An excerpt from a Nettwerk Records press release, July 1996:
The roots of The Tear Garden extend back to 1983 when Cevin Key, on the verge of forming Skinny Puppy, struck up a trans-Atlantic correspondence with Edward Ka-Spel, the lead vocalist and driving force behind The Legendary Pink Dots. Three years later, Ka-Spel visited Vancouver for a series of three live performances with Key as sound technician, and during his visit, they recorded The Tear Garden's self-titled debut EP.
In 1987, Ka-Spel returned to open for Skinny Puppy on their North American tour, after which the duo retreated to the studio for two weeks to produce the now classic electronic-psychedelic album, Tired Eyes Slowly Burning. It was during these sessions that the project's ranks began to expand, with guest appearances by Key's fellow Puppies Dwayne Goettel and Nivek Ogre.
Four years later, the Garden bloomed again, this time growing well beyond the Key/Ka-Spel partnership to include not only Goettel, but a wide assortment of friends, including most of the Pink Dots. This fruitful month-long collaboration spawned two releases: an album called The Last Man To Fly, and a (very long) EP called Sheila Liked The Rodeo.
Another four years passed. Four years that saw literal and figurative deaths (the departure of both Skinny Puppy and LPD from their long-time labels; the subsequent break-up of SP; the tragic passing of Dwayne Goettel) and births (Edward's son, Calyxx; Download; Key's return to Nettwerk).
In late December, 1995, in the midst of this turbulence, The Tear Garden gathered once more, perhaps to attempt to trigger the dawn of a tranquil new era. The result was To Be An Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide, an album of fragile and powerful beauty that digs even deeper into the psychedelic underground than its predecessors, adding a range of influences from dub bass to country slide guitar, all the while retaining the dark electronic melancholy that has become the project's signature.
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Four more years passed. Tear Garden got back together in 1999 and in 2000, Crystal Mass was released. In 2001, a "best of" collection was issued by the Russian label Brudenia, Для Тех, Ҡто Прогулялся Бьі С Богами (which translates to "For Those Who Would Walk with the Gods") as well as an "outtakes" collection released by Cevin Key's Subconscious Communications label, Eye Spy with My Little Eye.
2007 saw the release of The Secret Experiment, once again on Subconscious Communications. This is from the "Vault 2" series but features new music.
Currently, Edward and cEvin wrapped up their sessions of 13 tracks, compiled into a brand new upcoming TG release, available through Subcon.
Discography
* Tired Eyes Slowly Burning (1987)
* Last Man to Fly (1992)
* Sheila Liked The Rodeo (1993)
* Bouquet of Black Orchids (1993)
* To Be an Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide (1996)
* Crystal Mass (2000)
* Eye Spy With My Little Eye (2002)
* The Secret Experiment (2007)
http://brainwashed.com/teargarden/
Hyperform
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They swallowed up the night
Cried "meltdown zero marsh of lava"
Had supersonic sight
And barriers of you and me piled 1500 high
Stacked here to here in smoking cans
We blackened out the sky
King met king we heard the bell
Flew headfirst into bunkers
Then they started out once more
And you and me were born again
As iron-plated pawns
We scorched our way through libraries
We shredded all the lawns
Til everything was rust and powder
Every stone was turned
And random programs re-arranged the areas to burn
The enemy's years ahead
He's tapped into the phone
He hides beneath the furniture
Knows all the special codes
The enemy's our destiny
He's pulling on the cord
He spits a line I spastic dive
And sell him his reward
I perform.
The Tear Garden's "Hyperform" tells a story of destruction and rebirth. The opening lines describe the venomous spiders with supersonic sight that swallow up the darkness, ushering in a new era of chaos. The chorus refers to the two opposing sides, stacking barriers and preparing for war. Despite the destruction, the lines "You and me were born again/ As iron-plated pawns" suggest that the cycle of destruction and rebirth is necessary and perhaps even inevitable. The lyrics also suggest a sense of futility, as the cycles of war and destruction continue with no clear end in sight.
The second verse describes the aftermath of the war, with everything reduced to "rust and powder" and random programs rearranging the areas to burn. The final lines describe the enemy, who is always one step ahead, hiding beneath furniture and tapping into phones. The singer performs, presumably continuing the cycle of destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Snakebite spitting spiders eyes
The singer is describing a dangerous and intense situation that he/she witnessed.
They swallowed up the night
The dangerous beings consumed everything in their path, even the darkness.
Cried "meltdown zero marsh of lava"
The beings shouted out something ominous and destructive.
Had supersonic sight
The dangerous beings had exceptional vision.
And barriers of you and me piled 1500 high
The divide between the artist and others was impossibly large.
Stacked here to here in smoking cans
The barrier was constructed out of destruction and waste materials.
We blackened out the sky
The destruction caused by the beings was so massive that it darkened the sky.
King met king we heard the bell
Two powerful forces were about to clash.
They kicked away the board
The beings did something unexpected to change the status quo.
Flew headfirst into bunkers
The beings rushed recklessly into a safe place.
Then they started out once more
After a brief respite, the danger began again.
And you and me were born again
The artist and someone else experienced a rebirth, possibly as something new.
As iron-plated pawns
The singer and someone else were now powerful but disposable pieces in someone else's game.
We scorched our way through libraries
The singer and someone else destroyed knowledge and history.
We shredded all the lawns
The singer and someone else destroyed nature and beauty.
Til everything was rust and powder
Everything was reduced to ruin and dust.
Every stone was turned
Even the most basic and solid things were completely changed.
And random programs re-arranged the areas to burn
Chaos and destruction were orchestrated by artificial means.
The enemy's years ahead
The singer and someone else were behind in the battle.
He's tapped into the phone
The enemy has access to the artist's private communication.
He hides beneath the furniture
The enemy is hiding in plain sight.
Knows all the special codes
The enemy has knowledge of the artist's secrets and methods.
The enemy's our destiny
The singer and someone else cannot avoid their fate of losing to the enemy.
He's pulling on the cord
The enemy is in control of the situation.
He spits a line I spastic dive
The enemy launches an attack and the singer reacts violently.
And sell him his reward
The singer performs an action to get a reward.
I perform.
The singer accepts their role and is ready to act.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID OGILVIE EDWARD SHARP, DWAYNE GOETTEL, KEVIN CROMPTON, MARTIJN DE KLEER, PHILIP KNIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ted L
I may eventually have to admit that this is my favourite album of all time.
Aaron Kennedy
You, Ted L, are my hero, and I would love to meet you...!
pigGRAY
How can this have so little views. Tear Garden must be for true fans.
Aaron Kennedy
Fantastic ALbum. One of the best any genre included
Christian Dunnet
My insides, speak to me, this is what music is.
Wombra
Christian Dunner (/•__•)/yussssssssss brother !!! 🙅🏻
sex6cult9revolution
You and me were born again as iron-plated pawns scorched our way through libraries, we shredded all the lawns Till everything was rust and powder - every stone was turned and random programs re-arranged the areas to burn. Epic.
Aaron Kennedy
Totally epic. This is as good as anything
Christian Dunnet
This is what music is .
Wombra
Christian Dunnet ^