Earlier today, one of my favorite films of the first half of 2014, The Lego Movie, was released on Blu-ray. With that in mind, how could I not pick this song for song of the day?
Why do I love Everything is Awesome?
Not only is it insanely catchy but its probably one of the most sarcastic songs ever written. How could I not love it?
When it comes to finding the proper writing music, it’s all about capturing and creating a mood and that’s what this song certainly does.
Kill la Kill is one of the more recent anime to come out of Japan to become a major sensation both in and out of the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s a series that some have called as too much of a slave to it’s fanservice scenes while some have called the series as much deeper than it’s visual surface has shown. Whatever the case, the series sports one of the best anime soundtracks of the past year due to the work by composer Hiroyuki Sawano.
It’s from this series’ soundtrack that the latest “Song of the Day” arrives from. “Blumenkranz” is the theme song for one of the series’ integral characters. It plays as a sort of walk-up theme music and it has become a favorite of pretty much every fan of the anime.
While the original song as sung by Japanese artist Rie was still in German it was heavily accented and has even confused some German speakers. An anime fan and native German speaker, singer Paperblossom has done the best cover of the song which has all the German lyrics spoken properly. It’s this version of the song that has become my favorite version of the song. I actually think it’s the superior version with all due respect to Rie’s original performance of the song.
One thing I’m sure of that this song would make for a killer entrance music for anyone looking to enter a room with much haughty and superior attitude.
Blumenkranz
Ich möchte stärker werden,
weil unsere Welt sehr grausam ist
Es ist ratsam, welke Blumen zu entfernen
Du fragst mich, ob ich mit dir komm
Du flüsterst mir in mein Ohr
Du fragst mich, ob ich deine Hand nehm
Ich hab keinen Grund, dich abzulehnen
Du fragst mich, ob ich mit dir komm
Du flüsterst mir in mein Ohr
Du fragst mich, ob ich deine Hand nehm
(Du flüsterst mir)
Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab
Fliege höher!
Laufe viel schneller!
Vergiss die Wahrheit nicht!
Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab
Ich entferne welke Blumen
Wieso siehst du so traurig aus?
Diese Welt ist grausam
Es ist traurig aber wahr
Diese Welt ist seltsam
Es ist fraglich aber wahr
Ist der Blumengarten echt oder falsch?
Ich möchte stärker werden,
weil unsere Welt sehr grausam ist
Es ist ratsam, welke Blumen zu entfernen
Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab
Fliege höher!
Laufe viel schneller!
Vergiss die Wahrheit nicht!
Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab
Ich entferne welke Blumen
Wieso siehst du so traurig aus?
Was willst du von mir?
Ich mag wollen oder nicht, ich muss den Feind verfolgen
Ich bin nicht frei von dieser Welt
Was willst du von mir?
Ich mag wollen oder nicht, ich muss den Feind verfolgen
Ich bin nicht frei von dieser Welt
Egal wie hart du auch bist
Fliege höher!
Laufe viel schneller!
Du bist sehr stark
Du bindest einen Blumenkranz
Wieso siehst du so traurig aus?
So, just got back from watching the latest incarnation of the King of Monsters and while I gather my thoughts on what I liked and didn’t like about Godzilla (2014) I thought to share one of the best themes to come out of the 30 different films to come out of this six decade-long franchise.
It comes courtesy of the original film composer for the very first Godzilla which came out in 1954. Akira Ifukubi has become synonymous with the franchise’s musical score. While the score he composed for the very first film was a classic in it’s own right, the one he composed for 1991’s Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah continues to be my favorite of the bunch.
The funny thing is that many people who follow hip-hop of the last 20 years probably like the Godzilla theme from this film not because they’ve heard it play during the film, but because one particular rapper decided to sample a particular bass-line sequence from the theme (it’s the blast of horns early on that signalled the arrival of the Big Guy).
A little more from The Virgin Wolves:
The Virgin Wolves is one of the best bands to come out of the Denton, Texas music scene and, as someone who spent some of the best years of her life in Denton, I’m happy to see them get some recognition. This is the video for one of their best songs, “Crawl.” The video was filmed in Denton, as should be obvious to any former student at the University of North Texas who has ever dealt with the pressure of finals by going out at midnight and getting high in a stranger’s living room.
What can I say?
The Virgin Wolves bring back a lot of memories.
I was told today that one of my favorite anime series of all-time was going to get a new manga adaptation. I am talking about Manabi Straight. It’s from this series that today’s latest song of the day comes from: “Seioh Gakuen Kouka”.
The song was first introduced in the series by it’s main character Manami Amamiya who also goes by the name Manabi. The character’s voice actress is the very talented and popular seiyuu and singer Yui Horie. The song is pretty much the school anthem of the fictitious Seioh High School where Manabi and her high school friends attend. The series goes through the girls’ ups and downs of being high school kids who bond through their love of each other and of their school.
“Seioh Gakuen Kouka” is the school’s anthem and Manabi sings it in front of the entire school during her first day as a transfer student. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs of any genre and type. It brings back my own memories of being a high school student and all the friendships made during those four years.
Seioh Gakuen Kouka
Ima wo ikiru deai no kisetsu yo
Mabushii hikari yume wo atsumete
Onaji seishun ayumu kiseki
Sakura iro no mirai tachi sora wo mau
Aah Seioh yorokobi doko he yo
Aah Seioh manabi no sono ni hibike
Kagayaku toki nakama to tomo ni aru
Ima wo ikiru yorokobi no naka de
Mabushii hikari kaze wo atsumete
Koi to kanashi jounetsu ni
Kibou iro no musume tachi chuu wo mau
Aah Seioh ai no hibi yo
Aah Seioh manabi no sono ni sodate
Kagayaku toki nakama to tomo ni aru
Aah miageta ao wa haruka
Aah tsukau toki kitto kitto
Kagayaku toki nakama to tomo ni aru
Seioh Gakuen Kouka (ver. English)
Live the present moment, the season of encounters.
The bright sunlight, the gathering of dreams.
The miracle where people walk through the same youth.
Cherry-blossom colored futures fly into the sky.
Ah, the cheerful sounds of Seioh!
Ah, let it resonate through Seioh’s garden!
When we shine, we shine with our friends.
Live the present moment, inside this happiness.
The bright sunlight, the gathering of the wind.
The burning love passion with
the hope-colored girls fly into the sky.
Ah, the days of love at Seioh!
Ah, grow up inside Seioh’s garden!
When we shine, we shine with our friends.
Ah, the blue sky we look up to is far away.
Ah, when we get a hold of it, for sure, for sure,
when we shine, we shine with our friends.
In season 3 of HBO’s Game of Thrones we saw a wedding come to a bloody conclusion as one of the five kings who were warring for the Iron Throne in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros was finally brought low through betrayal and the machinations of the Lannister patriarch. It was an event that will forever be known to fans of both books and the show as “The Red Wedding”.
Tonight, we find ourselves in just the second episode of Season 4 of the show. With his power over the Seven Kingdoms pretty much solidified it was high time for King Joffrey to have his wedding to Margaery Tyrell to help cement the alliance which brought the powerful House Tyrell to the Lannister side of the war.
The wedding has been dubbed “The Purple Wedding” by fans of the books due to the color symbolizing the color of royalty and this wedding one of royal means. So, while season 3 had the shocking “Red Wedding” it looks like the fourth season will have the eventful and memorable “Purple Wedding” to get post-episode tongues wagging.
It is with this wedding event we have our latest “Song of the Day” and it’s another appearance by a very popular song from the show (outside of it’s opening theme song). “The Rains of Castamere” has already made an appearance before when it was sung by the group The National. Tonight’s version was sung by the Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós.
The Rains of Castamere
And who are you, the proud lord said,
that I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat,
that’s all the truth I know.
In a coat of gold or a coat of red,
a lion still has claws,
And mine are long and sharp, my lord,
as long and sharp as yours.
And so he spoke, and so he spoke,
that lord of Castamere,
But now the rains weep o’er his hall,
with no one there to hear.
Yes now the rains weep o’er his hall,
and not a soul to hear.
I think it would be safe to assume that the last week or so has been all about Captain America.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been tearing up the box-office both here in the US and overseas. I have seen it twice already and most likely would be thrice if the issue of bills wasn’t coming up so soon. I’m still working on writing up a quick review about my thoughts on this latest Marvel Studios offering. Until then just enjoy one of the best pieces of film score ever created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Alan Silvestri’s “Captain America March” from Captain America: The First Avenger definitely makes one feel the decency and righteousness of the good man that is Steve Rogers. It’s so earnestly patriotic (not jingoistic at all as some were afraid this score would be) that it echoes past classic John Williams scores for the Indiana Jones film franchise. It’s also one of the few film tracks where it makes great use of the brass and percussion section of the orchestra. This song wouldn’t feel out of place in a big band orchestra playing to help celebrate the soldiers coming home after VE-Day.
Through the Shattered Lens 