Cleaver and Walker began playing together in 2001 as a result of Cleaver’s stage fright when asked to perform a brief run of solo shows. The duo’s first performance was largely unplanned and yet went without incident.. so they agreed to continue and expand. Mark Messerly joined in 2002 as bassist and utility man, and Dawn Burman joined on drums shortly thereafter. The four-piece has released three full-length albums and one EP on their native Cincinnati’s Shake It label. Klug joined the band shortly after Burman's departure in early 2009.
The band is known for its use of "an army of alternately droning and jangling guitars" (Uncut 6/09) to offset the traditional three-minute pop format. Lyrics are typically split evenly between Cleaver and Walker.
Their work has met with critical praise from Rolling Stone and SPIN, both of which gave the band’s second and third albums four stars each, in addition to favorable reviews from Village Voice, NPR, Washington Post, Uncut, and many other press outlets. The “Dean of American Critics” Robert Christgau placed the band’s first two albums (Funeral Dress and Left for Dead) on his Best of the Decade list, and their third album (Wussy) ranked tenth in his best of 2009 Dean’s List.
Las Vegas
Wussy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And unimpressive light displays
The promise of it anyway.
Silent night and trees of fire,
Holy ghost and my desire.
You said you couldn't name the hour
It began to feel like home.
Las Vegas shines with colored lights,
Looks like Christmas when you're high.
What a way to say goodbye.
Silent night and trees of fire,
Holy ghost and my desire.
You said you couldn't name the hour
It began to feel like home.
It's better than your cheap motel.
It beats the antiseptic smell.
A story we could live to tell.
Silent night and trees of fire,
Holy ghost and my desire.
You said you couldn't name the hour
It began to feel like...
Silent night and trees of fire,
Holy ghost and my desire.
You said you couldn't name the hour
It began to feel like home.
In the song "Las Vegas," Wussy describes a trip to Las Vegas that may not have lived up to its glamorous reputation. The singer describes waiting around for better days and being underwhelmed by the light displays. However, the promise of the city and the excitement it brings keeps them there, even in the silent night and trees of fire. The Holy Ghost and the singer's desire to find something more add to the surreal feeling of Las Vegas. Despite its flaws, the city begins to feel like home to the singer.
In the chorus, the singer notes the beauty of the city's colored lights, adding that it looks like Christmas when you're high. This line juxtaposes the joy and excitement that the lights bring with the potentially dangerous and addictive nature of the city. It also highlights the artificiality of Las Vegas, with the flashing lights and the way the singer describes it as a performance rather than a genuine experience.
The bridge of the song emphasizes the singer's appreciation of the city, noting that it's better than a cheap motel and smells better too. The final line, "a story we could live to tell," implies that the singer recognizes the surreal nature of the trip and acknowledges it as a unique experience.
Overall, "Las Vegas" portrays the city as a place of contradictions and extremes - it's both thrilling and underwhelming, beautiful and artificial, and simultaneously alluring and dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
We hung around for better days
We stayed in Las Vegas hoping for better things to come
And unimpressive light displays
The lights in Vegas weren't as spectacular as we expected
The promise of it anyway.
Despite the underwhelming lights, we still had hope for what Vegas could offer
Silent night and trees of fire,
The contrast between the calm of a silent night and the excitement of the city lights
Holy ghost and my desire.
The spiritual and emotional pull of the Las Vegas experience
You said you couldn't name the hour
We were caught up in the moment and lost track of time
It began to feel like home.
We became so comfortable and familiar with Vegas that it felt like home
Las Vegas shines with colored lights,
The dazzling display of lights in the city
Looks like Christmas when you're high.
The surreal and magical feeling of being in a festive atmosphere
What a way to say goodbye.
Vegas was an unforgettable experience that we had to leave behind
It's better than your cheap motel.
The excitement and thrill of Vegas was worth more than any ordinary hotel room
It beats the antiseptic smell.
Vegas was a welcome change to the sterile and dull surroundings of everyday life
A story we could live to tell.
Our Vegas adventure was something we would always remember and retell
Contributed by Colton I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.