2015 Recap

There it is, the first year of my personal hall of fame. I must say, I love how it's turning out.

When I first had the idea to do this back in the summer of 2014, I had a lot of questions for myself.

Foremost, isn't it a bit pretentious to think that you're special/cool/respected enough that anyone's going to care about this?
A: I ruled out that concern when I decided that, ultimately, I would be completely satisfied with doing this for myself alone. Any others who came to care would be a bonus.

Second, what will something being in the list actually mean?
A: Putting something in the list is pointing out in some more-or-less official way that it has had a profound effect on my life, much more than the thousands of other movies, music, games, etc. that are out there. It means that they have shaped me in some way. It means they mean more to me than anything else.

Third, how long will you keep this up?
A: As long as I can.

Let's write out the list (with links!) and then chat about it.

Artist
Enigma (Feb)

Songs
Don't Panic - Coldplay (Jan)
Run - Snow Patrol (Apr)
Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab for Cutie (Jul)
Love is the End - Keane (Sep)
18 - Moby (Dec)

Albums
Carnavas - Silversun Pickups (May)
Demon Days - Gorillaz (Oct)

Movies
Spirited Away (Mar)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Aug)

Video Games
Diablo II (Jun)
Dungeon Siege (Nov)

First, my all-time favorite artist, Michael Cretu, the man behind Enigma. When I wrote about him and his music back in February, I was swept away by nostalgia. The last album he released was in 2008 when I was 15. He blew my mind by announcing a few months ago that he is working on a new album to be released in 2016, 8 years later. The story of Enigma continues! There's nothing I'm looking forward to more right now.

Then my five songs. No future group will even mean quite the same to me as this one. Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie, and Keane, what I call the 'four core bands' of my youth, are all represented here. It was with them that my love for music really began to blossom. I then took that love to other genres and artists, Moby included (you'll see others here soon). We closed with "18", the only song I've ever called my absolute favorite.

Then albums! The grand stories of the music world and my favorite way to listen to music. First, there was Carnavas, from my newly-decided favorite band Silversun Pickups, with its adrenaline-infused sincerity. Demon Days, from the rap/hip hop/alternative project Gorillaz, seemed really out of place among my other musical picks, but I enjoy it just as much.

Film - a medium I'm much less experienced in, but still thoroughly enjoy. Spirited Away stirred my imagination more than most things I'd seen at that age. Then The Fellowship of the Ring provided the best example to date of the sort of dream-team story I prefer above all others.

The video games aren't just important to me because I spent a lot of time with them and because they were a blast. They are also incredibly influential in my love for storytelling and writing in general. Diablo II impressed me with one of the strongest plots and some of the best fictional atmospheres I knew at the time. Then Dungeon Siege allowed me to construct my own story as I explored its amazing team-based combat and diverse biomes.

There are other categories I'd like to include one day (books, TV series, music videos, etc.), but because I don't know them so well and don't have so many of them I see being here, I'll hold off until I know exactly what I want to do with them.

Twelve down, hundreds to go!
Onward to 2016!

December 2015 - 18 by Moby

18 - Moby

Why?

Even if I really set my mind to it, I don't think I'd be able to pick a favorite song considered the wealth of music I've collected over the years and the large number of songs that have come to mean a lot to me for many different reasons. There is, however, one song that used to hold that #1 position, the only one I've ever confidently called my very favorite song. I thought it fitting to end my first year of hall of famers with that song, "18".

As I've put more and more time into discovering new music and picking favorites over the years, I'm continually stunned to find that the most beautiful songs are often also the most simple, with "18" as one of the most simple and beautiful of them all. First, there are no words, which is rare among my favorites. The song is pure music. Second, the same melody (on piano/synthesizer) is repeated over and over, and that melody contains the same pattern again and again, starting high and then descending down the scale until it starts at the top again. No distinction between chorus, verse, and bridge.

The power comes in the progression, the addition of a new element every time the melody starts at the top once again. A pristine keyboard plays the melody high, alone at first. Then a real piano sound joins in to play the same exact thing at a lower octave. Next, artificial string tones offer simple, but lovely harmonies. Then the overriding blur of a synthesizer furthers the harmonization. Some subtle complexities begin to trickle in as the strings then take on a moving pattern in the song's peak. At this point, you've probably forgotten about the melody we started with, but then it'd center stage once again for the soft ending.

I think most would label it 'boring'. I remember one time telling a friend it was my favorite before having her listen. At the end, her expression read as "that's it?". But something about it elicits such a powerful emotional response for me. I find it serene.

If you've ever seen a Bourne movie, you know Moby's "Extreme Ways", which plays in one form or another in every credits roll in the series. "18" comes three tracks after that song on the same record, which is also called 18 because of its 18 songs. The song "18", strangely enough, comes 12th on the album, which is arguably Moby's finest.

Since there aren't any lyrics to take a look at, I'll leave it at that. One full year of hall of famers now in place. Many more to come. If you've read this far, thanks for caring. I truly appreciate it.

November 2015 - Dungeon Siege

Dungeon Siege

Why?

The fantasy genre quickly became home to my rampant imagination as a kid and it still often is. Early on, I decided that my favorite part of storytelling was constructing the characters and organizing them into to teams. Stories with groups of main characters, rather than solo protagonists, have always been my favorite. Dungeon Siege, which allows the player control of up to 8 characters, was my dream game because it combined a beautiful fantasy story with freedom to pick my characters' paths and my team as a whole.

(more commentary coming soon!)

"None could foretell that one humble farmer would stand between vengeance from the past and the survival of the kingdom."

October 2015 - Demon Days from Gorillaz

Demon Days - Gorillaz

Why?

Music from the Gorillaz is certainly out-of-place when placed next to the rest of my favorites. Although I'm strongly opposed to rap music general because of its of the indecency that rules the genres, I could have completely refuse it because I came to love Demon Days early on. It isn't a straight rap album (keep in mind that the Gorillaz project is lead by Blur's singer Damon Albarn), but I've come to appreciate every bit of it, especially the rapping. At a time when I was just starting to explore new genres, Demon Days won me over with an overwhelming diversity in sound and made me comfortable with types of music I'd previously rejected.

Let's take it track by track.

(Song-specific commentary coming soon!)

Track 1: Intro

Track 2: Last Living Souls

Track 3: Kids With Guns

Track 4: O Green World

Track 5: Dirty Harry

Track 6: Feel Good Inc.

Track 7: El Manana

Track 8: Every Planet We Reach Is Dead

Track 9: November Has Come

Track 10: All Alone

Track 11: White Light

Track 12: DARE

Track 13: Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head

Track 14: Don't Get Lost In Heaven

Track 15: Demon Days

"In these demon days, it's so cold inside, so hard for a good soul to survive."

"Maybe in time, you'll want to be mine."

September 2015 - Love Is The End by Keane

Love Is The End - Keane 

Why?

As we've gone through the music portion of this first year, I've often mentioned what I call the 'four core bands' of my youth. Even though each one of them has a number of extraordinary songs that I will never forget, they each have a single song that, in my eyes, clearly outshines the rest. We've seen those songs from three of the bands already. For Keane, this song came several years later in 2008 and, for me, marked the end of these bands' best years. Love Is The End radiates a profound sincerity from solemn beginning to desperate end in one of the greatest song crescendos I've ever heard. It also currently reads on my iTunes account as my most played song of all time.

"I still do depend on you so don't say those words. You wrung me through."

August 2015 - The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Why?

The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy transformed the film industry, that much is undeniable. It had an outstanding, definitive soundtrack, a believable portrayal of a fantasy world, and visuals like no one at the time had ever seen. My favorite part of a good story, however, will always be the characters, and my favorite stories are often the ones that have a lot of them to root for. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring not only blew me away with the best-depicted fantasy world I'd ever seen at the time, it also offered the most entertaining and well-constructed set of main characters I'd ever known, and it remains one of the best.

"Keep it secret. Keep it safe."

July 2015 - Brothers On A Hotel Bed by Death Cab for Cutie

Hall of Famer #3:

Brothers On A Hotel Bed

Death Cab for Cutie

2005

Why?

We've already seen songs from two of the so called 'four core bands' of my youth, Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Death Cab for Cutie was another and is the one that stands out most to me this very moment because of their excellent recent album and my terrible mistake of letting laziness keep me from their concert last week. There are a lot of Death Cab songs I'd like to put here, but "Brothers On A Hotel Bed", for me, was the clear choice. This songs carries with it a profound musical sacredness, an immediately overwhelming peace that begs my attention with the very first chord as if not giving this song all the attention I have is a disservice. Few songs hold such an emotional weight in my life, and it achieved that value with its flawless composition and the simple sincerity of its words.

"Brothers On A Hotel Bed" currently ranks as my 15th most played song of all time, which is a position only reached by songs that have been with me for a long time. In fact, out of my top 20, it hit my iTunes collection the earliest when I started using my first iPod in 2006. My first taste of Death Cab came in the form of two of their albums simultaneously: Plans, the album we're pulling from here, and the earlier Transatlanticism. Included here are songs like "I Will Follow You Into The Dark", "Soul Meets Body", "The Sound of Settling", and plenty of other popular greats -- really no weak song whatsoever, but Brothers was always my favorite. At a time when I was starting to realize that quieter, more sentimental songs were usually the ones that meant the most to me, Brothers was an invaluable addition to my small library.

The song is, of course, led by piano, but just as important as its introductory chords is their background, which can easily go unnoticed. Very faintly, we hear a mixture of sounds that's hard to pinpoint. The best description I've got is that it sounds like a casino room in the distance, which, somehow, pours a lot more emotion into the piece than the silence they could have left there. One minute in, and we get drums, electric guitar, and bass instead. Synthesized sounds and an acoustic guitar join in later, helping the song build slightly more and more energy as it goes along. Overall, it never strays far from its initial sense of serenity, thanks in great part to Ben Gibbard's fitting voice.

And, as always, the lyrics are a huge factor in why I came to love this song like I do. Let's take a look.

You may tire of me as our December sun is setting

Cause I'm not who I used to be

No longer easy on the eyes 

But these wrinkles masterfully disguise the youthful boy below

Who turned your way and saw something he was not looking for: 

Both a beginning and an end 

But now he lives inside someone he does not recognize 

When he catches his reflection on accident.

On the back of a motor bike 

With your arms outstretched trying to take flight 

Leaving everything behind 

But even at our swiftest speed we couldn't break from the concrete 

In the city where we still reside. 

And I have learned that even landlocked lovers yearn for the sea like navy men 

Cause now we say goodnight from our own separate sides 

Like brothers on a hotel bed 

Like brothers on a hotel bed 

Like brothers on a hotel bed 

Like brothers on a hotel bed

My interpretation of the message here is the first phrase itself: you may tire of me. Ben sings of growing older, touching on the change in physicality and identity, the yearning for things gone by, and a subtle fear of what age brings -- or doesn't bring -- with it. It's not just about the age of a person, however, it's about the age of a love, one that time beats upon until the two who are in this love feel it slipping away. Eventually, although they try to escape the descent, they reach the point where it seems awkward for them to be sleeping together... like two grown brothers in the same hotel bed. This portrayal speaks volumes and I could go on and on about each line and concept, but that's not quite what I want to accomplish here. The band's always especially strong with lyrics, but this is a highlight for me in that regard.

Please, enjoy this song yourself.

Here's a live recording.

Here's a cool jazzy cover.

And one more interesting take

"Now he lives inside someone he does not recognize"
Brothers On a Hotel Bed
Song #3

June 2015 - Diablo II

Now for the last of my lists' beginnings. Although I'd call music a greater passion of mine, video games have offered me endless creative inspiration and game design is where I've chosen to place my college study. The first member of the game portion of my hall of fame is...

Diablo II (2000)

Why?

Those near to me know that my greatest aspiration is to be an accomplished novelist. They don't know that this is where it all started. My interest in Diablo II drove me to read my first adult-level fantasy novels, which caused my to start creating my own characters and stories. Now storytelling is my dominant desire and creative writing is perhaps my greatest strength. 

As you'd expect from a game named after the devil, it's not the most appropriate for a seven-year-old, which is where I was when it came out. My start with the game was watching my dad play it with his two brothers and cousin. I still remember which characters each had chosen and what areas I saw them in.

My dad didn't let me play until about three years later. I never became especially immersed in the game because it was already somewhat outdated by the time I got to it, but I was drawn back to it multiple times in the following years. I beat it first at about age 10, then again at 14, and a third time at 17.

The Diablo series is one of three massively successful series from Blizzard, the other two being Starcraft and Warcraft (a la World of Warcraft). I like to call Blizzard the Pixar of the gaming industry -- high quality is basically a guarantee in every new release. Diablo is the least popular of the three, which isn't actually saying much, but I call it my favorite. The cool thing about Diablo is that it's the first major game of its type, where the player controls the one character from above. That style has been pulled into many other big games since, including Torchlight, Titan Quest, Sacred, and many more.

Diablo II, like its predecessor and successor, takes place in a medieval-style fantasy world where a great conflict between angels and demons prevails. Mundane humanity is torn apart in the middle of the war, powerless and even bothersome in the eyes of either side. Some humans, however, prove themselves as skilled warriors, becoming not only heroes, but the only hope of the angels as the seven Lords of Hell, the Great Evils, grow more powerful.

The player chooses between seven classes. The Amazon hits hard with her spear and javelins. The Assassin excels with traps. The Necromancer summons undead minions. The barbarian is brutal in attack. The Sorceress harnesses the elements. The Druid transforms into various animals. The Paladin uses protective spells and heavy armor. I first completed the game with the Necromancer, then the Paladin, then the Amazon, all on the normal difficulty, which is somewhat pitiful, looking back.

The character, or team or characters, fights through the forces of hell in separate acts, each with its own setting and Lord of Hell. Act I sees the warriors in a typical countryside setting with Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish, waiting at the end. Act II is in a desert setting concluding with Duriel, the Lord of Pain. Act III is a jungle where Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, serves as the final boss. Then the character is taken to the depths of Hell in Act IV to fight the devil, Diablo, the Lord of Terror. An expansion adds the Assassin and Druid characters, as well as Act V, where Baal, Lord of Destruction, is mounting an invasion.

A major highlight was the game's soundtrack. In terms of music, Diablo II is a contender for my favorite of all time. The threat of evil was much more prevalent thanks to creepy compositions like this:

Blizzard has always been top of the line with cinematics. Diablo 2 was no exception.

As you see, the game's now out of its time. I find it hard to enjoy anymore, especially because I've given a lot of recent time to the excellent sequel. Diablo II is mainly here for the immense influence it had on me creatively. I was fascinated with the progression of the story to various locales with both desperation and danger forced into every step by the overlying purpose. I also came to adore the array of characters, which make or break an experience for me. Both heroes and villains were well-crafted visually and within the grand scheme of things, with each playable character finding a unique role and each dangerously-powerful villain terrifying in its own way. Most impressive was the way in which Diablo II, because of the large number and strength of horrific enemies and the nature of the plot, made you feel truly heroic upon reaching victory. That's why it's game #1.

"Not even death can save you from me."

"Stay a while and listen!"

May 2015 - Carnavas from The Silversun Pickups

(Apologies here... Blogger deleted the paragraph I wrote for each song. I'll rewrite them somewhere down the road...)

And the 1st member of my album hall of fame?

Carnavas from The Silversun Pickups (2006)

Why?

First of all, I'm thrilled to start up this list. The album format is my favorite way to enjoy music. Songs are just chapters. Albums are the full stories. When an artist treats it that way, it's magic. 

At the time this album came out, I was wrapped up in the world of soft alternative rock listening to Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab and the like. "Lazy Eye", the song you would know from this album, if not any others, fit in perfectly with that style. That song brought me in to experience the rest of the album, which is the band's first. Most of the songs heavier and darker, a musical vibe that wasn't new to me, but one that had never impressed me. The Silversun Pickups' electronic distortion, along with their unique lyrics and smart songwriting, however, would go on to have such a strong emotional hold on me that they were the first band of which I knew every member by name. Nikki Monniger, the bassist, is also a major reason why I picked up the bass guitar at 15. 

I don't want to skimp out on this masterpiece. Let's look at ever song from start to finish, as an album is meant to be heard. 

(Song-specific commentary coming soon!)

Track 1: Melatonin

Track 2: Well Thought Out Twinkles

Track 3: Checkered Floor

Track 4: Little Lover's So Polite

Track 5: Future Foe Scenarios

Track 6: Waste It On

Track 7: Lazy Eye

Track 8: Rusted Wheel

Track 9: Dream At Tempo 119

Track 10: Three Seed

Track 11: Common Reactor

"That's when it turned on me: a motorcade of 'meant to be's."
"Who are we to promise we'll be leaving shortly?"

April 2015 - Run by Snow Patrol

Second inductee to my song hall of fame:

Run - Snow Patrol

Why?

Since I've been working chronologically so far, let's take a step back. We started off my song list with "Don't Panic" by Coldplay, which was the first band that really impressed me emotionally and made me think more about exploring music. This craving led me to surface-scratching in many different genres: reggae, electronica, R&B, Enigma (which, as we've seen here, has its own category), and others. All of that aside, my musical taste came to revolve around what I call my four core bands, upon which my young musical taste was based. Those four bands are Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie, and Keane. I know now that I had the promise of longevity there. Keane and Snow Patrol released music in 2012, Coldplay last year, and Death Cab for Cutie last month.

Out of those four, the next one to blow away ten-year-old me was Snow Patrol with their masterpiece "Run" in 2003 from the album Final Straw. "Run" is the first love song that I fell in love with. It wasn't superficial. It wasn't arrogant. It wasn't constructed to appeal to the masses, but it still did because it was sincere both in prose and in composition. If you know the album, then you might remember that this song came right after "Chocolate", another massive hit. Those two songs together were an audible powerhouse for the giddy listener I was.

"Run" varies quite a bit from my first choice. Most noticeably, it's slower, moving from a 2-minute to a 6-minute duration, leaving plenty of time for us to revel in the harmonies. It also added strings to the mix, which I always love to death, and it used them very well. I'd say the biggest difference, however, is its shift to a romantic theme, while quite brilliantly maintaining the element of inspiration in the meantime. As somewhat of a hopeless romantic, I appreciate the words and what meaning they might take on later in my life. I'll highlight my favorite lines, but I truly like each one.

I'll sing it one last time for you

Then we really have to go.

You've been the only thing that's right

In all I've done.

And I can barely look at you,

But every single time I do

I know we'll make it anywhere

Away from here.

(Chorus)

Light up, light up

As if you have a choice.

Even if you cannot hear my voice,

I'll be right beside you dear.

Louder, louder

And we'll run for our lives.

I can hardly speak. I understand

Why you can't raise your voice to say.

To think I might not see those eyes

Makes it so hard not to cry

And as we say our long goodbye

I nearly do.

(Chorus)

Slower, slower,

We don't have time for that.

All I want is to find an easier way

To get out of our little heads.

Have heart, my dear.

We're bound to be afraid,

Even if it's just for a few days,

Making up for all this mess.

(Chorus)

I think Snow Patrol's always been good with lyrics, particularly in their love songs. Here, the singer reaches a helping hand to his/her lover, addressing both the uplifting strength of their love and the fearful pressures of the dire situation they're caught in. The title shows up in a line we may take for granted because we hear it so much: "We'll run for our lives." They're running together and that makes all the difference. A beautiful concept.

There are two music videos for the song, both of which use the shorter, single-edition. The first is my favorite because that's the one I remember seeing when I was young.

Here's the original-length version, which has some extra space between the verses and a longer finale.

Leona Lewis liked the song enough that she covered it five years later. This is one of the best covers I've ever heard of any song and you may decide you like it better. Not me, but it's excellent.

"Have heart, my dear. We're bound to be afraid."

Run - Snow Patrol

Song #2

March 2015 - Spirited Away

And the first movie on my list is...

Spirited Away

Why?

"Spirited Away" was the first film I saw from Japanese mastermind Hayao Miyazaki ("Howl's Moving Castle", "Princess Mononoke", etc.). That was 14 years ago in 2001. I remember it quite simply blowing my mind with how strange it was. First of all, it was the first foreign film I ever saw, which was an experience in itself. Then there's the long list of ridiculous things that happen in the film, some of which I still roll my eyes at. With that outlandish edge to the side, however, I came to deeply appreciate the movie for how extremely imaginative it was. It was original in character design, in art style, and in storytelling. At that point in my life, its immense and bold creativity was unmatched by anything else I'd ever seen, and certainly not neared by any of the dozens of animated Disney films I'd enjoyed. In a way, it opened my mind to possibilities within the film industry that I didn't expect to ever experience or I didn't know were there.

And I'm not the only one who holds it in such high regard. Users of Metacritic put it at #1. That means that, according to at least one reliable account, "Spirited Away" is the best movie of all time.

The story follows young Chihiro, who's travelling with her parents to a new home at the film's start. They get lost on their journey, stumbling upon an abandoned, carnival-like establishment in the middle of a forest. Chihiro's parents are attracted to a wealthy amount of food at one of the abandoned stores and start chowing down despite Chihiro's warnings. She goes exploring and returns to find that the temptation turned them into pigs and they don't remember her.

Chihiro panics as night falls, bringing with it the frightening spirits who travel to this place, which,  as she discovers, is a vacation spot for phantoms and other strange creatures. One of them, a young man named Haku, befriends and protects her. He introduces her to the spirit spa. The master of the spa, a creepy old woman named Yubaba, promises to return her parents to her in exchange for a period of service at the spa.

One of the other spirits she meets, No-Face, becomes her silent sidekick as she works to save her parents and learns more about her own identity and that of Haku.

The rest is for you to find.

Truth is, "Spirited Away" is definitely not my favorite movie or very close to it, but when I discovered it at a young age, it was stunning; I haven't experienced many entertainment shocks like that since. I still place high value on it as an important part of my uprising as an aspiring creator. Miyazaki's other films are also impressive and bold in other ways, but none of them come close to having the sort of emotional impact that Spirited Away has for me.

And there's my first Hall of Famer from the world of film.

"Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can't remember it"

February 2015 - Enigma

And the first inductee into my artist hall of fame is...

Enigma

Why?

I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Enigma. It was roughly 14 years ago. I was riding in the car with my dad and we had just turned off of Highway 89 by Slim Olson’s gas station in Bountiful when my dad switched to another radio station. I was dumbfounded by the song that waited there. It was extremely different from anything I’d heard up to that point. It was weird, but I thought it was great. I told my dad not to change the station, which is where his trustworthiness as a music lover proved itself.

“You like it? It’s Enigma. I have a few CDs.”

Enigma is a new age/dance music project, a moniker for mastermind Michael Cretu. Cretu is a Romanian-German born in ’57 who, after proving his talent from a young age, made a breakthrough on a global level with his creation of the Enigma project. Enigma was begun with the help of Danish Jens Gad while Cretu was working in Germany. Enigma’s first album, appropriately titled MCMXC a.D. (1990 AD), ultimately led to six more and they, in turn, to 50 million record sales worldwide.

Enigma is truly unique. The 100+ songs, remixes aside, include gothic vocal choirs, beat boxing, guitar solos, Native American chanting, string compositions, English, French, Spanish, Latin... Cretu's Enigma is so vastly diverse, yet uncompromisingly original that I'm certain I'll never find anything quite like it. Even within the foreign 'new age' genre it's usually tied to, it stands far away from everything else. With religion and philosophy as some of its core subjects, Enigma brings some memorable messages into the mix as well, some of which have had an impact in my own creative endeavors.

I want to share some of Enigma with you, of course. I suppose we'll work chronologically based on his run of albums.

MCMXC a.D. (1990) established the enigmatic sound that would hold for years to come. Now I didn't find Enigma until over ten years later, but a couple of the songs Cretu debuted with in this collection were still some of his most popular by the time I knew about him. Among them, that first song I heard in my dad's car, titled "Sadeness" (a referrence to Marquis de Sade of France). When this single came out, it hit #1 in 24 countries.

The Cross of Changes (1993) moved away from the lengthy, slow progression seen in much of the first album in favor of more concrete, stand-alone songs. If there's any Enigma song you've heard, it's probably "Return to Innocence" from this album. It has great lyrics, several catchy rhythms, and one of the best music videos of all time, which plays out the life of a man from end to beginning.

Le Roi Est Mord, Vive Le Roi! (1996) continued the same formula with, in my opinion, a stronger aim to tap into listeners' emotions by generally pulling down the tempo and volume and focusing on moving lines. Strange enough, this was the last CD I got a hold of and I was touched to find this slightly different side of Enigma in songs like "Why!".

The Screen Behind The Mirror (2000) is arguably the strongest, most pivotal collection here. It certainly was for me because this is about the time I first came into contact with the project. This album brought in enough additional hits for a greatest hits CD with 18 songs to be released a year later. "Push the Limits" was one of the many highlights.

Voyageur (2003) is my personal favorite. At this time, I think Cretu knew that it was time for Enigma to evolve more dramatically than it had up to this point. It's hard to pinpoint what he did because the songs are so different from one another, but I think Voyageur was more welcoming to a broader audience because of simpler composing with fewer components. Melodies and beats were emphasized, like in "Incognito". Cretu, by the way, is not the male singer you hear in these songs.

A Posteriori (2006) is bittersweet. By this time, Cretu divorced his wife Sandra, who had been the voice of Enigma up to this point (literally, the first song on the first album is "Voice of Enigma" and she's it). Thus, this is the only album of the project that's primarily instrumental, with only two tracks including lyrics. Cretu took on outer space as his central theme and that's exactly what this album sounds like. "Sitting On The Moon" is my favorite from this one.

Seven Lives Many Faces (2008) seemed like an experimental group of pieces, some of which worked better than others. In his search for things he hadn't yet done, Cretu came up with some great new music like the stunning "Seven Lives" 

There was another greatest hits batch that came out in 2010, but due to the lack of recent material and Cretu's age of 68, I think the end has already passed.

If nothing here has piqued your interest so far, try these, my five favorites.

"Beyond The Invisible"

"Prism of Life"

"Gravity of Love"

"Boum-Boum"

"Following the Sun"

I love Enigma more than I love any band or musician. It's my #1. I don't think I've ever told anyone that and I'm still somewhat apprehensive about letting it out. I used to think it was because Enigma is so different, so eccentric, and I was worried about what others would think. In reality, it's because Enigma is so precious to me. It's one of my greatest musical treasures, one I wouldn't casually pass on to just anyone. I'm thrilled, however, to do so in this personal hall of fame's first seat.

"People talk too much for what they have to say." -"Silence Must Be Heard"

"Let the rhythm be your guiding light." -"Voice of Enigma"

"Old rules and habits have to be rejected and dismissed so that something new can be created."

"Never stop having ideas."

-Michael Cretu

January 2015 - Don't Panic by Coldplay

Congratulations to my very first hall of fame member ever:

Don't Panic - Coldplay

Why?

Parachutes, Coldplay's first full-length album, came out in 2000 with Don't Panic as its opening track. It was the first song I ever heard from Coldplay, a band that still releases great music that I enjoy today. It was also my introduction to the genre, that sort of alternative soft rock, or whatever you want to call it, that many bands at the time fell into. This led me to many other songs and artists that ultimately became the core of my musical interest in the decade to follow.

More than that though... I was seven years old when Don't Panic came out. What were you listening to at seven? I had a lot of children's songs, of course. Church songs, nursery rhymes, Disney, country hits from my mom, whatever was on the radio ... nothing too spectacular that I can remember. Music was something fun, something to sing or dance along with. As I grew older, the songs my dad, a music addict himself, would find became my pathway to my own taste in more mature music.

When Parachutes came out, my dad would play it in his office a lot. I remember him playing Don't Panic more than any other, which probably wasn't what actually happened, but that songs sticks out in my memory because it made me feel differently about music. Don't Panic was the first song that ever made me feel something beyond physical energy, beyond the feel-good vibe of an uplifting melody. It was the first song I had a real passion for. I didn't just enjoy it, it really meant something to me.

And that's why Don't Panic is here.

My iTunes shows Don't Panic as my 10th most-played song, but I've only had iTunes since about 2006. I'm quite certain Don't Panic is the #1 most-played song in my life.

It's not a long song, lasting 2:17, which happens to be my lucky number. A nice addition! It's not all that complex either. If there's anything I've learned when it comes to music, however, it's that simplicity is often the way to go. I'm a big fan of lyrics in general so let's take a look...

Bones sinking like stones

All that we fought for

Homes, places we've grown

All of us are done for

And we live in a beautiful world

Yeah we do, yeah we do

We live in a beautiful world.

Here we go,

Here we go...

And we live in a beautiful world,

Yeah we do, yeah we do

We live in a beautiful world.

Oh, all that I know,

There's nothing here to run from

Cause yeah, everybody here's got somebody to lean on

Isn't that sweet? A little 'this world's going south' talk to begin with, but you know what? This world's still a beautiful place. There's no reason to worry, nothing to be afraid of. We each have someone by our side. Ultimately, our thoughts are led back to the song's title: don't panic.

The official music video expands a bit, showing us common society in two forms. First, the individual, represented by the band, in day-to-day life. Second, society at large represented by cars, power lines, skyscrapers, and oil wells. When natural processes threaten the two, the society is wiped away, but the band survives. A nice look at where the strength of humanity truly lies. Terribly animated, but, you know... we get it.

Here's cleaner audio with the album cover

Here's Ellie Goulding's rendition, which is the best cover I've heard.

Don't Panic by Coldplay (2000)

A good start.

Intro to Kyle's Hall of Fame

Let's not waste any words here.

I love the world of entertainment. Not because of the money involved or the fame of leading stars or the occasional craze of the general public. I like it for the endless creativity and passion that go into it, especially when immense cleverness, unmatched talent, and even heavenly inspiration are revealed in the artwork and concepts that seep from our minds and hearts.

I love it so much that I've become somewhat obsessed. At this point in my life -- age 21 -- I've already become exposed to so much of it that I feel heavily overwhelmed. I'm continually anxious to see what coming years have to offer, but with each new masterpiece I find, I'm drawn further and further away from my favorites of the past, both in terms of time since they were released and how much time I have to go back to them, if ever.

A couple months ago, I decided to start this 'Hall of Fame' blog, mainly to pay tribute to the great artists and thinkers who have changed my life through various media. I love being able to pick something out and praise it as my favorite, to set it apart as something of particular importance, and then to tell whoever cares that I've never experienced anything better. I hope this list will also help me remember what those things are. If making it public aids anyone else in their search for beauty and enjoyment, I'll be overjoyed.

Logistically, the hall of fame will move forward as follows:

One inductee will be added near the midpoint of each month into one of several categories:

January - Song
February - Band/Artist
March - Movie
April - Song
May - Album
June - Video Game
July - Song
August - Movie
September - Song
October - Album
November - Video Game
December - Song

Effectively, 5 songs, 2 albums, 2 movies, 2 video games, and 1 band/artist each year
chosen from my entire collection since the beginning of time, including roughly
10,000+ songs, 1,000+ albums, 600+ movies, 400+ video games, 700+ bands/artists

Enjoy!