Yes, more lyrics. But they're such good lyrics. They'd have to be, they're from VNV Nation (if you didn't know). If you've read pretty much any good chuck of this blog with intent, I'm sure you've heard the name a fewtimes, hopefully looked it up if it wasn't new to you, and are probably living a life with more fulfillment. But wait, there's more, if you read this post all the way through, you'll find another path to a nearly completed life. And if you don't...well, then the music discussed clearly isn't a guiding light in your life, and you should seek something else. Religion maybe? Television? Art (not a bad choice)? Relationships? Food? Whatever works best for you. After all, it's your life right? Why should you take my word that something might change your life for the better, even if it is ridiculously awesome, right?
Now on to life changing music info? Not yet. Maybe the next paragraph. This paragraph is for fun stuff I've done since the last post, and come across. Kind of like that new Heineken commercial dealing with walk in closets and the differences between men and women. It's one of the funniest things I've seen this year. Now stuff I've done since the last post...umm, well I went back to the DNA Lounge, and it was still cool, but the music this time wasn't as consistently awesome, but there were songs in the selection that pretty much explode the definition of awesomeness. 'Bullet' and 'Call the Ships to Port' by Covenant - Ships we danced to of course, it jut had to be done. Some other pretty awesome songs that I can't at this moment remember. 'Nemesis' by VNV Nation, but played very early in the night (third song or so) and didn't have the audience impact that it deserved. It was really kind of sad, the song played and there were maybe 25 people in the entire club at the time. It hurt, it hurt bad. But at the same time, the song itself has this really powerful, soul-healing aura - so it worked out. Fun times. And on Wed, I went with a friend and his friend and his friend's friend (yes, it is that complicated) and we went to a hookah lounge in SF on Geary - and it was pretty awesome. You get to know people really well when you're all sitting at the same table for six hours trying to get the others to choke on the hookah from laughing (easier said than done, and totally worth it). And, being that it was a Mediterranean restaurant, we were surprised with an unscheduled belly-dance performance, which was also quite interesting. All-in-all, a fun day that ended at Denny's for late night food. And a special thanks to http://johnroscigno.com for helping me make up for getting directions to a hookah lounge that no longer exists.
Life changing music info - VNV Nation's Reformation 1, Limited Edition, 2 Disk, Special Edition, Uber Awesome, Blow Your Mind, Esplosion of Awesomeness! Yes! It's true, I now own the set that has been available for about half a month, and I pretty much squealed with joy as I listened to Joy live on the first disk, and can't help but smiling every time I hear Ronan Harris' voice. Listening to VNV live is probably my second favourite thing to hear, and quite possibly my first, but there are still some things I like hearing and haven't rated yet. And (cute gorilla baby on CBS news right now), I will admit that this probably isn't life changing if your life hasn't already been changed by the Eternal Flame (see the VNV logo), but if you have seen the almighty and awesome light (half-joking here of course), then you need to get your hands on this incredible album, and experience the audible baptism of your soul again (totally joking here...kind of), because you really, really should. You'll feel cleansed, pure, sanctified, renewed, christened, de-sinned, reborn, born, born anew, born again, and most importantly: "set aflame and cast free, from this wretched world of tethers".
Alright, now that I've told you how to find new life, and cleanse yourself: I get to go on about the album! Ad Infinitum!!! OMG!!! Leave now if you're bored, stay if you're interested or like to read me talk. It's true, you are literally reading me talk. See, I talk while I type this, so everything has a sound effect in my mind and in text, and when I re-read these blogs, I remember the audio track I created and I experience the entire experience over again. OMG!!! I just finished the first disk (live tracks), and the first song alone on the second disk (remixes/unreleased) is pretty much as awesome as clubbing with Jesus Christ, Ronan Harris, The Pope, Peter Stormare, Liv Tyler, Ghandi, Zeus, Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and the Virgin Mary. It's that epically awesome! My soul can't handle it, it's just too 'Awesome'. That's right, the noun 'awesome'. Like the type of awesome used to describe God. I feel really holy right now - despite the borderline blasphemy in this post. Ok, it's really super incredible, but I want to share more of the live disk with you. Let me start by saying it has no "new" tracks, as in nothing you won't have come across unreleased on other albums, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have new material. For example, the song 'Honour' - originally, a song I really love, BUT, then it was released live on Pastperfect, and I loved it even more, BUT, then a remix was released on the same album, 'Honour 2003', and there was day and there was night, the third track, BUT, then this album came out and 'Honour 2003', my favourite still, was released live. I honestly had a tear of Joy. BUT (I know!!!, there's more awesomeness!!!!!!), not only did this version totally kick physical and metaphysical STERNUM (inside joke), it started out with a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's speech, I Hate War, which in itself , sums up the entire theme and motive of the song so incredibly, I wondered how the track itself could further esplode my mind in it's Faith-Power and Glory. The full quote portion from the speech is as follows:
I have seen war.
I have seen war on land and sea.
I have seen blood running from the wounded.
I have seen men coughing out their gassed lungs.
I have seen the dead in the mud.
I have seen cities destroyed.
I have seen two hundred limping exhausted men come out of line
- the survivors of a regiment of one thousand that went forward forty-eight hours before.
I have seen children starving.
I have seen the agony of mothers and wives.
I hate war.
Yes. I know. You're mind is hurting from trying to understand the full awesomeness of this. This on it's own pretty much owns on the definitions of what I've previously thought awesome. But it was mixed with Honour 2003. NO! It was mixed with Honour 2003 LIVE!! But that's not enough for VNV Nation (in a good way), Ronan Harris asks the audience to sing the chorus during part of the song, and you hear, no, FEEL the awesome intensity of the crowd as they participate in such an epic moment. I wept. Jesus wept too. He was there, and he loved it too. It moved both of us. The Pope got teary-eyed too. Judi Dench just nodded stoically with glassy emotion-filled eyes. Peter Stormare just nodded in appreciation. Sean Connery yelled his Welsh lungs out in Joy. And to save time - everyone else passed out from the earthquake of light and sound that was caused by God hitting repeat on his godly, music player. This is all true.
Alright, well I'm still going through the album, and loving every delicious minute of it, but I would like to not have to type the entire time, plus I want to leave you time to run outside in whatever you are wearing right now (you don't have time to change), and let you get this album and enjoy it yourself. And if you do have it/get it PLEASE tell me what audience you're listening with, I'll admit, mine is a bit exclusive, and is helped a bit by lots of sugar. You do need this album though. Just for the historical references, grammar, and awesomeness. And you need to go back and re-read the parts of this post you skimmed because you missed out on probably my best use of kenning to date.
Final words:
If you should fall
If the world turns away
If it all becomes too much
If you can't take the pain
Here you have strength
Here you are safe from harm
Here you have healing
All the things you never had
-Suffer, VNV Nation
Dies Irae Veniendum Est,
-Shadow of Light
Looked up the FDR speech and found it online. I'm assuming this is the same one you read?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sagehistory.net/worldwar2/docs/FDRChautauqua.html
God it's fascinating! I had only known of FDR in a positive light in relation to The New Deal and the United Nations, but I had no idea that he was this outspoken, especially as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (and before his presidency)....
This speech is absolutely applicable today, as far as defense contractors!
These parts stood out for me:
"Industrial and agricultural production for a war market may give immense fortunes to a few men; for the nation as a whole it produces disaster."
"I have passed unnumbered hours, I shall pass unnumbered hours thinking and planning how war may be kept from this nation. I wish I could keep war from all nations, but that is beyond my power. I can at least make certain that no act of the United States helps to produce or to promote war. I can at least make clear that the conscience of America revolts against war and that any nation which provokes war forfeits the sympathy of the people of the United States."
"It was the prospect of war profits that caused the extension of monopoly and unjustified expansion of industry and a price level so high that the normal relationship between debtor and creditor was destroyed."
"Nevertheless, if war should break out again in another continent, let us not blink at the fact that we would find in this country thousands of Americans who, seeking immediate riches-fool's gold-would attempt to break down or evade our neutrality."
FDR-- brave man-- Thank you for bringing the speech to our attention.
I was, of course, also DELIGHTED with your description of listening to music with religious figures and celebrities ^_^ and I will check out VNV Nation again. I appreciated the two songs you directed me toward in the past.
Bunny, as always, you leave the most wonderfully interactive comments ^_^ Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat is the exact website where I read the speech. I went back to look at the quotes you posted, and I really liked what followed directly after the last quote:
"It would be hard to resist that clamor. It would be hard for many Americans, I fear, to look beyond, to realize the inevitable penalties, the inevitable day of reckoning that comes from a false prosperity. To resist the clamor of that greed, if war should come, would require the unswerving support of all Americans who love peace."
I think it serves as a really intelligent call to arms (pardon the pun), for people to take a stand. FDR had spine enough to say all this and mean it, more people should follow suit and stand behind it at the very least.
Again, thank you for a wonderful comment ^_^