Researching the Shadows

Well, I did say today was going to be a good entry. Of course, my definition of "good" varies greatly against yours, so your mileage will vary on this one. But why judge it on this section when you can totally judge it after reading the rest of today's entry? Let's go!

What a nice set of clouds in the sky earlier this afternoon!

And no, my head's not in the clouds. I just wanted a picture at this part of the blog so that when I link this entry on Facebook, you don't notice the other pics first. =P





CURRENT MUSIC:
Halestorm - "Rock Show"
The Strange Case Of...

The Strange Case Of... - Halestorm's sophomore album - now in American stores!

Halestorm's sophomore album just got released in American shelves today! After listening to Halestorm play back at the 2010 Rockstar Uproar Festival, I knew I was going to be a fan. I bought their debut self-titled album and was eager for new content. So lo and behold, as I was shopping today, I ended up finding The Strange Case Of... and immediately bought it.

Anyway, "Rock Show" was the first track I was exposed to when I first heard about their upcoming release, and I have to say I really, really enjoy the sound of the song. The beauty of this track is not due to its simplistic meaning (Lzzy's singing about a rock show - need I analyze the lyrics any deeper?) but due to the high surges of energy it carries - whenever I hear this song, it really feels like I'm in a rock show. And while that could be said with a good amount of hard rock songs, the entirety of "Rock Show" captures the totality of the event. (I pulled out my cell phone and swayed it back and forth at the appropriate times.)

"This goes out to anyone / whose heart beats like a kick drum / when a bitchin' riff comes." That it does. This makes me excited to listen to the rest of the album later on tonight... what aural wonders am I to behold as Halestorm rocks out on my laptop?


Bear McCreary - "'Prelude to War' for Accordion Orchestra"
"Prelude to War" for Accordion Orchestra [Single]

It's no mistake when someone says "Prelude to War" is by far my most favorite piece of music from Battlestar Galactica. (If the fact that I've featured it here five times before doesn't give that away, I'm not sure what will.) I mean, it captures the essence of battle in a traditional and not-so-traditional way. That, and it sounds like everything I'd expect from a military science fiction's score and then some.

But what happens when creative geniuses get bored? What happens when they see a tool in their trade, use it once, and set it aside only to encounter it years later when they want to try something new? That's pretty much the story of what happened here. After seeing various YouTube videos of people playing Galactica's score on something other than a piano, Bear McCreary decided to emulate the same style of performance with... an accordion.

After tinkering around, he decided on replicating "Prelude to War" and noted how it was virtually impossible to replicate the unique pulse the track had. So after toying with using some overdubs, he realized what he had to do. The new objective? "Try to recreate EVERY SINGLE NOTE from “Prelude to War” and transcribe them exactly as they existed in the original recording to the accordion."



One might think that's just going over the top, but by the Gods; it frakking works. If you don't believe me, play the video and listen for yourself.

I never would've thought the accordion could be something you could rock out to, but Bear has definitely changed my opinion on that one. *goes and buys the track on Amazon*





Evening, everyone. This entry can be seen as a sort-of sneak peek into what's to come on The White Knight Chronicles. But enough talk - let's go ahead and showcase what the future will have in store!





Nine days ago I announced that I had this urge to write a paper for no real reason other than the classic "because I can, [insert expletive here]." Three days ago I informed you that I "narrowed it down" to not one... not two... but seven papers (or rather: seven ideas for papers) that were green-lit for composition.

Today, I'm planning on telling you about one of those papers. I'll be focusing on the world of PlayStation 2's Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and providing an in-depth look at the Shadow Bosses.

Truth be told: after writing out "The Top Ten: Video Game Bosses" I found myself inspired by the eighth place entrant: the entire collection of Persona 4's Shadow Bosses. After explaining the symbolism behind Yosuke's shadow (in case you don't remember, his was the Shadow I lightly talked about in the entry), it got me wondering about the symbolism behind the other characters' shadows. I wanted to write something so bad, but then I realized something horrible - something that I felt would impede the process of composing the work.

I have yet to play Persona 4 myself.

Yeah. You read that right. All that talk about Persona I did... the the knowledge I shoved through your eyes... and I have the audacity to do this without having played the game!? In my defense, I had watched one of my friends play through the first half of the game or so. Every time he and I hung out at his place, he'd put in a few hours on the game and I'd watch (RPGs aren't really my thing, but I'm growing to enjoy them...). Of course, watching the game being played and actually playing the game are two different things.

Persona 4 - now in my hands for me to play.

So I decided to change the fact that I haven't played this fine Atlus game. As I went shopping today, I ended up going to my local GameStop and procured me a copy of Persona 4. Now I'll be able to play the game, experience the joys and frustrations with my party, and even learn some more things that I didn't already know about this fantastic game. (I'll also be able to experience exactly how cruel Atlus is with their supporters... remember that quote I told you on the Top Ten List?)

While this may seem to be a geeky means of writing, it's still going to be interesting for gamers and non-gamers alike. We'll just have to see how this project unfolds.





While this ended up being a short entry, I feel that it surely beats all those short "entries" I've been doing. (If anything, this entry gives me an excuse to create a "Persona" tag.) I hope this leaves you sated for now until the 'morrow, because now I'm off to have fun with friends and "doing some research" on Persona 4! Ciao!