S4theD: Day 29

Have I ever mentioned that I love music? Well, I do. A lot. And one of the smoothest most pleasant to listen to male voices I've ever heard happens to be one of my favorite male voices of those I've ever heard.


Unforgettable
by Nat "King" Cole & Natalie Cole

Unforgettable, that's what you are
Unforgettable though near or far
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you does things to me
Never before has someone been more

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

No never before
has someone been more ooh

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

S4theD: Day 4

Twang
by George Strait

When I get off of work on Friday
After working like a dog all week
I go to meet the boys for a cold one
At a little joint up the street
They got a jukebox in the corner
Full of old country tunes
Feed it five dollars worth of quarters
Is the first thing I always do

'Cause I need a little twang
A little hillbilly bending on some guitar strings
Some peddle steel whining like a whistle of an old freight train
To get that foot stomping honkey tonkin' feeling going through my veins
I need a little twang, twang, twang

Well, I like a lot of kinds of music
I try to keep an open mind
Depending on the mood to strike me
If I'm gonna stay till closing time
So when I wanna lift my spirits to get me feeling worth a dang
I know I'm gonna have to heart it
'Cause I gotta have some Hank to hang

'Cause I need a little twang
A little hillbilly bending on some guitar strings
Some peddle steel whining like a whistle of an old freight train
To get that foot stomping honkey tonkin' feeling going through my veins
I need a little twang, twang, twang

I need a little twang, twang, twang

My Life Is Complete

My life is complete. For now that is. All of the music I’ve been without for the past two years is now safely back in one place…on my new Mac. The beauty of the world, the paragon of technology, and yet to me, what is this quintessence of perfection? I’ll tell ya…the quintessence of perfection! I’ve been missing both Mac and music so much so that I find all I want to do is scroll through my iTunes and play every song I had forgot I possessed. Ok, I admit, I’ve actually been doing that very thing for a few hours now. So I thought I’d share some of the music I’ve been listening to with great joy, along with a little shout out to the people who led me to the artist or song:

Russians by Sting
Chess by Andersson-Ulvaeus (Thank you Wilbur!)
The Roar of Love by 2nd Chapter of Acts (Thank you again Wilbur)
99.9 Percent Sure by Brian McComas
The Servant Way by Buddy Greene
OLE! by Bouncing Souls
Still Fighting It by Ben Folds
Losing Grip by Avril Lavigne (Thank you Bri!)
Green Into Gold by Angie Aparo
Kingdom Come by Cold Play
Babylon by David Gray (Thank you Dave!)
All My Ex's Live In Texas by George Strait (Thank you Der!)
Stupid Mouth Shut by HEM
The Curra Road by Jim Fidler
Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake (Thank you JoJo!)
The Frog Prince by Keane
Doulos by Kemper Crabb
The Land of Ice and Snow by Led Zeppelin
Unwell by Matchbox Twenty
Glory To God In The Highest Chant by Nuns Of St. Paisus Orthodox Monastery (Thank you world!)
I Feel Home by O.A.R. (Thank you Misha!)
Samson by Regina Spektor
Hoppípolla by Sigur Rós
I Will Follow by U2
Little Bird by The Weepies (Thank you Jesse!)

Stanley Kubrick on Film Music

"Unless you want a pop score, I don't see any reason not to avail yourself of the great orchestral music of the past and present. This music may be used in its correct form or synthesized, as was done with the Beethoven for some scenes in A Clockwork Orange. But there doesn't seem to be much point in hiring a composer who, however good he may be, is not a Mozart or a Beethoven, when you have such a vast choice of existing orchestral music which includes contemporary and avant-garde work. Doing it this way gives you the opportunity to experiment with the music early in the editing phase, and in some instances to cut the scene to the music. This is not something you can easily do in the normal sequence of events."
—Stanley Kubrick in an interview with Michel Ciment

Stanley Kubrick on Modern Art & Movies

"I think modern art's almost total pre-occupation with subjectivism has led to anarchy and sterility in the arts. The notion that reality exists only in the artist's mind, and that the thing which simpler souls had for so long believed to be reality is only an illusion, was initially an invigorating force, but it eventually led to a lot of highly original, very personal and extremely uninteresting work. In Cocteau's film Orpheé, the poet asks what he should do. 'Astonish me,' he is told. Very little of modern art does that—certainly not in the sense that a great work of art can make you wonder how its creation was accomplished by a mere mortal. Be that as it may, films, unfortunately, don't have this problem at all. From the start, they have played it as safe as possible, and no one can blame the generally dull state of the movies on too much originality and subjectivism." —Stanley Kubrick in an interview with Michel Ciment

Trans Siberian Orchestra

A friend gave me a Trans Siberian CD a few years ago and I was hooked from track 1. I've always had this thing for classical instruments being used in rock songs. Call me sentimental or progressive or whatever you want to call it, but I love merging worlds and merging mediums. Throw in a little creativity, a whole heck of a lot of talent, a light show so bright one needs sunglasses for a few numbers lest your eyes tear up like you was cuttin' an onion and you've got yourself the TSO.

Tonight's TSO performance has been long anticipated. Well, since last year really when I splurged and bought myself an individual ticket for the fourth row. I had never been to anything so showy in all my life. Still haven't. I say showy, but I insinuate classy.

This year I took my father so that he could appreciate the uniqueness with me. I took a few pictures with my camera phone and attempted a short video clip. But genius me forgot to take my phone off silent so there is no sound. Grrrr! And I thought it was such a brilliant idea too! Oh well, at least you can appreciate a bit of the dramatics if not the music. MERRY CHRISTMAS!



Disclaimer: Amateur footage. May cause nausea!

Acapella Tribute to John Williams

Symphony In Lights

I was thinking about posting my favorite Saturday Night Live skit from this presidential season since I spent the last two hours in front of my friend's TV (because I don't have my own) watching SNL's Presidential Bash '08, which traditionally airs the night before election day. But in between intention and followthrough I checked my e-mail. I'm a subscriber to very few e-mailings, but I just got one from one of my favorite musical groups--The Trans Siberian Orchestra. May be I'll follow through with my previous intention within the next day or so (after we officially know who our next president will be) since I feel that we'll probably need a few laughs then more than now. So for now, I'm pursuing a fun rabbit trail. Ya gotta admit, this is pretty cool!

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

by Johann Sabastian Bach

Jesu, joy of man's desiring
Holy wisdom, love most bright
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light

Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Soaring, dying round Thy throne

Through the way where hope is guiding
Hark, what peaceful music rings
Where the flock, in Thee confiding
Drink of joy from deathless springs

Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure
Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown

Lil Markie

None of my office friends have posted this yet so I feel that it is my calling to share this wonderful tid-bit of 80's-Baptist-mullet-loving evangelism. Keep watching. I got bored at first too but then the jaw dropped.

My Thanksgiving by Don Henley

A lot of things have happened
Since the last time we spoke
Some of them are funny
Some of 'em ain't no joke
And I trust you will forgive me
If I lay it on the line
I always thought you were a friend of mine

Sometimes I think about you
I wonder how youre doing now
And what youre going through

The last time I saw you
We were playing with fire
We were loaded with passion
And a burning desire
For every breath, for every day of living
And this is my thanksgiving









Now the trouble with you and me, my friend
Is the trouble with this nation
Too many blessings, too little appreciation
And I know that kind of notion well, it just ain't cool
So send me back to Sunday School
Because I'm tired of waiting for reason to arrive
It's too long we've been living
These unexamined lives

I've got great expectations
I've got family and friends
I've got satisfying work
I've got a back that bends
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my thanksgiving

Have you noticed that an angry man
Can only get so far
Until he reconciles the way he thinks things ought to be
With the way things are

Here in this fragmented world, I still believe
In learning how to give love, and how to receive it
And I would not be among those who abuse this privilege
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge

And I don't mind saying that I still love it all
I wallowed in the springtime
Now I'm welcoming the fall
For every moment of joy
Every hour of fear
For every winding road that brought me here
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my thanksgiving

For everyone who helped me start
And for everything that broke my heart
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my thanksgiving

My Hope Is Built

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Chorus: On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

When Darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, his covenant, his blood
supports me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found!
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne!

Text by Edward Mote
Music by Gregory Wilbur