It all began when little Ayda was exposed to a Boney-M Greatest Hits and Christmas Album when she was around 5. She still remembers looking at the album cover of the latter, touching the snowflakes and daydreaming away. She was the star of the show, the diva of the night and her life lingered between one encore and another.
Well, that never happened but dreaming was fun while it lasted.
Then, came the Madonna obsession during high school. She literally grew up with her. Oh, she liked growing up with her. Madonna kept writing/singing those songs that made her go, "How the heavens does this woman describe how I feel, what I go through in the exact same manner I would describe if I had the chance?". She'll always have a soft spot for Maddy for that.
Somewhere around her 19th birthday, she entered her Diva era and along came Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Belinda Carlisle and the likes. She drowned and drowned again in pop until that day when she came across Portishead's "Dummy" in her best friend's apartment.
She has been a fool for trip hop ever since! Chill out, dark ambient, dream pop and downtempo have been added into the mix in the years that followed. If soundtracks, her all time favorite music, are the topping of the cake, indie and alternative rock are the novelty candles.
Describing herself as a "soft goth", Ayda is a novice freelance writer, a mediocre blogger and a seasoned translator. She dreams to open a Giger bar and still hopes for that day when she will be featured in an Akira Yamaoka song.
Dreams don't last easily for the dreamer.
Contact
If you are one of the artists whose song is in Phantasmelodia and would like to show some support, send your love to "phantasmelodia -a t gmail -d o t- com". Also, please consider allowing your song to be listened fully on this site.
If you are an artist and would like your song to be featured, please make sure you have comprehended the texture of the tracks presented here before submitting your work to the aforementioned mail.
I have mentioned this somewhere as a comment but I think it is time to bring it out in the open as an issue. I edit my posts heavily because I'm pathetically keen on details, I typo a lot etc. Sometimes when I edit my posts (or even when I create them for the first time), they come up with a number at the end of the URL.
Why do some posts come up with URL numbers at the end? And most importantly, how can I avoid this from happening in the future?
Dirty Little Secrets by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
Cigarette smoke swirls in the air and scatters under the dim light. The spell of the night is being woven as the music starts. Flesh begins to undulate to satisfy the hunger of man. Whispery vocals entwine a seductive bass walk, audacious beats, aphrodisiac saxophones and enticing key strokes. American industrial band My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult (abbreviated as TKK) tells the "you can look but you can't touch" story that starts as the sun sets with their hypnotic Wasted Time. It is a sneaky track that tickles deep down inside and awakens the hidden devils.
Chicago based musician and vocalist Frank Nardiello (aka Groovie Mann) came back from England (where he performed vocals for a goth band named Drowning Craze that recorded for 4AD. One of his band mates was Cocteau Twins' bass player Simon Raymonde) to team up with his friend Marston Daley (aka Buzz McCoy). They started shooting an autobiographical art movie named Hammerhead Housewife and the Thrill Kill Kult which would later become the inspiration behind TKK's name. Although they never completed the movie, they wrote and recorded songs for it regardless. These recordings caught the attention of new wave/industrial record label Wax Trax! and were released as an EP in 1987. Hence began the legacy of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult which sure is among the most controversial bands in history with their cult songs. TKK's music that is based on predominant beats ranged from industrial to electronic, from disco to pop and rock throughout their discography. They stood out with their eclectic style together with their lyrics that depended on samples from B-movies. Throughout the 80s, they were considered as the pioneers of industrial music alongside others such as Ministry, KMFDM and Front 242.
The beginnings of the band were highly occult both lyrics-wise and as far as the artwork they used went. Their debut I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits and second album Kooler than Jesus included supernatural elements, unconventional imagery and openly discussed taboo concepts like sex and drugs. This made the band an instant favorite of college radios and the nightmare of the "perfect parent". Titles such as "Universal Blackness", "Gateway to Hell", "Kooler than Jesus" and "Devil Does Drugs" were enough to stir the still waters and shunned by religious groups that labeled them as satanic (which was far beyond truth as one can imagine. Although they used paranormal and esoteric concepts in their music, TKK hardly ever promoted demonic worship of any kind).
Then came Confessions of a Knife in 1990, followed by their breakthrough album Sexplosion! which turned out to become the label's most selling album in its history and featured the alternative hit, "Sex on Wheelz". Having broken a leg with Sexplosion!, TKK moved on to a bigger label and released Above the Night & Hit on Holiday. They made 4 more studio albums (along with various compilations such as Dirty Little Secrets) until their last album The Filthiest Show in Town which came out in 2007.
TKK is also an avid soundtrack contributor, thus, one probably have been exposed to their music at some point or another without even knowing. Some of their tracks are featured in movies and TV series such as Cool World, The Crow, The Flintstones, BASEketball, Beavis and Butthead, CSI NY and Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven's box-office-disaster-turned-cu lt movie Showgirls.
Wasted Time is, most suitably, featured in this last film and sets its main idea as soon as the first lyrics are heard,
"She's gotta work it for the pleasure of the people"
The titillating aura of the song keeps building as it takes the listener to the intimate corners of the "dreamer's" mind (in this case, those who watch the stripper) and creating a notorious urge to waggle the feet if not directly sway with the idle tempo. The dancer casts her spell and exploits the fantasies of her audience just like a Femme Fatale or like a black widow feeding on her prey. The lyrics warn,
"Watch out:
You're just wasting your time
With her"
However, the hypnotized crowd has already forgotten time and space in her and she makes them skillfully loose their sense of time and space some more as she becomes one with the music, becomes one with each and every one and transforms into the only thing they want and need until the fade out.
Just before they could collect themselves, another song begins, another spell is cast... And this nocturnal tale reiterates until the first ray of the sun appears in the east....
Atmospheric strings, rebellious guitars, piercing lyrics, dramatic vocals, a mourning cello, an eerie synth and bleeding piano await the listener in Dutch alternative rock band The Gathering's highly penetrating piece Saturnine. The song is an uprising and submission, an appeal and an oath all combined in one -- Just like the mood swings of being left behind in love entail.
The day Anneke van Giersbergen joined The Gathering was a milestone for the entire band. Hans and Rene Rutten formed the group back in 1989 and they hit the stores with their gothic/doom, debut album Always... in 1992. Their vocalists Bart and Marike parted ways with them due to musical discrepancies after the release. They were replaced by singer/guitarist/composer Niels Duffhuës and Martine van Loon only to realize that their voices did not match the band's music which had always been highly experimental. During the auditions in 1994, there came a young woman with a glittering smile and a voice as light as a feather. She was not only going to be the front lady of The Gathering for the next 13 years but also propel the fame and success of a moderate European doth/goom band. Van Giersbergen did not restrict herself within the borders of heavy metal and her personal interest in the alternative genre as well as bands like Radiohead was a perfect fit for the experimental nature of The Gathering.
Their next albums Mandylion and Nighttime Birds solidified their fan base while enabling them to play in front of various audiences throughout Europe. Then came an unexpected twist from the band which greatly surprised both the fans and the critics. They released How to Measure a Planet?, an album that carried heavy shoegazing and dream pop influence which caused second guitarist Jelmer Wiersma to leave the group. This startling direction was repelled by some fans yet gained the interest of many others.
Soon, they launched their own label and if_then_else came out in 2000. From then on, The Gathering kept excelling themselves artistically. Taking their name from the first Highlander movie where "the gathering of the Immortals for a final confrontation" is one of the central themes, the band has expressed their music on a wide scale combining elements of heavy metal, progressive rock, trip hop and dream pop. In 2007, Anneke van Giersbergen announced through her MySpace blog that it was time for her "to listen to her heart" and move on to other projects. Expressing deep sorrow and gratitude, she left The Gathering and formed a new band Agua de Annique. She has recently been touring Netherlands with her new band.
Saturnine begins with tenebrous beats, ascending from the depths of deep, dark, trip hop ambiance and relying considerably on synths. The lyrics find a lonesome woman whose rightful resentment wither in the cold, harsh absence of her lover,
"All the stuff you left me with
Is way too much to handle
But i guess you don't care"
Although the song begins in a relatively mild tone, it sure is the eye of the storm since there is a building tension underneath which bursts both melodically and lyrics-wise into,
"You don't need to preach
You don't have to love me, all the time"
This dramatic refrain is the highlight and the most touching part of the song with its intractable yearn for the presence of the lover even if that means to be alone in a relationship, living a love unrequited. Throwing off the ego away, abandoning any emotional need for that of the loved one is the greatest sacrifice one can make for another. Unfortunately, this kind of renouncement is rarely reciprocal and such feelings develop only throughout a break up or during moments of remorse after loosing someone who deserved much more. Still, while they last, the feelings and the overwhelming pain is as genuine as it can get.
"While whispering those words
I cried like a baby
Hoping you would care"
Saturnine is made up of four parts, each part depicting a different emotional state. The first part is the opening described above with its heavy indignation while the second part starts as the refrain is heard for the first time alongside heavy guitars, defiant drums and grave strings. This is where the pain turns into a revolt, where the craving for the beloved is unbearable and intoxicating. The third part follows this blow-up and is marked by a panting piano and grieving cello. Calmed down yet broken inside out, lyrics flow quietly as if one is mumbling to themselves,
"You don't need... all the time...
You don't need.."
Finally the refrain is heard again in a final explosion, illustrating a shouting sorrow and screaming teardrops both of which are in vain because they end up being unheard. After this last cry, the strings slowly take the reigns and carry the track to an unforgettable end while the woman is left falling back into the silent pit of her sorrow.
Saturnine is one of those rare songs that can vividly picture various levels of pain not only through a unique composition but also matching, striking lyrics. Briefly, it is the melodic form of falling apart in saying
The legacy of Blizzard's everlasting game, Diablo, continues in Phantasmelodia with Coda and Roger and Me, two mellifluous tracks by Matt Uelmen that mark the end of Diablo II Soundtrack. This time the epic oboe tells the story of the victory of mankind while grieving flutes that open the song sing an elegy for a fallen hero whose heart was once young and pure.
The harmonious embrace of 12-string guitar and flute create a breathtaking, medieval aura which emits the colors of a most unforgettable tale about an old village named Tristram and the desecrated church within the nearby graveyard that spawns terror after terror upon its people. American musician Matt Uelmen captures the essence of this village and the sorrow it harbors beneath fear with his Town (also known as Tristram Village) and manages to climb and conquer the most arduous of musical peaks, ie. making a melody the trademark of a story.
Interplanetary electronica, music that falls from outer space into wistful lyrics, a song that harbors a storm so artistically that the listeners might easily find themselves trying to find shelter from a tempest made of chaotic feelings.. These can be scattered poetic statements that might endeavor to describe Norwegian electronica duo Röyksopp's What Else Is There yet still fail to paint a picture. The song is that enthralling with frequent doses of underlying eeriness.
The sultry waves of Africa fuse into a western breeze to give birth to one of the most eclectic downtempo tracks ever born. Guitar, silky vocals and sensual percussions dance in utmost harmony for Senegalise guitarist / musician Wasis Diop's Everything is Never Quite Enough and take the listener to the heart of a continent where man and nature have learned to co-exist without yielding to each other
The O.C. Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks by Various Artists
Base a song upon a mesmerizing guitar riff played as softly as possible and you are on your way to a relaxing plane. If your muse is really in its element, it can convey you a melody not only calming but also somewhat hypnotic when repeated over and over again. If that is the case and you have no intention of decorating your song with heavy orchestration, just the intense plainness of your melody and you, mumbling scattered lyrics of desperation then you have a haunting song. American dream pop band Mazzy Star's Into Dust is that song. It is rare, almost astral sounding and adorned with imaginary lyrics. Just when one thinks this song can't get any better, American alternative band Ashtar Command appears and takes it to an even more starry dimension. They so elevate an already dreamy song that the song becomes the dream itself.
Imagine a pixie dancing on the piano keys while accompanied by the lyre of a satyr and the voice of an elf in a lush green forest next to a serene lake. Add a gentle breeze that conducts a chorus of tree leaves and kisses ripples on the water and you have Dutch symphonic rock band Within Temptation's Never-Ending Story surrounding you in an invisible embrace. Amidst the song, one can find traces of Galadriel's wisdom, Arwen's love and Lúthien's timeless beauty.
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Soundtrack by Knut Avenstroup Haugen
Mythical drums roll to embrace lyrical strings and an angelic voice so as to weave an epic for the emerging heroes, the rise and fall of kingdoms and the ascension of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age for the XXI century common man. Composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen and Norwegian singer Helene Bøksle join forces in The Dreaming: 'Ere the World Crumbles... which is an introductory imprint in the world of soundtracks. It is one of those rare entrees that triumphantly ready the listener's ears for the breathtaking musical abode that is to come.
What a surprise to come across such a blog in Orble. As a blogger hailing from Turkey, it is a "delight" for me to see a foreigner writing about Turkish cuisine. I'll be following your posts for sure. Thank you for bringing the Turkish tooth out into Orble.
A vampire story that starts in Istanbul and moves on to an island named Anatolia? Hehe, that's new. The movie is not my cup of tea but vampirism is deeply rooted in the Balkans and flourished in the Slavic nations and Northern Europe.
Middle East is better known for its fantasy or occult elements (like witchcraft for instance). You should check this entry about Ihsan Oktay Anar whose fabulous-beyond-words novel The Atlas of Misty Continents (it has French and German, even Korean translations but not English, I think. Such a shame really) is a superb piece of Ottoman fantasy with a One Thousand and One Nights-ish (aka Arabian Nights) aura. If they could make a meal out of such ingredients, I'm sure that would have been a fresh course for the horror audience. And, I refuse to take the pathetic Wishmaster into consideration.
I always thought that Carrie Fischer is a Linda Blair lookalike. I prefer the original any day. Oh but I digress...
Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back) is one of the first films I ever watched in the theaters as a kid (another one is Jaws -- and you were wondering where my twisted choices in music stemmed from?) but Leia never had an impact on me. I didn't want Leia hair or Leia clothes or Leia lasers (hmm maybe the bikini) because I always found her distant, cold, rational, secondary, know-it-all... err, boring? Like mother like daughter, indeed. Sorry Lucas, you just suck with your politician females (perhaps didn't do your homework on Frank Herbert's Dune, hm?).
I saw the remake with Jessica Biel. It was loads of fun but I cannot say it was a successful horror movie. I haven't seen this one yet but I guess, just like Amityville Horror, "based on a true story" marketing instantly catapults the creepiness factor into the skyline. At least for the likes of me...
Thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts, Lilla. It is a morning delight for me to hear that Tristram was an exciting discovery for you. Matt Uelmen is a versatile musician but you can sense his guitar is his primary power. I would suggest that you go for Diablo II's soundtrack first.
Tristram Village is a classic for us Diablo fans. That is why I just had to include it to my blog. Diablo's original score was never released as a soundtrack (after all Uelmen only wrote 6 tracks - 4 tracks for the 4 dungeon levels, 1 is for town and 1 is for the intro) but if you're interested in listening to it as well, please let me know.
I also heartily recommend the soundtrack of Age of Conan -- You can take a look at my analysis of its opening song here.
I agree completely, Bart. I wrote this post almost a week before I actually got the game and it captured me right on the spot, too. I admit that I'm a fan of sword & sorcery a wee bit more than high fantasy but I never thought the game and music could complement each other this well in a MMORPG (Guild Wars was great in the music-game arena as well though AoC is much much better). Very cinematic... This game is unsurpassable for me as far as MMORPGs go at the moment.
I''m loving the Demonologist and the Necromancer experience. -evil grin-
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