The Tear Garden was formed by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and… Read Full Bio ↴The Tear Garden was formed by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy in 1985, after Key served as a sound engineer on tour in Canada for Ka-Spel. Various other "guests" from Skinny Puppy and the Pink Dots appear on future albums The band released EPs in 1985 and 1986, combined on 1987's full length, Tired Eyes Slowly Burning. Their debut was their most electronic and mixed together the psychedelic, experimental, and industrial sounds each band was known for. Later albums veer more into the space rock style of the Pink Dots. Their most recent release from 2002, Eye Spy with my Little Eye, is a collection of out-takes from the mid-80s period.

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/

Psycho 9
The Tear Garden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I took my customary stroll
In the mid-day sun
Got my devil diviner
Hand on my gun
Now the game's for you
We do it for fun
Look out!
Got this itch inside my skull

Got a clip on my wings
Now I'm seeing you peripheral
Or what's under your skin
Got a basket full of puppets
A hatful of pins
Look out!
Some folks set up a posse
In the local estate now to cripple me
Crisp at the stake
You forgot a few believers
You made a mistake
Look out!
Now they hide inside their boxes
Not a soul on the street
Except for pizzaman
Strangers

Little old me
Look out!

Overall Meaning

In The Tear Garden's song Psycho 9, the singer describes his experience taking a walk under the mid-day sun, with his devil diviner in hand and a clip on his wings. He states that the game is for his listener's sake, and that it is all done for the sake of fun. Although the singer has an itch in his skull, he claims to be able to see his listener's peripheral and even what's underneath his listener's skin.

Throughout the song, the singer also alludes to the idea of puppets and pins, seemingly hinting at control and manipulation. He mentions that some people have set up a posse in the local estate to cripple him, but they have forgotten a few of his believers, leaving them vulnerable to his power. Finally, the singer notes that everyone has hidden inside their boxes, with only the pizzaman, strangers, and himself on the street.

Overall, the song describes a twisted and unsettling sense of power and control, with the singer seemingly enjoying his control over his audience.

Line by Line Meaning

I took my customary stroll
I went for my usual walk

In the mid-day sun
It was during the hottest hours of the day

Got my devil diviner
I have my tool to help me find trouble

Hand on my gun
Ready for anything, I'm holding my weapon

Now the game's for you
I challenge you to play

We do it for fun
We do it just for pleasure

Look out!
Be alert and watchful

Got this itch inside my skull
There's something bothering me in my head

Got a clip on my wings
I am unable to fly or escape

Now I'm seeing you peripheral
I am seeing you out of the corner of my eye