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8. The Forms - "Ignoreland"

The Forms On "Ignoreland"
"There is much talk these days about the death of the album and singles being the future, but Automatic For The People is one of the best arguments to be made for preserving the album format. In theory, an album is supposed to be something more than a mere collection of songs, something with an overall theme or coherence, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more hard-hitting example than Automatic. We chose 'Ignoreland' because Michael Stipe's melody in it is great on so many levels, and it inspired us to try to reimagine the music that could potentially surround it. The original version is very densely layered, so we tried a more minimalist approach, incorporating the melody into the bassline and only using bass and drums as the instruments. This version of the song was recorded with Steve Albini at his studio in Chicago.
- Alex Tween

Mike Mills On "Ignoreland"
"The political song on there. In a way, it kinda stands out from the rest sonically and lyrically, but it's good to vent about the people we were angry with at the time. I don't recall playing it live."

"Ignoreland" lyrics
These bastards stole their power
from the victims of the Us v.
Them years,
Wrecking all things virtuous and
true.
The undermining social
democratic downhill slide into
abysmal
lost lamb off the precipice into
the trickle down runoff pool.
They hypnotized the summer,
Nineteen seventy-nine.
Marched into the capital
brooding duplicitous, wicked and
able, media-ready,
Heartless, and labeled. Super U.S.
citizen, super achiever,
mega ultra power dosing. Relax.
Defense, defense, defense,
defense. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.

The information nation took their
clues from all the sound-bite
gluttons.
Nineteen eighty, eighty-four,
eighty-eight, ninety-two too, too.
How to be what you can be, jump
jam junking your energies.
How to walk in dignity with
throw-up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn,
Nineteen seventy-nine.
Calculate the capital, up the
republic my skinny ass.
T.V. tells a million lies. The
paper's terrified to report
anything that isn't handed on a
presidential spoon,
I'm just profoundly frustrated by
all this. So, fuck you, man. (Fuck 'm)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.

If they weren't there we would
have created them. Maybe, it's
true,
But I'm resentful all the same.
Someone's got to take the blame.
I know that this is vitriol. No
solution, spleen-venting,
But I feel better having screamed.
Don't you?
They desecrated winter, Nineteen
seventy-nine.
Capital collateral. Brooding
duplicitous, wicked and able,
media-ready,
Heartless, and labelled. Super U.S.
citizen, super achiever,
Mega ultra power dosing. Relax.
Defense, defense, defense,
defense. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ignoreland.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tags: Steve Albini, The Forms