The band would perform with various line-ups under their new name The Dignity of Labour starting in 1985. Taylor moved to California in mid 1989 and TDOL became a project under his direction, occasionally performing live with supporting musicians but generally existing in the studio amidst a cache of electronics.
In 1992, TDOL released the album Tired Hands, a collection of vocal ballads and instrumentals written over the previous five years. The album was originally released on cassette in limited quantities, but was re-released on CD in 1994 with four additional tracks. The release garnered some regional success, including an enticing offer by talent scouts Barefield and Vierra, and inclusion of the track La Belle Le Anna on a syndicated compilation disc. Taylor knew his future lay in electronic pop music.
By 1994, Taylor had moved to Denver, Colorado, where he began work on the second TDOL album, Belief. The basic tracks were recorded in Taylor's studio then mixed and mastered at Colorado Sound Studios. Belief was released in December 1997 through international distributor Joe's Grille and was available from various record stores in Colorado. The album was also sent to several labels that cater to electronic musicians. Despite favorable reviews praising TDOL for its accurate depiction of 80's-style electronic synthpop, TDOL decided not to actively promote the release through club gigs or radio airplay. Nevertheless, the tracks Shores of Eternity and Echoes caught the attention of a major record label in Europe.
Fast-forward to August 2002. Taylor submitted a post to a musician's mailing list, asking if anyone would be interested in producing/engineering the next TDOL album. He received several offers, including one from Colin Mansfield, a veteran jack-of-all-trades from St. Paul, Minnnesota. After a few weeks of e-mails and song-swapping, they decided it would be a great idea to work together. Given that Colin had a lot of experience in ambient music, Taylor was excited to see how these songs would come together. In March 2003 he spent a week in St. Paul with Colin and engineer Bob Cain at Ambient Sound, recording the first handful of demos for the new album. Response from those close to Taylor encouraged him to submit the tracks to several independent electronic-based labels in the US and Europe. Among those who responded with contract offers was synthpop label kingpin, A Different Drum, who offered him a one-single/one album deal. In June 2004, ADD released the debut single XRV to critical acclaim.
Taylor recently completed his third album. This self-titled effort explores further the mix of incisive lyrics and techno beats. Here, TDOL ventures into foreign territory, voicing the third person in some instances, disguising the song's identity through allusions to science and technology, while pushing the emotional envelope. The album was released in September 2005.
Satellite
The Dignity of Labour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No distortion or imperfect harmony
But today I stand, staring at the sun
Ever blinded by celestial naivety
A message sent, and no reply
Did you receive the last transmission Loud and clear?
I'm standing by
Communicate conditions
Occupy this common frequency
And save me from uncertainty
I can feel your absence, cold like steel
Twisting gently from a distant place
As the stages fall away, reveal
Every question, every disappointed face
A signal flare into the sky
And it was bright enough for anyone to see
How did it die
Without a hope, without a possibility?
My satellite in silence
Orbiting where no one can relate
Is this the disconnection date?
Waiting for the distant star to fall
No telescope, no ship to fly
And I have nothing left but virtuality
The naked eye
Can never justify with objectivity
Reception interrupted
Images dissolve upon the screen
What does it mean?
Detection fading with pure ambiguity
Don't dignify
This is goodbye
The Dignity of Labour's song "Satellite" is about communication breakdown and isolation in the contemporary world. The song describes the Singer's feeling of loneliness, as they are staring at the sun, imagining the audience from yesterday. The singer sends a message hoping for a reply but receives no response, unsure if the message was received but assumes that it wasn’t. The lyrics of the song evoke feelings of isolation and disappointment, the way technology distances people and the longing for connection. The singer expresses utter frustration at the absence of a reply or any signal from the addressee. The verse 'My satellite in silence, orbiting where no one can relate, is this the disconnection date?' encapsulates the loneliness and isolation the singer feels.
The chorus 'Waiting for the distant star to fall' symbolizes the singer's longing for the restoration of the communication link that has been broken. The singer desires a reconnection, but it seems futile without knowing the conditions of the addressee. The song in its entirety is a melancholic representation of how tech disconnected the world can be, despite the ability to create instant communication between individuals on opposite sides of the globe.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday an audience of one
In the past, only one person paid attention to me
No distortion or imperfect harmony
There were no problems or conflicts in that attention
But today I stand, staring at the sun
But now I am trying to achieve something great
Ever blinded by celestial naivety
I am hopeful, but not fully aware of the challenges ahead
A message sent, and no reply
I have tried to communicate, but received no response
Did you receive the last transmission Loud and clear?
Did you understand my message clearly?
I'm standing by
I am waiting to hear back
Just waiting for a sign beyond this atmosphere
I am hoping for a response from a different world
Communicate conditions
Tell me what it's like where you are
Occupy this common frequency
Let's use the same channel to communicate
And save me from uncertainty
Give me some clarity
I can feel your absence, cold like steel
I feel your absence deeply and painfully
Twisting gently from a distant place
It's like a twisting knife coming from far away
As the stages fall away, reveal
As time passes, my disappointments become more apparent
Every question, every disappointed face
I'm left with questions and a sense of defeat
A signal flare into the sky
I am sending a signal out into the universe
And it was bright enough for anyone to see
It was a strong and undeniable message
How did it die
Why didn't it work?
Without a hope, without a possibility?
With no chance of success
My satellite in silence
My message has gone unheard
Orbiting where no one can relate
I am alone in my quest
Is this the disconnection date?
Is this where our communication ends?
Waiting for the distant star to fall
Hoping for something amazing to happen
No telescope, no ship to fly
I don't have the tools or resources to reach my goal
And I have nothing left but virtuality
All I have is my virtual world
The naked eye
Without any lenses or screens
Can never justify with objectivity
Can't give a clear or unbiased view
Reception interrupted
Our communication has been disrupted
Images dissolve upon the screen
I am losing my connection and my message is fading away
What does it mean?
What is happening?
Detection fading with pure ambiguity
I am losing any sense of what is happening
Don't dignify
Don't try to make this sound better than it is
This is goodbye
Our communication is over
Contributed by Ella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.