The band has five members:
Thomas L. Fagerlund - Vocals, Guitar
Søren B. Corneliussen - Vocals, Guitar
Daniel Skjoldmose - Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals
Rune Pedersen - Bass, Backing vocals
Hasse Mydtskov - Drums, Backing vocals
Their sound is quite similar to some other Danish bands, such as The Figurines, Moi Caprice and Mew. Internationally, comparisons can be made to Modest Mouse, Mercury Rev, Arcade Fire and the Flaming Lips.
Three members of The Kissaway Trail (Søren, Thomas and Rune) originally recorded together under the names of ‘Hostmom’ and ‘Isles’. Isles self-released an album called "We have decided not to die" in 2005. Since then, an additional guitarist, Daniel, and drummer Hasse joined the band, while Thomas started to sing alongside Søren making the distinctive two lead-vocal sound that they have today. Various tracks from this early period of the bands history can still be downloaded from Danish music websites. The band’s musical existence very nearly ended when Søren lost his love for music after his father was killed under tragic circumstances. However, he made his own decision to start performing and recording again, and The Kissaway Trail started to create their debut album.
Their material is released in Europe (aside from Scandinavia) and Japan by Bella Union, Etch n Sketch in Australia and New Zealand, and Playground Music in Scandinavia. On their breakthrough album underground producer Morten Frank helped them in the studio.
The title of their song 61 relates to the number of days a band member had to wait to hear if their family member had a terminal illness. The member involved is kept under wraps, obviously for very personal reasons; some fans believe it is Hasse, the drummer, because he has a tattoo of the number '61' on his chest. Other sources suggest he just might have got the tattoo because, according to his own admission, 61 is his favourite song to play live.
In the Autumn of 2007, The Kissaway Trail acted as the main support for Editors on their UK and European tours, alongside Ra Ra Riot in the UK and The Boxer Rebellion in Europe.
The Kissaway Trail are renowned for their own individual slant on the English language within their lyrics.
The band have cited influences to their music include The Beach Boys, Granddaddy, Daniel Johnston and Sonic Youth, amongst others. The lack of an obvious way to describe their music has brought common comparisons between themselves and the Polyphonic Spree and Canadian band the Arcade Fire. There is some truth with these similarities.
The band have been known for their live performances, which have included songs from 'The Kissaway Trail', as well as b-sides such as 'Romeo And Romeo' and 'La Mia'. They have also performed at the Wireless, Latitude and SXSW festivals in 2007, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2008, where they supported Interpol and The National.
The band released an EP called "Into the Ocean and Rise Again" in 2006, and their debut album called "The Kissaway Trail" was released in 2007 from which 3 singles have been taken to date (Smother + Evil = Hurt, La La Song & 61
Eloquence And Elixir
The Kissaway Trail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The collapsing star
Like ships tossed in storms
A collision of red dears
Eloquence and elixir
Things that won't fix us
We emended words spoken
Fragments of her, not here
And chemicals not interacting in a new compound
Come home, Tracy come home!
Come home, Tracy come home!
Eloquence and elixir
Things that won't fix us
We emended words spoken
And lost it all that night
Eloquence and elixir
Things that won't fix us
We emended words spoken
And lost it all that night
The opening lines of The Kissaway Trail's song, "Eloquence and Elixir" paint a vivid picture of an event that captures the attention of the singer. They describe a collapsing star, ships tossed in storms, and a collision of red dears. The word "blenched" suggests that the singer is initially taken aback by the sight before them, possibly indicating that they're witnessing something extraordinary and unexpected.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the collapsing star and other images mentioned in the opening lines are metaphors for a relationship that is falling apart. The "eloquence and elixir" that the singer mentions are things that won't fix the issues at hand, which could be a lack of communication, unresolved conflicts, or other problems that have driven the couple apart. The use of the word "emended" to describe the attempts to repair the relationship further emphasizes the idea that it is damaged and in need of fixing.
The repeated call for Tracy to come home suggests that the singer is either addressing a specific person who has left or appealing to a person who represents the idea of home and security. The use of the name "Tracy" is interesting in that it is a name that could belong to either a man or a woman, leaving the gender of the person in question open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
At first I blenched
I initially reacted with shock
The collapsing star
A metaphorical image of a relationship falling apart
Like ships tossed in storms
A metaphor for the chaos and turbulence in the relationship
A collision of red dears
Another metaphor for the tumultuous nature of the relationship
Eloquence and elixir
Flowery language and alcohol as temporary fixes for the relationship
Things that won't fix us
Acknowledging that these temporary fixes are not sustainable solutions
We emended words spoken
Attempting to make amends for past mistakes in the relationship
And lost it all that night
Despite efforts to repair the relationship, it ultimately ended in a negative way
Fragments of her, not here
Memories or reminders of the past relationship linger, but the person is physically gone
And chemicals not interacting in a new compound
Despite trying to move on, it is difficult to establish new connections with other people
Come home, Tracy come home!
A plea to the person to return and try to fix the broken relationship
Contributed by Elena R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.