Formation and Wild Like Children
The group formed in 2001 after the demise of several Omaha groups, including Conor Oberst's Park Ave., of which Neely Jenkins and Jamie Pressnall (then Jamie Williams) were members. Jamie brought along Kianna Alarid from another band that broke up called Magic Kiss. Derek Pressnall and Nick White, natives of Dunwoody, Georgia were drawn to the music scene in Omaha, Nebraska and moved.[1] Nick White was also one of the few constants for Bright Eyes in 2005, appearing on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, as well as touring worldwide with the band.
Their first show was an open-mic night at the now defunct Ranch Bowl. Their first release, Woo!, was recorded in Conor Oberst's garage, self-published, and distributed at shows around the Omaha area. The group released a limited-pressing eponymous 7" on Rue Royale Records, followed by their debut LP, Wild Like Children in 2004. It was the flagship release on Oberst's Team Love label and made with the help of Presto studios. Wild Like Children garnered the band a substantial amount of critical acclaim and propelled them to national tours with Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and Of Montreal. In early 2005, Tilly and the Wall became the first "band in residence" at Omaha's Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, using the Bemis Underground's Studio T to develop their follow-up album to Wild Like Children.
In September of that year, they released "You and I Misbehaving" as a limited-pressing 7" in the UK through indie label Trash Aesthetics. This release picked up further critical acclaim as well as support from BBC radio broadcaster Steve Lamacq. They played their first show outside of the US at the Freebutt in Brighton on February 14, 2006.
Bottoms of Barrels
Bottoms of Barrels, the band's follow-up to Wild Like Children, was released on May 23, 2006. Tilly and the Wall appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 27, 2006, to perform "Bad Education". The song was not played in full due to time constraints. A number of live dates were played to support the album. The band toured with Jenny Lewis in support of her album featuring The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. They then went on their first headlining tour to promote Bottoms of Barrels, with acts such as David Dondero, Now It's Overhead, and Wolf Colonel supporting them. They played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 27, 2007. In addition to performing at 2007's Splendour in the Grass festival, Tilly and the Wall toured Australia.
Band members Jamie Williams and Derek Pressnall were married shortly after the album's release, on August 12, 2006.
o
On February 25, Tilly and the Wall released a video for a new song entitled "Beat Control". The digital release of the song was on March 4, with a new album track "Cacophony" appearing as a b-side. "Beat Control" was released only as a single and was not included on the album released later in 2008.
o,[2] Tilly and the Wall's third album, was released on June 17, 2008.[3] Two songs they performed on their 2007 tour, "Too Excited" and "Chandelier Lake", appear on the album. The songs were played at their Daytrotter show.[4]
Tilly have recorded their own version of the ABC song for the new season of Sesame Street.
The first single from the album is "Pot Kettle Black". It was featured in the pilot episode of 90210, TV spots for the Seth Rogan film Observe and Report,[5] the film Whip It and its soundtrack album, and in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
Heavy Mood
Tilly and the Wall released a new album entitled "Heavy Mood" on October 2, 2012, available in CD and vinyl formats.
Band members
Kianna Alarid – vocals, shakers, tambourine, recorder, bass guitar
Neely Jenkins – vocals, shakers, bells, bass guitar
Derek Pressnall – vocals, guitar
Jamie Pressnall – vocals, tap dancer
Nick White – keyboards, piano
Discography
Albums
Wild Like Children (2004) – Team Love Records – CD/LP
Bottoms of Barrels (2006) – Team Love Records – CD/LP
o (2008) – Team Love Records – CD/LP
Heavy Mood (2012) – Team Love Records – CD/LP
Singles and EPs
"Nights of the Living Dead" on the compilation Ben Eberbaugh: A Rockin' Tribute (2003) – Die Slaughterhaus Records – CD – UK No. 158[6]
Woo! (2003) – self-released – EP
Tilly and the Wall (2003) – Rue Royale Records – 7"
"You and I Misbehaving" (2005) – Trash Aesthetics – 7"
"Reckless" (2006) – Trash Aesthetics – 7" – UK No. 235[6]
"Bad Education" (2006) – Team Love Records) – 7"
"The Freest Man" (2007) – w/ "The Freest Man" (CSS Remix) – Moshi Moshi Records – 7"
"Beat Control" (2008) – w/ "Cacophony" – 7"/Digital Download – UK No. 77
"Pot Kettle Black (2009) w/ "Save Me Now" – Moshi Moshi Records – 7"/Digital Download
"That Remix Sucks (2009) – Team Love Records
"Falling Without Knowing" (2009) – Moshi Moshi Records
Videography
Shortform
"You and I Misbehaving" (2004, directed by Nik Fackler)
"Reckless" (2004, directed by Dominic DeJoseph)
"The Ice Storm, Big Gust, and You" (2004, directed by Kim Hager)
"Bad Education" (2006, directed by Nik Fackler)
"Rainbows in the Dark" (version 1) (2006, fan footage edited by Nik Fackler & Alan Tanner)
"Sing Songs Along" (2006, directed by Kinga Burza)
"Rainbows in the Dark" (version 2) (2006, directed by Julian Acosta)
"The Freest Man" (version 1) (2007, directed by Jacob Thiele)
"The Freest Man" (version 2) (2007, directed by Julian Ascosta)
"Beat Control" (2008, directed by Cody Critcheloe & Drew Bolton of The Ssion)
"Pot Kettle Black" (2008, directed by Alan Tanner)
"Alligator Skin" (2008, directed by Whoop Dee Doo)
"Defenders" (2012, Directed by Ben Fee)
Longform
Tilly and the Wall's First Trip to Europe (2006, directed by Rob Walters for Current TV)
Tilly and the Wall (2007, directed by Rob Walters)
In popular culture
They have covered OutKast's "Hey Ya!", Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" The Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off" and Erasure's "A Little Respect".
They were featured on the debut episode of 90210, performing "Pot Kettle Black" and "Beat Control".
"Pot Kettle Black" was used in the soundtrack of the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and was also featured in the 2010 Jaguar commercial.
"Pot Kettle Black" was used in the movie Whip It
"I Always Knew" was featured in Series 4 of Skins in the episode "Katie".
Tilly And The Wall were featured in a vicks nyquil advertisement in 2012.
Bessa
Tilly & The Wall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was time for you to move along,
And the minutes felt like petals all around us,
Like a goodbye kiss when goodbye felt so wrong.
So you better get going,
You better move along now,
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
These few days I've decided to be lazy,
They don't move or seem to end at all,
And my heart is close enough to breaking
That is hurts just listening to your songs.
[Repeat]
So you better get going,
You better move along now,
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
It's been a while now since you left,
And I can't seem to shake this lonely mood.
When the time comes, I'll try my best not to tell you:
Please don't leave again
Please don't leave again
I guess I'll say it now then
Please don't leave me again
Since it's all I have I want to go to sleep,
And dream of you and me just off the coast.
On a holiday so long and warm and lucky,
Always wake up in my bedroom all alone.
[Repeat: x4]
Guess I better wake up then,
I guess I better be going,
I guess I better run along now and find my own way.
The lyrics of Tilly & The Wall's song "Bessa" seem to express the emotions of someone who is experiencing a painful goodbye. The song begins with the morning after the departure of the person being addressed in the lyrics. The singer of the song tries to ignore the fact that it is time for the person to move on. She is conscious of the minutes that feel like petals all around them, which is the metaphor for the time they shared together. The goodbye kiss is not enough to express the pain and the regret that she is feeling.
The following part of the song talks about the days that passed after their separation. The singer has decided to be lazy, but even then, the time feels extra slow and prolonged. She feels like her heart is about to break whenever she listens to the songs that they both loved. It is as if the music reminds her of the times they shared, which makes it even harder for her to move on.
As the song progresses, the singer finds it impossible to shake off the lonely mood that she’s in since the person mentioned in the lyrics left. She tries not to tell the person to stay when the time comes. Instead, she expresses her worry that they will leave again, which implies that this is not the first time that they’ve separated. In the end, the singer tries to dream about a future where they can be together, even when they are apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning came and I tried not to notice
I woke up but I didn't want to face the reality that you were leaving.
It was time for you to move along
You had to go and leave me behind.
And the minutes felt like petals all around us
Time slowly ticked away and it felt like we were surrounded by the fragility of time passing by.
Like a goodbye kiss when goodbye felt so wrong.
Our farewell felt like a goodbye that shouldn't have happened, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
So you better get going,
It's time for you to leave.
You better move along now,
You have to go now.
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
Leave and don't look back.
These few days I've decided to be lazy,
I'm taking some time off to relax and do nothing for a while.
They don't move or seem to end at all,
These days are dragging on and never seem to pass.
And my heart is close enough to breaking
My heart is fragile and could break at any moment.
That is hurts just listening to your songs.
Your music is a painful reminder of what we had and lost.
It's been a while now since you left,
You've been gone for some time now.
And I can't seem to shake this lonely mood.
The sadness of your departure still lingers and I can't seem to shake it off.
When the time comes, I'll try my best not to tell you:
Next time I see you, I'll try my best not to express my desire for you to stay.
Please don't leave again
I don't want you to leave me again.
Please don't leave again
I don't want you to leave me again.
I guess I'll say it now then
I'll say it now instead of keeping it inside.
Since it's all I have I want to go to sleep,
Sleeping is the only way to experience the comfort of being with you, even if it's just in my dreams.
And dream of you and me just off the coast.
I dream of a romantic vacation with you by the sea.
On a holiday so long and warm and lucky,
We are on a blissful vacation enjoying each other's company.
Always wake up in my bedroom all alone.
But reality sets in and I wake up alone in my bedroom.
Guess I better wake up then,
Time to leave my dream behind and face reality.
I guess I better be going,
Time to say goodbye and leave.
I guess I better run along now and find my own way.
It's time for me to move on and find my own path, without you by my side.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Derek Pressnall, Jamie L Williams, Kianna Alarid, Neely Jenkins, Nicholas White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind