Ambition was never the Pastels' strong suit, and luck was rarely on their side; as the group's members -- now including bassist Martin Hayward and drummer Bernice Simpson -- devoted their primary focus to their studies, new music appeared only sporadically and to little notice, on a seemingly random series of labels. After 1983's "I Wonder Why" was released on Rough Trade, they moved to Creation, where they hit their stride with the 1984 drone-pop gems "Something's Going On" and "A Million Tears." After one further single, 1985's "I'm Alright with You," the Pastels split with Creation, moving to the tiny Glass label. In 1986, their track "Breaking Lines" appeared on the influential C-86 collection assembled by the New Music Express, transforming the anorak movement into an overnight media sensation quickly accompanied by intense critical backlash.
Regardless of prevailing musical trends, however, the Pastels soldiered on: after recruiting one-time Shop Assistants keyboardist Aggi Wright, they recorded the 1986 single "Truck Train Tractor," followed by Crawl Babies and Comin' Through. Finally, in 1987 the group found time to assemble an LP, Up for a Bit with the Pastels, followed in 1988 by Suck on the Pastels, a collection of unreleased Creation-era material. In 1989, former Vaselines frontman Eugene Kelly and ex-Shop Assistant David Keegan joined the fold for Sittin' Pretty, the final LP to include Superstar, Hayward, and Simpson. The remaining duo of Pastel and Wright expanded to include Katrina Mitchell for the 1991 collaboration Jad Fair and the Pastels, followed by the 1994 EP Olympic World of Pastelism. Their third album, Mobile Safari, was released in 1995 by Domino in the U.K. (which began a long-running alliance) and Up Records in the U.S. It featured a lineup including longtime band associates Norman Blake and Gerald Love (both from Teenage Fanclub) and ex-Shop Assistant guitarist David Keegan, and a guest appearance from Luna's Dean Wareham.
Their next album, 1997's Illumination, was issued by the same configuration of record labels and featured a similar lineup, only with the addition of guitarist Jonathan Kilgour and guest shots from Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell and pianist Bill Wells. A remix album, Illuminati, was released in 1998 and featured reworks of tracks by Kevin Shields, Stereolab, Cornelius, and other A-list indie rockers. This burst of recognition and activity was derailed when Wright decided to leave the band in 1998, throwing Mitchell and Pastel into a spin. Instead of jumping back into making music right away, the band went on hiatus while figuring things out. The duo next formed Geographic Records in 2000 as an offshoot of Domino, and began releasing records by friends (Future Pilot AKA, International Airport) and obscure acts (Nagisa Ni Te, Maher Shalal Hash Baz.) The band reappeared at last in 2003 with the mostly instrumental soundtrack for the film The Last Great Wilderness. The album was produced by the Sea and Cake's John McEntire and featured International Airport's Tom Crossley along with a vocal feature for Jarvis Cocker. A friendship with Japanese band Tenniscoats led to their next release, 2009's collaborative effort Two Sunsets. The core band was expanded to include Crossley and Mitchell's sister Alison, with Love still there, too. With the record label slowing its pace and releasing one album a year, the band turned toward recording an album of their own, and in 2013 their fifth record, Slow Summits, was released. McEntire was again in the producer's chair and guitarist John Hogarty had joined the ranks. Also on board as guests were To Rococo Rot's Stefan Schneider and Robert Lippok, as well as Norman Blake (again), and original bandmember Annabel Wright. (c)Jason Ankeny
2) An American 50s pop group formed by Dee Irwin while he was serving in the military. Consisted of DiFosco "Dee" T. Ervin Jr. himself, Richard Travis, Tony Thomas and Jimmy Willingham. They toured widely until splitting up in 1959.
Attic Plan
The Pastels Lyrics
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There's a curfew, we'll kiss and disappear
Into a floating system
Where there's nobody
Listening just the air
When there's too much fuss
It comes right down to us
Tonight, it seems to be our fate
To take a starlight ride through the cityscape
Do you like it when it's late?
Sometimes lives just come together
And in that moment
Everything else is peripheral
And we won't have to
Listen to those tiny punks bitching
Resting, resign
We've seen the sign
It's midnight and I miss you
No, it's midnight and I'll kiss you
From an emptying bar to the serenity of the stars
I know where we are
Past the tennis courts
And the tree lined roads
Where the street lit leaves
Sway in the breeze
Sway with me on a night like this
Let's kiss and disappear
The Pastels's song Attic Plan is a romantic dream-like song that describes a midnight adventure of two lovers who escape the curfew and the bustling city to experience the serenity of the night sky. The lyrics present a sense of freedom and elation and convey the feeling of being absolutely in the moment. The opening verse reveals the curfew, which creates a sense of urgency, and proposes that the two lovers will disappear into a floating system, where nobody is present. The idea of a floating system could be interpreted as an abstract place where they can be together alone, as if time is standing still.
The next verse highlights the importance of solitude and the freedom it brings, while the chorus takes the narrative to a new level as the two lovers take in the sights of the cityscape. The lyrics suggest the lovers are on a night-time joyride and asks the question if the partner enjoys these spontaneous moments. The bridge amplifies the romantic element, displaying how sometimes lives just come together, and in that moment, everything else becomes irrelevant. The final verse describes the route the two lovers take to escape to the quietness of the stars, where they can sway to the rhythm of the night.
Overall, Attic Plan beautifully captures the essence of freedom and spontaneity and represents the importance of taking time to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The lyrics provide an insight into the couples' interaction and show how the lovers take pleasure in their spontaneous moment.
Line by Line Meaning
It's midnight 'round about here
It is midnight in this area.
There's a curfew, we'll kiss and disappear
Because of the curfew, we will kiss and leave quickly.
Into a floating system
We will enter a system or a way of living that feels like we are floating, without any specific direction or rules to follow.
Where there's nobody
This floating system is a place where there is nobody else around.
Listening just the air
We are listening to the sounds that the air makes.
When there's too much fuss
In times of chaos or confusion,
It comes right down to us
we can always count on ourselves to handle it.
And I do declare, we got the flair
I confidently declare that we have the talent and confidence to handle anything that comes our way.
Tonight, it seems to be our fate
It feels like it is destined for us to do something special tonight.
To take a starlight ride through the cityscape
We will ride through the city under the night sky, with the stars shining above us.
Do you like it when it's late?
Do you enjoy staying up late at night?
Sometimes lives just come together
Sometimes things in life just align perfectly.
And in that moment
During that time,
Everything else is peripheral
All other things become less important or are ignored.
And we won't have to
We will not be required to or feel obligated to
Listen to those tiny punks bitching
Listen to those insignificant people complaining.
Resting, resign
We can relax and be at peace with the situation.
We've seen the sign
We understand and know what's happening.
It's midnight and I miss you
It is now midnight, and I am missing you.
No, it's midnight and I'll kiss you
Actually, it is midnight and I will kiss you.
From an emptying bar to the serenity of the stars
We will move from a bar that's about to close to the peacefulness of looking at stars in the sky.
I know where we are
I am aware of our location or position.
Past the tennis courts
We recently passed by the tennis courts.
And the tree lined roads
We are on roads that have trees on either side.
Where the street lit leaves
The leaves on the trees are being lit up by the streetlights.
Sway in the breeze
The leaves are moving gently because of the wind.
Sway with me on a night like this
Dance and move along with me on a night like this.
Let's kiss and disappear
Let's kiss and leave quickly, as we did earlier.
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.