Song of the Day: Light of the Seven (by Ramin Djawadi)

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Arleigh

“Cersei of the House Lannister, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms….Long may she reign.” — Qyburn

To all of those who watch each new episode of Game of Thrones, last night’s episode was a classic in the making. It was the sort of episode that convinced millions 6 years ago to take a chance and watch an HBO series about a medieval fantasy series about royal politics, dragons, living dead, royal incest and lots and lots of sex and violence.

The series is based on the ongoing epic fantasy novel series by novelist George R.R. Martin. A series called A Song of Ice and Fire, tonight’s episode delivered on both the fire and ice. As we see the players on the Great Game cut down violently by the machinations of one Dowager Queen (and now Queen and first of her name), the fantasy realm of Westeros is now down to three Great Houses as the show finishes it’s sixth season with just two more to go.

One thing the series has always had to complement the outstanding performances of the ensemble cast, the epic work of directors in the singularly classic episodes 9’s (names such as Neil Marshall and Miguel Sapochnik come to mind) and the very good to great writing, it would be the series composer Ramin Djawadi and the work he has brought onto the show.

The show’s main theme is as recognizable nowadays as any John Williams, Howard Shore and James Horner piece. It’s a theme that’s become part of pop culture lexicon. There’s been other themes in the show that has been just as good. Yet, with the season finale of season 6 a new theme comes to the forefront that will be put on repeat as loyal viewers young and old watch and re-watch this season finale.

It’s a subtle theme of a single piano playing a solemn, melancholy lullaby. It’s soon to be joined by a single cello before another transition that adds the singular voice of a choirboy (the better to accentuate that this theme is one of the Seven Gods of Westeros). The song goes from that solemn lullaby and into a climactic dirge as the organ joins in to almost drown the piano and cello.

For those who saw that opening sequence of the season finale should appreciate just how well “Light of the Seven” made everything so much better once the dust settled and the world of Game of Thrones was changed forever once again.

Song of the Day: Band of Brothers Theme (by Michael Kamen)

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Arleigh

In what’s become an annual tradition in the Sandoc household since it first aired, Band of Brothers will be marathoned (and of late it’s companion series The Pacific)

The series was produced by both Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks who years before made the equally powerful film Saving Private Ryan. That film introduced the younger generation of today about the true details of heroism and horror that was World War II. What was becoming a dry and academic exercise in schools was suddenly given life in the vivid and heartbreaking imagery as seen through the eyes of Spielberg and the personal accounts of the men of the “Greatest Generation” who went to war and survived to tell their tales.

Band of Brothers would take the accounts of Easy Company of the 501st Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from their time at boot camp at Camp Toccoa, Georgia through training in England and then the war zones of France, the Netherlands, Belgium and, finally, Germany itself. This series wasn’t about made up soldiers and heroes, but the real ones who survived over a year of constant battle that saw some acquit themselves bravely while others failing to measure up.

The series was a production that had everyone at the top of their game. One such person was Michael Kamen who would compose the series’ orchestral score. It would be one of the last compositions he would create before his death in 2003. Nothing helped set the tone for the series more than the opening theme which accompanied the opening credits for each of the ten episodes.

In honor of Memorial Day, it is this opening theme from Band of Brothers which is the “Song of the Day.”

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan!

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Jedadiah Leland

“All I can do is be me, whoever that is.” — Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan not only revolutionized music but he was also responsible for one of the first music videos. The video for Subterranean Homesick Blues originally appeared at the start of D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary, Don’t Look Back. It was filmed in May 8th, 1965 in the alley behind the Savoy Hotel in London and, as Bob flips those cue cards, keep an eye out for both songwriter Bob Neuwirth and the poet Allen Ginsberg in the background.

Happy birthday to Bob Dylan, who is 74 years old today.

Airport Reading: Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me by Steven Hyden

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Jedadiah Leland

51y-hABo2ML._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_ Today, I have flown from Baltimore to Chicago and, after a three-hour layover at O’Hare, from Chicago to Atlanta. Now I have to wait two hours until I board a plane to Dallas. Luckily, I have a good book to read.

Steven Hyden’s Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me takes a look at some famous pop music rivalries and what they may or may not reveal about the meaning of life. Hyden examines 19 different rivalries, everyone from Oasis vs. Blur to Neil Young vs. Lynard Skynard to the Smashing Pumpkins vs. Pavement, Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones and, naturally, Roger Waters vs. everyone else in Pink Floyd. And, of course, he also writes about Biggie vs. Tupac because, as he puts it, that’s the only rivalry that he “was required by law to write about in this book.”

The best chapter, in my opinion, is Hyden’s look at the rivalry between Jimi Hendrix’s legacy and Eric Clapton’s continued existence. He asks a very important question: If Hendrix had lived and was currently living the life of Eric Clapton, would we still consider Jimi to be the greatest guitar God of all time? A close second to the Hendrix/Clapton chapter is Hyden’s look at the rivalry between Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Hyden makes a convincing argument that not only did Kurt Cobain never really grow to like Pearl Jam but that Bruce Springsteen really does not like Chris Christie that much either.

Steven Hyden’s an opinionated guy and, reading the book, I have disagreed with him almost as much as I’ve agreed. But he is also a very good writer and he definitely knows his music. Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me has made this day of airports and flying bearable. I highly recommend it!

Congratulations! You survived Friday the 13th!

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Congratulations!

Depending on where you live, Friday the 13th is either over or nearly over! And, if you’re reading this, you survived!!!!!

Obviously, you listened to Crazy Ralph and you did not have sex, smoke weed, skinny dip, go out at night, take a boat trip to Manhattan, go into space, go to sleep, go out for firewood, ask any strange people if they needed help, go looking for your friends, strip down to your underwear so you could go run around in the rain, or have any fun whatsoever!

In other words, today was a boring day for you! But you survived!

In honor of your survival, here’s the end theme from Friday the 13th. This was composed by Harry Manfredini and, believe it or not, it’s actually a rather beautiful piece of music. So, celebrate your survival by listening.

And be prepared to make up for lost time on Saturday the 14th! Be bad…be very bad….

Happy Loyalty Day From The Shattered Lens!

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh my God, did you know that it’s Loyalty Day!?

Well, actually, that’s only true for some of our readers. I’m very proud to say that we have readers spread across the world. We even have a bureau in Brazil, which is headed up by Alexandre Rothier.

So, it’s not Loyalty Day for everyone. In fact, a lot of the world’s citizens are celebrating May Day today. However, here in the United States, it’s Loyalty Day. Even if you are an American, it’s possible that you’ve never heard of Loyalty Day. It was first celebrated in 1921 and it was intended to provide a non-Communist alternative to International Workers Day. It wasn’t until 1955 that Loyalty Day was officially recognized by Congress.

From Wikipedia:

Loyalty Day is defined as follows in 36 U.S.C. § 115:

(a) Designation.— May 1 is Loyalty Day.
(b) Purpose.— Loyalty Day is a special day for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom.
(c) Proclamation.— The President is requested to issue a proclamation—
- (1) calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Loyalty Day; and
- (2) inviting the people of the United States to observe Loyalty Day with appropriate ceremonies in schools and other suitable places.

In honor of this day, my sister and I woke up this morning and the first thing we did was sing the most pro-American song that we could think of.

Which song was that?

This one!

America — FUCK YEAH! Happy Loyalty Day, American readers!

When Doves Cry: RIP Prince

Posted on April 21, 2016 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

This morning, I learned both Chyna and Guy Hamilton had died. These weren’t exactly unexpected deaths. Chyna, the former wrestler and porn star, had struggled with substance abuse issues for many years. Hamilton, director of such James Bond films as GOLDFINGER, LIVE AND LET DIE, and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, was age 93.

But Prince? That caught me completely off guard.

The iconic rocker was 57, and had just recently performed in Atlanta. He burst on the scene with a hybrid of psychedelic funk rock that was uniquely Prince. Hit albums like DIRTY MIND, CONTROVERSY, 1999, AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY, and SIGN “O” THE TIMES became classics as Prince crossed musical, racial, and gender borders to create his own distinct artistic vision. He was one of the first black artist to be featured in heavy rotation on MTV, back when they actually were about music, and his visual style…

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Honky Tonk Outlaw: RIP Merle Haggard

Posted on April 6, 2016 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

Merle Haggard died today, on his 79th birthday. Even though I’m Massachusetts born and raised, country music has always been a part of my life. My dad was from Anderson, South Carolina, and I learned to appreciate the twangy, “high, lonesome sound” at an early age. Later in life, I spent five years living in Louisiana’s bayou country, and you couldn’t find a jukebox in any honky-tonk joint around that didn’t have at least one Merle Haggard tune.

Many country musicians claim to be “outlaws”, but Merle was the real deal. His father died young (like mine), and as a teen Merle was always in trouble with the law (yep, me too!). He was arrested for burglary and bad checks, fighting and shoplifting, and wound up more than once in juvenile jail. At age 20, he did time in San Quentin for attempted robbery. When he was released, Merle channeled his energy…

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AMV of the Day: Just Funkin’ Dandy (Space Dandy)

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Arleigh

Anime has been called many things by fans and detractors. It’s been called imaginative and disturbing. Some have called them hilariously inventive while others have called them horribly perverted. One thing it has never been described and accused of is being boring and bland. One could hate every type of anime ever created and most such people would still describe it as anything but boring.

One such anime that fits the bill of being wildly imaginative is the series Space Dandy. If one was to describe it in non-anime terms then I could say it’s a space opera series that’s somewhat like the redheaded stepchild of Guardians of the Galaxy and Johnny Bravo who is then high on mushrooms and LSD.

The latest “AMV of the Day” was created by Shin and he makes perfect use of the Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars song “Uptown Funk”. The song doesn’t just fit the over-the-top lunacy of the chosen anime, but Shin also manages to use some complex video-editing magic to make it like the video was a comic book.

The song itself has been a staple for kitten videos where the little furballs will seemingly dance to the beat of the song. Now there’s another reason to listen to it and this AMV is one such reason.

Anime: Space Dandy

Song: “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson (feat. Bruno Mars)

Creator: Shin (tehninjarox)

Past AMVs of the Day

In Memory of Keith Emerson

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Jedadiah Leland

Tarkus

When I was growing up, I used to watch my Dad and his band rehearse in our den. Hanging on the wall, directly behind the dummer, was a poster of a strange armadillo that was also a tank. I later found out that the armadillo was named Tarkus and he was the star of his very own album by a group called Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

I just heard the very sad news that the Emerson in Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, the legendary Keith Emerson, died yesterday. He was 71 years old.

Whether it was as a member of the Nice, ELP, the Best, or the Keith Emerson Band or as a solo soundtrack artist, Keith Emerson is one of the men who made synthesizers cool. After starting out playing a Hammond organ, Emerson soon discovered and popularized the Moog synthesizer. In doing so, he changed music forever.