Umbrellas is an indie rock band fronted by Scott Windsor, of Lyndsay Diarie… Read Full Bio ↴Umbrellas is an indie rock band fronted by Scott Windsor, of Lyndsay Diaries fame. The band signed to The Militia Group in 2005, following Windsor's departure from his solo work. Umbrellas currently has two records out, a self-titled release in 2005, and "Illuminare," released in 2006.

UMBRELLAS’ ILLUMINARE
(Latin; meaning to light the way or illustrate.)

When Scott Windsor and the timeless yet refreshing band Umbrellas released their debut self-titled record in 2005, they may not have guessed that one year later, they’d find themselves livening-up a drab, abandoned comedy club—recording songs on giant stages and in refrigerators for their follow-up, Illuminare. Umbrellas’ sophomore Militia Group release was recorded in two solid weeks of near fifteen-hour recording sessions, where Scott and his band’s musings were tested and brought to life.

When Umbrellas’ debut hit the shelves, it was recognized as a dynamic, eager offering. The band toured heavily and new ideas began swimming inside Windsor’s head. Those ideas formed icebergs—and the only option was to dismantle and re-conduct the near-avalanche of visions, abstractions, melodies and structures. The debut, birthed in decidedly artistic, collaborative ways, proved to be an even more cautious outing compared to Illuminare.

Hanging blankets across the empty, dusty and evocative shell of an old comedy club, Scott and his Umbrellas started tracking their new record Illuminare. They went forth in unsafe, less-than secure scenarios with nearby ‘06 tornados in Oklahoma. Scott recalls: “The old comedy club had an odd feel to it. Grossly low-lit, strange hallways, off-color backrooms good for nothing—right there in the middle of downtown Tulsa—dodging tornados in the midst of recording. We constantly heard sirens going off, went outside to piss-green skies, sideways rain and I thought to myself ‘maybe they’ll find these recordings someday after we were all carried off.’ One of the band members’ car was stolen during the recording process by homeless people who stole it just to impress their friends. The van got broken into- we had a stolen hard drive. But bad luck could not stop this record.”

James McAlister (Ester Drang, Sufjan Stevens) played the drums, percussion, programming, and added lively, innovative ideas like sampling Scott’s voice as the keyboard parts for the song “Again and Again.” On the song, Scott sings: “Where’s the piano? The big, big bass drum?” Well, in that song, the piano’s right there in his vocal chords—which were adamantly, angelically bared just as they are on Illuminare. “Most of these songs only had one take on vocals—80% of the record. Every record nowadays, it seems you can find some pretty blonde, put auto-tune on it and just go with it.” Scott modestly adds: “I’m not the best singer but at least when you see us live, what you see is what you get and I’m not lying to fans.” And it seems that’s what the general mood and stance of this record: reality, and a sense for the organic, raw, forgotten sentiments. In the song “Tests on My Heart, Windsor sings of ‘getting over the self,’ recording in the aforementioned refrigerator with cold vocal-shadows and a Vaudevillian piano interlude. Illuminare grapples with notions of solitude, life, death, and the plain old blues. Scott sings of realistic love, infatuation, satisfaction, disappointment, life-balance, the letting-go, appeasement, idealism, and grace—all with a backdrop of blustery fall-out tunes with strange swirls of sound, smatterings of echoes and pulsings, huge bass hammerings and bells to chime the gladness in being right there where one’s supposed to be. Weathering the storms, and taking on the shadows and memories of calmer times and warmer rooms.

The players: Chad Copelin (producer, keys, guitar, bass), Nathan Price (drums, percussion), Eric Arndt (bass), Scott Windsor (vocals, guitars, percussion) James McAlister (drums, percussion, programming), Ryan Lindsey (piano, background vocals)
Scott 09 Sep 2006

Taken from their Website:
www.umbrellasmusic.com

Crooked
Umbrellas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Last night I had this dream that I took you out of power
All your plans had fallen through
You had ambition, and I took that too
I dethroned you
I'm now the king of this castle
And you will atone for your sins

[Chorus:]

You're always up or down but you're never around
Well, friends like you I think I'm better off without

Everyone is talking, but they all sound the same
All these singers singing, they play the same games
You're as crooked as the California coast line
So I'm building you a tornado to get back east

[Chorus]

So hold on tight, enjoy the ride
And maybe your fear will subside

You're a real piece of work
I guess I'll be seeing you around

Overall Meaning

In Umbrellas' song "Crooked," the singer describes a dream where they overthrow someone in power. The lyrics are ambiguous about who exactly the singer is referring to, but it's clear that this person has fallen from grace and has been dethroned by the singer. The imagery of the singer being the king of this castle suggests that the power dynamic has shifted dramatically in the singer's favor. The lyrics suggest a deep sense of anger and resentment towards this person who previously held power over the singer's life. The line "you had ambition, and I took that too" suggests that the person in power may have been someone who manipulated or controlled the singer's aspirations in some way.

The chorus further elaborates on the singer's feelings towards this person, who is described as always being up or down but never around. There is a sense of exhaustion with this person's drama and inconsistency. The singer concludes that they are better off without this person as a friend.

The second verse takes a broader perspective, commenting on the state of the music industry and the homogeneity of many popular musicians. The line "all these singers singing, they play the same games" suggests a frustration with the lack of originality or sincerity in modern music. The simile "you're as crooked as the California coast line" is an interesting juxtaposition of natural beauty and deceitfulness. The singer declares that they will help this person leave with a tornado, reinforcing the idea that they want to be rid of this person and all their negative energy.

The final lines of the song are a bit cryptic. The imagery of "hold on tight, enjoy the ride" could be interpreted as a warning to this person or a declaration that the singer is moving on, regardless of what happens to them. The singer concludes by noting that this person is a "real piece of work," which could be interpreted in a number of ways, from admiring their tenacity to mocking their behavior.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night I had this dream that I took you out of power
I dreamt of stripping you of your authority

All your plans had fallen through
Your schemes came to naught

You had ambition, and I took that too
I robbed you of your aspirations

I dethroned you
I toppled you from your position of power

I'm now the king of this castle
I have taken over and rule supreme

And you will atone for your sins
You will pay for your wrongdoings

You're always up or down but you're never around
You're emotionally unpredictable and unreliable

Well, friends like you I think I'm better off without
I don't need unreliable friends like you

Everyone is talking, but they all sound the same
People are all following the same trends and saying the same things

All these singers singing, they play the same games
Musicians follow the same trends to become successful

You're as crooked as the California coast line
You are dishonest, untrustworthy and have many twists and turns