It reminds me of the chills you hear in the first half of Formaldehyde. Both the songs talks about end of humanity/society, King Eternal is shorter, no significant variations in the instrumental part. I read all the lyrics to be sure, I feel the monotone song is like a trance, something inevitable is happening, you have flat emotions 'cause nothing can be done, so why do anything? I think in the lyrics there also are some biblical reference, I'm absolutely not sure, but "Infinity's hourglass", "send us up a baby boy" (angel?), "gather supplies and stack 'em up", "Nathan". In contrast with the last verses, maybe a reason or an after the doom, "eternal erections, tongue untied". Biblical Reference or not, anyway I feel this song more like a luxurious music to drive you to the apocalypse or some sort of end.
So... this isn't the first TV on rhe Radio song that didn't resonate with your subjectivity. I got another one into a live-stream (#95 in Nov 2023), called 'Satellite'. This track comes from their first album, where the other came from a debut EP. In both tracks, for me, it's the constant contradictions that resolve into moments of beauty that I love. Later in their career, they moved in a more palateble and danceable direction, but those never moved me the same way. I love how they extract/inject (I think they do both at times) soul and blues on a bed of synthy drones. It's affirmatively Black music, by style and reference, that mixes the cliches and tropes with so many other contrasting sounds. Happily, they're too busy having fun and getting weird with it to be as pretentious as I think that sounds. I also think those lyrical tone shifts that were so confusing to you are a part of that. They're mixing the avante garde 'high art' with the low-brow culture that surrounds the every day. Though, I think what you hear as medival/fantasy, I hear as gospel/preaching. Certainly, in this track, my man is preaching. 'All men condemned by men to die Damned by blind bitch in hallowed halls Hear it, heed this call' He's talking to people who've been sentenced to death by the Justice system (Blind Bitch in Hallowed Halls, blind Justice in the courts). I can't claim to have it all figured out, but it stays in this preaching prophetic tone all the way to the end, when he's not dropping anachronisms about balls and whatnots. 'Afraid of thunder children, so hide your ears Hope your fortress holds up for many many many years' Those are the people who aren't listening, and he wishes them well. 'Send us up a baby boy Let the smoke carry his name If it's a girl let her shine' Some sort of Messiah is on his/her way, a King Eternal. Apparently that's a good thing 🙂 Nathan, referenced further down, was both a son of King David in the Old Testament, and a prophet after which that son was apparently named. I don't know if that's a figure with wider resonance or deeper lore in some specific branches of Judeo/Christian faiths, but he's aclaimed as an ancestor to Mary. Proclaiming and awaiting an immanent Messianic intervention seems like the general thrust to me, but the interjections of the profane, are just part and parcel of on habit of contradictions that I mentioned from the top. Personally, I think that deepens things, but it's not for everyone's taste, that's for sure.
Good call on the preaching -- that fits the mood a lot better. And thanks for fleshing out the lyrics a bit. I was certainly missing a lot of context on this one.
It reminds me of the chills you hear in the first half of Formaldehyde.
Both the songs talks about end of humanity/society, King Eternal is shorter, no significant variations in the instrumental part.
I read all the lyrics to be sure, I feel the monotone song is like a trance, something inevitable is happening, you have flat emotions 'cause nothing can be done, so why do anything?
I think in the lyrics there also are some biblical reference, I'm absolutely not sure, but "Infinity's hourglass", "send us up a baby boy" (angel?), "gather supplies and stack 'em up", "Nathan".
In contrast with the last verses, maybe a reason or an after the doom, "eternal erections, tongue untied".
Biblical Reference or not, anyway I feel this song more like a luxurious music to drive you to the apocalypse or some sort of end.
These guys are highly underrated. Many tracks I really think you would enjoy.
Try…
Young Liars
Hours
I Was A Lover
Love Dog
Method
So... this isn't the first TV on rhe Radio song that didn't resonate with your subjectivity. I got another one into a live-stream (#95 in Nov 2023), called 'Satellite'. This track comes from their first album, where the other came from a debut EP. In both tracks, for me, it's the constant contradictions that resolve into moments of beauty that I love. Later in their career, they moved in a more palateble and danceable direction, but those never moved me the same way. I love how they extract/inject (I think they do both at times) soul and blues on a bed of synthy drones. It's affirmatively Black music, by style and reference, that mixes the cliches and tropes with so many other contrasting sounds. Happily, they're too busy having fun and getting weird with it to be as pretentious as I think that sounds. I also think those lyrical tone shifts that were so confusing to you are a part of that. They're mixing the avante garde 'high art' with the low-brow culture that surrounds the every day. Though, I think what you hear as medival/fantasy, I hear as gospel/preaching.
Certainly, in this track, my man is preaching.
'All men condemned by men to die
Damned by blind bitch in hallowed halls
Hear it, heed this call'
He's talking to people who've been sentenced to death by the Justice system (Blind Bitch in Hallowed Halls, blind Justice in the courts).
I can't claim to have it all figured out, but it stays in this preaching prophetic tone all the way to the end, when he's not dropping anachronisms about balls and whatnots.
'Afraid of thunder children, so hide your ears
Hope your fortress holds up for many many many years'
Those are the people who aren't listening, and he wishes them well.
'Send us up a baby boy
Let the smoke carry his name
If it's a girl let her shine'
Some sort of Messiah is on his/her way, a King Eternal. Apparently that's a good thing 🙂 Nathan, referenced further down, was both a son of King David in the Old Testament, and a prophet after which that son was apparently named. I don't know if that's a figure with wider resonance or deeper lore in some specific branches of Judeo/Christian faiths, but he's aclaimed as an ancestor to Mary.
Proclaiming and awaiting an immanent Messianic intervention seems like the general thrust to me, but the interjections of the profane, are just part and parcel of on habit of contradictions that I mentioned from the top. Personally, I think that deepens things, but it's not for everyone's taste, that's for sure.
Good call on the preaching -- that fits the mood a lot better. And thanks for fleshing out the lyrics a bit. I was certainly missing a lot of context on this one.