But enough melancholic blah-blah. That's not what you're here for. You're here to read about more upbeat things such as butterflies, rainbows, and the obituary of that bastard you beat up for calling your totally hot significant other a "fat, ugly whore."
Well, here's where my apology will kick in: there's no butterflies or rainbows. If you want that obituary still, then go on Google and run a search on "fresh corpse." That oughta be enough to shut you up for that request. =P
Anyway, as I've been doing nothing but blasting music in an effort to prime me with enough energy to get through day six of six, the rest of this entry will be related to the myriad of songs and pieces I listened to.
CURRENT MUSIC:
Junichi Nakatsuru - "Winter Storm"
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Original Soundtrack
I liken today to the final mission or level in a video game - that last act of struggle and conflict we have to get through before the peace and rest can finally kick in. Sure, it can be heavily argued that conflict (or video gaming, for that matter) cannot be compared to something as trivial as a long and utterly-exhausting week of work, but I disagree. In a metaphorical aspect, it works, and it works even better when situationally-fitting music is playing.
Enter "Winter Storm" - one of the last tracks heard in Ace Combat 5's storyline campaign. After a long and taxing campaign defending the skies of their country, the brave "Ghosts of Razgriz" pilots must endure one final and dangerous mission to end the war they've been fighting in since the beginning.
What really haunts me is the piano in this piece. While the strings, percussion and horns build up that "final struggle" feeling, that piano sits there in the background providing a chilling bass line and backing. Eventually the other instruments crescendo and decrescendo in importance (and in-game, it's usually timed well so the fight starts when the music hits that part). Then the piano suddenly breaks through with a hair-raising solo (with backing from the strings and percussion) that chills my soul every time I hear it (especially if I myself am in some kind of struggle). Eventually the black-and-whites trade off the lead with the horns for one last melancholic fanfare before the piece fades out, ready to repeat in case you're not fast enough in-game.
I don't know - maybe it's just me getting all these feelings. As I played and thoroughly loved Ace Combat 5, it would make sense that a soundtrack like this would leave me aurally attached to the game. At the same time, my psychoemotional responses (if such a term exists) seem significant enough to make me talk about the impact of video games as more than a mere platform of media entertainment.
Analytical digression aside, it's an excellent track to listen to - especially if you yourself are in the tail end of some kind of struggle. Listening to this track actually primed my energy reserves to get through this last day of work, so give it a shot as you drive to work or something if you're feeling like "bleh."
O-Town - "Comin' to the Rescue"
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 ~ Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture
Before you start wondering about my musical tastes (even though I made it painfully clear that I listen to just about everything), I would like to tell you that for some reason I felt like watching a Pokémon movie for nostalgia.
Cue Pokémon: The Movie 2000 and my laptop's DVD drive. Before I watched the main feature, I figured I'd watch the Pikachu short, because what's a Pokémon movie without the Pikachu short? I primed "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" and began watching.
Hehe. Nostalgia. *sips a Capri Sun*
Anyway, for those of you not clicking the link (or in the future if the link no longer works), "Comin' to the Rescue" is the song heard in the opening credits (starts in the video at roughly two minutes in). In terms of the movie's plot (Pikachu and company searching for a lost Togepi), the song fits fine, but out-of-context... well, it still works as a stand-alone song. Damn; what is it about pop songs and them being catchy? O.o
Rob Zombie - "Living Dead Girl (Subliminal Seduction Mix)"
American Made Music to Strip By
Now, I'm going to be honest with you here... half the time I listen to a Rob Zombie song, I usually see no meaning behind the songs. However, I have to say that for some artists, that's okay, because the song possesses a "kickass sound" card in some fashion. This song has that to the point where I see at least two potential real-life uses.
The first seems innocuous enough: the theme to some badass hot girl [or a (military) team of badass hot girls] in a movie or some kind of competitive arena. For some reason the song would only seem more fitting if the girl(s) in question blared this in some kind of airsoft/paintball/live-fire arena while wearing high-strap combat boots in addition to a matching lightly-armored combat suit that involves leather in some form. [I say "lightly armored" not in the sense of tons of exposed skin (which, while hot that would be, is impractical in a tactical standpoint), but in the sense of higher mobility and easier execution of melee combat maneuvers.]
The second use is the not-so-innocuous (and more likely to occur in real life): background music for a strip club, a private striptease or while having sex. (Future wife: if you're reading this and you've no idea what to get me for my birthday, I think I just gave you an idea. *winks*) For Christ's sake, if the album's name isn't enough for you to believe this song is usable in this aspect, then I don't know what would make it more obvious.
I didn't include the third aspect I came up with (background music for
John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra - "Cantina Band 2"
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Yeah. Star Wars music. If I ever own a bar I will make sure this is one of the many pieces of background music that plays in the background. I'll get a lot of looks but the Star Wars fans in the crowd will enjoy this... followed by a very heated argument (and eventual brawl) over the quality of the Prequel Trilogy due to some drunkard saying that Empire was the most boring of the six movies.
On second thought: not a good idea to have this as background music. For fighting, maybe (ask anyone who's played Star Wars: Battlefront or Battlefront II and brawled it out in Tatooine's cantina bar), but... hrm.
Anyway, fun song to listen and relax to (assuming you're nowhere near any die-hard Prequel fans).
...well. That was rather lengthy. Time to bid y'all adieu until the 'morrow!
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