Saturday, December 17, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016
July 2016 - Gabriel by Lamb
Gabriel
Lamb
Why?
Lamb
Why?
As I've said before, my early musical experience came nearly entirely from my dad's collection. Although most of my time was spent with basic alternative artists a la my 'four core bands', there were other artists in the bunch that served as my introduction to new genres. For rap, there was the Gorillaz. For reggae, Matisyahu. For jazz, Zero 7. And then there was Enigma, a genre of its own.
Lamb was one of the artists with which my lasting affinity for electronic music emerged. It was with their album What Sound that I first became deeply fascinated with the potential of artificial instruments and synthetic sounds. As usual, my favorite from the bunch was the most mellow, trading the voltaic compositions of other tracks for something raw, but just as impassioned. Although I've always strongly felt God's love come to me through music, "Gabriel" tied the art form to my faith more directly than any song had before.
Gabriel, literally meaning "man of God", is one of the Bible's few named angels, and also the most prominent among them. It was he who was chosen to announce the birth of Christ to the virgin Mary. In the context of this song, I've always considered his name symbolic of any person one might call their 'guardian angel' - Christ, a mother, a father, an older sibling, or, perhaps most accurately in this case, a lover. Yes, in my mind, it all amounts to a love song, but not your typical love song. It's about an innocent love, a sort of agape, an adoration not desirous of sensuality, but of solidarity, of faith-filled harmony. The singer, confident, but not without insecurities, wants nothing more than to be with her love because of the strength she gleans from him. She thinks so highly of this 'Gabriel' as to be convinced that God Himself sent him to her. Given the religious overtones at play, I can't help but conclude that it is because of his righteousness and I like to think that he cares deeply for her in return because it's clear they've been together for a long time. When the two are united, they are unbreakable.
Here are the lyrics:
I can fly,
But I want his wings.
I can shine even in the darkness,
But I crave the light that he brings,
Revel in the songs that he sings,
My angel Gabriel.
I can love,
But I need his heart.
I am strong even on my own,
But from him I never want to part.
He's been there since the very start.
My angel Gabriel.
My angel Gabriel.
Bless the day he came to be.
Angel's wings carried him to me,
Heavenly.
I can fly,
But I want his wings.
I can shine even in the darkness,
But I crave the light that he brings,
Revel in the songs that he sings,
My angel Gabriel...
I particularly like "I am strong even on my own, but from him I never want to part."
Of course, no song's meaning is all that meaningful without a strong composition at the core, and that is where "Gabriel" really shines. A soft, moving mix of piano and acoustic guitar carries us through the piece, both gradually disappearing as other sounds rise. A rather heavy percussion rhythm joins in, but it's not disruptive; a nice juxtaposition develops between this element and what we started with. Once the moving orchestral arrangement arrives, all of these sounds crescendo magnificently in the fairly noisy climax, though all remains remarkably serene even in the loudest moments. A guitar-centric section marks the start of our decline, where Lou Rhodes' vocals grow more desperate until nothing but the strings are left.
Here's the song on its own:
A link to the accompanying music video:
A live performance from 2003:
And an excellent piano cover:
Friday, June 17, 2016
June 2016 - Half Life 2
Half Life 2
Why?
Still fairly young when Half Life 2 came out, I watched my dad play through a lot of the game before I had my chance months later. I remember being blown away by what I saw. It wasn't like any other game I'd seen. It was more like a movie. Scripted action sequences, background dialogue for extras, and dozens of other engaging story elements made Half Life 2 an experience like none before. Excellent characters, varied settings, diverse gameplay, and phenomenal in-game cinematic sequences made Half Life 2 awfully near perfect in my mind, so much so that this remains my favorite game of all time.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
January 2016 - Gravity of Love by Enigma
Gravity of Love
Enigma
Why?
You've seen Enigma here before as my first artist hall of famer. The project's music has been with me for longer than most and remains closer to my heart than most. To this day, I'm intrigued at the beautiful brand of creativity that came of it (and will soon come of it thanks to the approaching end of a nine-year hiatus!). Because I held it so highly, it became strongly attached to my own creative endeavors, especially writing. When I was ten or eleven, I started to build stories around Enigma songs, which I still do with all kinds of music today. This song, in particular, now stands as the overriding theme for every piece I write with its profound message: tragedy forges the strongest of love.
More specifically, I base the vast majority of my own storytelling on the line heard in the chorus:
"The experience of survival is the key to the gravity of love."
That line, perhaps more than any other, has stuck with me for over a decade. I testify of its truth and I'm enamored by the concept in general. Trials can crush relationships, there's no doubt it, but if both sides endure the hardship well, unspeakable unity may be achieved. A band of brothers, victims in an assault, neighbors caught in the wake of disaster. That's what the books I write will be about and I'm grateful that this song serves as an anchor for its expression.
And the lyrics in their entirety:
O Fortuna velut Luna (O Fortune like the Moon)
Turn around and smell what you don't see.
Close your eyes... it's so clear.
Here's the mirror. Behind, there is a screen.
On both ways you can get in.
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart.
Follow the trace for a new start.
What you need and everything you'll feel
Is just a question of the deal.
In the eye of storm, you'll see a lonely dove.
O Fortuna velut Luna
The part of excess leads to the tower of wisdom
Try to think about it.
That's the chance to live your life and discover
What it is, what's the gravity of love
O Fortuna velut Luna
Look around, just people. Can you hear their voice?
Find the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice.
But if you're in the eye of storm
Just think of the lonely dove.
The experience of survival is the key to the gravity of love
O Fortuna velut Luna
O Fortuna velut Luna
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