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.
Mechanized
The Pastels Lyrics
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No-one's inside
There's no keeper
So your paint in stripes
Flakes softly
To the ground
Send your beam
With your comrades
In the night you're not
So lonesome as the day
The Pastels' song Mechanized is a poignant reflection on loneliness and detachment in contemporary society as the song talks about mechanization and the absence of human presence. The song has a melancholic tone as the writer describes an empty machine, devoid of human life. He describes the machine as striped and painted, floating in the sea all alone with no one else there. The flakes of paint on the surface of the machine gently fall to the ground. The mechanical device is devoid of emotion, a mere shell with no soul, no heartbeat.
In the second verse, the writer describes sending his beam to float the sea with his comrades. The tone has shifted to a more hopeful one as he recognizes that in the company of others, he no longer feels the same level of loneliness. In the night, he has companions sharing the experience, making the darkness less intimidating. The contrast between the day and night is profound. The night brings camaraderie, a shared experience, and the chance to be something more than just a machine.
In conclusion, The Pastels' song Mechanized presents a powerful commentary on the impact of mechanization and loneliness in modern society. The lyrics convey a sense of detachment and isolation, which is only conquered by companionship and shared experiences. The song highlights the importance of human connection, shared experiences, and the need for empathy in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Mechanised
Automated and lifeless as there's no human inside the machinery
No-one's inside
There is no human presence or life in the equipment
There's no keeper
The machinery functions without any supervision or control
So your paint in stripes
The paint of the machinery peels off in patterns
Flakes softly
The flakes of peeled off paint fall gently and quietly
Send your beam
Direct your light or signal
To float the sea
Send the signal over the ocean
With your comrades
Along with other machines
In the night you're not
During the nighttime the machines don't feel
So lonesome as the day
As isolated and alone as during the day
Contributed by Julia J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.