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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 6, 2012 11:39:16 GMT -5
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 3, 2012 16:25:58 GMT -5
12. Don't Leave Me Alone
This song is the second half of the singer's cry. While "God Isn't Dead?" was a plea to the world for assurance, this song is a plea to God (who might not be dead) not to abandon him. In the flow of the story, this song concludes Act II and transitions into the final act by turning the story in upon the singer. He's now starting to feel his own culpability in the brokenness of the world he sees. And he wonders if it's his own sin that has caused the distance between himself and God.
Unbelievably, this song was omitted from the CD version for time constraints. When one looks at the album in its entirety, it's baffling why this would be the song that got cut. ("Color Me Blind" or "Tragic Comic" would have made far more sense.) It's such a central piece to the theme and the flow of the album. Nuno said that leaving it out "was like cutting off my arm." Even more unbelievably, it's still omitted from the album's digital download versions on Amazon and iTunes. It's presented here where it belongs because here is where it belongs.
The Music: Musically, it starts right where "God Isn't Dead?" left off, with a single-track vocal against a piano accompaniment. It sounds like they kept Cherone's first vocal take, warts and all, and the song is better for it. It's emotional and real, not too slick and over-produced. The drums kick in on the chorus with a stumbling and stiff groove that is unsettling to my ears, but also works because of the theme of brokenness and disorientation. Instead of a soaring guitar solo, we get a synth solo that's straight out of late '70s Genesis or Styx. It's so odd considering the rest of the album's sound and style, but I love it for its oddness.
The Lyrics: It's hard to criticize someone's personal lament. That's what this song is, and while cynics might find it cliched, I absolutely love it. The words come from a real place, and Cherone sings them like that. "Don't leave me on my own. I'm so afraid. Why can't you stay?" There's something beautiful about brokenness, something so dramatic about finally breaking down the resistance and saying, "I need you." "Doing the things I should have known, only to reap what I have sown...how long will my song be wrong?" Most people don't realize that many of the Psalms in the Old Testament are angry or sad laments, not simplistic praises. A huge part of the religious experience is wrestling with God, not just blind acceptance. Songs like this one illustrate that wonderfully.
Favorite Moment: Well, there's the synth solo that makes the Genesis fan in me happy, but I also love the "marching band" drums that come in after the solo. It feels like the song finally gains momentum after such a stiff groove.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 3, 2012 15:50:59 GMT -5
11. God Isn't Dead?
When I was growing up in Chicago, I went to a lot of musicals. I saw Phantom, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and the annual Nutcracker tradition at McCormick Place. I married a woman with a music degree, and we used to go on dates to Orchestra Hall downtown and see symphonies and soloists perform. Whether it's Mozart or that hack Lloyd Webber, every good middle act has a heart-rending aria, usually in a minor key, that's a performance piece for the singer and a dark place for the libretto.
The last two songs of Act II on this album follow that pattern perfectly. The singer has looked at the failed worldviews around him, struggled with his own inner fears and insecurities, and finally cries out a last prayer of desperation. This song is the first half of that cry; it's a plea to the world looking for hope that Nietzche was wrong.
The Music: When I listen to this song, I imagine a performer on a naked stage with a lone light following him as he paces and pleads with the audience. The song starts with a falsetto vocal over simple piano chords and some cello accents. It then abruptly shifts into a haunting minor melody where the vocals almost whisper the theme. The intensity builds and the orchestra enters and the frickin' roof gets blown off by the power of the passionate vocals. It then fades down and ends on a perfect chord with sustaining strings. A beautiful song with an amazing arrangement.
The Lyrics: It's easy to get into a philosophical debate about Neitzche's ideas or atheism vs. theism, and go for days dealing with all of the epistemological and sociological implications. Extreme isn't interested in all of that. This story is about the emotional implications of the ideas. Again, this is what makes great literature or great opera or great poetry; not just dealing with the ideas themselves, but grappling with what those ideas mean at the deepest level of our humanity. The first line is a quote from "Elenor Rigby", and it's a fitting allusion, as the song hits similar thematic resonance.
Favorite Moment: The orchestration, especially during the crescendo towards the end.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 2, 2012 22:03:29 GMT -5
I like that they re-incentivized winning the division, but they should have made it a 3-game series. I agree with mylungs. It's too easy for a lesser team to get lucky in a 1-game playoff*. The better team should win, not merely the team with the better staff ace.
*Of course, a lesser team can get lucky in a 7-game series, too. *cough* '06 & '11 Cardinals *cough*
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 2, 2012 0:06:00 GMT -5
Usually it depends on what type of movie I'm in the mood for. Some genres I can watch anytime, others I need to build myself up for.
Lately, I've been watching a lot of episodes, and the random determining factor is my memory. I skim through the list of episodes and if I can't remember key plot points from a particular title, I'll throw it in.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 1, 2012 16:52:29 GMT -5
10. Stop the World
Despair comes in a lot of colors. Most people experience it during times of individual tragedy and anxiety. At those times, it's just magnified self-pity, and the weight of personal issues turns into despair. But there's another kind of despair that comes from bigger issues outside of one's self. It comes when you look around at the state of the world, and the chaos of and cruelty of humanity, and experience a true grief about the past, present, and future of mankind. This is the despair that leads to religion. Or atheism. Or hedonism. Or existentialism. Or all of the above.
"Our Father" introduced the question of life on this planet without God's presence. The next three songs develop that idea even further. "Stop the World" is the response to the idea of a God-less world, where we are all left with our own subjective views of how to live in peace. What if Dawkins got to live out his wet dream and the entire civilization of the earth was entirely secular? Would that really be a good thing? Or are selfishness and greed endemic to the human condition independent of religion?
The Music: There's a timeless rock & roll quality to this song that would still impress me if it came out last year. It's a nice plodding 4/4 groove that's too fast to be a ballad, but too slow to be a hit. But it's the perfect feel for an emotional song like this. There's some great orchestration with the strings and a sweet bass solo. There's even a great moment when a cheap 1980s Casio drum loop comes in halfway through yet another perfect guitar solo.
The Lyrics: I think this is the best song of Act II. These lyrics express my emotions more than just about any song ever. "All the world's a masquerade made up fools and philosophers. Were it to rain on our charade, [it] washes away except the true colors. If any people bother looking for truth...instead we choose to follow footsteps of fools." The lyrics borrow from King Solomon & the book of Ecclesiastes ("There's nothing new under the sun for me and you") and from Jesus ("Do unto those as you would do to yourself, please..."). In short, human history has repeatedly proven for millennia that we're all too selfish and too hypocritical to make this world work on our own strength and faux-wisdom. If that's all we have to hope for, then stop the world, I wanna get off.
Favorite Moment: The bass solo ends with some lovely dissonance that is emphasized in the violins. The guitar and drums build from that into a wonderful climax of increasing tension until Cherone shouts "STOP!" There's 4 seconds of silence, and then...resolution on the root chord. Musical composition that perfectly matches the emotional lyrics. That's art, baby.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 1, 2012 14:16:01 GMT -5
9. Our Father
After an ambiguous love song, we get an ambiguous lament. It ratchets up the intensity in music and theme, beginning the move into deep thoughts and emotional catharsis.
The Music: This has a nice fade in with a phase delay guitar and solo vocals. The groove kicks in halfway through the verse and gives the song a nice drive. This is the most electric song of Act II, and it works to transition between the lightness of the previous 2 songs and the darkness of the next 3. At the beginning, the song is reminiscent of some vintage Queen tracks, most notably "I Want To Break Free". As the song picks up steam, it starts to resemble a good Hagar-era Van Halen track (especially around the guitar solo). Since I love Queen & Hagar-era Van Halen, this is a winning track for me.
The Lyrics: The lyrics are a child's cry to an absentee father. Taken on its own, it's a powerfully sad song about having to grow up without a dad, something way too many people have to face. In the context of the album, it's also a plea to God not to disappear from human interaction and aid. If there is a God, where is he when we need him most? Why isn't he more involved (seemingly) in preventing human tragedies? Has he left us to our own devices in our development? Is God an absentee father? I think this song strikes to the very heart of the human condition, and I don't know anybody who hasn't thought these thoughts.
Favorite Moment: Nuno has some great background noodling on this one, but my favorite moments are the syncopated kicks in the chorus between the lyrics. You'll understand when you hear them.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 1, 2012 3:42:48 GMT -5
I've also been watching a lot of random episodes. Let's see, in the past month or so, I've covered...
The Unearthly-- Better than I remembered. But not by enough. The Amazing Transparent Man-- Slower than I remembered. Eegah! -- Not as funny as I remembered, except for the "Tequila" singalong at the end. Secret Agent Super Dragon-- About as good as I remembered. The Girl in Lovers Lane-- Still a classic. Gamera vs. Guiron-- The goofy charm didn't do it for me this time. Gamera vs. Zigra-- The goofy charm did it for me this time. Invasion USA-- One of my favorite season 6 eps. Rocket Attack USA-- Not as bad as I remembered. Teenage Caveman-- Far better than I remembered. The Last Chase -- An always great KTMA. Deathstalker -- So cheesy and fun. Revenge of the Creature -- Very forgettable movie segments. The Space Children -- I watched this for just the second time ever, and the first time since we started this board. Still too much Peggy Webber.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 1, 2012 1:09:12 GMT -5
8. Tragic Comic
Act II continues with a lighthearted tale of personal insecurity and romance. "Seven Sundays" and this song are a nice breather and respite from the depths of the rest of the album, and it helps the flow nicely. This one is just fun.
The Music: This song is acoustic all the way. The arrangement is exceptionally simple, creating a sonic quality that has a lot of room to breathe. It's a wonderful balance to what's come before and what's coming next. Pat Badger plays a Hofner bass, and Nuno is on acoustic throughout. The main riff isn't as complicated as earlier riffs, but it's just as effective and keeps the song out of "hair metal ballad" territory. Simple, simple, simple, but a lot of fun.
The Lyrics: The lyrics are humorously humble and sincere. They tell the story of an inept romeo trying to impress a girl. The joke is on the singer, and he cheerfully admits his shortcomings. He's such a loser that at one point, the backup vocals even correct his grammar. "When we dance, my lead it ain't so graceful ("Isn't so, not ain't so")". Very clever. The sincerity and foolhardiness here is a perfect counterpoint to the earlier "Cupid's Dead", which was all about treating romance with bitterness and ironic detachment. Honest insecurity is always better than ironic detachment.
Favorite Moment: Aside from the great bgv grammar lesson, my favorite moment is coming out of the bridge and into the last chorus. There is a lone electric guitar accent (at 3:37) that sounds like Brian May meets Duane Allman for 8 seconds. It's perfect.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Mar 1, 2012 0:22:34 GMT -5
7. Seven Sundays
Act II of the musical starts here, and it is what second acts are supposed to be-- dark, conflicted, and tense. Musically, the gears have shifted away from the driving, guitar-heavy power metal and into sparse, keyboard-oriented, reflective ballads. Thematically, Act I was subtitled "Yours" and looked at the prevailing worldviews that lead to violence, racism, and selfishness. Act II is subtitled, "Mine" and deals with personal desperation, fears, and doubts regarding the big metaphysical questions of life. Once again, this is not cheesy hair-metal or cheap rock & roll schlock. This is akin to the philosophical digging of the great novelists and poets. This is opera.
The Music: At first blush, this song might contradict my last 3 sentences. It has a cheesy groove (what I've always called "6/8 Couple's Skate"*) and some pretty bad early '90s keyboard and drum sounds. But the progression makes great use of minor chords and moving thirds and the wall of harmonies is incredible. Throw in some sweet bass moves, and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. For a long time, I thought this was the weak link on the album because I thought of it as a lazy attempt to follow-up on "More Than Words". Then one day, I listened to it without that pre-conception and realized that it sounded a heck of a lot like Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. The harmonies are definitely channeling the amazing arrangements of Brian Wilson.
(* 6/8 is my favorite time signature to play in, but it's important to find the right groove. It's very easy to slip into a waltzy, flowy, "couple's skate" groove if you're not careful.)
The Lyrics: "Seven Sundays" has the simplest lyrics on the album. It's an easy-going love song that's not all that deep or impressive. But it's a little ambiguous about who the subject of the song is. In the context of the album and especially the next few songs, it would seem to be about God. "If I had one wish, it wouldn't be hard to choose. Seven Sundays in a row, 'cause that's the day that I spend with you." Taken on it's own, if it is about God, it's kinda lame. However, the lyrical reflections about God that are coming up on the album more than make up for any lameness here. In the end, I choose to think it's just a dumb love song to some girl. That way, I don't worry about it.
Favorite Moment: My favorite moment is Cherone's riffing over the last chorus (starting at 3:09). He puts his best Freddy Mercury on over the Beach Boys harmonies, culminating in a soaring finish at 3:50.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 29, 2012 14:12:45 GMT -5
The first Monkees album was very formative to me as a musician. As a kid, I used to sit at the piano and try to figure out the melodies and chords. "Saturday's Child" is still a favorite. I know they didn't write or play the songs on the records, but Davy & Mickey were two of the great pop vocalists of the '60s, and the music holds up very well. The show was great, too.
Here's hoping that Davy's death brings a renewed interest to their music and people get over the "manufactured-ness" of the band's origins. He was a great performer.
Somewhere, Marcia Brady is crying.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 24, 2012 15:00:19 GMT -5
Ah, the dial to an interocitor.
What, you don't have one?
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 22, 2012 18:36:14 GMT -5
Boing! gareny gets the Are You Ready For Marriage action playset with real marriage action! Never make light of Boing, son. I agree with Torgo. Great idea and execution of a contest. Keep up the good work!
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 17, 2012 2:10:34 GMT -5
If there were odds on such things, it would have been a million to one that "Gary Carter" would have been the answer to the question, "Which of the 1986 Mets will die first?"
Probably my favorite catcher I've watched in my lifetime. Viva Les Expos!
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 16, 2012 17:16:06 GMT -5
Is that from What to Do on a Date?
"Kay has worked on the kill floor. She knows where to deliver the blow."
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