Coil, "Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1"

Are You Shivering?

(Brr-rr-rr-rr-rr)

Are you shivering? Are you cold?
Are you bathed in silver or drowned in gold?
This dream's a vitality
With filaments as fine as a spider's web
Pour through your mouth
They pour through your mouth
O river of silver, O river of flowers
I lie down and shiver in your silver river
Out drips the last drop of this vital fluid

Our life has grown weary
The stars have grown old
Are you still shivering?
Are you still cold?
Are you loathsome tonight?
Does your madness shine bright?
Are you loathsome tonight?

In the oceans of the moon
Swimming squidlike and squalid
This bright moon is a liquid
The dark earth is a solid

This is moon music in the light of the moon

Broccoli

Wise words from the departing
Eat your greens, especially broccoli
Remember to say "thank you" for the things you haven't had
By working the soil we cultivate the sky
We embrace vegetable kingdom
The death of your father, the death of your mother
Is something you prepare for
All your life
All their life

Those lines are repeated over and over with the following variations:

The death of the father and the death of the mother
...
Wear sensible shoes and always say "thank you"
Especially for the things you never had
...
Is something you prepare for
All your life
All of your life
...
And enter the vegetable kingdom of our own heaven
...
By working the soil we cultivate good manners
Is to say "please" and "thank you"
Especially for the things you never had
...
And always say "thank you"
Especially for broccoli

The Dreamer is Still Asleep

Hush; may I ask you all for silence?
The dreamer is still asleep
May the goddess keep us from single vision
And Newton's sleep

The dreamer is still asleep
The dreamer is still asleep
He's inventing landscapes in their magnetic field
Working out a means of escape
We'll cut across the crop circles

The seer says no
Not much time left for these escape attempts
Look at it this way
In ten years' time
Who'll care? Who'll even remember?
One dies like that, deep within it
Almost inside it
It's there for a reason

I'll give you my old address
And take that little book
To tear and cut the paper

The beginning is also the end
Time defines it, time defines it
It will end
Like close friendship
Nothing could be further
We forget the space between people and things
Is empty
We forget, and don't notice the loss

Crossing into venerable degeneration
Such radiant pollution
The god with the silver hand surveys this vast contamination
The dreamer is still dreaming
The dreamer is still dreaming

In the heart of your heart
Your eye remains
Is that hurt you? Is that blister you call loveless?
Your whole life is a cold slow shock
Your whole life is a cold slow shock

Take all your time
Track the shabby shadow down
Through hissy mists of history

The dreamer is still dreaming
The dreamer is still dreaming

Hush; may I ask you all for silence?
Will he wake in time to catch the sunset?
Hush; may I ask you all for silent?
May I ask you all for silent?

Red Queen

The rapid speech before the main lyrics is a repetition of the first section ("Now you've absorbed ... gonna do?").

Now you've absorbed it into your system
Now that you've allowed it to be true
Now that you've neutralised it, made it safe, made it yours
Now that you've been photographed, recorded
What are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do?

Is it so unsafe when you are
Insecure in the space where you are?
Is it so, really so,
Is it more real?
Is it more yours?
Is it more yours?
Is it more real, for you,
Than it is for him or me?
And the people who perceive it
Repeat it, distort it, improve it, update it
Slightly change it
And these people believe it
And write it all up for you
And is it more real?

And is it more real?
Does it make it more yours,
Now you're recorded as having said it?
And being seen and done it
People have been seen to take notice
So empty
Is it so awful to be seen to feel and fail?
Overheard and noted to authenticate his story
An unsafe male trait
You know what they say
That empty vessels ring true, like bells
Make the most noise
The ink is still wet
In this case, the medium is not

Is it so unsafe when you are
Insecure in the space where you are?
Is it so, really so, unsafe you can't let
Let go?
Is it so unsafe when you are
Insecure in the space where you are?

What are you going to do if they don't believe you?
What are you going to do if they don't believe you?
What are you gonna do?
What are you going to do if they don't believe you?
What are you going to do if they don't believe you?
What are you going to do if they don't believe you?
What are you going to do if they don't believe you?

Strange Birds

One day your eggs are going to hatch and some very strange birds are going to emerge.

Coil return with exactly sixty minutes of new music. Moon Musick that is. As of January 26th of this year Coil are 5 with the addition of classically trained musician Thighpaulsandra (aka Tim Lewis). This is his first appearance on a recording, whereas electric violist William Breeze is not present due to geography and work commitments. "Musick.." began as a subscription release (direct from Coil with signed certificate of provenance) but small quantities will also be made available through World Serpent. With "Musick.." Coil continue to move forward with new ideas and new sounds. Most of the tracks feature vocals to some extent, usually spoken by Balance. "Are You Shivering?" utilizes drone-y organ chords, vocoded vocal snippets, static-y pops and crackles, watery thumps, a slow, steady beat, angelic backing vocals, drippings of sound and Balance's spoken words. A very haunting, liquidy (musically and lyrically) introduction to moon musick. "Red Birds.." is an instrumental track, mostly the work of Thighpaulsandra, comprised of a long series of flowing arpeggio patterns. This track has a constant sense of motion as the notes gain density and speed, interplaying and morphing their tones. It gets rather abrasive in the final minutes as swirling effects go into overdrive. "Red Queen" has a slow, jazzy feel to it: beautiful piano playing (courtesy of Thighpaulsandra), brushed snare, a swooping drone-y background and Balance's spoken words about the lies of media. This is a side of Coil I'd love to hear more of. "Broccoli" is pretty minimal: watery drips, static-y clickings and pops, deep bass notes and vocals by both Balance and Christophersen. The lyrics seem to suggest preparing oneself for the death of one's parents and to take heed of their words of advice. "Strange Birds" is also fairly minimal. It's primarily instrumental save for 1 quiet, spoken line from Balance. Again, static-y pops and crackles are used along with bird sounds, dogs barking and various natural environment sounds. It gives me the sensation of standing on a rocky coastline as hundreds of birds are about on the shore and in the air. "The Dreamer.." is like "Red Queen" in that it has a strong "song"-based format. A throbbing bass rhythm is the heartbeat of the song as a gentle keyboard melody, a subtle percussion loop and Balance's spoken and sung vocals express the lament of the lucid dreamer. Wow! All in all, this is yet another fantastic piece of work from Coil. The sound is nice and varied and Thighpaulsandra has proven to be an excellent addition to the lineup. The cd (with moon graphic) comes in a digipack which has a fractal, nightime winter/forest/mountain-horizon graphic. Inside, opposite the cd, is a rainbow circle with the four band members names around it. Very sharp. "Musick.." deserved an unlimited, domestic distribution via Nothing Records, but ... what are you gonna do? Get this while you can. It was well worth the $20 and the wait. This is going to get a lot of spins in my players in light *and* dark times and will definitely be in my top ten for 1999. I patiently await Volume 2 due in January of 2000. Thanks guys. - Mark Weddle, Brainwashed