December 2016 - coming soon!

coming soon!

November 2016 - (coming soon)

October - Give Up from the Postal Service

Coming Soon

September 2016 - Slipping Away by Moby

Coming soon!

August 2016 - The Fountain

The Fountain

July 2016 - Gabriel by Lamb

Gabriel
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:

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.

May 2016 - Eyes Open from Snow Patrol

Eyes Open - Snow Patrol

April 2016 - Future Foe Scenarios by The Silversun Pickups

March 2016 - Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

February 2016 - Silversun Pickups

The Silversun Pickups

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

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!"