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Greetings one and all! Ahhh, it's good to be back in the saddle again :o) Here's hoping everyone had a brilliant holiday season, and now that we are clearly past all that, we can move foreward into the year. For some of you, the band I am about to introduce, is one you're familiar with, especially those of you who really get into some good industrial, but for those of you who may not have heard of them before, VNV Nation is who I have on the menu this month. This particular album is not really new, but it's a pretty good one, and there are alot of decent songs on it. Over the course of this year, I'll be introducing many old favorites, and several new bands who will hopefully join the previous category, and become old favorites. The name of the album is "Futureperfect", and though they have out several albums, this is one that I would consider to be of excellent quality. Their music is very ambient, and uplifting - something to listen to when you're feeling good, and the energies it exudes are vibrant. The opener is called "Foreword" and speaks in english, then german, and finally, french. Almost, you'd expect to hear this in a movie, making something of a political statement, and right at the end of the song, it has a very disturbing processed "danger danger danger danger". "These are your people. You can live for yourself today, Or help build tomorrow for everyone". It has a good message at any rate. But it's short and sweet, so we'll not dwell on it long :o) The next song is "Epicentre", and though I like the song, I find that the message doesn't match the tempo, or maybe it does.. Let's explore that a bit..Yes it does, because the words denote anger for all the negative in the world, but no it doesn't, because the lyrics, to me, are rather melancholy, and with melancholy words, you expect melancholy music, and this is a very upbeat song. "I asked myself "was I content" With the world that I once cherished Did it bring me to this darkened place To contemplate my perfect future I will not stand nor utter words against This tide of hate Losing sight of what and who I was again I'm so sorry if these seething words I say Impress on you that I've become The anathema of my soul I can say that you're losing me I always tried to keep myself tied to this world But I know where this is leading (Please) No tears No sympathy".. Even though he is saying "no tears, no sympathy" you still want to reach out and give him a hug, and tell him it'll be alright. "Electronaut" is the next song, and it's all instrumental. Really an excellent piece. It has some very strange sound effects in it, but it's very ambient, and good for kicking back to. The one following it is also an instrumental called "Liebestod", or "Dear Death", which I found strangely disturbing with its synth string section. It's just one of those songs that, without really knowing why, touches a nerve within you somewhere. The kind of instrumental that would be found in a modern day opera perhaps, because of its ability to really pull on your emotions... The next song is called "Holding On", and this is one of my favorite songs, musically. I love the piano in the beginning. Don't you find the piano casts such a longing quality on the human psyche? Doesn't it just awaken the senses so completely? And the lyrics - I think I'm going to have to add them all, because I just can't conceive of adding a fraction of them, lest they lose their intrinsic beauty. "I thought the future held A perfect place for us That together we would learn to be The best that we could be In my naivete I ran I fell and lost my way Somehow I always end up falling over me And one day I woke to find The future had no place For me I was unwanted in a world That with my hands I helped build Where once was honesty and pride I now stand broken and alone Just a shadow Of what I was meant to be They say that "Time will heal" "The truth shall set us free" Well that depends On what it is That you choose to believe In this prison made of lies We see what it is we want to see And find comfort in this Broken hall of dreams Does anybody feel the way I do? Is there anybody out there? Are you hearing me? I believe in you Will you believe in me? Or am I alone In this hall of dreams? I believe in you You believe in me But I have no trust In anything Somehow I'm always always falling over me Somehow I'm always I'm always falling over me".. That song makes my heart ache. But it's all good, because right after it, is another dynamic song called "Carbon", and I believe this is one of the favorites with alot of people, including me, but then, I can't find any fault with this album at all. Carbon is a song that questions. Skyscrapers are not seen as "progress", the earth is being consistently raped and pillaged, destroyed by acid rain, and Who is watching while we are on self destruct mode? Is it a matter of time before we "push the button" and nuke ourselves? And what are we passing on to the next generation by doing this? "A million points of light Ascending to the sky Monuments in darkness Standing watch Until the sun will rise I can't see this all as progress How did we come this far? When we see ourselves as deities Claiming Nature for ourselves By our actions we betray The instincts in our race By our blindness and stupidity We kill everything We kill... everything Can someone see our self destruction? Are we reminding ourselves That our existence is So delicate That without this light we are no more That without this light we've made we are no more".. Such a very deep message..The next song, "Genesis" starts out with a pad announcement from when Apollo 8 was about to launch. Listen to this song! It's positively charged even though the lyrics are once again, anything but positive..It grabs you and takes a hold of you, and begs you to listen and pay attention. "I wear this chaos well. Though none should save me, Desperation keeps me here, My need for innocence, The place where I began The abyss becomes me, I wear this chaos well. Are these not words of heresy A venom on my lips, a poison? My spirit impurified In everything I choose to say".. This song is so lively and energetic, it's hard to imagine it being so melancholy. Sort of gives the listener a mixed message. This is a fairly lengthy album, so I won't bother with all the songs, but I do want to get in a couple more, so my next choice is a song that got me started on this band to begin with, though it was not the first song by them I heard - it was just the one that caught my attention, and maybe because this song touches the heart of one very dear to me..It's so ripe with raw emotion, you can't help but be affected by it. It's called "Beloved", and it's really a gorgeous song, both musically, and lyrically. "My beloved do you know How many times I stared at clouds Thinking that I saw you there These are feelings that do not pass so easily I can't forget what we claimed was ours Moments lost though time remains I am so proud of what we were No pain remains No feeling Eternity awaits Grant me wings that I might fly My restless soul is longing No pain remains No feeling Eternity awaits".. I get so caught up in this song..This is one of those songs that either make you glad to be in love, or make you wish with all your heart and soul that you were..It makes me ache with hearing it. See if it does the same thing to you :o) Aren't emotions such a wonderful thing? They provide such depth and color to our lives, even when they seem bleak. The last song I want to share, is called "Airships", and to me, it seems a song of falling in love, for the words paint a picture of how the artist sees the object of his passion. I don't think I have the words to sum this up, so I won't.. And it would be a great pity to only include a clip of the song, when the whole thing is such a beautiful read, so I share this with you, and hope you will be as touched by its depth and beauty as I am.. "I pressed my face against the glass, smiled as my breath made some pattern or other The world beneath unfurled before me like a sail, glinted in gold from this rich dawn sky Awaiting the ship they had told me would come, quietly anticipating that which was to come I couldn't yet see you. Still obscured by the city A towers of glass reflected your coming Silhouetted on the sunrise Did I blink as I watched? Did I close my eyes? I was not alone, I think it was the first time Watching you rise splendid and graceful, I cheered as you sailed, a greatness unknown I laughed as I waved and imagined you saw me In the streets of the city, the windows of buildings, a million faces gazing upwards in wonder A million faces together and cheering and smiling You were the warmth of their hearts, you were the sum of their dreams In the coldness of morning you brought warmth to their lives giving this feeling of wonder I could not imagine You unlocking these thoughts no book and no picture could ever convey This feeling and morning had opened a door. I stepped into a new world I watched you fly Saw you as a friend, the spirit of dreams I imagined a new world, lands far away, imagined those faces as you hung in their sky I'm leaving ground stepping into a new world. I'm leaving ground, a new world. And watching you fly I stepped into, I stepped into a new world I was not alone, I think it was the first time I'm leaving ground, stepping into a new world I'm leaving ground, stepping into a new world Now I'm leaving home, leaving everything I step into this new world leaving everything".. Well, this concludes things for this month :o) Ok, for those who are interested in learning more about this very dynamic industrial band, their website can be accessed here . And of course you'll want to hear them :o) Of course you will :o) Lucky for you, amazon stocks their albums regularly, and offers sound clips :o) Normally, VNV Nation's website has the mp3s available for listening to, but for some unexplainable reason, they are currently offline, so amazon will have to do! You can access the sound clips by clicking here . I know you will enjoy them, this is a sensational band. Thanks to VNV Nation for allowing me to make use of their lyrics here, as well as being subjects for my review, and thanks also to Doktor Avalanche for providing continued support and excellent choices in music, as well as keeping my chin up for me when it was down :o) See you all next month! In Service, Silver ~ |