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/
White Coats and Haloes
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're all out spying
Catch your breath
They crawl like lions
I'm flying!
I'm flying!
I'm diving
Peacemeal
No artificial colouring
No fleas
No flesh
No trash
No cans of cancer
Tropical disease
I'm clean
Take a bite
I'm tasting amber
Strike a light
I leave December
The Tear Garden's song White Coats and Haloes has been interpreted in many ways, but at its most basic level, it seems to be about the singer's distrust of authority and society's obsession with cleanliness and perfection. The opening lines, "Watch your step! They're all out spying / Catch your breath / They crawl like lions," suggest that the world is filled with hidden dangers and threats, and that people are constantly being watched and judged.
The next few lines seem to be a sarcastic riff on the idea of "clean" food and products, with the singer listing off various things that are "Peacemeal / Perservative-free / No artificial colouring / No fleas / No flesh / No trash / No cans of cancer / Tropical disease." This seems to be a commentary on how much emphasis people place on avoiding things that are considered "dirty" or harmful, and how this obsession with purity can be taken to absurd lengths.
The final lines, "Take a bite / I'm tasting amber / Strike a light / I leave December," are more enigmatic. It's possible that the singer is encouraging the listener to rebel against the strictures of society and indulge in something "forbidden" or "dirty," and that the reference to "amber" and "December" is somehow significant in this context - perhaps suggesting a celebration of life before winter and death set in.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the tension between order and chaos, between cleanliness and dirt, and between conformity and rebellion. It's a song that encourages listeners to question authority and to embrace the messiness and complexity of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch your step!
Be careful and watch out for danger.
They're all out spying
Someone or a group is keeping an eye on you without your knowledge.
Catch your breath
Take a moment to pause and calm down.
They crawl like lions
They move silently and stealthily, like predators stalking their prey.
I'm flying!
The artist is experiencing a feeling of intense exhilaration.
I'm diving
The singer is plunging into an adventure, taking a risk or diving into the unknown.
Peacemeal
Things are happening bit by bit, one step at a time.
Perservative-free
Something is pure and unadulterated by artificial substances.
No artificial colouring
The thing being described is completely natural and not artificially enhanced in any way.
No fleas
The thing being described is free from pests and nuisances.
No flesh
The thing being described is not made of or does not contain animal flesh or meat.
No trash
The thing being described is pure and free from any unwanted or unnecessary components.
No cans of cancer
The thing being described is free from harmful chemicals or carcinogens.
Tropical disease
An exotic and dangerous affliction or infection, perhaps metaphorical.
I'm clean
The singer feels purified and free from any impurities.
Take a bite
Try something new or take a risk.
I'm tasting amber
The artist is experiencing something sweet and intoxicatingly delightful.
Strike a light
Get started, make a move or take action.
I leave December
The singer is looking forward to a new beginning, leaving behind the cold and dark month of December.
Contributed by Aaliyah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
neo 184568382
Kaspel greatest poet of our time. Hands down.
Ben Mehner
This is Wish You Were Here for people that know the best music
Marlon Morais
makes two of us... sounds like a very very cheap knockoff of Swans, really.
X1rerunpun
cKevin Key!
X1rerunpun
and Edward Ka-Spel
D Gray
dont like it