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thepunishermagazine · 3 years

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PUNISHER December Issue Vol. 1: Top 10 Punisher lyrics that hit different

In no particular order, here’s a list of lyrics from Phoebe’s latest album, Punisher, that make us ache.

1. “I hopped the fence when I was seventeen / Then I knew / What I wanted” from “Garden Song”

Phoebe tweeted about the context of this quote when Punisher first dropped: “I broke into Huntington Gardens in Pasadena with @lukasscottfrank and his cute friends and they smoked weed and I was like I want to be cool.”

2. “I wanted to see the world / Through your eyes until it happened / Then I changed my mind” from “Kyoto”

In multiple interviews Phoebe has stated that “Kyoto” is about impostor syndrome, her trip to Japan, and being too depressed to leave her hotel room. Via NME, Phoebe described how, while in Tokyo, she constantly felt “... like [I was] living someone else’s life. I dissociate when bad things happen to me, but also when good things happen. It can feel like I’m performing what I think I’m supposed to be like. I wrote this one as a ballad first, but at that point I was so sick of recording slow songs, it turned into this.”

3. “What if I told you I feel like I know you / But we never met? / It’s for the best” from “Punisher”

The definition of the word “punisher” on which Phoebe bases the song’s titular is a mega-fan---someone who seeks out band members offstage to ask them details about all the minutiae of writing, playing, or recording, etc. Via Apple Music: “It’s kind of about the neighborhood [Silver Lake in Los Angeles], kind of about depression, but mostly about stalking Elliott Smith and being afraid that I’m a punisher — that when I talk to my heroes, that their eyes will glaze over.

4. “Always surprised by what I’d do for love / Some things I’d never expect” from “Halloween”

When asked over twitter what is the craziest thing she’s ever done for love, Phoebe responded “shit in a sandbox.”

5. “Drowning out the morning birds / With the same three songs over and over / I wish I wrote it, but I didn't so I learn the words / Hum along 'til the feeling's gone forever” from “Chinese Satellite”

There has been speculation that “drowning out the morning birds” is a reference to the line in Mitski’s “Your Best American Girl,” reading “You’re the sun, you’ve never seen the night / But you hear its song from the morning birds.” The line “Hum along ‘til the feeling’s gone forever” might be simplified to listening to a song on repeat until you tire of it. On “Chinese Satellite,” Phoebe says, “I have no faith — and that’s what it’s about.”

6. “When you saw the dead little bird, you started crying / But you know the killer doesn't understand” from “Moon Song”

The entirety of the Punisher album is a sort-of sequel to Phoebe’s first release, Stranger in the Alps. “Moon Song” in particular feels like the classic structure and sound many of her earlier tracks incorporate. “But you know the killer doesn’t understand” is a callback to “Killer,” the 6th song in Stranger, and ends up symbolizing a regression in direct contrast with the theme of growth the rest of Punisher seems to follow. On “Moon Song,” here’s what Phoebe has to say (via Apple Music): “The through line is that caring about someone who hates themselves is really hard, because they feel like you’re stupid. And you feel stupid.”

7. “I'm a bad liar / With a savior complex / All the skeletons you hide / Show me yours, and I'll show you mine” from “Savior Complex”

“Thematically, it’s like a sequel to “Moon Song.” It’s like when you get what you asked for and then you’re dating someone who hates themselves. Sonically, it’s one of the only songs I’ve ever written in a dream. I rolled over in the middle of the night and hummed — I’m still looking for this fucking voice memo, because I know it exists, but it’s so crazy-sounding, so scary. I woke up and knew what I wanted it to be about and then took it in the studio. That’s Blake Mills on clarinet, which was so funny: He was like a little schoolkid practicing in the hallway of Sound City before coming in to play.” (Phoebe, via Genius Lyrics)

8. I've been playing dead / My whole life / And I get this feeling / Whenever I feel good / It'll be the last time” from “ICU”

Originally “ICU,” changed to “I See You” and then changed back to “ICU” after Punisher dropped and it wasn’t a standalone EP, the song is about her relationship with Marshall Vore. “I had that line [“I’ve been playing dead my whole life”] first, and I’ve had it for at least five years. Just feeling like a waking zombie every day, that’s how my depression manifests itself. It’s like lethargy, just feeling exhausted. I’m not manic depressive — I fucking wish. I wish I was super creative when I’m depressed, but instead, I just look at my phone for eight hours. And then you start kind of falling in love and it all kind of gets shaken up and you’re like, “Can this person fix me? That’d be great.” This song is about being close to somebody. I mean, it’s about my drummer. This isn’t about anybody else.” (via Apple Music)

9. “Said she knows she'll live through it to get to this moment / Ate a sleeve of saltines on my floor, and I knew that / I would do anything you want me to” from “Graceland Too”

About an MDMA trip, loving her friend Julien Baker, and then “eventually turned into stuff that was going on in my life.” (via Genius Lyrics)

10. “And I'll get up and lay back down / Romanticize the quiet life / There's no place like my room” from “I Know The End”

“This is a bunch of things I had on my to-do list: I wanted to scream; I wanted to have a metal song; I wanted to write about driving up the coast to Northern California, which I’ve done a lot in my life. It’s like a super specific feeling. This is such a stoned thought, but it feels kind of like purgatory to me, doing that drive, just because I have done it at every stage of my life, so I get thrown into this time that doesn’t exist when I’m doing it, like I can’t differentiate any of the times in my memory.”

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i-am-a-blue-dragon · 7 years

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If I'm doing all the music asks, so are you. I CHALLENGE THEE.

It has been a calendar year since you sent me this. SORRY. You know I’ve been busy. @groovyaviator also asked me Daft Punk, Fall Out Boy, and Led Zeppelin. Let’s do this.

- Alabama Shakes: Favorite female lead? Aurora.

- Arctic Monkeys: Favorite male lead? Chris Martin.

- Ben Howard: An album that reminds you of your favorite season? Aurora’s All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, because it reminds me of when of that moment in late October when you realize winter is on its way. But I’m also a fan of our weather right now, so for that I would assign Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto. And I’ve also come to favor the weather around my birthday midsummer, and for that I’d assign The Golden Age by Woodkid.

- Bon Iver: An album you could listen to on repeat for years? Coldplay’s X&Y. Regina Spektor’s Far, as well as What We Saw from the Cheap Seats. alt-J’s entire discography. The How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack by John Powell. The soundtrack to Jane Eyre by Dario Marianelli. The Golden Age by Woodkid.

- Bastille: A song that brings back bad memories? Already Over by Red. Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood. The Ballad of John Hurt by alt-J, but the memory is more bittersweet than bad. Yes by Coldplay, tied closely with Two Birds by Regina Spektor.

- The Beatles: An artist you think is overrated? Ed Sheeran.

- Coldplay: A band you used to love but never listen to anymore? Coldplay, right now! I still love them very much but I’ve been listening to a lot of other stuff. Also, Linkin Park, Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence… I went through a phase.

- Daft Punk: Favorite instrumental (no vocals) song? The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman. It also is my favorite song, but specifically the composer’s cut version.

- Dawes: A genre of music you absolutely cannot stand? I really have a hard time with country. I’m sorry, Becca.

- Electric Light Orchestra: Favorite song to help you cheer up? I have a 75 song playlist of these, my dude. Rasputin by Boney M. reminds me of a ridiculous time in high school and never fails to make me smile, but most of the time my go-to is Everything’s Not Lost by Coldplay.

- Elliot Smith: Favorite song to listen to when you’re sad? I tend not to listen to a lot of music when I’m sad… but maybe the cover of Where Is My Mind by Bandit.

- Evanesence: Ever done drugs and listened to music? Lol no.

- Fun.: Put your music on shuffle and list the first three. Whatever happens, I blame Spotify: 1) Dust by Hans Zimmer (Interstellar soundtrack), 2) The Kill Ring by John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack), 3) Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood. I only can recall listening to the middle one because I have a habit of saving albums to listen to later.

- Fall Out Boy: First album you fell in love with? Vocal: Linkin Park’s Meteora. Instrumental: John Williams’s soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

- Green Day: A song that makes you feel rebellious? Boss Ass Bitch by PTAF!

- George Ezra: A song that reminds you of a past lover? I don’t really have any of those, but you can refer to the bad memory response because it’s basically the same list.

- Genesis: A band that your parents always played when you were little? The Rolling Stones, because if it’s parents plural my dad is the automatic DJ and he plays classic rock exclusively.

- Hozier: Favorite brand new artist? How new is new? Brand new to me right now are Tom Odell and Glass Animals but both have been at it since 2012.

- Iron & Wine?: What song would you want to be played at your wedding?“ Sleeping At Last did a cover of The Proclaimer’s I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) that I absolutely fucking love. But I would rather do an upbeat surprise choreographed dance number for my first dance because I don’t know how I feel about sharing an intimate moment with my new spouse in front of all those people.

- Imagine Dragons: What song would you want played at your funeral? At the beginning? Talk by Coldplay. At the end, The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman.

- Jack Johnson: A song you heard in a movie and fell in love with? Hans Zimmer’s song Time off of the Inception soundtrack.

- Joy Division: Your least favorite album by your favorite band? Ghost Stories by Coldplay because it’s sad and boring. Probably also their newest album but I’ve refused to sit through all of it so I don’t know.

- The Killers: Name your top three songs of all time. So many repeating answers tonight! The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman; Talk by Coldplay; Aurora’s cover of Nature Boy.

- Linkin Park: Suggest a band you think I might like. @beccathevampyreslayer I think you’d really enjoy How to be a Human Being by Glass Animals because it’s equal parts dark and upbeat. @groovyaviator, listen to The Golden Age by Woodkid. Becca can tell you that I’ve loved that album for years because the artist is also a director and intentionally writes his music to make listeners feel like the hero of a film.

- Led Zeppelin: Favorite album art? HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE. The Golden Age by Woodkid. Literally any art featured on an album or EP for Sleeping At Last. The Resistance by Muse. Any artwork featured in EPs or albums by Fleet Foxes. Light & Gold by Eric Whitacre (if one is looking to buy a print for me I’d go with this one). Parachutes by Coldplay. The Lateness Of The Hour by Alex Clare. Anything used by Foster The People.

- Muse: Craziest music video you’ve ever seen? Nothing will ever beat the Turn Down For What music video.

- Mumford & Sons: Favorite cover version of a song you love? Any iteration of Nature Boy by Nat King Cole but especially Aurora’s version. The same can probably also be said for The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, but nothing beats the original.

- The National: A song you sing in the shower? (I Won’t Say) I’m in Love from Hercules!

- Nathaniel Rateliff: A song that never fails to make you emotional? Laughing With by Regina Spektor has like a 50% chance of making me cry, as does Coming Back Around off the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack.

- One Direction: Backstreet Boys or NSYNC? I liked both! I think when I was younger I favored NSYNC, but boy bands aren’t really my mode of choice for experiencing ‘90s nostalgia.

- Pink Floyd: You can go back in time to see any band you want. Who would it be? Coldplay when they were touring for X&Y. Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite as its debut.

- Queen: You can meet any band member, living or dead, and hang out with them for 24 hours. Who would it be? Eric Whitacre, who I have met before but definitely didn’t hang out with. He’s a hero of mine because he kind of walked into his hometown university, picked up music super late, and went on to redefine classical music. He was driven by passion, and his lack of early training really shows in the innovation in his work - the man draws PICTURES of his music before even trying to write down notes. And he collaborates with all manner of interesting people, pulling source material from really unconventional places. I’ve been contemplating a major change in life paths for the last year or so and it’s always very heartening to see someone do the same, and especially by sheer force of will.

- Radiohead: Favorite concert you’ve ever been to (or a band you want to see live). I saw Aurora live in November and she changed my life. Marina and the Diamonds was incredible and so was her opening act, Christine and the Queens, who I also love. Regina Spektor was so good live too. And seeing Ke$ha last fall was just a lot of fun. I regret not going to see Coldplay a lot sooner because I’d love to see them in general but I don’t like most of their newest music and I’d really rather hear stuff from Mylo Xyloto and earlier.

- Rihanna: A musician you respect, even if you might not like their music? I don’t really listen to Demi Lovato but I have mad respect for everything she advocates for.

- Roo Panes: Favorite acoustic version of a song? Aurora’s acoustic version of Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). It’s haunting.

- Simon & Garfunkel: Favorite album movie? (Ex. Yellow Submarine, The Wall, Help!, The Graduate) Kill me later but I don’t think I have ever seen one in its entirety. I think I watched Help! with Becca, though.

- Skrillex: What’s the strangest song you have on your iPod right now? Rasputin by Boney M. and Chaccaron Maccaron by El Mundo.

- Tame Impala: A band none of your friends listen to? Aurora, Christine and the Queens, Tom Odell. Becca introduced me to the last one but she doesn’t listen to his discography actively.

- Taylor Swift: Name that one artist that literally makes you so angry you’re willing to throw the damn radio right out the window to make it stop. I’ll never be over the travesty of Robin Thicke. One of my favorite members of being a community advisor was our end of the year celebratory dinner, when the DJ started this song and the whole room stopped dancing and stared and him and I called over, “Please just change the song.” Rape culture is bad, kids.

- U2: A song or album that somehow got onto your iPod but you have no idea where it came from??? Weird. Probably some random movie soundtrack.

- The Vaccines: What are your favorite lyrics? Quote them for me. Do they mean something special to you? “Are you lost or incomplete? Do you feel like a puzzle, you can’t your missing piece?” “Are you what you want to be?” “Is this the life you’ve been waiting for?” “Good is better than perfect, scrub ‘til your fingers are bleeding. And I’m crying for things that I tell others to do without crying.” “I want to love you but I don’t know how.” “Are you getting stronger or is time shifting weight?” “Potentially lovely, perpetually human, suspended and open…” “You can’t pin me down!” You might sense a theme here. I think I do.

- Vampire Weekend: A band or artist you follow on Twitter? No Twitter for me, but if I did it’d be Eric Whitacre because his fans send him good music memes and he shares the best of them.

- Vance Joy: An artist where you can never tell what the hell they’re singing? Chevelle and George Ezra.

- Weezer: Favorite old school band? Simon & Garfunkel.

- The xx: A genre/band you’ve been getting into that you never thought you would enjoy? Synthpop.

#long post #hannah replies #about me #music #this was a fun way to procrastinate #my posts

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