Category Archives: Music

Song of the Day: And Then There Was Silence… (by Blind Guardian)

Posted on by Arleigh

The latest pick for Song of the Day is a song that’s literally worshipped by some people I know. For them this is the greatest song ever made or, if not, as close to being the greatest song. Today’s pick for Song of the Day is Blind Guardian’s “And Then There Was Silence”.

The song runs an epic 14 minutes long and comes from this German power metal band’s 2001 album, A Night at the Opera. The song is pretty much based on the events spoken of in Homer’s The Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid. Think about what I just said. It’s a power metal song about the Battle of Troy, specifically the final days of Troy. There are many with misconceptions that metal is all about growling, guttural noises by singers who can’t hold a note or even know the definition of melody. This song will disabuse such notions as Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch does more than just hold a melody but actually hit notes than only the most accomplished sopranos can accomplish.

“And Then There Was Silence” is the song which finally got me hooked into power metal, or as I call it, nerd metal since this subgenre of metal takes much of its songwriting influences from fantasy novels, films and games in addition to well-known legends, myths and folklore. This particular song uses the final days of Troy as seen through the eyes of Cassandra. The song plays just like an epic poem on its right and I’ve compared it to the ending of Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King with the many endings. Just when one thinks the song is about to hit it’s climactic end another section begins, but one that just adds to the awesome awesomeness of the song.

Yes, I said awesome twice. That’s just how awesomely awesome this awesome song is.

I think even non-fans of metal would find something to appreciate in this song once they hear it. Even if just once.

And Then There Was Silence

Turn your head and see the fields of flames

He carries along
From a distant place
He’s on his way
He’ll bring decay
(don’t move along cause things they will go wrong
the end is getting closer day by day)
in shades of grey
We’re doomed to face the night
Light’s out of sight

Since we’ve reached the point of no return
We pray for starlight
We wait for the moon
The sky is empty
Alone in the unknown
We’re getting nowhere

We have been betrayed
By the wind and the rain
The sacred halls empty and cold
The sacrifice made should not be done in vain
Revenge will be taken by Rome

We live a lie
Under the dying moon
Pale faced laughs doom
Indulges in delight

It’s getting out of hand
The final curtain will fall
Hear my voice
There is no choice
There’s no way out
You’ll find out

We don’t regret it
So many man have failed
But now he’s gone
Go out and get it
The madman’s head it shall be thine
We don’t regret it
That someone else dies hidden in disguise
Go out and get it
Orion’s hound shines bright

Don’t you think it’s time to stop the chase
Around the ring
Just stop running, running
Round the ring
Don’t you know that fate has been decided
By the gods
Feel the distance, distance
Out of reach

Welcome to the end…
Watch your step, Cassandra
You may fall
As I’ve stumbled on the field
Sister mine
Death’s a certain thing
Find myself in darkest places
Find myself drifting away
And the otherworld
The otherworld appears

Find myself, she dies in vain
I cannot be freed
I’m falling down
As time runs faster
Moves towards disaster
The ferryman will wait for you
My dear

And then there was silence
Just a voice from the otherworld
Like a leaf in an icy world
Memories will fade

Misty tales and poems lost
All the bliss and beauty will be gone
May my weary soul find release for a while
At the moment of death I will smile
It’s the triumph of shame and disease
In the end
Iliad

Raise my hands and praise the day
Brake the spell, show me the way
In decay
The flame of Troy will shine bright

The newborn child would carry ruin to the hall
The newborn’s death will be a blessing to us all

Good choice?
Bad choice?
Out of three
You’ve choosen misery
Power and wisdom
You deny
Bad choice

War is the only answer
When love will conquer fear
So the judgment’s been made
To the fairest
The graceful says
Badly he fails

Warning
Fear the heat of passion, father king
Don’t let him in
Don’t let her in
Desire, lust, obssession
Death they’ll bring
We can’t get out
Once they are in

She’s like the sunrise
Outshines the moon at night
Precious like starlight
She’ll bring in a murderous price

In darkness grows the seed of man’s defeat
Jealousy
I can clearly see the end now
I can clearly see the end now
I can clearly see the end now

The thread of life in spun
The coin’s been placed below my tongue
Never give up
Never give in
Be on our side
So we can win
Never give up
Never give in
Be on our side

Old moon’s time is soon to come

Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
Nothing to lose
Like one we’ll stand
We’ll face the storm
Created by man

Troy, Troy, Troy, Troy

And as the lion
Slaughters man
I am the wolf
And you’re the lamb

Hallowed Troy shall fall
Round the walls
Faith is shattered, bodies fall

Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
Nothing to lose
Like one we’ll stand
It’s all for one and one for all
All we live for will be wiped out

I feel that something’s wrong
Surprise, surprise they’re gone
Full moon your time goes by
And new moon’s still kept out of sight

We live
We die

Misty tales and poems lost
All the bliss and beauty will be gone
May my weary soul find release for a while
At the moment of death I will smile
It’s the triumph of shame and disease
In the end
Iliad

Raise my hands and praise the day
Brake the spell, show me the way
In decay
The flame of Troy will shine bright

Roam in darkness
Spread the vision
We will be lost if you truly believe
Troy in darkness
There’s a cold emptiness in our hearts
That they’ve gone away
And won’t come back

They’ll tear down the wall to bring it in
They’ll truly believe in the lie
With blossoms they’ll welcome the old foe

The vision’s so clear
When day and dream unite
The end is near
You’d better be prepared

The nightmare shall be over now
There’s nothing more to fear
Come join in our singing
And dance with us now
The nightmare shall be over now
There’s nothing more to fear
The war it is over, forevermore

No hope
The blind leads the blind
Carry on
Though future’s denied
Mare or stallion
There’s far more inside
We are in at the kill
We’ll cheerfully die

Misty tales and poems lost
All the bliss and beauty will be gone
May my weary soul find release for a while
At the moment of death I will smile
It’s the triumph of shame and disease
In the end
Iliad

Raise my hands and praise the day
Brake the spell, show me the way
In decay
The flame of Troy will shine bright

Its holy light shines on
So the judgement’s been made
We’re condemned though the trial’s far ahead
The crack of doom
Father
Your handsome son is heading home

Heading home

Still the wind blows
Calm and silent
Carries news from a distant shore

Out of mind
Can’t get it
Can’t get it out of my head

Sorrow and defeat
Sorrow and defeat Continue reading →

A Quickie From Lisa Marie: Kiss Them For Me (by Siouxsie and the Banshees)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last Monday, I made a change.  I moved from my small, cozy apartment (with its paper-thin walls and bedroom window that I could never quite get to shut all the way) to a big, two-story house that I’ll be sharing with my sister and BFF, Erin Nicole.  As excited and happy as I am having made this move, it also meant that, last week, I spent less time than usual obsessing over grindhouse exploitation and pop culture.

In other words, I’ve got to make up for some lost time.

I’d like to begin by highlighting one of my favorite songs, perhaps my favorite song of all time.  Siouxsie Sioux may have been first known as simply a groupie for the Sex Pistols (Way back when, Bill Grundy’s lame attempts to hit on her led to the televised profanity that inspired the infamous “Filth and the Fury” headline) but she later proved herself to be a brilliant and intriguing artist in her own right.  As the vocalist for Siouxsie and the Banshees, Siouxsie was (and is) one of the most important figures of the post-punk era.

Proving once again that I was simply born several years too late, I didn’t get a chance to appreciate the Banshees until they had already ceased to exist as an active group.  In 2004, having just recently seen 24 Hour Party People, I was obsessed with all things punk and all things new wave.  While everyone else was discovering the Black-Eyed Peas or trying to maintain a sense of ironic detachment while buying the latest from Ashlee Simpson, I was devoting my time to Joy Division, New Order, The Slits, the Talking Heads, Patti Smith, the New York Dolls, and Public Image, Ltd.  I haunted the used book and music stores of north Texas and, like an archeologist, I would chip away at all of the boring, modern sediment in hopes of discovering something wonderful hidden underneath it all.  Without a doubt, my greatest discovery was Siouxsie and the Banshees.

I discovered a CD entitled The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees at Recycled Books in Denton, Texas and it quickly became one of my most prized possessions.  Over the years, my life has taken a lot of twists and turns but there has always been one constant — whenever I’ve needed them, Siouxsie and the Banshees have been playing on my CD player.

My favorite song off that CD is Kiss Them For Me, a song first released in 1991.  The song, which admittedly does have more of a “pop” feel to it than other Banshee songs, is Siouxsie’s tribute to another frequently misunderstood icon, Jayne Mansfield.  Like Mansfield, the song is unapologetically over-the-top and wonderfully self-aware.  It’s a song that pays tribute to a legend by being legendary itself. 

(It’s also the song that I had playing nonstop while my sister and I were unpacking our things this week.)

The song’s lyrics refer both obliquely and explicitly to Mansfield’s decapitation in a 1967 car accident.  (Mansfield’s daughter — Mariska Hargitay — survived the accident and is currently the star of Law and Order: SVU.)

It glittered and it gleamed
For the arriving beauty queen
A ring and a car
Now you’re the prettiest by far
No party she’d not attend
No invitation she wouldn’t send
Transfixed by the inner sound
Of your promise to be found

“nothing or no-one will ever
Make me let you down”

Kiss them for me — I may be delayed
Kiss them for me — if I am delayed

It’s divoon, oh it’s serene
In the fountains pink champagne
Someone carving their devotion
In the heart shaped pool of fame

“nothing or no-one will ever
Make me let you down”

Kiss them for me — I may be delayed
Kiss them for me — I may find myself delayed

On the road to new orleans
A spray of stars hit the screen
As the 10th impact shimmered
The forbidden candles beamed

Kiss them for me — I may be delayed
Kiss them for me — I may find myself delayed

Kiss them for me — kiss them for me

Kiss them for me — I may find myself delayed

Song of the Day: Voices (by Yoko Kanno)

Posted on by Arleigh

The song of the day is one which I consider one of my favorite pieces of music ever composed and played. I speak of “Voices” from the Japanese OVA/film Macross Plus. The song was composed by Japanese composer Yoko Kanno and originally sung by singer-musician Akino Arai.

Anime has become of one my major hobbies and interests and during the early 90’s Macross Plus dominated my viewing rotation and it was partly due to this song. The moment I started the VHS tape (yes that’s how far this song goes back) and heard the very first verse of this song and the techno-tinged Japanese sound of the song I was hooked. I listen to it almost as much as I did when I first heard it 16 years back.

One of the best memories of this song just happened recently as Yoko Kanno made a surprise appearance at this past Anime Expo 2010 in Los Angeles. While sitting in the Nokia Theater for the May’n and Megumi Nakajima concert Ms. Kanno appeared on-stage to play the grand piano and started playing this particular song w/ J-pop singer and seiyuu Megumi Nakajima performing the lyrics. To say that this was the highlight of the Expo for me would be a huge understatement. Listening to the song done live showed me why I love this song and why it’s my pick for song of the day.

Acoustic Ver.

Cello Instrumental

Voices (Japanese)

Hitotsume no kotoba wa yume
Nemuri no naka kara
Mune no oku no kurayami wo
Sotto tsuredasu no

Futatsume no kotoba wa kaze
Yukute wo oshiete
Kamisama no ude no naka e
Tsubasa wo aoru no

Tokete itta kanashii koto wo
Kazoeru you ni
Kin’iro no ringo ga
Mata hitotsu ochiru

Mita koto mo nai fuukei
Soko ga kaeru basho
Tatta hitotsu no inochi ni
Tadoritsuku basho

Furui
Maho no hon
Tsuki no
Shizuku yoru no
Tobari itsuka
Aeru yokan
Dake…

We can fly…
We have wings…
We can touch…
Floating dreams…
Call me from…
So far…
Through the wind…
In the light…

Mittsume no kotoba wa “hum”
Mimi wo sumashitara
Anata no fureru ude wo
Sotto tokihanatsu

Voices (English)

The first word in my dreams
I could clearly see
Planet Eden high beyond the skies

Beautiful and sad
is this story I’ll tell
of the winged travellers eager

’twas one day
the wind guided him where to go
like an eagle high above he flew

Waving from down below
he flew out of sight
into the mystical darkness

Neither a smile nor a cry
I gave when he left
feeling my spleen decline
And hoping
one day we’d fly over
back to the places we once shared

Where vessels glide
in silky waves and of gold
deep in the gulf such planet lies

Surrounded by this universe
of love and hate
confusion breaks through and dwells

Cast a spell
from the old magic book
set a path
in the black magic box
something strange will happen
it will take you so far
So try…

We can fly
We have wings
We can touch floating dreams
Call me from
so far
Through the wind
And the light…

Someone came from the dark
over from the stars
protecting my heart from crying

Taken back by surprise
my traveller returned
What went wrong? Why did he change.

A Quickie With Lisa Marie: Death Disco a.k.a. Swan Lake (by Public Image, Ltd.)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Recently, I’ve been reading Clinton Heylin’s history of punk rock, Babylon’s Burning: From Punk To Grunge.  Not surprisingly, one of the main characters in this book is John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten).  Along with detailing Lydon’s time as the lead singer for the Sex Pistols, the book also examines Lydon’s subsequent career as the frontman for Public Image, Ltd.  The book also inspired me to track down and listen to one of PIL’s earliest efforts, a song that was originally called Death Disco (though it was also released under the name Swan Lake for reasons that become obvious once you listen to the song).

Death Disco was written after and in response to the death of Lydon’s mother.  Though the song is now over 30 years old, it remains a powerful and cathartic cry of pain and loss.

As an added bonus, here’s two interviews with Lydon, one from the late 70s that was recorded shortly before he formed Public Image, Ltd. (and in which he looks so incredibly young and, dare I say it, rather adorable in his bratty way) and one from 2007 in which he discusses the meaning of life.

A Quickie From Lisa Marie: Hurt Feelings/Tears of A Rapper (by Flight of the Conchords)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As I sit here frustrated by my attempts to write about how great a movie Winter’s Bone is and feeling depressed for the usual sordid, personal reasons, I realize that I’m still in a Flight of the Conchords type of mood. 

Here’s Bret and Jermaine performing my all-time favorite Conchords song, Hurt Feelings.

Song of the Day: Home Sweet Home (by Mötley Crüe)

Posted on by Arleigh

For the latest song of the day I go back to my teenage years growing up in the 80’s when hair metal ruled the world. While my heart still resided with thrash metal and heavy metal I still got caught up in the power ballad which defined the mid-to-late 80’s. It was this power ballad in all it’s cheesiness which to this day is still quite catchy to listen to. I mean Mötley Crüe in one’s playlist at the time meant getting tail instead of chasing them away.

“Home Sweet Home” is one of the few Crüe songs that seem to have survived the test of time. Chappelle may think Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorns” was the power ballad of the 80’s, but he is wrong. This song is and shall always be. Plus, it has that awesome slow-mo sequence near the end where the band dances to the beat. Yeah, cheesy like I said earlier.

Another reason I picked this as the latest song of the day is what will be posted afterwards.

Home Sweet Home

You know I’m a dreamer
But my heart’s of gold
I had to run away high
So I wouldn’t come home low
Just when things went right
It doesn’t mean they were always wrong
Just take this song and you’ll never feel
Left all alone

Take me to your heart
Feel me in your bones
Just one more night
And I’m comin’ off this
Long & winding road

I’m on my way
Well I’m on my way
Home sweet home
Tonight tonight
I’m on my way
I’m on my way
Home sweet home You know that I seem
To make romantic dreams
Up in lights, fallin’ off
The silver screen

My heart’s like an open book
For the whole world to read
Sometimes nothing-keeps me together
At the seams

I’m on my way
Well I’m on my way
Home sweet home
Tonight tonight
I’m on my way
Just set me free
Home sweet home

Song of the Day: Suteki Da Ne (by Uematsu Nobuo)

Posted on by Arleigh

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The newest Song of the Day is a favorite piece of video game music of mine.

“Suteki Da Ne” is the love theme to Square-Enix’s very popular and long-running rpg series Final Fantasy. The song would mark the point in the game when the lead male and female characters finally realize their love for each other. It’s become a favorite of many game score aficionados and especially those of Japanese game soundtracks. Some consider it one of the best pieces of video game music there is, but that would be going a tad too hyperbolic.

The song is composed by well-renowned game music composer Uematsu Nobuo. He had been instrumental in composing the music for most of the Final Fantasy games until he left Square-Enix in 2004. “Suteki Da Ne” also had other collaborators outside of Uematsu. The lyrics for the song was written by Final Fantasy X scenario writer Nojima Kazushige while the arrangement for the song was done by Hamaguchi Shiro. In the end, most of the credit for the song really belongs to Uematsu-san. He was able to compose a song that worked to not just score a lovely and emotional scene between the two leads in the game but also convey their feelings very clearly through the music.

The lyrics below includes both the original Japanese version as sung by Japanese pop-idol RIKKI and the English translation.

Suteki Da Ne (Isn’t It Wonderful)

Kaze ga yoseta kotoba ni
Oyoida kokoro
Kumo ga hakobu ashita ni
Hazunda koe

(My heart, swimming
In the words the wind has borne
A voice, bouncing
On a tomorrow carried by clouds)

Tsuki ga yureru kagami ni
Furueta kokoro
Hoshi ga nagare, koboreta Yawarakai namida

(A heart, trembling
On a mirror where the moon quivers
A star falls, spills
Gentle teardrops)

Suteki da ne
Futari te o tori aruketa nara
Ikitai yo
Kimi no machi, ie, ude no naka

(Isn’t it wonderful
If we could walk, holding hands
I’d want to go
To your town, your house, into your arms)

Sono mune
Karada azuke
Yoi ni magire
Yume miru

(To your heart
I leave my body
Mixed into the night
I dream)

Kaze wa tomari; kotoba wa
Yasashii maboroshi
Kumo wa yabure; ashita wa
Tooku no koe

(The wind stops; your words
Are a kind illusion
The clouds break apart; tomorrow
Is a distant voice)

Tsuki ga nijimu kagami o
Nagareta kokoro
Hoshi ga yurete, koboreta
Kakusenai namida

(A heart flowing
In a mirror where the moon has seeped in
A star wavers, spills
Tears you can’t hide)

(kurikaeshi)(repeat)

Sono kao
Sotto furete
Asa ni tokeru
Yume miru

(That face
Touch it, just so
And dream a dream
That melts in the morning)

Found on YouTube: Dean Miller — Zombie Exterminator

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Nearly a year ago, I was searching YouTube for the trailer to Umberto Lenzi’s 1980 zombie film Nightmare City and I ended up coming across a tribute to the film’s main character, the virile and bearded TV news anchorman Dean Miller (played, with a notable lack of enthusiasm, by Hugo Stiglitz.)

The video artfully takes Lenzi’s overlong film and reduces it down to 3 and a half minutes of Dean Miller killing people.  Interestingly, not a hint of nuance or plot is lost in the process.  Anyway, the video has always made me smile so I figured why not share it?  I should clarify that I have no idea who actually put this together beyond the fact that I had nothing to do with it.

Actually, I’m being a little bit too hard on Nightmare City.  For a Lenzi film, its actually fairly entertaining and it does feature one of the abosolute worst endings in the history of cinema.  If a hurricane ever hits North Texas and I find myself having to stay inside for a few days, my survival plan is to pass the time writing up a review of Nightmare City.

As previously stated, Miller was played by actor Hugo Stiglitz.  Quentin Tarantino, of course, later borrowed Stiglitz’s name for Inglorious Basterds.  Tarantino’s Stiglitz, it must be said, was a bit more interesting than the actual Stiglitz.

A Quickie From Lisa Marie: The Best Freakin’ Commercial Ever!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

If you follow me on twitter then you can probably guess what I consider to be “the best freakin’ commercial ever.”  It premiered (in its full form) during the last Super Bowl and it made me smile whenever I saw it on come on TV.  It was a commercial that I loved so much that it took me a few times to realize it was actually selling something (a car, in this instance).  Up until then, I just thought the commercial was a showcase for Sockmonkey and his friend, the freaky little red thing.

I’m speaking, of course, of the Kia Sorrento “How You Like Me Now” ad campaign.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying you should buy a Kia and this commercial left me with absolutely no desire to trade in my beloved Chrysler Sebring convertible but it did inspire me to order sockmonkeys for myself, my older sister Erin, and my niece Shannon. 

As great as the song (How You Like Me Now, performed by Heavy) is and as much charisma as that little red monster thingee displays, Sockmonkey really is the star of the commercial.  Seriously, I might actually watch the Daily Show if they fired smug, aging badly, oddly devoted to Stephen Colbert, old Jon Stewart and replaced him with tattooed, fast-driving, water-skiing, mad dancing, fast driving Sockmonkey.

(Yes, I said fast driving twice!  Because that monkey really drives fast!  And, uhmm, not because — as some people claim — I have a five-second attention span…)

The last time I saw this commercial, my friend Jeff commented, “I bet that monkey gets a lot of tail.”

“Silly!” I replied, “He’s already got a tail!”

Later, I realized I may have misunderstood his meaning.

(True story)

But anyway, it’s a fun little commercial whether it makes you want to drive a Kia or not.  And, a definite plus, it’s not half as disturbing as those old Calvin Klein jean commercials.