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Vague Similarities
(4:53)
Song Description
'Vague Similarities' was imagined to be a merging of the themes and styles of the band's two previous releases; it contains the menacing tone and simple nursery-rhyme lyrics of 'Blue Nebula', but also carries over the complex instrumentals and willingness to experiment from 'Midnight Skies'.
The opening piano keys, played by Greg Oldson, immediately set the chilling vibe that the remainder of the song follows. Eric Quillington sings in a low, almost mumbled, singing voice that is completely removed of all emotion. This creates the most striking aspect of the song; the descriptive and emotional lyrics are sung with an almost passive indifference, suggesting that the narrator no longer cares about the outcome of the conflict. Each verse also has progressively increased instrumentals: the first simply contains Greg's keyboard-playing and Eric's singing, the second brings in Matt Robert's bass-riff and Quillington's subdued and distorted guitar, and so forth. This reaches it's climax in the third verse, which is essentially a nightmarish collage of music consisting of wailing guitars, distorted bass, faint background noises of fires and screams, all played against Quillington's almost monotone singing.
All sounds then abruptly end, with the mournful piano opening brought back to center stage. Quillington sings a fourth and final verse of how 'all past rights have been wronged', before the piano riff closes the song. Lyrically, this song is about the quiet hatred many civilians can feel towards a revolution, especially if they don't support the causes. Quillington has stated that this song is influenced by the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the horrifying effects the resulting Soviet Union had on it's citizens. The sarcastically indifferent line, 'it brings me down' that serves as the end of each verse effectively sums up the themes of this song.
When asked about how fans will respond to the song, Eric Quillington said, "It'll be very divided. Some fans will love it for being a return to roots, in a sense; it's got a very 'Blue Nebula' vibe to it, which was the goal from the outset. But, it's also continuing the musical development we've been making on previous albums, and really takes it to the next level. I'm sure there will be fans who love it for those reasons, but there will also be those who hate it for being pretentious and self-indulgent. But, that's okay, it is pretentious and it is self-indulgent at certain points. It just all depends on whether people like that kind of stuff, that'll influence their opinion. Call me egocentric, but I really hope this song will become a fan-favorite."
Lyrics
"The boiling of the bloodstream is building up inside of me
Air is so black, the air is so black
It brings me down
The endless possibilities are shot down before they can bloom
Skin is so blue, the skin is so blue
It brings me down
The windows are shut to blind ourselves of what’s outside
Eyes are so white, the eyes are so white
It brings me down
The city is so silent now that past rights have been wronged
Water is so red, the water is so red
It brings me down"
Personnel
Eric Quillington- Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Primary Lyricist
Greg Oldson- Keyboards, Drums
Matt Roberts- Bass
Jason Smith- Producer |
Kid Anything- Indie/Britpop/Shoegaze; influenced by Sigur Ros, XXYYXX, Kanye West, Blur, Oasis (Bringing together an eclectic group of influences, Ulysses' songs are sung with carefree abandon by Nick Junk) Kurt Ulysses - Songwriter, Guitarist, Backup Vocalist Nick Junk - Vocals, Mojo Infinite- Alternative/Experimental Rock; influenced by Muse, Radiohead, and The Beatles (Known best for their experimental music and their frontman's eccentric behavior, the band disbanded after Eric Quillington's death to pursue solo careers or, in Matt Robert's case, peace of mind. Infinite released four albums over the course of their career; Blue Nebula, Midnight Skies, Insomnia, and Dancing about Architecture.) Eric Quillington (Deceased) - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Piano, Primary Lyricist Matt Roberts - Bass Greg Oldson - Drums, Backup Vocals, Secondary Lyricist Amelia Florentine - Keyboards, Piano, Lyricist, Backup Vocals "When asked 'how do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time', and this answer is invariably dismissed. But that's all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That's all. One stone at a time. But I've read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope." - Stephen King |
