We vs. Death is a Dutch indierock band, founded in 2000. Since then the band has put out a few releases and has been touring throughout Europe, Canada, Russia and Japan.
History
In the second half of 2000 a couple of like-minded musicians find each other at Utrecht University in Netherlands and decide to start a band.
Almost right away they choose to make instrumental music, that by lack of a better term can be described as post-rock. Other bands categorised as post-rock are for example Explosions in the Sky, Slint, Mogwai, Tomà n and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Anno 2008 we vs .death moved to using more vocals and harmonies, the sound evolved to more song-based material. a new album is expected march 2009
In the Netherlands We vs. Death is still the most successful exponent of the genre, that nowadays becomes more popular among bands.
Since they started the band has been playing venues on a regular basis, and since 2003 they have been playing outside the Netherlands as well. In the meantime they played venues in Belgium, England, Canada, France, Russia, Poland, Denmark, Germany and Japan We vs. Death alternately plays large venues like Paradiso, 013, Vera and Tivoli and small-scale venues and squats like the ACU and the OCCII.
Although We vs. Death is surely a band in the traditional sense of the word, they also try to seek collaboration with other creative disciplines. So far they worked together with performance-artist Jeremiah Day, theatre-designer Theun Mosk, video-artist Boudewijn Rosenmuller and Graphic Designer Roel Dalhuisen.
Discography
7-inch
Their first vinyl-single was released in 2001 on the Zabel Muziek music-label. This single contained four songs:
MK Ultra
HMV
MK Ultra
Heron
Split-CD with Tom Sweetlove
In 2003 the band released a split-CD with the Belgian post-rock band Tom Sweetlove. Each band contributed four songs for this release, titled The Message Is, that was released on the Dutch Zabel Muziek-label and the Belgian Matamore-label. The We vs. Death-songs on this CD are:
My Dog is Watching Me
City Council Cosmos
Consertina
Wave Goodbye With Your Little Hand
Split-CD with Green Concorde
In 2004 the band decided upon releasing a split-CD again, this time together with the Danish indie rock band Green Concorde. On this album, released on Zabel Muziek and Eglantine Records, appeared the following We vs. Death songs:
Pictures From Stellenbosch
Workers Are Referred To As "Hands"
Wake 44
We Too Are Concerned / We Are Too Concerned
After releasing the 7" EP en two split-CD's, the band released their full-length debut in Spring 2006. The CD-package also contained a DVD and a booklet with a short story from artist Jeremiah Day. The CD, again released on the Zabel Muziek-label contains eight tracks:
And How To Translate It
Pictures From Stanford
Snow Cushioned The Fall
One Light Will Do
Thomas Corner And The Valley Houses
(Yes,) We Went To Novgorod
Mother And Father And Me
Fieldfire
split 7 inch with audiotransparent
wevsdeath track : 'varde"a collection of stones
Line-up
Although it has undergone a few changes in the beginning, and has been stable for years, untill recently, when guitarist Bart de Kroon left the band and was replaced with Thomas Sohilait. The members are (in random order):
Marten Timan (bass)
Thomas Sohilait (guitar)
Paul Hoek (trumpet and concertina)
Wouter Kors (guitar)
Gerben Houwer (drums)
The band is being supported by several people:
Roel Dalhuisen (artwork)
Maarten Houwer (sound-engineering)
Theun Mosk (theatre-design)
Gibson Houwer (light-design/technician)
Boudewijn Rosenmuller (video)
Jeremiah Day (performance-artist)
www.wevsdeath.nl
HANDS
We vs. Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If something ain't right
Dust off the pillow
Sharpen the light
Make a song for me
And sing it all night
You will never need my forgiveness
So don't you ever apologize
If something ain't right
Skip all the glory
But keep it in mind
Take a deep breath
And hold it all night
You will never need my forgiveness
So don't you ever apologize
You don't need my forgiveness
See these weathered hands
And I'm a weakened man
But I'm never gonna let go
Gonna let go, never gonna
Let go of you
Never gonna let go
Gonna let go, never gonna
Let go of you
Shake off this heartache
It's been a bad dream
There's no speech to make
That could say what you mean
Climb through my window
And wait for me
I won't be long
Never gonna let go
Gonna let go, never gonna
Let go of you
Never gonna let go
Gonna let go, never gonna
Let go of you
The song "Hands" by We vs. Death begins with an invitation to climb through the window if something isn't right. This sets a melancholic and mysterious tone to the song, as if the singer is waiting for someone to come to provide comfort or solace. The lyrics refer to "something ain't right" a few times, suggesting a feeling of unease or disquiet, which is further emphasized by the line "shake off this heartache."
The chorus repeats the line "never gonna let go, gonna let go, never gonna let go of you," which speaks to the desire to hold on to someone or something that is important. The singer acknowledges their weakness and weathered hands, but still vows to never let go. The phrase "never gonna let go" is reminiscent of the classic movie line from Titanic, adding an extra layer of emotion and nostalgia to the song.
The song ends with the same invitation to climb through the window and wait for the singer, creating a sense of longing and anticipation. Overall, the song captures the feeling of wanting to hold on to something or someone, even if it means acknowledging one's own vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
Climb through my window
Come to me directly for help, even if it means breaking into my house
If something ain't right
When things are going wrong for you
Dust off the pillow
Make yourself comfortable while you're here
Sharpen the light
Brighten my world with your presence
Make a song for me
Express yourself in whatever way you can, even if it seems small
And sing it all night
Give me your all, and keep in mind that I am here to listen
You will never need my forgiveness
You have done nothing wrong, so don't apologize
So don't you ever apologize
There's no need to say you're sorry
Tell me a story
Share with me your experiences, your dreams, your fears, your hopes
Skip all the glory
Don't hold back, be honest with me, even if it's not glamorous
But keep it in mind
Remember that your story matters, and I am here to hear it
Take a deep breath
Calm yourself down, and let your anxieties fall away
And hold it all night
Stay with me, and let me hold you up
See these weathered hands
These hands have lived a long and hard life
And I'm a weakened man
I am not as strong as I used to be
But I'm never gonna let go
I will always be here for you, no matter what
Gonna let go, never gonna
Let go of you
You can always count on me to support you, and I will never abandon you
Shake off this heartache
Let go of your pain and sorrow
It's been a bad dream
It's felt like a nightmare, but you can come back to reality
There's no speech to make
There's no words I can say to make it all okay
That could say what you mean
You have to find your own voice, and speak your own truth
And wait for me
Be patient, and know that I will always come to you when you need me
I won't be long
I won't keep you waiting forever, I promise
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Kyle Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick S
Great sound!
Vitaly Petyuk
This song is awesome!
RobZiak
Hey Im just getting into these guys where should I start?
RobZiak
@backupthetruck ahh ok thanks I will check it out
RobZiak
that link didn't work buddy
backupthetruck
@RobZiak try putting w w w in front of it. (youtube doesn't allow url posting)
backupthetruck
@RobZiak beepbeep.nl