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That Music Meme
Oct. 3rd, 2010 01:25 pmDay 1: Your favourite song - "Despite Dense Weed" by Shriekback
Day 2: A Song that Makes You Cry - Pippin's song from "The Lord of the Rings"
Day 3: A song that makes you dance. - "Daylight" by Matt & Kim
Day 4: Your favorite male singer. - Jeff Lynne, hands down.
Day 5: Your favorite female singer. - Johnette Napolitano
Day 6: Your favorite band. - Shriekback
Behold the greatness of the Shrieks!
That is the song by which they're mostly recognised, but they're so much more. They've been making music since 1981, bringing a dark funk sound to the world that had never before been heard. But I didn't hear of them until 1990 when Aunt Tudi taped the above video from MTV's 120 Minutes. My life literally changed when I saw the music video. The band re-wired my mind and jump-started my writing of what would eventually become The Chalice. It's what finally drove me to England, where I met one of the core members of the band, Barry Andrews. He's the one singing in the video.
Even though they don't identify as being Goth, the Goth community seems to have embraced Shriekback. They're labeled as Goth in record stores and on sites like eBay. I really don't label them as Goth myself, even though Barry labels me as Goth (harrumph!). Their music is difficult to label because it embraces so many different styles, from funk to dub to dance to ethnic. I believe that's their pull for many people. The band itself has four core members: Dave Allen, Barry Andrews, Carl Marsh, and Martyn Barker. Calling themselves a collective, the Shrieks membership would swell and shrink as needed. Making an album was always an experience and an experiment. Their passion and artistry shine through on every album.
A new album is scheduled to come out in the Autumn of this year. I've heard some of the tracks and did a tentative song-by-song for the ones afforded me. When the new album comes out, I'll be writing up an official song-by-song for the band. It's what I've done for years and, in part, what has earned me the title of Shriekback Chronicler. I can deal with that name. In the meantime, here are the lyrics to 'Nemesis,' and if you have any questions about the band, feel free to ask, as I probably know.
In a jungle of the senses
Tinkerbell and Jack the Ripper
Love has no meaning, not where we come from
But we know pleasure is not that simple
Very little fruit is forbidden
Sometimes we wobble, sometimes we're strong
But you know evil is an exact science
Being carefully correctly wrong
Priests and cannibals, prehistoric animals
Everybody happy as the dead come home
Big black nemesis, parthenogenesis
No one move a muscle as the dead come home
We feel like Greeks, we feel like Romans
Centaurs and monkeys just cluster round us
We drink elixirs that we refine
From the juices of the dying
We are no monsters, we're moral people
And yet we have the strength to do this
This is the splendour of our achievement
Call in the airstrike with a poison kiss
How bad it gets you can't imagine
The burning wakes, the breath of reptiles
God is not mocked, he knows our business
Karma could take us at any moment
Cover him up I think we're finished
You know it's never been so exotic
But I don't know my dreams are vicious
We could still end up with the great big fishes
( more to come )
Day 2: A Song that Makes You Cry - Pippin's song from "The Lord of the Rings"
Day 3: A song that makes you dance. - "Daylight" by Matt & Kim
Day 4: Your favorite male singer. - Jeff Lynne, hands down.
Day 5: Your favorite female singer. - Johnette Napolitano
Day 6: Your favorite band. - Shriekback
Behold the greatness of the Shrieks!
That is the song by which they're mostly recognised, but they're so much more. They've been making music since 1981, bringing a dark funk sound to the world that had never before been heard. But I didn't hear of them until 1990 when Aunt Tudi taped the above video from MTV's 120 Minutes. My life literally changed when I saw the music video. The band re-wired my mind and jump-started my writing of what would eventually become The Chalice. It's what finally drove me to England, where I met one of the core members of the band, Barry Andrews. He's the one singing in the video.
Even though they don't identify as being Goth, the Goth community seems to have embraced Shriekback. They're labeled as Goth in record stores and on sites like eBay. I really don't label them as Goth myself, even though Barry labels me as Goth (harrumph!). Their music is difficult to label because it embraces so many different styles, from funk to dub to dance to ethnic. I believe that's their pull for many people. The band itself has four core members: Dave Allen, Barry Andrews, Carl Marsh, and Martyn Barker. Calling themselves a collective, the Shrieks membership would swell and shrink as needed. Making an album was always an experience and an experiment. Their passion and artistry shine through on every album.
A new album is scheduled to come out in the Autumn of this year. I've heard some of the tracks and did a tentative song-by-song for the ones afforded me. When the new album comes out, I'll be writing up an official song-by-song for the band. It's what I've done for years and, in part, what has earned me the title of Shriekback Chronicler. I can deal with that name. In the meantime, here are the lyrics to 'Nemesis,' and if you have any questions about the band, feel free to ask, as I probably know.
In a jungle of the senses
Tinkerbell and Jack the Ripper
Love has no meaning, not where we come from
But we know pleasure is not that simple
Very little fruit is forbidden
Sometimes we wobble, sometimes we're strong
But you know evil is an exact science
Being carefully correctly wrong
Priests and cannibals, prehistoric animals
Everybody happy as the dead come home
Big black nemesis, parthenogenesis
No one move a muscle as the dead come home
We feel like Greeks, we feel like Romans
Centaurs and monkeys just cluster round us
We drink elixirs that we refine
From the juices of the dying
We are no monsters, we're moral people
And yet we have the strength to do this
This is the splendour of our achievement
Call in the airstrike with a poison kiss
How bad it gets you can't imagine
The burning wakes, the breath of reptiles
God is not mocked, he knows our business
Karma could take us at any moment
Cover him up I think we're finished
You know it's never been so exotic
But I don't know my dreams are vicious
We could still end up with the great big fishes
( more to come )
