the gate

sometimes i can't control the things i do
but you know i only want the best for you
is it too much to ask to hear you say?

i will not defy you

and if something goes awry
i'll forgive you love, in time
there's no secret you can't keep
there's no cut that is too deep

sometimes i can't control the things i do
but you know i only want the best for you
and if i should find that you could ever stray
i would crucify you

oh, and i will run you through
to show i care, to long for you
promises i'll hold you to
and you to me, an eye to you

oh, and i will run you through
to show i care, to long for you
promises i'll hold you to
and you to me, i'm watching you

sometimes i can't control the things i do
but you know i only want the best for you

somehow you never seem to go my way, hey hey
so i must crucify you

Overall Meaning

The Depreciation Guild's song "Crucify You" is a haunting and somewhat troubling exploration of a possessive, jealous love. The lyrics speak to the idea that the two lovers were always meant to be together, even if one of them doesn't see it that way. The singer seems frustrated by the other's reluctance to fully commit, and intimates that they will never be able to escape their love, no matter how hard they try or what they do.

The repeated line "sometimes I can't control the things I do, but you know I only want the best for you" is particularly chilling in its implications. It suggests that the singer's love is so all-consuming that they may be prone to doing things that are not necessarily in the other person's best interest, but that they justify it by saying that they are doing it for them. The line "I would crucify you" is particularly unsettling, as it implies that the singer would do almost anything to keep the other person from leaving them.

The overall effect of the song is one of unease and discomfort. It speaks to a kind of love that is possessive and consuming, and suggests that the person who feels it may be willing to go to extreme lengths to keep the other person in their life. It is a poignant reminder that not all love is healthy, and that sometimes the most dangerous things are the ones we feel most strongly.

Line by Line Meaning

we were always meant to be
We were destined to be together

and even if you disagree
Even if you don't agree with me

you could never get away
You can never escape from me

with your arm chained to the gate
You are trapped, unable to leave

sometimes i can't control the things i do
I lose control of my actions sometimes

but you know i only want the best for you
But my intention is always for your good

is it too much to ask to hear you say?
Can't you just tell me what I want to hear?

i will not defy you
I won't go against your wishes

and if something goes awry
And if something goes wrong

i'll forgive you love, in time
I'll forgive you eventually, my love

there's no secret you can't keep
You can keep any secret from me