1. an indie folk ba… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three bands called The Dodos.
1. an indie folk band from San Francisco, CA, United States, formed in 2005
2. a short-lived British punk/rock band that evolved out of Swansea punk band The Urge in 1979
3. a short-lived British rock band that relelased one single in 1967
1. The Dodos are an indie folk band from San Francisco, CA, United States, formed in 2005. Almost all of their albums (except the very first one) are credited to Dodos (without 'The'), but they made their recording début as The Dodos and are listed as such on streaming platforms, which is why most of their scrobbles end up here. The Dodos is the preferred spelling. The band has two core members: Meric Long (vocals, guitar) and Logan Kroeber (drums). They have released eight studio albums since mid-2006: Beware of the Maniacs (2006), Visiter (2008), Time to Die (2009), No Color (2011), Carrier (2013), Individ (2015), Certainty Waves (2018) and Grizzly Peak (2021).
2. Having evolved in late 1979 out of Swansea punk band The Urge, The Dodos were named after the ephedrine-laced asthma tablets, consisting of Dickie Evans (vocals), Phil Roberts (guitar), Anthony Reed (bass) and Steve 'Gagsy' Garland (drums). They contributed a song (1981's 'Blind To Fiction') to a rare compilation called Sex, Violence and the Eternal Truth.
3. The Dodos were a very short-lived British rock band of the late 1960s. They released just one single: 'I Made Up My Mind' b/w 'Can't Make It Out' (Polydor, 1967). Both sides were penned by the band's main songwriter, Alan Hawkshaw.
Troll Nacht
The Dodos Lyrics
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out on the streets and in my head,
the piccolos are in this band,
with you and me just lying and,
saying "I'll wait",
saying "always"
To have the chance to be so kind,
is getting rare and often times,
it seems to scare the wandering eye,
looking always,
saying "I'll wait"
This convalesce it is broke,
comforts the test letting go,
you snare the game of our heart,
but you went nacht
So please stow this heart,
it's cold, it's hard,
I wandered off under the news,
the bezzle town on troll abuse,
just thinking of some name I knew,
without a sense of self to use,
saying "I'll wait"
saying "always"
And offer come, as soon as I,
knew who it was who wasn't mine,
you had convinced me of the white,
and so I left myself behind,
saying "I'll wait"
saying "always"
The lyrics of The Dodos' song Troll Nacht seem to speak about the struggles of waiting for something or someone that may never come. The opening lines of the song convey the feeling of being trapped in a drumbeat that won't stop, both in the physical world and in one's own thoughts. The piccolos are mentioned not only as an instrument in the band but also as a metaphor for the high-pitched noise that's always present in the background. The singer of the song is lying down with someone else, waiting, and repeating the words "I'll wait" and "always" as if they were trying to convince themselves that this waiting will eventually pay off.
The second verse talks about the rarity of being kind to someone who doesn't mind, and how it's something that should be cherished but often is taken for granted. The phrase "the wandering eye" is used to describe the feeling of always searching for something better or different, instead of appreciating what's in front of you. The chorus repeats the words "I'll wait" and "always," which suggests that the singer is confident that their waiting will be rewarded, even though the outcome seems uncertain.
The final verse seems to speak about the singer's sense of detachment and loss of identity. They mention "the bezzle town on troll abuse," which can be interpreted as feeling overwhelmed by the chaos and negativity around them. The singer is thinking about someone they used to know, but they can't connect with their own sense of self. When an opportunity finally comes to them, they're already convinced of the outcome, and they leave themselves behind in the process. The song ends with the repeated phrase "saying I'll wait, saying always," which suggests that the waiting will continue despite the loss of self.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been three days of drums and snares,
The noise from outside and inside my head has been relentless for three days.
out on the streets and in my head,
I can hear the sound of drums and snares on the streets as well as in my head.
the piccolos are in this band,
The piccolos are part of this loud and chaotic music.
with you and me just lying and,
We are just lying down and listening to the noise together.
saying "I'll wait",
We are waiting for something, perhaps for the noise to stop.
saying "always"
We are committed to waiting for whatever it is we're waiting for, even if it takes a long time.
To have the chance to be so kind,
It's becoming rare to have the opportunity to be truly kind to someone.
to someone else who doesn't mind,
When we do have the chance to be kind, it's often to someone who doesn't appreciate it.
is getting rare and often times,
The opportunity to show genuine kindness is becoming less frequent.
it seems to scare the wandering eye,
People are wary of genuine kindness and may even be afraid of it.
looking always,
People are always on the lookout for danger or something to be afraid of.
saying "I'll wait"
People are hesitant to accept kindness, even if it's genuine.
This convalesce it is broke,
The process of healing is no longer working like it used to.
comforts the test letting go,
It's hard to let go of the things that are comforting, even when they're not good for us.
you snare the game of our heart,
Someone has played with our emotions and captured our hearts.
but you went nacht
But in the end, the person left us behind and disappeared.
So please stow this heart,
We need to protect ourselves and keep our hearts safe.
it's cold, it's hard,
We've closed ourselves off to protect our hearts, but that makes them cold and hard.
I wandered off under the news,
I let myself get distracted by something else.
the bezzle town on troll abuse,
The world is full of people who take pleasure in hurting others.
just thinking of some name I knew,
I'm distracted by memories of someone I used to know.
without a sense of self to use,
I feel lost and confused, without a clear sense of who I am.
saying "I'll wait"
Despite feeling lost and confused, I'm still willing to wait for something to change.
saying "always"
No matter how long it takes, I'm committed to waiting for things to get better.
And offer come, as soon as I,
Suddenly, an offer comes my way.
knew who it was who wasn't mine,
Once I realize that the offer isn't what I want, I turn it down.
you had convinced me of the white,
Someone had convinced me that something was good for me, but I now realize it's not.
and so I left myself behind,
I sacrifice my own needs and wants to pursue something that's not good for me.
saying "I'll wait"
Even though I've made a mistake, I'm still waiting for things to get better.
saying "always"
I'll never give up hope that things will improve.
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.