Former members include co-founder Sam Genders (vocals, guitar), who left the band before the release of "...And Then We Saw Land" (Mar 2010, Full Time Hobby).
Tunng started after Genders and Lindsay met, in the latter's Soho basement studio (below a clothes shop). Genders was a singer-songwriter and Lindsay had the studio (making electronica and living through advertising music production). They found that Lindsay's distinctive way with twinkling sounds, and tight production, significantly enhanced the folky songs they were writing - A signature sound developed.
Tunng's first album was "Mother's Daughter And Other Songs" (Jan 2005, Static Caravan) - However, since Genders made at first the choice not to play live, Lindsay found Jacobs and Bates. to help with live shows. Over time, Winter and Smith became part of the band and have all contributed more to recordings, first on "Comments Of The Inner Chorus" (May 2006, Full Time Hobby), then more so on "Good Arrows" (Aug 2007, Full Time Hobby).
The 2010 album, "...And Then We Saw Land", has been the most successful to date and was recorded in the semi-legendary Play Industries Studio, Shoreditch, with access to its vast collection of vintage synthesizers helping develop a more delicate and inter-woven production style. Glenister added live drums to the gigs, from 2009, for a heavier sound, a long way from the seated studio project Tunng once was.
On "Turbines": "...often beloved for its bucolic oddness and modernist gleam, Tunng's polyphonic future folk blossoms with enchanting melodies, simmering grooves, and found sound that has propelled the band into a paradise of exceeded expectations" (Absolute Punk).
String
Tunng Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
swells the panic i can't look
inside my own skin i fail to find myself again
a million faces look the same
and their replies evaporate
there's no soul behind these eyes
if they can't glue me back again
ghosts drop hints and whisper things
family portrait on the wall
quiet confusion circle this
i can feel my mother's hand
but i can't find her face to kiss
there's no soul behind these eyes
if they can't glue me back again
someone's life inside a box
nothing here resets the clocks
ghosts drop hints and whisper things
just blood and bone and bits of string
The lyrics of the song "String" by Tunng convey a sense of disconnection and alienation from the world. The opening lines, "hang my eyes up on a hook, swells the panic I can't look, inside my own skin I fail to find myself again," suggest a feeling of being trapped in one's own body and unable to connect with others. This feeling is reinforced in later lines, such as "a million faces look the same, and their replies evaporate, there's no soul behind these eyes."
The lyrics also contain several references to ghosts and a sense of haunting, with lines like "ghosts drop hints and whisper things, just blood and bone and bits of string." The image of a family portrait on the wall adds to this feeling of being trapped in the past or in memories that are difficult to connect with in the present. The final lines, "someone's life inside a box, nothing here resets the clocks," emphasize a sense of being stuck, unable to move forward or find a way to restart or reset one's life.
Overall, the lyrics of "String" convey a deep sense of longing for connection and a feeling of being trapped or disconnected from the world. The haunting imagery and repeated references to a lack of soul or viable connection with others emphasize the depth of these feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
hang my eyes up on a hook
I feel overwhelmed and unable to face the world, so much that I feel like taking my eyes out of my head
swells the panic I can't look
My anxiety is increasing and I feel like I can't face the world
inside my own skin I fail to find myself again
I feel like I've lost myself and I don't know who I am anymore
a million faces look the same
I feel surrounded by people, but none of them stand out or seem to have a unique identity
and their replies evaporate
When I try to connect with people, their responses don't seem genuine or meaningful to me
there's no soul behind these eyes
I feel like people are empty, and there's nothing behind their exterior
if they can't glue me back again
If I can't find a way to connect with people and return to normalcy, I'll be lost forever
ghosts drop hints and whisper things
Memories and emotions from the past come back to me and make me feel unsettled and uncomfortable
just blood and bone and bits of string
At the core, all we are is just flesh and blood, and our connection to the world is tenuous at best
family portrait on the wall
Looking at a picture of my family makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of the past
quiet confusion circle this
Despite the calm exterior, I feel confused and disoriented
I can feel my mother's hand
I have fond memories of my mother, and those memories bring me comfort
but I can't find her face to kiss
Despite those fond memories, I can't help feeling that I've lost something important and can't get it back
someone's life inside a box
Looking at someone's possessions after they've died feels strange and surreal, as if their life has been reduced to just these things
nothing here resets the clocks
No matter how much I try to hold onto the past or recapture my lost self, time marches on and things change
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Prussian Angler
This is so much better than stuff on radio nowadays!
Romain B
I strongly agree
Ektor
Fo sho
Mangashylo41
agreed
Perry Robitionate
...understanding of course that what's on the radio is not a true exhibition of the best in modern pop music. (Nor was it when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. Combined with this is something my mom once said about 'classic movies': "Don't forget that for every gem, there were twenty B-movies and a hundred C-movies. Nostalgia is a great memory eraser.")
ROBERT DOUGLAS SIM
There are a lot of covers of this piece on YouTube but I honestly don’t think anyone has come close to the original. This has always been my favourite because of its expressiveness.
Pastel Skies
Rolling Stone's gonna be right on this. Chart topper!
Random Light
Surely the close contender would be the intro lyric 1,2.3,4. 😂
L Jackson
It has touched 50 million other lives and the creator has deservedly earned the revenue
Johnny “BicksatSix” Richards
It’s almost as good as that Radiohead “song” that dude tweeted about!