First off, new layout’s been done for some time. I just need to test it out and upload. The semester’s been kicking my butt, honestly! So once it’s over, I’ll have a few weeks downtime before summer insanity starts.
My favorite band of ever just released a new album… only it was slightly blown out of my radar, despite months of excitement for it, because of three songs that members of Enter the Haggis released for flood relief. I’ll ramble about those at the end of this post briefly.
This post is all about my first listen to BNL’s new album, All In Good Time.
I’ve listened to it a few times since, so I’ll try to stick with just first impressions… which means no hardcore obsessive lyrics rants… I haven’t gotten a chance to *really* look at the lyrics yet anyways, but I’m sure I will soon. Lyrics are what makes BNL so awesome… besides awesome instrumentals.
Overall, it’s a fine album. The remaining four Barenaked Ladies really show that they can pull their own because there’s sooo much talent in their ranks. It’s their second album ever as a quartet… the other being Born On A Pirate Ship, which was recorded just before Kevin Hearn had joined and Andy Creeggan had left.
There are two tracks that were bonuses from amazon.com/going to a concert that I’m still trying to get my hands on…
I’ll put it right out there for the hardcore BNL fans out there…. Yes, it was pretty weird not hearing the fabulous Mr Steve Page, but only until around the fifth track… His absence is really present… Then, I kind of got use to it for a moment… but not really, because as soon as I was starting to really getting use to it, Ed slams my ears with two angry/bitter/bittersweet/ughhh *sigh*!! songs that are clearly about his former bandsmate… And it doesn’t help that Ed is very influenced by Steve’s songwriting. It’s impossible for him not to be after twenty years of beautiful musical collaboration.
So I don’t know… Steve Page himself sang it best “It took me a year to believe it was over, and it took me two more to get over the loss.” But this album isn’t helping. It’s weird, but the others are so talented and so influenced by him… that it’s a good album.
Here are my first impressions of the new songs:
1. You Run Away (Ed Robertson)
Cute little alt-rock song. It’s been out for over a month. I twittered that my first impression of the song was that it’s very Coldplay-meets-the-Decemberists-and-collides-head-on-with-the-epic-that-is-BNL. I think that still holds as an accurate description. The piano kicks so much ass. The lyrics are depressing. And the video is awesome… it shows an angry!Ed Roberston, but more like ‘why’d you do this to me?’ angry instead of ‘I really hate you rawrrrr!’ angry… On a happier note, his falsetto continues to make my life.
“I did my best, but it wasn’t enough.”
2. Summertime (Ed Robertson/Ian LeFeuvre)
My favorite song on the album right now. Co-written by Ian LeFeuvre of the Canadian indie trio [The Hundreds and Thousands]. Pretty awesome collaboration. Robertson/LeFeuvre is kind of weird because of LeFeuvre’s Muse/Radiohead influence, but still interesting. It’s a hopeful song, but still angry… and presented as bouncy. The choruses sound very ‘disco’ for a moment… Interesting contrast. The song shouldn’t work, but in true BNL-fashion, it does. I love the really in-your-face doubled-like-woah “do-me-sol” pattern all over it. Adds to the angry.
“We cover it up, we bottle it in/But that won’t make it feel right.”
3. Another Heartbreak (Kevin Hearn)
An interesting song. Starts with Kevin singing in octaves with a piano, then it turns into a pile of alt-rock awesome. The tune just won’t leave my head. I’ve never really gotten used to Kevin’s voice, but it works with this song.
“I lost my way in the summer breeze/I fell down to my hands and knees/And now I’m searching/Through the autumn leaves.”
4. Four Seconds (Ed Robertson/Ian LeFeuvre)
I really enjoy this song. Again, it just *shouldn’t* work. It’s kind of a Latin jazz thing… combined with a very Indian/Bollywood chorus… I remember seeing a clip of this one on youtube last year. Pretty cool. And, TYLER sings the choruses. I never knew that Tyler could sing until the past year. After seeing clips of his Alcohol, I was sold. It also sounds like it’s pushing through… reminds me of Crazy a bit.. like Ed’s going insane.
“Now rewind./What’d you have in mind?/Could we unwind? I’m fine, we can find a streamline./Recombined, intertwined.”
5. On the Lookout (Jim Creeggan)
Jim singing lead… Woah. With Kevin harmonizing. WOAH. Pure secks, those two. Another cute song. Huge contrast from Four Seconds… Slight ‘gangsta’ feel in the background with Ed. It sounds like a cliche 80s diva song in parts. Really stretched out, flowing lines… I love the strings on it too. It’s one of the most hopeful songs on this album.
“When we looked out/The waves crashed/Smashing our past/Moving fast/Nothing lasts/Make it last.”
6. Ordinary (Ed Robertson)
Another song that really stands out. Very folk-rock. Think For You, only more moving and awesome. (OK, nothing beats For You..) The more I listen to it, the more it’s becoming one of my favorite BNL songs of ever. I love the melody sooo much. It’s been stuck in my head all week. It’s ambiguous, lyrically… but probably about Steven Page. My mind started freaking out on it the first time… because I’d just gotten use to not hearing his voice… then this song popped up, which is clearly very influenced by him, if not about him… ughhh. And the opening is just melodic brilliance.
“I can’t stay too long/Can only play a handful of songs/How a melody can make up your mind/Take a memory and leave it behind.”
7. I Have Learned (Ed Robertson)
YES! Angry!Ed Robertson! This one stands out too… It’s just, in one word, angry. And also, CLEARLY about Steven Page. ughhhhh. I was just getting used to not hearing his voice too… and then Ed throws Ordinary and this one at my ears… I love it. It’s an angry rock song. And the chord progression is secks.
“Spare me the parlor tricks/That impress your fans./Waving your candlesticks/In your burned hands./I have learned to live with livin’ with/Every choice we made./But I would love to live with giving this/Shaky voice some shade.”
8. Every Subway Car (Ed Robertson)
Another one I’d heard before. It was called “Graffiti Love” for the longest time. (Graffiti is also spelled wrong in the liner notes oops) It’s also very alt-rock. And clearly influenced by Steven Page. It’s bouncy, but also very ambiguous. I have almost no idea wtf Ed is singing about, and that’s a good thing.
“My backpack was faded black/But now it’s all blue./It looks whack, but it’s compact/And works like brand new.”
9. Jerome (Kevin Hearn)
It’s growing on me… Kevin sings lead, and it’s more of a slow country-ish ballad about ghosts. I really didn’t like it at first and nearly blew it off as one of those songs I wasn’t going to pay any attention to. It’s weird… and the beat is so straight-forward that it annoyed me at first.
“Bar brawlers and drifters/Gamblers and gun fighters/Ladies of the evening, and copper miners/They kept the jailhouse filled‘til it rolled down the hill.”
10. How Long (Ed Robertson)
It’s really different from anything else they’ve ever done. It’s also pretty angry, and the beat is driving. And the piano blows my mind. It sounds like Ed is going crazy. I love it. The way it starts is brilliant. “So give it up for anger, it makes us strong.” It just starts with that line, and it’s really in your face. And the guitar line is interesting. Pretty prog rock… think Muse or Mute Math…
“We never discuss the notches/We just fight away/Even a busted watch is right twice a day.”
“That’s what it takes to go there/On and on/You make a good case for nowhere/So that’s where I’ve gone./Don’t say how long.”
11. Golden Boy (Ed Robertson)
Again, a huge contrast from the last track. It’s pretty happy. I don’t get the chord progression in the chorus; it’s slightly awkward, but it’s growing on me. I love Ed’s vocal line into the instrumental section. It’s very showtune-like. It’s another hopeful song… slight tint of angry/cathartic… And, OMG, they finally learned how to write an incredible ending. It’s also one of the only tracks that I can really say that I miss Steven Page singing on… His influence is just such a huge part of the entire song that it’s hard to miss. The harmony just screams PAGE/ROBERTSON!!!!! RAWRR!!! I almost cried. It’s also probably directed at Page, but these guys have always been good at ambiguity. ughhhhh.
“Hey, Golden Boy/Don’t let the darkness in to take you away from yourself./Nobody else, there’s nobody left to make you run/Somebody new, maybe it’s you/Only bereft of meaning.”
12. I Saw It (Jim Creeggan)
Woah. Jim singing lead again! Pretty awesome. And his harmony with Kevin is pure SECKS. This song is also quite ambiguous, but probably directed at Steven Page. I never thought that Jim/Kevin harmony would be this incredible… It’s a really cute song, and really bittersweet. In the end, it just fades away. It’s an interesting contrast from Golden Boy..
“You took what we all hide./We all hide from/The hooks went right inside/Then the feeling numbs./In the park/By the playground/I won’t let you down/You think you deserve it./I won’t stand and observe it.”
13. The Love We’re In (Ed Robertson)
I just LOVE the intro… and the chord progression. It’s perhaps a very cliche song, but Ed’s voice makes me MELT on it. The melody is pretty awesome… and it also shows off the vocal awesome I’ve grown to love with the harmonies of the other three gents. As much as I generally don’t like Kevin’s singing as a lead singer (he’s an INCREDIBLE mutli-instrumentalist/musician!), he’s clearly the vocal glue behind most BNL songs. It’s a cute song. Yet, if I didn’t know that Steven Page was no longer in the band, I would’ve probably placed a bet that the song was also a Page/Robertson collaboration… He’s just become such a part of Ed’s songwriting… The over-all concept of it is clearly very ROBERTSON… but the lyrics and some aspects of the vocal lines scream PAGE. *sigh*
“Even a beggar must have to choose./They say you shouldn’t wager more than youcan lose/So, make mine a double, just hold the booze.”
14. Northern Lights (Kevin Hearn)
I don’t know where to place this song. Kevin sings leads (ok, still not my favorite thing in the world, but I can deal)… and the piano is pretty freaking awesome. I just think that Kevin could write a much better melody than this… (after hearing his work with Thinbuckle) It’s a pretty awesome piano line though… And I enjoy the harmony, and how the song builds. He scats at the end. It makes no sense, but it works. It’s a very surreal ending instrument. This was sort of the kind of song that I was almost afraid of, but it’s really not the disaster I was expecting… far from it.
“In the true northern darkness/Far from the sleeping towns/We lay there in the silence/Young and free, half asleep, spellbound.”
15. All In Good Time (Kevin Hearn)
It’s the title track… Awesome folk-y guitar intro. Kevin sings lead… and the harmony is what makes this one stand out. Some of the lead vocal line sounds like Shopping… like Kevin singing Shopping, specifically. I think that’s why I don’t like this song as much. I just don’t like Kevin singing Shopping… But it’s a good attempt.
“The clock has two hands/Strong to hold you tight./You can’t buy another chance/To get things right.”
16. She Turned Away (Jim Creeggan)
A bonus track for being a dork and pre-ordering. It’s Jim singing lead. And the other gents backing him. I LOVE the harmony on this one. And the instrumentals are cute. Really slow, relaxing song. I was afraid that it’d be another “Rabbit and the Res-erection”… thankfully, it’s not. In fact, as much as I like that abomination of a song, nothing on this album’s like it. THANKFULLY. So yea.
I freaking love this album…
But it’s release was almost over-shadowed by three songs written by three members of Enter the Haggis for the recent floods in the Northeast. BNL will always be something special to me… but I’ve seen Enter the Haggis live many more times… and the gents are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. They blow my mind with how incredible they are… and their humanitarian efforts are more mind-blowingly amazing than their work.
So yea, go [HERE], download, donate and ENJOY.
Trevor Lewington wrote Watch the Water Rise, which seriously sounds like it belongs in Flaherty & Aherns’ The Spitfire Grill. Brian Buchanan’s fiddle part is so awesome in it. It’s so in-your-face FOLK that it just makes my life. I like the tempo and the pacing the most… it’s a serious song, but it moves. Sounds a lot like an Elders inspiration.
Craig Downie wrote Save the Real School, which shows off his comedic “laugh it all off and it will work out” attitude. Amusing little tune. Makes me giggle my arse off, even though it’s supposed to be for a serious situation. There’s a line in it about turning a tuba into a canoe. I’m not kiddie. Craig Downie’s comic relief lyrics FTW!
And finally, the tune that I just can’t get out of my head all week… Brian Buchanan’s The Flood. It’s in d-minor, the saddest key of all. “All these years of commitment and careers and we’re all up to our ears in fear and doubt and water flowing down and out. We all try to drown it out and stay dry. We all try.” For a song he wrote in two hours, he surely shows an incredible way with words… and a fine approach to songwriting. He said he wanted to record a violin line, but didn’t have the time. Sad! I hope he builds on this song, because he’s got something beautiful with it. The tune’s been haunting me really badly. I’ve worked it out by ear on the piano and want to play with it myself… because d-minor is awesome on my voice. The range is comfy (up an octave, obviously), so I enjoy singing along with it. It sounds like it took him way more than two hours to come up with it too… Pretty awesome. I can imagine a cello or viola line… Violin just isn’t mellow enough. But it’s gorgeous. I can’t say enough good about it… because he just doesn’t stop blowing my mind.
So yea…. next post will hopefully be pimping out a new layout and trying it out more like than my local version of “live”, which just gives me a rough idea of how it will respond truly live. It’s looking shiny! After that, I’m going to clean this all up and make it look like a legit website. That’s my plan.
Bye, loves!
Tags: albums, barenaked ladies, brian buchanan, enter the haggis, music, why brian buchanan will one day rule the world
a while ago, in june, i made a post about the top ten albums half-way through the year…
so here is my updated list of favorites. these albums are the ones that blew my mind or i couldn’t stop listening to this year. it’s was pretty easy to pick for once, as most of my favorites didn’t release albums this year… and one album just blew everything else away. (maybe that’s a bad thing, letting some fine work slip from my radar?)
i think i’ve been doing one of these since my first journal in middle school, so i guess it’s kind of a tradition? yea. we’ll go with that. i might do a shorter one of these tomorrow for my favorites of the decade…
1. enter the haggis – gutter anthems
this album, released in march, is easily 2009’s best album, if not one of the best albums released the past decade. i can’t say enough in praise of gutter anthems. it’s a really mature album from a band i grew up listening to/following around, and a nice brainf*ck/eargasm. eth is a band that i first encountered as a cute little quirky/dorky canadian celtic punk band with an interesting instrumentation that was jamming their faces off. their instrumentation still *shouldn’t* work, but it does. this year, they totally grew up out of nowhere and did nothing but blow my mind constantly. (they’ve been doing that for years) i can’t decide if it was their rage against the machine cover (with bagpipes) or acoustic cameos. or how most of gutter anthems evolved on stage since craig downie’s brief stint with a saxophone at the 2008 celtic fling. while still having hints of their celtic punk/rock roots, they’ve grown into a really progressive and eccentric sound. and they have incredible showmanship and energy to back up their awesome work (as if their work needed any help? ^_^) there’s not one song on this album that i don’t like *something* about. it opens with an organ/pipes intro and closes with eth’s signature style of instrumental awesomeness in alternating 7/8 and 6/8 (broken line) with a bunch of fine songs that showcase their musical diversity and personalities in between. and brian buchanan’s instrumental credit list in the liner notes? yea. did i mention that these guys can double like woah? craig downie is the most quirky/unique wind doubler out there. the thing i must say that i love most is how this album just shouldn’t make sense, yet all of the songs just *fit* with each other.
i’ll just stop rambling now and tell you to go listen to this frigging album!
2. the decemberists -hazards of love
ok… the decemberists’ 2009 release is incredible. it’s an hour-long “rock” opera about a woman named margaret who has fallen in love with william, a shape-shifter and the crazy adventures that happen with other characters such as an evil rake and jealous forest queen. the instrumentation on this album is absurd. there’s slide guitar, banjo, accordion, pedal steel guitar, harpsichord, strings and a bunch of instruments that *shouldn’t* make any sense together… even better? the genref*cking that hazards does is a brilliant mix of folk, folk rock, rock, prog rock, metal and country, just to mention some, and they pull it off flawlessly. colin meloy and jenny conlee did something incredible with this album. seeing it performed live at philly folk fest was probably one of the best performances i’ve ever witnessed. so powerful. i think i’m still recovering, but we can also blame ETH for that one, as it’s their fault for blowing away the rest of my brain that day… the very little that colin meloy left. i get shivers listening to hazards of love 2 (wager all). other sections that also stand out (ok, the story as a whole does) are annan water, the rake’s song and the wanting comes in waves/repaid. i get shivers listening to repaid.. as the alto, shara worden, has a frigging powerful voice… and she can *belt* like woah. this is my favorite decemberists album, but i don’t think it’s the perfect album for a first-time listener.
3. the young dubliners - saints and sinners
released early in the year, february, saints and sinners is the young dubs’ finest. some damn good irish rock here. i want to dance my ass off every time a song from this album comes on my ipod. it’s really fun, slightly serious (eh, not really) and has some pretty catchy tunes on it. i can’t get backseat driver out of my head no matter how hard i try. the title track is pretty kickass as well. young dubs never fail to deliver fun and a good time. i was just pissed that i missed them at bam margera’s bar this year because i had an orchestra concert. hopefully they’ll be back there in 2010. i’ve seen them once and they know how to work a stage and be a fine show to party at. so yea. listen to saints and sinners.
4. mute math - armistice
this album, released in august, is some pretty awesome alt-rock. the rhythm section on this album is incredible and sets the tone for the album right away with the nerve. it pushes through the entire album. the vocals are tight. the instrumentals are just… mind-blowing. this album is just *tight*. the last track, burden, is an awesome last track. it’s got a really catchy melody and some fine instrumentals. and their lyrics? awesome. armistice is a well-written album lyrically and instrumentally. it’s comforting to know that fine alt and prog rock is still being written and mute math is an excellent example.
5. lacuna coil – shallow life
lacuna coil’s most recent attempt. another band i grew up listening to, one of the first bands i ever got into. italian symphonic/gothic metal band with cristina scabbia’s incredible mezzo voice at the lead and andrea ferro on background vox. cristina and andrea sound incredible. it’s not my favorite coil album, and it’s not the most mind-blowing thing i’ve heard…. but it’s different. i like their sound and new direction, but parts of this album feel too forced. i enjoy this album.
6. the von bondies – love, hate and then there’s you
an indie/alt rock band that i’ve gotten into the past few years. this is a pretty cool album, but it reminds me too much of their last one. it’s enjoyable, happy music. chancer and modern saints are my favorite tracks. their sound is interesting and fun. i think that’s what i like about it… and their drummer doesn’t suck. i really enjoy this album.
7. butterfly boucher – scary fragile
i just can’t stop listening to this album. it’s addicting folk/alt-rock. it’s really catchy and shows off butterfly’s versatility as a musician. she plays all of the instruments and sings all of the vocals on this album. she also shows a maturity from flutterby, her first album. i guess my biggest/only problem with it is that it is too short; a little bit over a half hour. but it’s not length that matters most, it’s the work… and she creates some pretty fine music. my favorite track is to feel love. it’s so angry, reminding me a bit of aimee mann or maybe tori amos. part of bitter song sounds a lot like the slow section of radiohead’s paranoid android, or at least the tune does. i’m not sure if it was intentional… but it’s brilliant. it’s the final track on the album and a really interesting way to end the album
8. steven pasquale - somethin’ like love
ok… i generally don’t like jazz. but i *love* steve pasquale. dilemma! so, in this album, we have a pretty-good-but-still-higher tenor pretending to be a baritone. this album is so low on my ‘top ten’ list because i can’t get over the fact that he can sing a lot better than he does on this album. it’s enjoyable background music… and his voice is still pretty freaking incredible… but i can’t put my finger around what i don’t love about this album count your blessings instead of sheep is cute… and his ode to his wife, tony winner laura benanti, is gorgeous… but it’s they all laughed that’s my favorite. it’s a cute little song about how society generally laughs at brilliance. but maybe it’s the jazz that gets to me… i just can’t get into jazz no matter what i do…or how much i love steve pasquale’s voice. it’s worth a listen.
9. metric – fantasies
i just love metric. and this album is some of my favorite indie rock. ohhh broken social scene, why the hell are y’all such an awesome super-group that keeps pouring out some awesome groups like metric? they’re one of the very few indie rock bands that i love with a chick singer. emily haines is a pretty awesome alto. this album is full of really catchy tunes with driving indie rock instrumentals. sick muse has been stuck in my head for a while. i can’t stop listening to this album. but thanks to ETH and the decemberists being so epic this year, fine albums like this one almost slipped off my radar. 
i’m sure that i’ll be listening to it more often in 2010.
10.dream theater - black clouds and silver lining
i’m sure you were wondering where dream theater was on this list.. (or not.) they’ve appeared on a lot of these lists… because they’re just epic. some really fine mind-blowing prog metal. mike portnoy and john petrucci are genius. this is one of their darkest albums. ok, i don’t really like some of their lyric choices this time at all… that seems to be the biggest criticism the album’s gotten from most listeners… but their instrumentals are mind-blowing, as they’ve always been, and this album’s best and most redeeming feature. they’re still pushing the limits of prog metal, even on their tenth album. but i can’t get past the lyrics and they’ve been bothering me since the release of this album. overall, one of my favorites this year. i can’t say it’s one of the best of the decade though. worth a few listens, yes… but good luck separating the lyrics from the rest of their work.
notable mentions
tori amos - abnormally attracted to sin
i frigging love this album. ok. enjoy. it’s still growing on me, seven months later. i’m not sure if i like the direction she’s been going in at all… i love the folkier sound of this album… and the prog rock influence… and the lyrics. not dying today is an awesome song. but i don’t like how her voice is becoming the primary focus. where’s the piano?? i’ve always loved her for doing some cool things with a piano. she’s sounding more like the october project meets pop… i think that’s what is still growing on me. she’s still evolving. so maybe this album will grow on me more. i don’t really dislike it…. but it’s memorable for this year. it’s good, but not incredible. some tracks stick out, but some are forgettable. it’s still worth a listen though.
sonata arctica – the days of grace
love this album. it’s really catchy. it’s nice symphonic metal. not my favorite sonata album… but it’s a good attempt. it’s… fluffly. sonata arctica is one of the first bands that i got into and they’re still creating some good music.
badly drawn boy – is there nothing we could do?
just released two weeks ago… i haven’t had enough time to listen to it enough to get a good feeling for it… but it’s probably better than dream theater’s album overall… and i am a huge dream theater fan. black clouds just didn’t do it for me lyrically… and badly drawn boy is a fantastic lyricist. so, we’ll see.
filter – the very best things
i love this greatest hits album… it’s a good intro to filter for new listeners and a nice retrospective of fine music for long-time listeners.
upcoming
some albums i’m looking forward to in 2010?
oh gawd, i’m gonna be broke really fast.
-barenaked ladies – all in good time. their second album as a quartet (the first was 1994’s born on a pirate ship) scheduled for release in march. after hearing some of the new work on youtube, i’m happy that my favorite band of ever can hold their own sans one of my heroes. i am beyond excited for this album.
-steven page : two albums… his ‘first’ solo album post-BNL (does vanity project count??) and the release of his art of time ensemble performance. also a re-release of the vanity project under his own name… it’s steven page… that’s the only reason i *need* to be excited about.
-dropkick murphys – hell yes. new album. whee!!
-lostprophets – the betrayed. recently got into them. should be a decent album.
-cold war kids – behave yourself. technically, it’s been released a few days ago… but not? i don’t get it, but i’ll probably give it a listen.
-patrick wolf – the conqueror. an artist that i’m just starting to get into. i’m enjoying his songwriting style for how unique it is.
-vampire weekend – contra. another band i’m just starting to get into. i saw them at some festival or something like… two years ago and they’re pretty nifty.
-serj tankian- elect the dead symphony. i just love soad… so it has to be pretty good. and there’s a greek dude that’s credited with arranging it. and! there’s a song called beethoven’s cunt. win.
- rhapsody of fire – the frozen tears of angels. ok… i just love metal. specifically symphonic metal. *sticks tongue out*
-owen pallett – heartland. in his attempt to not get sued (after going as final fantasy for a good part of his solo career), he is releasing a new album under his own name. cool! he’s pretty awesome and this album will be sweet.
-massive attack – heligoland. i just frigging love massive attack.
-anathema – horizons. an album that didn’t get released this year that will surely be awesome.
-angels and airwaves – love. to be released on valentine’s day… cute. i’m just getting into them.
-tarja turunen – what lies beneath. tarja’s second solo album since getting kicked out of nightwish.
-tobias sammet’s avantasia – the wicked symphony/angel of babylon. i love tobias sammet. and a double album? yay!
Tags: 2009, albums, bands, music, pile of awesome, why music = life
cleaned this up from an old entry from about a month or so ago that i’ve been adding bits and pieces on for a while before then… just because i’ve got this song on my mind again… it comes and goes.
just made this a bit more coherent, i guess… and i guess you should know that i’m coming from a bastardized queer feminist perspective… and that really creeps its way into any thought i ever do…. so excuse me for that, if it becomes really incoherent. haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YZVAeXy7ig
This song has been HAUNTING me all day… Sometimes I have days when a song is the difference between it being a complete pile of shit and somewhat bareable. Today, it was “Icarus”…. an earlier Enter the Haggis song.
Mostly because this song is influenced by a mythology aspect… Most people do not know that I really enjoy reading and studying religious texts (mythology included, althought it is not something I care for the most)… It has been a hobby of mine for YEARS…. and, perhaps ironically, I consider myself an agnostic with very strong atheistic leanings. I generally do not believe in a ‘divine’ being… a god, if you wish… but I honestly don’t care enough to spend my life searching for this ‘god’ that I could care less about and don’t believe in. I guess you could say that I am faithless, yet my lack of belief is faith in itself. (faith as in, belief that is not based in proof. in this case, because there is no proof in either direction. Gosh I love language… despite that this one is not the one I usually think in…)
Jon jokes that this is the source of my excessive drinking, but I beg to differ.
It is the institution that I am completely against.
Organized religion kills like nothing else does. It does what it preaches against… It hates…. It kills. And I am a pacifist. Organized religion is the death and hurt that I am opposed to. (And I am the ignorant one?)
Yet, I am no less fascinated by these texts, despite this ‘lack of belief’.
more…
Tags: enter the haggis, icarus, music, rambling