Christmas Eve 2016

So it's Christmas eve. The day before a day of festivity’s and gifts.

Can't say that over the last few years I have been into it. The run up is by far the worst part of the current Christmas season. The fact it is correct to call it a season shows the main issue. All of the energy is put into the weeks leading up to the day. Christmas is celebrated multiple times and it doesn’t take much for a collective lethargy to set in.

The day itself is nice enough, gathering with family eating well and going to mass. It has become a routine that works. Time to relax and enjoy the day of rest. It could just be my state of mind but I don't remember the last Christmas where I felt that it was important. Is Christmas Important? Yes. I can't go into why but to me it is. I can feel confidant my reasons are not like the norm but yes the day to me is good. Don't get me started on the following 12 days.

 Hard at Work

The Lost Christmas Eve is a great song. It's so good I did a write up on why I like it and what it mean to me. The song is great but my post on the other hand... I'm not sure.

I found it very hard to write. Not because its hard to set my thoughts strait on. It was getting my thoughts into words that was very hard. I found myself working on it for days, just a line here or there. I did get two large bursts at it and I hope I arranged it up into something that is worth reading. I haven’t re-read it since I posted it out of fear that I spouted nonsense.

Poinsettias

A Christmas storm is on its way it seems. Almost zero chance of snow but a power cut wouldn't be much of a surprise. Walking back home the other night at just gone past 11 was an ordeal. The paths were frozen and I could see the frost form around me. It was a bit chilly.

I can take this kind of weather for the most part, its almost nice to walk in a cold wind. Speaking of which a small tradition is to meet up with about 30 people and go for a short walk in Derbyshire. Usually it takes place in the gap between Christmas and new years. Been doing that for a good ten or so years.

This year it's a short five mile stroll near Eyam. Should be nice and hopefully I will get a few good photos. Just got to work out what boots to ware and what kit to take. I may do something interesting and post it one here. I have a few ideas forming but we will see.

It Keeps the Snow Off

I have got some more posts to come before the end of the year. A bunch of round up blogs from films to other media and a general year overview. It will be interesting to see what I can get out. I just hope I can keep up this kind productivity next year. Anyway its getting late and I have some relaxing to do.

- - -

Happy Christmas to all,

and to all a good night.

One Christmas Song – The Lost Christmas Eve [TSO]

Track 2 - The Lost Christmas Eve

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Christmas songs seem to come in two main variations. There are the traditional ones, think carols or songs derived from them. Then the is the pop songs; basically most stuff played in shops and on the radio. I like some of both kinds but the are a lot that either I don't care for, or out right can't stand. With Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO from now) I have a group that produces a variety in style and tone of Christmas themed songs. Listening to them will give me something pleasant no matter my mood.

TSO are most well know for their Christmas music, they have produced three full double albums of songs and music. They come from a classical school but the are other styles in there. Most noticeably metal and blues. The big thing that sets TSO apart from other bands is the make up of the group. They are a super group, the is a core but they have collaborated with many people, some just for one or two tracks.

On a street in the night
In the cold winter's light
A child stands alone and she's waiting
And the light that's out there
It just hangs in the air
As if it was just hesitating

The Lost Christmas Eve is the title track of its album. On a very diverse album in style this one stands out to me the most. It has a feeling of wonder to it that is hard to tie down. Like with Beathoven's Last Night the song has a deep vocals and lyrics that set a world wonderfully.

World building is a kind of rare thing in songs, most take place in a know setting or head space. Here with this one we get a description of its world and what it is like. The lyrics are prose like in form, though it doesn’t tell a story it feels like it is setting one up. The descriptions take time to set the world up and show its parts to us, we then take a short but wild ride through it.

And the snow it comes down
And it muffles the sound
Of dreams on their way to tomorrow
And when they appear
This night will hold them near
For where they will lead
It will follow

To me this song is like the story A Christmas Carol. The feel between the two is striking it feels so similar with the song being almost Dickensian. The words of dreams and wonders, wrapped within a child sense of wonder at the season. Its like a story of a cold winters breeze and it blows through a place and leaves its presents'.

The is not much of a narrative through line it is more of a song that gives thoughts and feelings of a world of a kind of Christmas fantasy. The song sets up the world well both in appearance and feel. The lack of story it a bonus as every time I listen to it I can imagine a different one.

In this scene on this night
There's an ancient hotel
Where shadows they do tend to wander
And the ghosts that live here
Hold each moment so dear
For time's not a thing one should squander

One major thing about TSO that holds me so much is the power they put into their performances. Here towards the end the tempo goes up and the lyrics are sung with force. The male vocals are brilliant and the power is palpable. It wont be a surprise to know this is my favourite part of the song.

The shifts in tone and style are to be expected but here we have two fairly big ones. First we get the child whispering Merry Christmas over and over which then shifts into the heavy part where the last few verses are powered through. The calming begging is nice but the ramp up is what makes it great.

Windows of frosted ice
Prisming candlelight
And somehow we start to believe
In the night and the dream
As it cuts through the noise
With the whisper of snow
As it starts to deploy

This song has stuck with me since I first heard it. It is a meld of things I enjoy about Christmas and music. It could be argued its not very Christmasy in both style and tone, but to me it is what I want from Christmas. I could see myself moving on from this song as time goes by but in my situation now, it is my Christmas song.

With a dream so intense
That it returns us all
To a child's innocence

- - -

A Mixture of Festive Feelings

The Christmas season is now here in full force. I'm even getting into the act a bit early this year.

I have sent out a gift for the Reddit gift exchange and have got some ideas about presents for people. I got my first Christmas card the other day and have realised I don't have any, I thought I had a pack or two laying around but they have vanished.

Carol of the Bells

I have even started to listen so some Christmas music of my own choice. I can't stand being bombarded by what the radio plays. I have gone for a more classical approach. And have made a playlist consisting of mainly Trans-Siberian Orchestra who have three dedicated Christmas albums and they are great.

On a sadder note the man behind of of my favourite Christmas songs had died, Greg lake. 'I Believe in Farther Christmas' is fantastic and is the style I love. As will be seen in an upcoming 'One song' Blog post. His work for King Crimson is great and he has had some minor input into TSO.

I Believe in Farther Christmas - Greg Lake

I have two planned out two One Song posts; one a Christmas song and another by the greatest band of all time (Well I think so). Not sure when they will be done as I'm away this weekend and I have a lot on my plate next week. Its a feature that I like to do I just hope I can keep it up. The are many songs that through my life have made a mark on me, this gives me a change to tell their story.

All the tracks in this blog are runners up for song to write about, they are all fantastic and this last one is stellar. As an aside the video embed feature for Blogger is crap! It make finding a video I want next to impossible. Why it doesn’t let me embed a link I don't know. It's backwards and probably will never be fixed.

Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 - TSO 

 

One Song – And Then There Was Silence [Blind Guardian]

A Night at the Opera 2001 (original)

Memories of a Time to Come 2012 (new recording)

Written by Hansi Kürsch and AndréOlbrich

Blind Guardian is a funny beast for me. The is one compilation album I love and everything else pretty much hasn’t caught me. They are a German Heavy Metal band who are most well know for doing songs based on Fantasy. Such as Lord of the Rings, Dark Tower or The Wheel of Time.

This song that I have singled out is based on an older story and may have a basis in history. The Iliad by Homer is a work that has come down through the ages, from when Alexander the Great slept with a copy to modern films of various quality. The story of the Trojan wars is very well known.

We have been betrayed
By the wind and rain
The sacred hall's empty and cold
The sacrifice made
Should not be done in vain
Revenge will be taken by Rome

This song had a lot of ups and downs, the tempo varies along with the part of the story its at. As feeling go up and down so dose the music. Being a long song (14:06) it need variance to keep interest and to better tell its story. It doesn’t get lost ins its own rhythm but crashes in at points were needed.

The are moments of power and moments of calm and peace. Then we get an almost fake end that then leads into the climax. The music and story builds and then the inevitable finally comes. The last two or so minuets is an epilogue to its story both in story and style. As the song fades out we get a reminder of the running riffs.

And then there was silence
Just a voice from other world
Like a leaf in an icy world
Memories will fade

This is such an awesome way of telling an epic story. It hits a lot of notes from the main story of the Illiad and manages to show some of the wonder. I get a feeling of anger at the start and it builds up to the war. The is aggression in the lyrics and in how they are sung.

One of my favourite parts is how they tell the story of the wooden horse. The glee and disbelief is amazing. The song shifts through so many feelings its a ride and a half. The main source of the changes is that we get both sides of the story. We get the victory and the despair.

Raise my hands and praise the day
Break the spell show me the way
In decay
The flame of Troy will shine bright

Its hard to take it all in in one go. The is so much going on from the simple story to the more abstract lyrics. I can just listen through and get carried away by the music. Then at other times is like listening to a story book.

The are two main versions of this song one from 2001 and the other from 2012. They sound very different and in my mind the is only one winner. The new version has more energy to it and the vocals so so much more full of life. It doesn’t hurt it's the first version I listened to but like so many things it got better with practise.

She's like the sunrise
Outshines the moon at night
Precious like starlight
She will bring in a murderous price

I can't emphasise it the scope and scale of this song enough, it's so impressive. Listening to it all the way trough is no challenge, its so good I can't but pay full attention to it. This is a song that defines a band for me. Blind Guardian do some great stuff some at this level but for me the sheer scope and scale of this track ups it up among my favourites of all time.

 Misty tales and poems lost
All the bliss and beauty will be gone
Will my weary soul find release for a while
At the moment of death I will smile
It's the triumph of shame and disease
In the end 

 - - -

Iliad

Frost and Fire

I feel as though I almost burnt the house down today. I probably didn’t; but the fire did get a bit out of control. It was far too hot to get near which made turning it down a struggle, but I did it. It is an old solid fuel fire that heats the houses water. The issue was to much air got into the closed system so it burnt through the coke fast and violently.

By the time I had realised it was over an hour since I have stoked it up so it had plenty of time to run away. I turned the heating on and well as ran off some tap water which both helped. Strange that I got distracted but I'm not sure it would have been a disaster. All sorted now and all that was lost was half a load of coke and some of my nerves.

 Outlined

One Song, its a thing I hope I can keep going. I have been looking for excuses to write more and this has been around in my mind most of the year. I will focus on one song that I like and do a small write up on it. My first plan was to go into some detail but I feel its more important to say what it means to me rather than what it is at a technical level.

As I said I have had plans for a while and even started a write up on 39' by Queen. I'm not sure where that file went but my plan is different now so I will do it some other time. The next one I think I will tackle will be: 'And Then There Was Silence' by Blind Guardian. If I keep this streak up it could come soon.

Winter Coat

I have binged my way through a new podcast over the weekend. The Mental Podcast. It is by a comedian I found early this year and went through his other podcast [The Parapod] it was a treat and since following him on twitter I have gained an understanding of his work. It is a podcast that takes a look at mental well being. HE talks through events and issues with people who have suffered or helped others.

It may not be an easy listen for some but I found it very interesting and well presented. Issues like the ones from the show have been something I have been aware of and its interesting to see from the eyes of people who deal (or try to deal) with mental issues.

Frozen Firework

I have started on my winter path and bought some cough sweets and the like. I have had a bit of a sore throat for week or so, its one that hasn’t affected me much but has just been annoying. It makes swallowing something I notice and I have been hacking up some flem but not a disruptive amount.

Wow look at me being wordy today. I may just be on a writing upswing but I think I will capitalise on it. The is so much I want to get down in words but the last month was a struggle. Its coming easy today and my typing speed is fast, I'm not thinking much its just flowing out. I can feel sentences arranging in my head and even change last second before my fingers tap it out.

Anyway I think I should end this off and move onto something a different.

One Song - Tides of Time [Epica]

Track 09: 'Design Your Universe' by Epica

Released in 2009

Written by Mark Jansen

Performed by Simone Simons

Epica have become of my me favourite bands this year. They are known as a Symphonic Metal group who produce long and powerful pieces. I have had them around for a few years but this year I took a dive into their discography and haven’t surfaced yet.

In this ongoing blog series I will look at one song that I like, then try and say why. Don't expect overly detailed analyses, all it is is me saying what I like and why.

Tides of Time is atypical Epica song in some ways. It limits its use of instruments for a long portion and is only sung throughout by a female vocalist. It starts off quiets and calm but builds up to something a bit more powerful.

This song has a power to it from the piano to the very high singing it has a sharp presence. The comes a crash towards the end that brings in the full power of the song. You are hit with a wave of powerful but calming music.

You were always there to hold my hand

When times were hard to understand

But now the tides of time have turned

They keep changing

- - -

Seasons range, but you remain the same

A steady heart, a sun to rain

You'll be the light that's shining bright

High above me

The lyrics have an autumnal feel to them, with the turning of the seasons showing a mental turn. The is a hope to the words which though don't stand out run throughout song. People grow apart or are lost even in memory. Can it be accepted?

I can get so much from just reading the Lyrics and again more when I hear them sung. The energy put into the words by Simone Simons is outstanding.

This is a song that I think is beautiful. Beauty is more than looks, it encompass feel and sound. The sound is obvious but what this song makes me feel can only be described as beauty.

We are leaves meant to fall

There is a meaning to all

That fades

- - -

2016 The Year of Films [December]

Here we go last month of the project. The Index is HERE

01. 20th Century Boys (02.12.16)
I think this may be the first live action Japanese film I have watched. It has been sat on my shelf for years after picking it up off the market. I am well versed in the manga and read it back in 2008 I think. The story is great and very well told, this is a almost perfect adaptation of the manga up to the end of the first arc.

02.  Full Metal Jacket (03.12.16)
This may seem a bit odd but this is the first time I have watch this a a Kubrick film. Before it was a army film. I watched looking into the direction and story telling. Like 2001 or Clockwork Orange it is a collection of parts, The are two very apparent parts but the whole film is almost a run of vignettes. Very unsettling at times and I'm not sure what Kubrick's theme was (duality of man?) but it is a great film.

03. Valkyrie (04.12.16)
To know the details of a film before it was written is a somewhat odd thing. I have a deep interest in the world wars and in the plots and machinations within them. My first time seeing this; not sure why, perhaps I know that unlike most war film you can't put a spin on it. Very well made film, the tension build wonderfully. Very compelling and an interesting look from the other side.

04. Tank Girl (05.12.16)
Crazy. Its like Mad Max but turned up to 11. Where Mad Max is restrained this takes 90s action and shoves it into a world of crazy. Nice direction and production, some of the acting is a bit suspicious but its the type of film that gets away with it. On another note why hasn't Malcolm McDowell been a Bond villain?

05. On Your Mark [Short] (07.12.16)
A short film slash music video by Studio Ghibli. It's setting is very interesting being a weird high density sifi world. The plot is fairly simple but the narrative is slightly more complex. It  has a bunch of different plots all interesting in different aspects. The animation and art is very Ghibli and the song is fantastic.

06. Tokyo Godfathers (11.12.16)
So much to say, and now I've rewatched this I will do a post on Kon. This is a fantastic film, the pacing and plot runs smoothly and all the points in the film hit well. Its also so damn funny, from the outset just the premise of homeless people caring for a baby is odd but how the film plays with all its aspects its a riot at times. At other times it very introspective.

07. Escape [Short] (12.12.16)
A Christmas themed short. Its a nice little simple story shown with no speaking. The art style of paper craft silhouettes is very well realised. The were some nice little moments to the animation that showed extra depth to the story. The sound design and music were on point and all in all it a very good film.

08. Premier Automne [Short] (14.12.16)
A film that personifies the seasons. It is about the meeting between winter and spring and the resulting impact on the world. The story is nice and simple but very well made, with a cell shaded look and some very smooth animation. The puppy's were especially great even the skeleton ones. Loved the music which helped set the feel and the end was perfect.

09. Rogue One [Cinema] (16.12.16)
It's very very good! Story wise it ties some stuff up nicely with nothing overly surprising. The characters are interesting and well portrayed, loved the cg work on Tarkin even if it is a little uncanny valley. The look of the film is amazing. A wide range of locations helped but the cinematography is awesome. Overall it's a great film and a nice addition to Star Wars.

10. Batman - Year One (18.12.16)
Batman's first year compressed into a shortish film. This story has been told many times over the years with only slight variations. This one deviates a fair bit and is far too much of a rush to get through it. The overall plot is a mess and the characters are changed. The art and animation are very simple and plane. Not terrible but could have done with a focus and breathing space.

11. One Winters Night [Short] (19.12.16)
A  low budget short film but it makes the most of it. The art is very janky almost reminds me of old shockwave stuff. The story is told as a poem, the narrator is a bit hard to understand but the poem is ok. It seems to emulate the style of Poe but its far short of him. Nothing special.

12. Summer Wars (22.12.16)
Showing the internet on film is hard, many films have done odd metaphors for hacking and the like. Here Hosoda has gone with a cool second life type style. The plot is a odd meandering one with a bunch of strands running through. The characters are diverse and well portrayed. As I have come to expect from Hosoda the animation is great. the are lots of intricate things I could go into but all I will say its it's well put together.

13. Memoirs of a Geisha (23.12.16)
A wonderful film, the cinematography and set design were outstanding. The overall plot it a simple tale of growth and finding love but the setting and style made the film truly great. The performances are all top notch and the score is one of John Williams' best. The are some stand out moments both awe inspiring and others shocking but it is all tied together brilliantly.

14. Fargo (24.12.16)
This counts as a Christmas film right, there is snow and everything. A damn good film, very well made and in a style that works well even though is not one I find interesting. The acting is very stylised but it works with the slightly absurd story. The are some great moments and the is space to let it all sink in. Even though it is not a long film it uses its time well and feels fuller than most modern films.

15. The Exorcist (26.12.16)
It's 43 years to the day since it was first released, so what's a better night to watch it for the first time? Going in I wasn't sure of what to expect, parts are ingrained into culture and cinema legend. I loved the build up in the first act and the rest of he film flowed nicely. It's all around amazing. Oh and  Tubular Bells is awesome.

16. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (27.12.16)
Is there a more perfect film than this? It is fantastic on so many levels, world building, story, animation, characterization, music, theme and the direction that bundles it all up. Strong characters with good motivations and a world that not just makes sense but very easily could be in our future. I love it to bits and will watch it over and over again.

17. The Zero Theorem (28.12.16)
How do you go about disproving a meaning to life? How dose Terry Gilliam make such wonderful films? It's great, from wonderful performances by Christoph Waltz to surprising bit from Tilda Swinton. I loved how the film asks so many questions but strays from giving full answers, it looks at them but leaves the deeper meaning to us. Fantastic.

18. Planet Unknown [Short] (29.12.16)
A very well made short about two rovers searching a planet for a place to grow life. It takes a few too many cues from Wall-E but it is very well animated and the direction is nice. The music though a bit over the top at times works well. Not much of a story as such but a nice little film with good action and likeable robots.

19. The Garden of Words (30.12.16)
Every frame is a work of art. The animation and art shines. Makoto Shinkai is now becoming a household name like Ghibli, his work is so fantastic and this shortish piece is next to perfect. The story is a nice little but complex character piece with some heartbreaking moments and a great climax. But again its the art that stands out. I need to see 'Your Name' in the cinema.

20. Star Trek Beyond (31.12.16)
A film of ups and downs. The are some things that just didn't work but luckily they were only minor things. The two major twists worked well with the last one being great. Its a solid sifi film with some nice future architecture but the were places they could have gone further. I felt the enemy were too strong and numerous and like a lot of modern action films were dealt with too easy. Other than that one of the better trek films.

End of the month end of the year. A solid year for films and I have seen some very good ones. Best of this month? meh, so many good ones, if I were to narrow to ones I watched for the first time it would be Memoirs of a Geisha. So onto next year.