They began their career in 1991, cutting their first 7" record later that year with the lineup of Joey Vindictive (vocals), Johnny Personality (bass), Billy Blastoff (guitar), Dr. Bob (guitar), P.J. Parti (drums) and Erik Elsewhere (drums). The band would end up releasing 12 albums until July of 1996, when Joey Vindictive revealed that his health issues would prevent the band from going on. Luckily for him, he overcame his ailments to re-form the band in 2000, cutting a new album and overseeing the re-release of a significant part of their catalog. Dr. Bob died in 2003 due to a heroin overdose. Their song "The Invisible Man" was featured in the Ubisoft game Watch Dogs, where it attracted attention to restart the band once more in 2013, releasing a new EP titled Mono-Flexi, and to remaster most of their previous songs as Songbooks coming in volumes starting from I to III.
The Vindictives' website is currently down indefinitely.
Circles
The Vindictives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Squeezed on through a vacuum tube that stood you on your feet.
All the clocks stopped cold today and all the roads were closed,
So no one even noticed that the strangers wore new clothes.
As you wait for your lobotomy in line.
The cranky little clones wet at once and cry.
But mommy says it's always better to obey,
And the tiny lights burn out more and more every day.
So sixty-second saviors slipped a slug in every slot.
Bullyragging sermonettes scorned the conquered creeps,
When everyone's applause dies down you'll stand upon your feet again
The Vindictives song titled "Circles" is a cryptic social commentary that portrays a world that follows a strict way of life with no room for individuality. In the first stanza, the lyrics refer to a crackdown that made the quotas meet, suggesting a totalitarian government that controls every aspect of society. The vacuum tube that stands individuals on their feet symbolizes the conformity that people are forced to adhere to. The clocks stopped today and the roads were closed, indicating a standstill in time and movement, and the strangers dressed in new clothes show the extreme efforts of the system to quell individuality, even in the way people dress. The lyrics further paint this bleak existence in which individuals obediently await their own lobotomy. The clones wet and cry, revealing a rare moment of expression that is swiftly shut down by an authority that demands obedience.
The second stanza hints at a revolt, with the power-rich being hung and their subjects being shot. However, the sixty-second saviors, who are most probably rebels, will not be able to bring about any significant change as the systems in place do not allow any deviation, let alone any possibility for a revolution. The sermonettes, which bully the conquered, disregard the plight of the oppressed and instead condone their abusers, creating an endless cycle of victimization. The song ends on a somewhat optimistic note, predicting that the applause for the oppressors will eventually die down, and people will be free to stand on their own two feet once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a crackdown that made the quotas meet.
A strict enforcement caused a target to be met.
Squeezed on through a vacuum tube that stood you on your feet.
Forced to move rapidly without control.
All the clocks stopped cold today and all the roads were closed,
A chaotic event stopped time and movement.
So no one even noticed that the strangers wore new clothes.
The unusual and different went unnoticed.
As you wait for your lobotomy in line.
While waiting to be stripped of one's identity.
The cranky little clones wet at once and cry.
The compliant masses give in to fear and emotion.
But mommy says it's always better to obey,
Authority preaches about the importance of submission.
And the tiny lights burn out more and more every day.
Individuality is lost and the spark in the masses diminishes.
The power rich were hung today, and all their subjects shot.
The oppressors were overthrown and their supporters were punished.
So sixty-second saviors slipped a slug in every slot.
Quick and decisive revolutionaries took control.
Bullyragging sermonettes scorned the conquered creeps,
The new rulers belittled and criticized the defeated.
When everyone's applause dies down you'll stand upon your feet again.
Once the excitement fades, one will still have to face the reality of the situation.
Contributed by Levi M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.