Kuebler first surfaced as a member of the Baltimore indie crew Roads to Space Travel, which released a couple of records on the Amish label as well as a 7" through Washington, D.C.'s DeSoto. When the band dissolved, Kuebler began to assemble what would become the Oranges Band: ex-Wrong Button drummer Dave Voyles, guitarists Daniel Black and Virat Shukla, and bassist Tim Johnston, who had played guitar in Brickhead.
The Oranges Band debuted in April 2000 with The Five Dollars EP on Morphius, and almost immediately began touring. It was a conscious choice; idealistically, the band members believed in the immediacy and momentary grace of music, and felt that touring was the best way to access that.
A year later, another EP appeared on Morphius, Nine Hundred Miles of Fucking Hell. Around this point Kuebler fit in a collaboration and tour with Baltimore's punk combo The Thumbs. As the Oranges Band focused on writing and practicing new songs for an eventual full-length, Kuebler left again, this time as the touring bassist for the Austin, TX-based Spoon. The Oranges Band finally finished a round of demos in April 2002, which caught the ear of Lookout! Records, which quickly snapped them up. An introductory EP for Lookout! entitled On TV appeared in late 2002; the debut full-length All Around followed in April 2003, The World and Everything In It in 2005. Shortly after, Tim Johnston left the group and Faye Malarkey formerly of Sick Sick Birds stepped in on bass.
In 2008, with a new lineup that included Patrick Martin on bass and guest guitarist Doug Gillard, the band released their third full length The Oranges Band are Invisible.
All Around
The Oranges Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see these bricks on the ground
Every day
I thought I heard him say "we are lost"
Don't try to change the course
'Cause on the sea, it's only you and me
And we're drowning down
Without a sound
I will be erased
The Oranges Band's song 'All Around' is a melancholic reflection on loss and hopelessness. The singer sees bricks scattered on the ground, which could symbolize the crumbling of something once solid and stable. They hear someone say "we are lost," which echoes their own feelings of being adrift without direction. The line "Don't try to change the course" suggests a sense of resignation and powerlessness in the face of their situation. The image of drowning without a sound or a trace adds to the sense of despair and desperation. The final line "I will be erased" indicates a desire to disappear or be forgotten, possibly as a way to escape the pain of their circumstances.
Overall, the song creates a haunting and atmospheric mood that captures the feeling of being lost and alone. The lyrics use vivid imagery to convey a sense of disorientation and hopelessness, while the music is spare and haunting, adding to the overall feeling of melancholy.
Line by Line Meaning
All around
Everywhere I look
I see these bricks on the ground
I notice these obstacles in my path
Every day
Consistently and routinely
I thought I heard him say 'we are lost'
I believed someone indicated we were directionless
Don't try to change the course
Do not attempt to alter the predetermined path
'Cause on the sea, it's only you and me
As we drift at sea, we are the only ones here
And we're drowning down
We are sinking deeper and struggling to stay afloat
Without a sound
Silently and unnoticed
And without a trace
Disappearing completely
I will be erased
I will vanish and be forgotten
Contributed by Connor N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.