The original lineup consisting of Kody Templeman, Zack Rawhauser, Cory Laurence, and Tim (Timmy V) O'Hara as a four-piece only recorded the first 7",I Lost My Marbles, produced by Joe King of The Queers for his More Bounce to the Ounce compilation. The band continued as a three-piece after Zack quit.
Their first full-length album, titled Shit Out of Luck, was released on Clearview Records in 1996. Following the release of their first album the band changed their lyrical focus. In 1999 they went into the studio with producer-engineer Mass Giorgini to record a new LP. This was done with the band's own money, and without the benefit of a record label. The result was Death By Television, an album that took sci-fi movie-themed songs such as War Of The Worlds and Invasion Of The Saucermen and combined them with tracks that made references to other retro themes, such as X-Ray Specs. The recordings instantly created a buzz. Successful label Fat Wreck Chords offered to release the album, but the band had already accepted an offer of Panic Button Records, an imprint of influential punk label Lookout! Records that was overseen by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel fame.
The band spent the next two years touring heavily within the punk scene and disbanded after teaming with Giorgini for their final Panic Button/Lookout! release, the spy-themed LP The Backchannel Broadcast, which was released in February, 2001. The album included the song Wait It Out, written by Ben Weasel and later re-recorded by The Riverdales for their record Phase Three.
John Jughead (of Screeching Weasel and Even in Blackouts) filled in as second guitar on many tour stops on the Death by Television and Backchannel tours. Other notable appearances on these tours include Ben Weasel (at The Fireside in Chicago, his first stage appearance since 1995), and Lurch Nobody. Timmy V left the band after Death by Television and was replaced by Austin, Texas drummer Scott.
Red Scare Industries reissued Death By Television (remastered) and Backchannel Broadcast in 2005.
The band split for a few years before reuniting with all original members to release an album, [album artist=the lillingtonsThe Too Late Show in 2006, with no plans on reuniting for a tour to support due to the members' other commitments.
In 2017 they released an album [album artist=the lillingtons]Stella Sapiente.
Frontman Templeman is currently a member of Laramie, Wyoming pop punk band Teenage Bottlerocket.
Drummer Timmy V is currently playing as a hired hand with Albuquerque, New Mexico all girl three-piece The Eyeliners, and plays drums in his own project Stabbed in Back, with a hardcore/punk album entitled A Portrait of Noise.
Zodiac
The Lillingtons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An eclipse sun is on the rise
Feel the wrath of every ray
As you are swiftly cast away
Sometimes, at night their screams are turned to fog
As they gather around the demagogue
Battle the night, the wind was oh so cold
Sometimes, at night their screams are turned to fog
This night will be their epilogue
They light their torches and they all descend
This is how the trial [world] will end
The Lillingtons' song Zodiac tells a story that takes place in London in 1935, when an eclipse sun is rising, and every ray of it carries a certain wrath that swiftly casts people away. The lyrics create an eerie atmosphere and suggest that something sinister and ominous is about to happen. The song describes a gathering of people around a demagogue, who seems to be their leader. The lyrics imply that the demagogue's followers scream at night, and their screams turn to fog, highlighting the mysterious and supernatural nature of the events that are taking place.
The lyrics of Zodiac are cryptic and open-ended, but they seemingly describe how the chosen variable is now under control. The lyrics suggest that something dangerous and unpredictable has been tamed and brought under control, but the cost may be high. The final lyrics suggest that the trial, or perhaps the world itself, is coming to an end. The overall meaning of the song remains somewhat ambiguous, but the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a world where supernatural forces and dangerous cults are at work.
Line by Line Meaning
London, 1935
The time and place where the story of the song unfolds.
An eclipse sun is on the rise
An ominous and foreboding sign that something bad is about to happen.
Feel the wrath of every ray
The intense and harmful effects of the sun's rays serve as a metaphor for the danger that is approaching.
As you are swiftly cast away
The sense of being abandoned or left to fend for oneself in the face of an impending disaster.
Sometimes, at night their screams are turned to fog
The confusion and terror in the midst of chaos is so intense that it feels like all reality is dissolving and turning into a dense fog.
As they gather around the demagogue
The dangerous figure at the center of the chaos who has the power to control and manipulate the crowd.
Battle the night, the wind was oh so cold
A sense of struggle and resistance in the midst of a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Now, the chosen variable's controlled
The ominous feeling that the outcome of the situation is predetermined and that the characters are powerless to stop it.
This night will be their epilogue
The sense that the events of this night will mark the end of a particular era or story.
They light their torches and they all descend
The terrifying image of a mob descending upon their target, consumed by rage and blinded by their desire for justice.
This is how the trial [world] will end
The sense that justice, or at least a form of it, will ultimately be served in the wake of the chaos and violence.
Contributed by Daniel S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
woodmum guitar
Another great song friends!! Great sound!! Love it!!!
Barry Chuckle
Incredible album from start to finish. Incredible.
Kev Bouchet
Can't wait for the upcoming album!! 🙌
Outspoken Cat Lover
Love this band.
Andy Krahling
Shows growth...melodically I love this
Outspoken Cat Lover
Love Kody's voice
Simon Ramone
loving this one for sure :D
Martin Jenkins
Bloody great!
atrus445
Its cool to see a local band get kinda big.
w00tdogg's Laboratory
I like this new stuff but it's also a hard shift towards a metal sound. Regardless, I'm just glad there's new Lillingtons music.