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/
Malice Through the Looking Glass
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't find my way back because my tracks move in spirals
to me
Now I'm up to my knees and it's freezing
I'm sinking
I'm thinking of you
and you wave as you fade away, float away
Dismembered
These fragments are glued to my sails
I'm impaled on a rock where we carved out our names
and I blew you a kiss
but I missed
and you left me like this
I fade away, float away...
The Tear Garden's song, "Malice Through the Looking Glass," has a haunting quality, starting with the opening line, "Snowblind/I can't find my way back because my tracks move in spirals to me." With this line, it seems like the singer is struggling to make sense of the path they have taken in life. It suggests a sense of being lost, perhaps unable to retrace their steps or make their way home. This sense of disorientation is further emphasized by the line "Now I'm up to my knees and it's freezing/I'm sinking," which gives a feeling of being stuck or trapped in a difficult situation.
The singer also thinks of someone they have lost, as is suggested in the line "I'm thinking of you/and you wave as you fade away, float away." The idea of someone fading or floating away suggests that this person has left the singer's life and is no longer accessible to them. The repeated phrasing of "fade away, float away" throughout the song contributes to an overall sense of loss and longing.
The final stanza speaks to a sense of being trapped, both physically and emotionally. With the line "I'm impaled on a rock where we carved out our names," the singer is clearly stuck in place, unable to move on from a past relationship. The line "and you left me like this" suggests that the singer has been abandoned or left behind. The repeated "I fade away, float away" at the end of the song underscores the sense of being adrift and lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Snowblind
Feeling lost and disoriented
I can't find my way back because my tracks move in spirals
Feeling lost with no clear direction or sense of progress
to me
Internal reflection on present state
Now I'm up to my knees and it's freezing
Feeling overwhelmed and uncomfortable in the current situation
I'm sinking
Feeling helpless and unable to escape
I'm thinking of you
Revisiting a past relationship or connection
and you wave as you fade away, float away
Feeling abandoned and disconnected from that past connection
Blue as December
Feeling sad and lonely
Dismembered
Feeling mentally and emotionally fragmented
These fragments are glued to my sails
Past experiences are affecting current circumstances
I'm impaled on a rock where we carved out our names
Unable to fully move on from past experiences and connections
and I blew you a kiss
Hoping for a positive outcome or reconnection
but I missed
Acknowledging that the outcome may not be positive or successful
and you left me like this
Feeling abandoned and alone due to lack of connection with the past
I fade away, float away...
Feeling disconnected and lost from both the past and present
Contributed by Jack D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.