Wonderful songs
"List five songs that you are currently digging ... it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words or even if they're any good but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artist and the song in your blog along with your five songs."
When it comes to music, I'm not ashamed to be unreservedly sentimental. I even listen to Josh Groban despite the fact that all his lyrics are hormonally-deluded juvenile romanticism-- who cares? I just enjoy it. A nice thing about Livejournal memes is that every so often they might give one an excuse to do what one already wanted to do. While listening to music that grabs my emotions, I often wish my friends could share the experience and know how it feels. It's just too bad you can't actually hear the sounds through this Livejournal post. I'd be happy to share the following songs with you if you leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.
1. "Luminosa," by Libera, from the album Luminosa.
On an early Sunday morning drive a year or two ago, this boy choir arrangement of Claude Debussy's "Claire de Lune" (yes, and , the one I told you about) came on a Canadian radio program... and I was transfixed. Moonlight rippled across Debussy's liquid harmonies, as austere and unfiltered as if it were exposed directly to outer space, the shimmering voices almost painfully exquisite in the intensity of their precision. After a long pause to catch my breath and wipe away tears, I had to buy it, and did so that evening.
2. "Rakuen," by Eri Sugai, from the album Mai.
Eri Sugai is the Asian equivalent of Enya, producing that kind of layered celestial new age sound, but distinctively traditional Japanese. The CD comes with incense in the spine of the jewel case. This track has a minute of ambient seashore sounds at the beginning before the music, but I think that's because this is a mood that must be approached from a calm state. When I hear this track I picture the most desirable woman in the world trapped on top of a skyscraper so tall that none of the surroundings can be seen through the clouds... only a distant shore. She gazes into the acoustic emptiness as birds of rythm circle overhead. This wordless vocal melody conveys aching isolation and longing.
3. "Adagio," by Samuel Barber, from the soundtrack to Homeworld.
The space strategy game Homeworld for the PC received an award for best music for this choir arrangement of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.
4. "I Breathe," by Vaccuum, from the album Plutonium Cathedral.
This swedish synthpop band bases their lyrics on science fiction. Very cool, stylish rythms.
5. "Eyes of Mercy," by the October Project, from their self-titled album.
This band (which used to be a vehicle for singer Mary Fahl before she began a solo career) produces highly uneven quality, but this is one of my favorite uplifting songs. I don't get the lyrics, but then with October Project I never do, and that's OK as long as the harmony and rythm builds to emotional satisfaction as well as it does here.
Comments
brendand on Jun. 11, 2005 4:54 AM
I'd love a copy of whatever you're willing to share!
thatguychuck on Jun. 11, 2005 2:10 PM
I'd really like to hear the boy choir sometime. Next time you and I are in the same space, and if you happened to have it on you, I'd love to listen to it or borrow it for a short bit.
matt-arnold on Jun. 11, 2005 3:06 PM
I brought it on CD to ConFusion and totally forgot to give it to you! Currently I carry it around on SD memory cards to use with my handheld, so if there are headphones available you'll be in luck.
delosd on Jun. 11, 2005 2:54 PM
Oh my, another October Project fan. *Nobody* else has a voice like Mary Fahl, I've got both OP CDs, and Mary's solo release. Plus Dawn and I saw her in concert at the Ark last year. She comes to town once a year or so, so if you get a chance to see her live, I highly recommend it. Her voice is even more stunning than usual in a small venue.
matt-arnold on Jun. 11, 2005 3:05 PM
The other October Project song that I like very much is "If I Could." I have two October Project folders on my machine, "liked (7 files)," and "disliked but kept around to remember not to get them again (13 files)." Rachel refers to Mary Fahl as "that whiny woman" and honestly I can't disagree. Plus the lyrics consistently leave a lot to be desired.
delosd on Jun. 11, 2005 3:20 PM
Well, I guess her voice isn't for *everyone*. :) She's operatically trained, and her style is quite a bit different from 'normal' pop music voices. And to be fair, October Project always was criticized for having pretty banal lyrics. But I personally love Mary's voice, and probably wouldn't care if she was singing a list of names from the Yellow Pages.
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