Category Archives: Song of the Day

October Music Series: Poropetra – Tunturikukka

Posted on by necromoonyeti

October is a fine month for music. Everything from the cheesiest of black metal to the most ethereal of folk finds its home in a season which glorifies gore and the old gods together in a grand renunciation of conventional Christian values. I make an effort every year to present a sort of soundtrack to the season. Last year this amounted to a meager one post, but this go around I aim to do a song a day every day from now until the 31st.

The criteria will be two-fold: the song must be either dark, pagan, fantasy-oriented, or at least authentically folk; and I cannot have ever featured it on Shattered Lens before. It’s going to be an interesting ride. I feel at the moment completely out of touch with my music collection, and too hopelessly bereft of time to do anything about it. Musically, I spent the grand bulk of this year focusing on vgm. I must say the venture was eye-opening, and I have a much broader appreciation of video game music to show for it, but it’s a subject quite far from my typical focus. I will be putting my vgm series on hold for the month (it is incomplete anyway, and such a break will hopefully give me time to extend it), and focusing on music a bit more relevant to the season.

Today’s feature song is Tunturikukka by Finnish folk act Poropetra, taken from their self-titled 2004 demo release. While their full-length album features substantial rock influence, their demo is an outstanding example of uncompromised contemporary folk of the Finnish/Karelian variety. The band’s name is, according to Encyclopaedia Metallum, “the name of a mythological blue moose which travels through the sky”. Their founder, Juha Jyrkäs, has supposedly collaborated with folk metal legends Korpiklaani.

Tunturikukka is a track I’ve been keeping around for years now. I don’t recall when exactly I discovered the band, but I may have had it in my collection since the year of its release, and it still never fails to make an impression on me. I’ve always extracted a warm, sort of wintery vibe from the tune, and there’s something a bit reverent about it. From what I’ve read, I gather the lyrics pay ample homage to Finnish mythology, and on Tunturikukka most among the demo tracks I get a real sense of connection with the past.

Song of the Day: Requiem (by Altan Urag)

Posted on by Arleigh

The latest “Song of the Day” comes from a band that many haven’t heard of but should. It was fellow site writer necromoonyeti who first introduced me to their band of folk rock almost three years past now. It was their song “Requiem” that first got Altan Urag onto my music radar.

“Requiem” is a difficult song to categorize. It’s definitely traditional folk music in sound and gives hints of Altan Urag’s folk rock sound. It is also a song that cannot be called a ballad and too melodious to be a dirge despite the title. The video made for this song actually starts off with a young boy asking his grandfather a question. We don’t know what he asks but the song itself gives u s hints as to the answer. An answer that has notions of sorrow and hope, of death and rebirth.

We don’t get to hear the distinctive “throat singing” from the band in this song, but their use of traditional Mongolian folk music instruments like the morin khuur (horse head fiddle) and ikh khuur (grand horse head fiddle) could easily be heard throughout the song and gives the song it’s unique sound.

Altan Urag may not be a house hold name to the general public, but songs like this should give those who have never heard of them an idea why so many people hold them in such high regard.

Song of the Day: Passin’ Me By (by The Pharcyde)

Posted on by Arleigh

Something quick and nostalgic for the latest “Song of the Day”.

I rarely put up hip-hop songs as “Song of the Day” since I rarely think back fondly on most of them, but this one I do think back and remember fondly. It’s one of those songs that just brings back memories of simpler days.

The track “Passin’ Me By” by the hip-hop group The Pharcyde came out in in the Spring of 1993 off of their full-length album, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and gradually rose up the charts that season until it reached hit status. The group never had as big a hit as this track though it will continue to consistently make good to very good records since. I think what resonated to me and many fans of this song wasn’t just the beats but the lyrics themselves. It’s a song about young crushes and infatuation ranging from one’s schoolboy days to young adulthood. It’s those very same lyrics which continues to make this song as relevant now as much as they did in 1992-1993 when the song came out.

Passin’ Me By

Now in my younger days I used to sport as shag
When I went to school I carried lunch in a bag
With an apple for my teacher ’cause I knew I’d get a kiss
Always got mad when the class was dismissed
But when it was in session, I always had a question
I would raise my hand to make her stagger to my desk and
help me with my problem, it was never much
Just a trick, to smell her scent and try to sneak a touch
Oh, how I wish I could hold her hand and give her a hug
She was married to the man, he was a thug,
His name was Lee, he drove a Z,
he’d pick her up from school promptly at three o’clock
I was on her jock, yes indeedy I wrote graffiti on the bus
First I’d write her name then carve a plus,
with my name last, on the looking glass,
I seen her yesterday but still I had to let her pass

She keeps on passin me by…

When I dream of fairytales I think of me and Shelly
See she’s my type of hype and I can’t stand when brothers tell me
That I should quit chasin’ and look for something better
But the smile that she shows makes me a go-getter
I haven’t gone as far as asking if I could get with her
I just play it by ear and hope she gets the picture
I’m shootin for her heart, got my finger on the trigger
She could be my broad, and I could be her (nigga)
But, all I can do is stare…
Back as kids we used to kiss when we played truth or dare
Now she’s more sophisticated, highly edu-ma-cated
not at all over-rated, I think I need a prayer
to get in her boots and it looks rather dry
I guess a twinkle in her eye is just a twinkle in her eye
Although she’s crazy steppin, I’ll try to stop her stride
Cause I won’t have no more of this passin me by

And I must voice my opinion of not even pretending she didn’t have me
Strung like a chicken, chase my tail like a doggie
She was kind of like a star, thinking I was like a fan
Dude, she looked good, down side: she had a man
He was a rooty-toot, a nincompoop
She told me soon your little birdie’s gonna fly the coop
She was a flake like corn, and I was born not to understand
By lettin her pass I had proved to be a better man

She keeps on passin me by…

Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian
And now the world around me be gets movin in slow motion
when-ever she happens to walk by – why does the apple of my eye
overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Wait, no, i did not really pursue my little princess with persistance;
And I was so low-key that she was unaware of my existance
From a distance I desired, secretly admired her;
Wired her a letter to get her, and it went:
My dear, my dear, my dear, you do not know me but I know you very well
Now let me tell you about the feelings I have for you
When I try, or make some sort of attempt, I symp
Damn I wish I wasn’t such a wimp!
‘Cause then I would let you know that I love you so
And if I was your man then I would be true
The only lying I would do is in the bed with you
Then I signed sincerely the one who loves you dearly, PS love me tender
The letter came back three days later: Return to Sender
Damn!

She keeps on passin me by…

Song of the Day: Everybody Wants To Rule The World (by Tears For Fears)

Posted on by Arleigh

I will readily admit that I am a child of the 80’s. I grew up listening to 80’s music whether it was metal (though I didn’t truly listen to them until the 90’s), rap all the way to synthpop and new wave which became quite popular during the decade with groups such as Depeche Mode, INXS, Duran Duran and The Cure. One band which I listened to quite a bit during the mid-80’s was the British new wave band Tears For Fears. It’s from this band that the latest “Song of the Day” comes from: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”.

The song is actually an 80’s classic that has stood the test of time and musical taste. While many scoff and ridicule most of the pop songs which blew up during the 80’s this particular song from Tears For Fears was never one of them. While the song does have a foundation in the synthpop sound of the time the song itself doesn’t really sound like most of the 80’s pop music. The lyrics are socially aware without being too preachy. In fact, if one was to listen to the song now it’s original message of limitless optimism in the future for everyone actually sounds a bit selfish in today’s social climate.

The song has been covered quite a bit by many singers and bands of different stripes from such groups as The Dresden Dolls, Clare & The Reasons and Dru Hill right up to the pop punk band Care Bares on Fire whose cover was used during the end credits for Season 5, Episode 9 of True Blood which used the song’s title as the episode title. I’m not a huge fan of that particular cover which made me decide to choose the original version as the latest “Song of the Day” to point out that the original may be old, but it will always be the best.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

It’s my own design
It’s my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

There’s a room where the light won’t find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I’ll be right behind you
So glad we’ve almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

I can’t stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you’ll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

Song of the Day: The Battle Is To The Strong from Fate/Zero (by Yuki Kajiura)

Posted on by Arleigh

Slowly, but surely I’ll be posting more and more of my experiences over at this past Anime Expo 2012 and the latest “Song of the Day” was a song that began one of the highlights of the Expo.

The song is “The Battle Is To The Strong” by Japanese composer Yuki Kajiura for the anime series Fate/Zero. It’s one thing to listen to this song when it plays during the series and even when listening to it as part of the official soundtrack, but to hear it live in an auditorium was a different experience altogether. The song is a mixture of choral symphony with modern rock. Kajiura’s vocal quartet that she chose for her solo work with FictionJunction provided the vocals in the song with longtime band member Koichi Korenaga handling the electric guitar work throughout the piece. His guitar solo which begins around the 1:46 mark got a huge response from the audience.

What made this song stand out is Yuki Kajiura’s work as it’s composer. Unlike ome of her contemporary who have done soundtrack and score work for anime and video game she’s quite eclectic in her stylistic choices. This song is a perfect example of how she’s able to combine both classical styles and hard rock influences and make them work well together. She’s quite similar to one of the masters of the Japanese music scene in Nobuo Uematsu who also defies being pegged as just a composer who sticks to one or two styles.

The only thing that would’ve made this song sound even better and the experience infinitely more memorable was if the concert had been held at the larger and more acoustically sound concert venue in the Nokia Theater, but the X-Games had taken over the area (another reason why the X-Games was the bane of most of the Anime Expo attendees).

 

Song of the Day: Gotham’s Reckoning from The Dark Knight Rises (by Hans Zimmer)

Posted on by Arleigh

This weekend sees the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s deconstruction of the superhero myth, especially that of the Batman/Bruce Wayne duo. I’ve never been a big fan of Hans Zimmer’s work as a film composer though he does have some very good work in his body of work down the years. When I found out that his co-composer from the first two Nolan Batman films, James Newton Howard, wasn’t going to be involved in the third film, The Dark Knight Rises, I was very worried at how the score for that film would turn out.

Fortunately, there was one new piece of music from this Zimmer-composed soundtrack that I found to be great and my latest”Song of the Day”.

“Gotham’s Reckoning” is the leitmotif for the main antagonist of The Dark Knight Rise come in the form of the physically imposing but still devious and cunning Bane. Zimmer uses the now-recognizable ritualistic chanting that has been used over and over in the trailers and tv spots for the film. It’s only in “Gotham’s Reckoning” that we hear the chanting, but the tempo and tone created by the chants become the basis for Bane’s theme and could be heard throughout the film whenever the character enters the scene to do something important.

It doesn’t have the discordant sound that Joker’s theme had in the second film. Bane’s theme has a much more linear and organized quality to it while still retaining the primal qualities that describes Bane as a villain who wasn’t just more than a match for Batman physically actually surpasses him) but also a match for the Dark Knight in intelligence albeit with a huge streak of malice and ruthlessness. For those who have seen the film they might have noticed how Bane’s theme soon becomes a variant on the main theme for the whole trilogy. Will not spoil it for those who haven’t seen, but it’s very hard not to miss.

 

Song of the Day: Black (by Kari Kimmel)

Posted on by Arleigh

Time for a quick “Song of the Day”. This time the song chosen is courtesy of Kari Kimmel and her country-inspired song “Black”.

The song could be recently heard as part of the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Season 3 trailer for AMC’s The Walking Dead. It begins playing a little past the halfway mark in the trailer as David Morrissey’s character of the governor introduces both Michonne and Andrea to the safe haven that is Woodbury. As fans of the comic book will attest to this town of Woodbury becomes a major player in the original comic book source and should remain as important in the upcoming season.

I’ve never heard of Kari Kimmel until I heard this song played as part of the trailer, but that’s the great thing about music. One never knows when one will discover something great to listen to and the country-blues sound of Kimmel’s song is right up my alley when it comes to what I enjoy listening to.

Black

when everything has turned to black
you don’t know where to go
you need something to justify your soul

silences are broken
confidence is gone
when everything you’re holdin onto falls

(yeah)

every body’s selling truths
on every corner now
they wait until fear has knocked you down

all the rules are changin now
you’re livin in sin
everything around you’s cavin in

and all you hold onto’s slipping
like water through your hands…

BREAK

CHORUS
And you sing- lalala, lalala, lalala

far off in the distance
somewhere you can’t see
allegences have formed your destiny

opposition all around
feedin off your soul
trying hard to swallow up your hope

and demons all around you waiting
for you to sell your soul

CHORUS
they’re singin- lalala, lalala, lalala

Song of the Day: An End, Once and For All from Mass Effect 3 (by Clint Mansell & Sam Hulick)

Posted on by Arleigh

Earlier this year we saw the release of the final entry in BioWare’s epic space opera video game series with Mass Effect 3. The initial response to this game was a near-unanimous critical praise and acclaim. Yet, as people finished the game a very vocal group of gamers and fans of the series were more than just a tad disappointed with how their favorite series came to an end. The venom and hate that poured from an ending that didn’t seem to cater to how these gamers thought the series would end became so loud that BioWare did something unexpected. The company, especially it’s founders and head honchos, decided to amend the ending to the game with a downloadable content that just came out in the last week or so. It was content that expanded on the ending to the game. It wasn’t enough to placate and satisfy those who felt betrayed by BioWare, but for some who did complain the ending was a good enough expansion to the game’s original ending that, while not all was forgiven, BioWare helped themselves in repairing the rift which grew between company and fan-base.

Let’s just say that I wasn’t one of those who complained about the ending. I thought it was sublime and the ending I chose fit in well with how I saw the game ultimately should’ve ended with how I had chosen my character to act, talk and behave throughout the three games in the series.

It’s from the recent Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC that I pick the latest “Song of the Day”. It’s the song the piece of orchestral score which plays through all the three original endings but extended beyond the original version of the score that ended abruptly. “An End, Once and For All” extends in this new version for a much more dramatic and satisfying end to a series that I consider one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had in over three decades.

I give much thanks to the game’s two orchestral composer in Clint Mansell whose contribution could be heard in the beginning of this chosen score. Sam Hulick adds his own voice to the score as the music moves toward an epic crescendo which finishes the song.

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

If you want to witness why I thought the Synthesis Choice was the ending that made sense then watch the video below.

Song of the Day: Smoke Without Fire

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

How much do I love the 2009 film An Education?

I love it so much that I once unfollowed someone on twitter when he said that he hated it.  And even though I eventually refollowed the guy, it was on the condition that he rewatch An Education and fall in love with the film.  Unfortunately, shortly after he promised to do just that, he announced that he felt that Rooney Mara was a better Girl with the Dragon Tattoo than Noomi Rapace and I had to unfollow him and his xenophobic film criticism.  So, I’m not sure if he’s rewatched An Education but I doubt it.

As you may have guessed, I love An Education.  It’s one of my favorite films of the past few years.  The rest of you can have your Rooney Mara and your Avatar.  I’m more than happy to watch and rewatch An Education, thank you very much.

Today’s song of the day plays over the end credits of An Education and, with its retro feel and smoky lyrics, it provides a perfect ending to a great film.  Performed by Duffy and written by Duffy and Bernard Butler, Smoke Without Fire is the song of the day for June 29th, 2012.

Song of the Day: How You Like Me Now? (Performed by The Heavy)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today has not been a good day to be an asthmatic.  Along with a high temperature in the triple digits, the air is full of all sorts of evil things that all seem to serve little purpose beyond inspiring me to reach for my inhaler. 

On a miserable day like this, it only seems appropriate to make one of my favorite songs of all time the song of the day.

Ever since I first heard it used in a commercial featuring a Sock Monkey taking a road trip to Las Vegas with his friends, the robot and the weird red thing, I have been in love with the song How You Like Me Now?  As performed by the British band The Heavy, How You Like Me Now is one of those songs that always makes me smile.  The easiest way to get me excited about seeing a film is to include this song in the film’s ad campaign.  Perhaps that explains why it’s shown up in trailers for everything from Faster to the Change-Up to the upcoming Ted.

For me, David O. Russell made perfect use of this song in his Oscar-nominated film The Fighter.  Who can forget the sight of Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg strutting through the streets of Lowell while this song played on the soundtrack?  It was an iconic scene, featuring an iconic song and I loved it.