''Nervosa'' is an album by the band

Showbread Showbread ( he, לחם הפנים ''Leḥem haPānīm'', literally: "Bread of the Faces"), in the King James Version: shewbread, in a biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present, on a specially-de ...

. It was released on May 13, 2008, simultaneously with its companion album ''

Anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

''. Nervosa second in a two-CD collection entitled Anorexia Nervosa, which is an accompaniment to the short story ''Anorexia Nervosa'' which comes packaged within the records. The album acts as a soundtrack to a read-along story book that features a chapter for each track. As the reader follows the story, the album reacts to what happens within the text. Taking a drastic new direction from their second album '' Age of Reptiles'', which featured a more straightforward alternative rock sound, the band took "Nervosa" in a much darker,

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

tone.

Story

The album and included booklet tell the story of a woman named Nervosa who begins her story by taking a job at The 120 Days Of Sodom (named from the controversial novel of the same name by

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

) which is a combination strip club and slaughterhouse. The 120 Days Of Sodom has two floors, a killing floor and a dance floor above it. The dance floor features a transparent bottom so that visitors to the strip club can see through to the killing floor where animals are being slaughtered. Like her sister Anorexia, Nervosa's story takes place within two texts. The first section of each chapter tells Nervosa's story in a more stylized, fairy tale-esque and metaphorical manner. Within this text, Nervosa spends the story laboring to dig a hole as deeply as possible, which parallels her quest to reach the depths of human depravity. The subsequent text in each chapter is narrated by Nervosa herself, and takes place in

real time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

in the actual world. One evening while giving a private dance, Nervosa is assaulted, beaten and raped. She later learns she has become pregnant as a result of the rape and seeks an

unsafe abortion An unsafe abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by people lacking the necessary skills, or in an environment lacking minimal medical standards, or both. An unsafe abortion is a life-threatening procedure. It includes self-induced abortions, a ...

. At this point in the story, the

narrative ceases and the remaining chapters are carried exclusively through metaphorical means. Nervosa, broken and dying within her deep hole she has dug, wakes in a sunlit field and finds that she has been carried to safety by a small

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

who died in the process of rescuing her. The lamb however, resurrects and explains that he had given his life to save Nervosa simply to fulfill his lifelong desire to be with her.

Track listing

Personnel

;Showbread *Josh Dies - lead vocals, guitar *Patrick Porter - bass *Mike Jensen - guitar *Matt Davis - guitar *John Giddens - synthesizer *Ricky Holbrook - drums ;Additional musicians *Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds — guest vocals on track 1 *Ivory Mobley — guest vocals on track 8 *Jeff Fortson — guest vocals on track 8 *

Reese Roper Michael Reese Roper (born June 30, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as lead singer for the Denver, Colorado-based Christian ska punk band Five Iron Frenzy, as well as fronting the rock bands Brave Saint Saturn and Roper. Pers ...

— guest vocals on track 12

References

External links

Anorexia Nervosa's Official WebsiteShowbread's Official Homepage
{{Authority control Showbread (band) albums 2008 albums Tooth & Nail Records albums Reese Roper albums