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The Violet Burning - The Story of Our Lives:
Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine
by Jocelyn Aucoin
It's that ache in your heart.
That place inside you where all the stuff collects and collides like junk in a drawer.
Except it's not junk. It's real and it matters and it's the matter that makes you. It’s that ache that makes you want to fight and surrender, scream and sigh. It's decaying and it's beautiful and it's full of these awkward opposites. So full that sometimes you don't understand. You can't understand.
But then someone or something comes along to give it shape, a voice. Someone whose ability to capture this space is so pure, so precise, that it springs hope within us and legs to stand on.
Something like The Violet Burning.
The Violets (affectionately called) have been making music under the direction of creative mainspring, Michael J Pritzl, since 1990. A prolific songwriter, Pritzl's story is one of endurance, endurance manifested in a plethora of albums and relentless touring throughout the US and Europe. Endurance resulting in an absolute rabid
following of fans. Though Pritzl has surrounded himself with different musicians through the years, the music has never been compromised and the fans keep coming back for the powerful, guitar-driven rock The Violets never fail to deliver. This time that rock is enlivened with the drumming virtuosity that is Lenny Beh. A stunningly emotive addition.
Nothing proves The Violets bring the rock better than their latest effort, their 9th full-length studio album, The Story of Our Lives: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine, an audio triptych of sorts. The album's 34 songs are divided into three parts: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine. Although asunder, the album rages with rock and drips with beauty, all the while shaking it's figurative fist at a digital age wherein, despite the abundance of material available, artists still feel beholden to the 10-song album format restrictions of the past.
The Violets didn't feel this restriction and because of that, The Story of Our Lives is not just an auditory experience, it is a multi-sensory aesthetic experience. These songs didn't take a week to write or two days to record. The artwork wasn't thrown together in an hour in Photoshop. This is a complete body of work that began as a spark of an idea and has now been seven years in the making. In this way, it defies the unspoken and mediocre standards of today, offering up an incredible sonic experience in addition to a riveting lyrical journey.
And the journey is a familiar one. In fact, it reads like some of the greatest novels ever written. The Fantastic Machine sets the tone for this journey as "Where It All Begins" climbs from a pensive, pretty melody to an all out blur of frantic guitars, over which "my heart and soul are wired in!" it screamed wild and breathy. It's the definition of epic, and songs like “Machine Beat Sabbatha” and “Imminent Collapse” follow suit, allowing the listener in on the chaos that's brewing in the heart of our character. “The Letting” and “Leaving” tell a quieter story, one that will course through your veins with their beautiful sadness. And in the end, our character leaves The Fantastic Machine behind, giving up on a life that has been selling him lies.
Black as Death picks up where this sadness leaves off, descending on ears like a bat out of hell--an almost mindless storm of sound and distortion. “My Name is Night” is case and point of this, heavy and teeming with Sabbath-like drumming. “Maelstorm” expands into this chaos, the entropy of its opening guitars hitting like the explosion of tides. Pritzl's delicate falsetto dancing atop the water. And then there is “Rock Is Dead”, which exists not only as the definition of pop song perfection, but shows our character gaining strength. Shivers run down your spine when he screams, "I'm going on, going on!" "In Ruin" leaves a sweet taste in our mouths with it's swirly delays, rhodes bells and sweeping cello.
Enter Liebe über Alles, The Story of Our Lives' graceful and exquisite counterpart. Our character has chosen death, but now lives to continue his journey home. A beautiful relenting, “Mon Désir” is honest in both melody and lyric as Pritzl’s broken voice sings, "All I want is you." "Arc" has a driving rhythm that climaxes with an explosion of spirited strings. "I am coming home!" The dreamy and romantic ballad, "I Caught Fire", is encased in a haze of fuzz guitar, pulsing drums and the descending piano, "…in all the songs of men and angels, if I have no love, I'm blank." And finally “through a life, blessed and cursed, love and only love goes on and on…” the true rest of “Liebe über Alles” and the final acknowledgement that our character has made it home.
This is not just another album by another band. This is a realization. A realization that this story--the struggle and the heartache, feeling lost and so alone--belongs to each one of us. It’s the way we feel when we are sad and broken and it’s the way we feel when we are so complete and content, at home and at rest within ourselves and with others and with “The Lord of Song.” It’s knowing we’re not alone in this big, messed up machine of a world. It’s the hope of “every corner of our heart and soul” being made for someone who loves us more than we will ever understand.
This is the story of our lives.
The Violet Burning is Michael J. Pritzl, Daryl Dawson and Lenny Beh. THE STORY OF OUR LIVES: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death,and TH3 FANT^5T1C MACH1N3 was written and recorded by Michael Pritzl at Nowhere, CA studios (various closets, garages, entry ways, and bedrooms in Southern California) and features Eleanor Beh on Cello and Jeff Schroeder of Smashing Pumpkins (lead guitar on 3 songs).
The Story Of Our Lives was released digitally at thevioletburning.com March 5, 2011. The triple album will be coming worldwide one part at a time via iTunes, Amazon, and other online digital resellers throughout 2011. The triple album will also be available in it’s physical, beautiful, limited edition, 80-page packaging via thevioletburning.com beginning April 4, 2011. The Violet Burning are now planning US and European tour dates.
-Jocelyn Aucoin – 2011
The Only One
The Violet Burning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are the only one I hope for, my Lord, my God, my king
And I...I believe in you
And I...I will trust in you
So hold me close, Lord, in your arms
You're the only one I need
I hear the choirs of Heaven, and in your love I sing
And I...I believe in you
And I...I will trust in you
So hold me close, Lord, in your arms
You're the only one I need
On the cross, you gave your life for me
Out of love, you've set this captive free
My only hope is you
Yeah, you're the only one
And I believe in you
You are the only one I need, the love that carries me
You are the only one I hope for, my Lord, my God, my king
And I...I believe in you
And I...I will trust in you
So hold me close, Lord, in your arms
You're the only one I need
With every step I take, I believe in you
You're my night, my day; I will trust in you
So hold me close Lord, in your arms
You're the only one I need
You're the only one
The lyrics to The Violet Burning's song The Only One express the singer's unwavering faith and dedication to God. The song begins with the declaration that God is the only one the singer needs, the love that carries them. Throughout the song, the singer repeats the phrase "I believe in you" as a testament to their faith. The lyrics also touch on the sacrifice that God made for humanity by giving his life on the cross and setting them free.
The song is a powerful expression of devotion and trust, with the repeated refrain of "you're the only one I need" driving home the singer's message. The reference to "the perfect lamb of peace" emphasizes the peacefulness and serenity that comes with faith in God, while the mention of hearing the choirs of Heaven highlights the transcendent nature of the experience.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the only one I need, the love that carries me
The singer finds all fulfillment and comfort in their relationship with God, who is the source of their love and strength.
You are the only one I hope for, my Lord, my God, my king
God is the object of the singer's hope and devotion, holding a position of utmost significance in the singer's life.
And I...I believe in you
The singer affirms their faith in God's existence, power, and goodness.
And I...I will trust in you
The artist commits to relying on God's guidance and provision in every aspect of their life.
So hold me close, Lord, in your arms
The artist desires to be embraced by God's loving presence and protection.
You're the only one I need
God is the sole source of the singer's fulfillment and happiness.
You are the perfect lamb of peace, my strength, the air I breathe
God embodies qualities of peace and strength that sustain the singer's physical and emotional well-being, like the air they breathe.
I hear the choirs of Heaven, and in your love I sing
The artist experiences transcendent joy and expresses gratitude for God's love and presence in their life.
On the cross, you gave your life for me
The artist acknowledges Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as an act of love on their behalf.
Out of love, you've set this captive free
The artist sees their own spiritual freedom as a result of God's love and mercy.
My only hope is you
God is the singer's singular hope and salvation.
With every step I take, I believe in you
The artist's faith grows stronger with each passing moment.
You're my night, my day; I will trust in you
God is the steady presence in the singer's life, no matter the time or situation, and they choose to rely on Him alone.
You're the only one
God is the one and only object of the singer's love and devotion.
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.