Keeping the trains chugging in Terminus Station (currently known as Atlanta, GA) the steampunk-themed and attired Extraordinary Contraptions blend motown-funk bass grooves with a driving guitar, chaotic drums, engagingly playful keys and accordion, and three part vocal harmonies to create their unstuck-in-space-time, steam-powered, danceable sound. Their 2009 self-produced debut album, Inappropriate on Purpose, touches on universal themes before careening into pieces about malevolent alien invasions and failed mathematical romances. A 2010 full-length release, Scratch the Aether, delves deeper into the characters' backstory and that of their nemesis, the scurrilous Captain Thorngauge, with bombastic explorations of betrayal, defiant organs. The Contraptions toured the Midwest to support this Scratch The Aether in 2010, and toured the East Coast with Frenchy and the Punk in summer 2011.
As the steampunk movement grows, The Extraordinary Contraptions offer their quirky, guitar-driven vision of this alternate reality to people who enjoy the concepts of genre-transcendence and aggressive waltzes. Fans agree as 2012 will see the release of their 3rd album, The Time Traveler's Constant, a project whose launch was aided by the support of steam-loving supporters through Kickstarter. The Time Traveler's Constant will feature percussion by both the original drummer Corbin Able Welsh, who left the band in September 2011, and new-to-the-project Teodore Bouchard.
The Extraordinary Contraptions have performed electric and acoustic shows at many SF/F conventions, including Dragon*Con (Atlanta, GA), MomoCon (Atlanta, GA), Tsubasacon (Huntington, WV), AnachroCon (Atlanta, GA), World Steam Expo (Dearborn, MI), Marcon (Columbus, OH) and Steampunk World's Fair (Piscataway, NJ).
The band continues to be loosely affiliated, and enjoys sharing the stage with a number of the fine artists involved with the worldwide steampunk musical collective Gilded Age Records, founded by Vernian Process.
Dancer
The Extraordinary Contraptions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a glance, just a glance she rendered us all asunder
With a curious way she had us all on our knees
And with each passing breath and moan we were all begging please
Says she wants to be a dancer, all night long
I can't help but answer when she calls
I can't help it if I'm in your way, hey man,
Oh, she's had a way, had a way, and we let her
Oh, she kicks us, she beats us, oh it can't get much better
Somewhere along the way I notice something's amiss
She presents her boot and I commence to kiss it
Says she wants to be a dancer, all night long
I can't help but answer when she calls
I can't help it if I'm in your way, hey man,
Hey, but I'm a dancer too
She's had her way for far too long now
She enters the room and I, I start to bow down
Can you please explain how things ever got this way
I'll do whatever, so ever, so ever, so ever you say
Says she wants to be a dancer, all night long
I can't help but answer when she calls
I can't help it if I'm in your way, hey man,
Hey, but I'm a dancer too
The lyrics to The Extraordinary Contraptions' song "Dancer" speak to the intoxicating presence of a certain woman who commands the attention of all those around her. The opening lines describe her entrance as being akin to "rolling thunder" and her mere glance renders everyone "asunder." The singer notes her irresistible and infectious presence that left them all on their knees, begging for more. She's presented as a masterful and confident figure who knows what she wants - to dance - and she intends to do so all night long.
The lyrics take a turn when the singer notices that something's amiss, and the woman presents her boot for him to kiss. It's unclear whether this is a literal or figurative gesture, but regardless, it speaks to the idea that the woman has a kind of power over those around her, to the point where they will do whatever she wants. The singer muses that she's had her way for far too long and that he's constantly bowing down to her. He seems to be in awe of her power and is willing to do whatever she asks.
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a woman who commands attention and exudes an irresistible power, to the point where those around her are almost powerless to resist her. The central theme of the song seems to be the idea of submission and surrender in the face of someone's overwhelming presence.
Line by Line Meaning
She enters the room like a rolling thunder
She makes a grand entrance and commands attention
With a glance, just a glance she rendered us all asunder
She captivates us with just a look and leaves us completely dismantled
With a curious way she had us all on our knees
Her alluring mannerisms make us submissive and eager to please
And with each passing breath and moan we were all begging please
Her every action makes us yearn for more and beg for her attention
Says she wants to be a dancer, all night long
She desires to dance throughout the night
I can't help but answer when she calls
I can't resist her and always answer her beckoning
I can't help it if I'm in your way, hey man,
I can't control my own attraction to her even if it gets in the way of others
Hey, but I'm a dancer too
I'm also skilled in the art of dance
Oh, she's had a way, had a way, and we let her
She has had control over us and we have allowed it
Oh, she kicks us, she beats us, oh it can't get much better
She can physically dominate us and we love it
Somewhere along the way I notice something's amiss
At some point, I realize that things are not as they seem
She presents her boot and I commence to kiss it
I am so devoted to her that I begin to worship her boot
She's had her way for far too long now
Her control over us has been going on for too long
She enters the room and I, I start to bow down
I immediately show my subservience upon her arrival
Can you please explain how things ever got this way
I question how we became so submissive and obedient to her
I'll do whatever, so ever, so ever, so ever you say
I am willing to do absolutely anything she commands me to do
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Spirit's Random Vlogs
Yes, I was there this year. I try to go every year and I haven't missed since 2005 yet. I also had my dragon with me but he only played on Friday and Saturday evening. Most of Saturday I was running around as Pinkie Pie.
Alexei Ming
Were you also there this year? I can distinctly remember seeing a girl holding a dragon puppet on saturday at some point during the evening.
alphaswordrain1337
Haha! I can see myself dancing... lol
Spirit's Random Vlogs
lol you called me a little girl XD i was the girl with the dragon puppet i didn't stay long with it because my arm was about to give out doing all that puppet dancing