Rating: 10/10
Often I like to torture myself by listening to the soundtracks of games I REALLY want to have, but don't/can't. Such is the case with Haunting Ground, which I'm trying to find, and decided to listen to the soundtrack first. While it did just make me that much more desperate to play the game, it was well worth it. Because this is without a doubt my favorite survival horror soundtrack.
First off, it's more melodic, loud, and complex than most music in the genre. Yes, there's dark ambient, but that doesn't make up the whole soundtrack. And the dark ambient songs still make plenty use of melody and unique sounds.
Second, it is PERFECTLY suited to it's game. I was struck by how well the visual style of the gameplay and the songs went together. (As a contrast, the music of many Silent Hill or Fatal Frame seems a little out of place when compared to what you're seeing on screen. And don't even get me STARTED on Resident Evil, ugh.) Emotionally, as well - trust me, when the music panics, you panic. When the music gets sad and sweet, you say "Awww" and get teary.
Third - I know I always harp on this, but it's important - the songs are diverse. With one or two exceptions, no two pieces sound alike.
And fourth, it is ridiculously creative. From the panicky industrial sounds to the flawless incorporation of classical music, I've never heard a soundtrack quite like this before.
Like any other game I'll rate the full 10/10, I have absolutely no complaints about Haunting Ground's soundtrack. It blew me away, pure and simple. I may not have the game, but I'm sure glad I can enjoy as marvelous a soundscape as this.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Legend Of Zelda - Wind Waker
Rating: 9/10
It's an unusual opinion I have in the Zelda fandom: Wind Waker is hands-down my favorite game. For many reasons, including the creativity, amazing fight controls, lovable characters, lack of a water temple, dozens of awesome sidequests, and the sailing (which I totally loved). Another one of those reasons is the music - I would say WW has the best soundtrack of any game in the series.
I always judge soundtracks by three main factors: Creativity, Quality, and Suited to the Scene. Wind Waker has all of those things in spades. There's a wide range of sounds - the songs for each area are all unique. They set a perfect mood for every boss and event. The musical arrangements are like I'd never heard before.
The other wonderful thing about the music is how emotional it is. Not just sad or dramatic. The songs range from perfectly festive, to utterly majestic, to mildly terrifying. The sheer range of emotion in the soundtrack is impressive on its own.
The only real complaint I have with the music is that some of the songs do feel a bit...empty, I suppose is the best way to describe it. For the most part, the arrangements in Wind Waker are very sparsely orchestrated. Most of the time that works, but in some songs it just leaves you feeling disappointed. But that's a minor complaint, and this game still has my favorite soundtrack out of all the Zelda games.
It's an unusual opinion I have in the Zelda fandom: Wind Waker is hands-down my favorite game. For many reasons, including the creativity, amazing fight controls, lovable characters, lack of a water temple, dozens of awesome sidequests, and the sailing (which I totally loved). Another one of those reasons is the music - I would say WW has the best soundtrack of any game in the series.
I always judge soundtracks by three main factors: Creativity, Quality, and Suited to the Scene. Wind Waker has all of those things in spades. There's a wide range of sounds - the songs for each area are all unique. They set a perfect mood for every boss and event. The musical arrangements are like I'd never heard before.
The other wonderful thing about the music is how emotional it is. Not just sad or dramatic. The songs range from perfectly festive, to utterly majestic, to mildly terrifying. The sheer range of emotion in the soundtrack is impressive on its own.
The only real complaint I have with the music is that some of the songs do feel a bit...empty, I suppose is the best way to describe it. For the most part, the arrangements in Wind Waker are very sparsely orchestrated. Most of the time that works, but in some songs it just leaves you feeling disappointed. But that's a minor complaint, and this game still has my favorite soundtrack out of all the Zelda games.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Rating: 10/10
Moving out of the survival horror genre for a minute, I'd now like to talk about what is probably my absolute favorite video game soundtrack of all time: Final Fantasy - Crystal Chronicles.
If anyone ever tells me that video games aren't art, or don't have any merit, I think that all I'll do is play this CD and ask them "How can something with this in it not be art?"
It's impossible to describe the soundtrack if you've never heard it. It's a shining example of what can be done with folk instruments and a tiny orchestra. 90% of the songs use only folk instruments or unique ones to create a truly distinctive soundscape. Woodwinds are at the forefront. Shakers and tribal-style percussion sets an either relaxing or energizing background. Each song is unique and wonderful, setting a perfect mood for wherever you are at the time.
And the thing is, all the songs are amazing. Not just a few. They're all mind-blowingly creative and lovely, showing what a little creativity and a lot of inspiration can do. Remember, I mentioned that what makes a great soundtrack to me is one that you would listen to anywhere, not just in the context of the game itself. Well, I would listen to the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack everywhere. Most "normal" music isn't this incredible.
I don't even think I can pick a favorite song. If forced to, I'd probably say it's a tie between the ridiculously catchy Moschet Manor theme (I literally would stand for twenty minutes in this level, just to hear this song. I went back there whenever I could), and the genuinely disturbing Mag Mell. But really, every song was equally wonderful, and whatever I thought of the game itself, Crystal Chronicles without a shred of doubt had the best soundtrack of the Final Fantasy series. As well as, in my opinion, video games in general.
10/10, no second thoughts.
Moving out of the survival horror genre for a minute, I'd now like to talk about what is probably my absolute favorite video game soundtrack of all time: Final Fantasy - Crystal Chronicles.
If anyone ever tells me that video games aren't art, or don't have any merit, I think that all I'll do is play this CD and ask them "How can something with this in it not be art?"
It's impossible to describe the soundtrack if you've never heard it. It's a shining example of what can be done with folk instruments and a tiny orchestra. 90% of the songs use only folk instruments or unique ones to create a truly distinctive soundscape. Woodwinds are at the forefront. Shakers and tribal-style percussion sets an either relaxing or energizing background. Each song is unique and wonderful, setting a perfect mood for wherever you are at the time.
And the thing is, all the songs are amazing. Not just a few. They're all mind-blowingly creative and lovely, showing what a little creativity and a lot of inspiration can do. Remember, I mentioned that what makes a great soundtrack to me is one that you would listen to anywhere, not just in the context of the game itself. Well, I would listen to the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack everywhere. Most "normal" music isn't this incredible.
I don't even think I can pick a favorite song. If forced to, I'd probably say it's a tie between the ridiculously catchy Moschet Manor theme (I literally would stand for twenty minutes in this level, just to hear this song. I went back there whenever I could), and the genuinely disturbing Mag Mell. But really, every song was equally wonderful, and whatever I thought of the game itself, Crystal Chronicles without a shred of doubt had the best soundtrack of the Final Fantasy series. As well as, in my opinion, video games in general.
10/10, no second thoughts.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Silent Hill 1
Rating: 8/10
Given that I disliked the SH2 soundtrack, you would probably think I'd hate the original game's soundtrack, due to the fact that it's way more of dark ambient than the second one, with even fewer melodic songs.
But I loved the original Silent Hill's soundtrack. It's an example of how to do ambient, dark, industrial music well. It creates a perfect atmosphere, while not being boring or repetitive.
That's the key: Unlike the overly-repeated sounds of SH2, every atmospheric track is incredibly unique here, and really works to give each area its own different mood.
The songs work great with your emotions. Some of the highlights, for me, are the loneliness-inspiring Last Goodbye, the rather terrifying Playing Truant, or the paranoia-inducing Holy Ghost, the tunes know how to get you really into the game.
And of course, not all songs are only ambient. There are the opening and different ending themes, for one. But the shining star of the soundtrack is Not Tomorrow, the song that plays during and after Lisa Garland's (in)famous death scene. I didn't even care for Lisa's character that much, but it was this stunningly beautiful and sad song that made me start crying at that scene. Especially when the rest of the music up to this point was aimed to be scary or emotionless, suddenly hearing this song was enough to make you want to bawl.
So yes, I think the original Silent Hill definitely had the best soundtrack out of the series. With a slew of unique and creative dark ambient/industrial songs complemented by the occasional touching melody, it's a piece of pure art.
Given that I disliked the SH2 soundtrack, you would probably think I'd hate the original game's soundtrack, due to the fact that it's way more of dark ambient than the second one, with even fewer melodic songs.
But I loved the original Silent Hill's soundtrack. It's an example of how to do ambient, dark, industrial music well. It creates a perfect atmosphere, while not being boring or repetitive.
That's the key: Unlike the overly-repeated sounds of SH2, every atmospheric track is incredibly unique here, and really works to give each area its own different mood.
The songs work great with your emotions. Some of the highlights, for me, are the loneliness-inspiring Last Goodbye, the rather terrifying Playing Truant, or the paranoia-inducing Holy Ghost, the tunes know how to get you really into the game.
And of course, not all songs are only ambient. There are the opening and different ending themes, for one. But the shining star of the soundtrack is Not Tomorrow, the song that plays during and after Lisa Garland's (in)famous death scene. I didn't even care for Lisa's character that much, but it was this stunningly beautiful and sad song that made me start crying at that scene. Especially when the rest of the music up to this point was aimed to be scary or emotionless, suddenly hearing this song was enough to make you want to bawl.
So yes, I think the original Silent Hill definitely had the best soundtrack out of the series. With a slew of unique and creative dark ambient/industrial songs complemented by the occasional touching melody, it's a piece of pure art.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Fatal Frame 1
Rating: 3/10
One thing I'll mention a lot in upcoming reviews is that there's not always a correlation between the quality of a game and the quality of its soundtrack. There are games I absolutely despise - that I nevertheless must admit have great soundtracks. With Fatal Frame, it's the sad opposite - a game I completely love, but one that has a rather terrible soundtrack.
Fatal Frame, like any survival horror game, has a soundtrack consisting primarily of dark ambience. But you could barely tell that from playing it, given that the songs are so quiet you can barely hear them, no matter how loud you turn up the volume. (And you DON'T wanna turn up the volume too much, given that a door opening is ten times louder than the soundtrack. You'll blow your ears out, kid.)
I don't even know how to describe what disappointed me about the soundtrack. One of the things I can pinpoint is that it was very cliche, with very little originality. The song that you'll be hearing the most throughout the game consists solely of that "windy-ghost voice" effect you hear used EVERYWHERE. (Literally every dark classical band I've listened to has used that stock sound effect - including Nox Arcana.)
The other huge problem is that each ghost's song is basically a background of white noise, with several of the ghost's sayings repeated. Over and over and over again. You know how much you hated fighting Blinded, right? Now imagine listening to her whining about her lost eyes for five minutes straight. Yeah, it's pretty much the same for every single ghost.
What makes this even more disappointing is that you could tell, the composers had the potential to make a great soundtrack. There's the wonderful menu and ending themes, as well as one example of really GOOD dark ambient, the Children's Room. The other two wonderful songs from the game, Koto and the unnamed song that plays in the flashback to Kirie's lover, are far too short to be enjoyed properly. (On the soundtrack, Koto is only 30 seconds long, and the second song isn't there at all!)
So yes, overall I give it a 3/10. As amazing a game as Fatal Frame is, its soundtrack is not so wonderful.
One thing I'll mention a lot in upcoming reviews is that there's not always a correlation between the quality of a game and the quality of its soundtrack. There are games I absolutely despise - that I nevertheless must admit have great soundtracks. With Fatal Frame, it's the sad opposite - a game I completely love, but one that has a rather terrible soundtrack.
Fatal Frame, like any survival horror game, has a soundtrack consisting primarily of dark ambience. But you could barely tell that from playing it, given that the songs are so quiet you can barely hear them, no matter how loud you turn up the volume. (And you DON'T wanna turn up the volume too much, given that a door opening is ten times louder than the soundtrack. You'll blow your ears out, kid.)
I don't even know how to describe what disappointed me about the soundtrack. One of the things I can pinpoint is that it was very cliche, with very little originality. The song that you'll be hearing the most throughout the game consists solely of that "windy-ghost voice" effect you hear used EVERYWHERE. (Literally every dark classical band I've listened to has used that stock sound effect - including Nox Arcana.)
The other huge problem is that each ghost's song is basically a background of white noise, with several of the ghost's sayings repeated. Over and over and over again. You know how much you hated fighting Blinded, right? Now imagine listening to her whining about her lost eyes for five minutes straight. Yeah, it's pretty much the same for every single ghost.
What makes this even more disappointing is that you could tell, the composers had the potential to make a great soundtrack. There's the wonderful menu and ending themes, as well as one example of really GOOD dark ambient, the Children's Room. The other two wonderful songs from the game, Koto and the unnamed song that plays in the flashback to Kirie's lover, are far too short to be enjoyed properly. (On the soundtrack, Koto is only 30 seconds long, and the second song isn't there at all!)
So yes, overall I give it a 3/10. As amazing a game as Fatal Frame is, its soundtrack is not so wonderful.
Soundtrack Review: Silent Hill 2
Rating: 5/10
Ask survival horror fans what the epitome of the genre is, they'll most likely point to Silent Hill. Ask them where the best survival horror soundtracks are, and they'll most likely point the exact same way.
I agree with them...to an extent. Silent Hill, including Silent Hill 2, does have some very lovely and interesting songs. The problem is, I'd like to hear more of them.
While the second game in the series gave birth to some classic melodies like Betrayal and Theme Of Laura, those are incredibly rare within the game itself. The majority of the soundtrack isn't that great at all. For every stunningly beautiful Music Box melody you hear, you have to go through ten tracks of what, as YouTube commenters so accurately put it, sounds like Pyramid Head's copy machine.
Anyone can tell you that I'm a huge dark ambient whore, so I thought I would like the ambient-style soundtrack. But there's a right and a wrong way to do dark ambient, and one way to instantly put yourself on the Wrong List is too much repetition. Silent Hill 2 has this problem in spades. While the songs can work simply to provide atmosphere within the game, the sheer recycling of sounds and repetition of rhythms gets boring FAST.
This annoyance is amplified by the track division on the soundtrack - you'll have three songs that should be one, given that they're each just the same repeated sound effect(s).
So, I give it an overall rating of 5/10. While I give it massive credit for having masterpieces like Betrayal, the Music Box, and Theme Of Laura, you have to wade through so much repetitive and boring other songs to get to the good. The reason I actually don't rate it lower is that, as I said, the ambient songs do their technical "job" within the game, which is to contribute to the game's atmosphere. But for a soundtrack to be impressive, it has to be something you'd listen to outside of the game. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to listen to five tracks of Pyramid Head's copy machine just for the fun.
Oh, and if I put you in a SH2 mood now...I ARE JAMES! PURIFIER OF THAT WHICH IS UNHOLY!
Ask survival horror fans what the epitome of the genre is, they'll most likely point to Silent Hill. Ask them where the best survival horror soundtracks are, and they'll most likely point the exact same way.
I agree with them...to an extent. Silent Hill, including Silent Hill 2, does have some very lovely and interesting songs. The problem is, I'd like to hear more of them.
While the second game in the series gave birth to some classic melodies like Betrayal and Theme Of Laura, those are incredibly rare within the game itself. The majority of the soundtrack isn't that great at all. For every stunningly beautiful Music Box melody you hear, you have to go through ten tracks of what, as YouTube commenters so accurately put it, sounds like Pyramid Head's copy machine.
Anyone can tell you that I'm a huge dark ambient whore, so I thought I would like the ambient-style soundtrack. But there's a right and a wrong way to do dark ambient, and one way to instantly put yourself on the Wrong List is too much repetition. Silent Hill 2 has this problem in spades. While the songs can work simply to provide atmosphere within the game, the sheer recycling of sounds and repetition of rhythms gets boring FAST.
This annoyance is amplified by the track division on the soundtrack - you'll have three songs that should be one, given that they're each just the same repeated sound effect(s).
So, I give it an overall rating of 5/10. While I give it massive credit for having masterpieces like Betrayal, the Music Box, and Theme Of Laura, you have to wade through so much repetitive and boring other songs to get to the good. The reason I actually don't rate it lower is that, as I said, the ambient songs do their technical "job" within the game, which is to contribute to the game's atmosphere. But for a soundtrack to be impressive, it has to be something you'd listen to outside of the game. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to listen to five tracks of Pyramid Head's copy machine just for the fun.
Oh, and if I put you in a SH2 mood now...I ARE JAMES! PURIFIER OF THAT WHICH IS UNHOLY!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
I'm reviewing video game soundtracks now!
Not in any official context. That's just what my next project is going to be for this blog.
I've always loved video games of all types, but this last year is when I've gotten really, REALLY into them. I've found so many new games that I love. And what's the the thing I pay attention to most, as a typical cynical musician? The soundtrack.
It should be pretty obvious that soundtracks are hugely important to games. While there are good games that manage to succeed despite having crappy music, the gaming experience is affected more than anything by the sounds accompanying the action on screen.
Having listened to many game soundtracks, I've decided to start placing my thoughts and opinions on various OSTs here. Not every soundtrack that I review will be from a game that I've played, though most will.
So yeah...look forward to more reviews soon!
I've always loved video games of all types, but this last year is when I've gotten really, REALLY into them. I've found so many new games that I love. And what's the the thing I pay attention to most, as a typical cynical musician? The soundtrack.
It should be pretty obvious that soundtracks are hugely important to games. While there are good games that manage to succeed despite having crappy music, the gaming experience is affected more than anything by the sounds accompanying the action on screen.
Having listened to many game soundtracks, I've decided to start placing my thoughts and opinions on various OSTs here. Not every soundtrack that I review will be from a game that I've played, though most will.
So yeah...look forward to more reviews soon!
Monday, January 16, 2012
There Is Nothing Binarist About Only Being Attracted To Binary Genders
As I was looking through queer blogs while trying to plan out my bisexual post yesterday, I once again had my attention drawn to just how much biphobia exists within so-called "LGBTQ-friendly" spaces. And 90% of the time, this hate is excused by accusing bisexuals of being "binarist". Convenient - you can cover up your oppression of bisexuals by derailing and saying "I'm doing it from trans* rights! All those mean bisexuals oppress trans people anyway just by their existence!"
In case you aren't familiar with the term "binarism", it's used within the context of gender to refer to the idea that there are only two genders. Now, there is quite a lot of binarism from people. But I have come to get seriously suspicious any time someone uses that word, because in my experience, that word has been used as an excuse to hate on and shame bisexuals.
The (failed) logic behind bigots who say that bisexual=binarist is apparently that the prefix bi- is used to indicate "two" of something, and somehow people make the leap from that to "ZOMG BISEXUALS THINK THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS!!111"
But here's the thing...that's not how it works.
For one important thing, not all bisexuals are only attracted to binary genders. Quite a few are attracted to those outside the gender binary. "Bisexual" does not, in fact, mean "men and women" - it can also mean "genders different from myself as well as my own gender". For example, a genderqueer person could be bisexual, being attracted to both genderqueer people and non-genderqueer people.
But here's where my anger really lies. When bisexuals have to defend themselves from this hate, most of them default to the explanation above - that bisexuality does not just mean attraction to only men and women. They're so desperate to get away from the assumption that they're only attracted to men and women.
Yeah, here's the thing: There is nothing wrong with only being attracted to the binary genders.
It's that simple. If you think there's something wrong with it, then get a clue: You are biphobic. Don't try to spew some bullshit about "but...but...binarism!" or how we're inherently oppressing non-binary people with our existence. You can't hide bigotry under the guise of activism.
There is a complete double standard here with who non-bisexual people accuse of "oppression". Lesbians are only attracted to women - why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone who's not a woman? Hell, if asexuals are attracted to no one, why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone?
So please, stop with implying that there is anything wrong with only being attracted to two binary genders. It's biphobic, plain and simple. (And hey, fellow bisexuals: Next time someone makes the binarism argument, could you maybe take a moment to mention that some bisexuals are only attracted to the binary genders, and that's okay? Thanks.)
(If you'd like to see three of the posts that made me angry enough to inspire this, go here, here, and here.) But be warned: MASSIVE biphobia and ignorance abound.
In case you aren't familiar with the term "binarism", it's used within the context of gender to refer to the idea that there are only two genders. Now, there is quite a lot of binarism from people. But I have come to get seriously suspicious any time someone uses that word, because in my experience, that word has been used as an excuse to hate on and shame bisexuals.
The (failed) logic behind bigots who say that bisexual=binarist is apparently that the prefix bi- is used to indicate "two" of something, and somehow people make the leap from that to "ZOMG BISEXUALS THINK THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS!!111"
But here's the thing...that's not how it works.
For one important thing, not all bisexuals are only attracted to binary genders. Quite a few are attracted to those outside the gender binary. "Bisexual" does not, in fact, mean "men and women" - it can also mean "genders different from myself as well as my own gender". For example, a genderqueer person could be bisexual, being attracted to both genderqueer people and non-genderqueer people.
But here's where my anger really lies. When bisexuals have to defend themselves from this hate, most of them default to the explanation above - that bisexuality does not just mean attraction to only men and women. They're so desperate to get away from the assumption that they're only attracted to men and women.
Yeah, here's the thing: There is nothing wrong with only being attracted to the binary genders.
It's that simple. If you think there's something wrong with it, then get a clue: You are biphobic. Don't try to spew some bullshit about "but...but...binarism!" or how we're inherently oppressing non-binary people with our existence. You can't hide bigotry under the guise of activism.
There is a complete double standard here with who non-bisexual people accuse of "oppression". Lesbians are only attracted to women - why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone who's not a woman? Hell, if asexuals are attracted to no one, why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone?
So please, stop with implying that there is anything wrong with only being attracted to two binary genders. It's biphobic, plain and simple. (And hey, fellow bisexuals: Next time someone makes the binarism argument, could you maybe take a moment to mention that some bisexuals are only attracted to the binary genders, and that's okay? Thanks.)
(If you'd like to see three of the posts that made me angry enough to inspire this, go here, here, and here.) But be warned: MASSIVE biphobia and ignorance abound.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Bisexuals Need Uniquely Bisexual Spaces
One of the reasons I haven't been doing very much blogging here in the last couple of months is that I've become more and more tangled up in the blogging community on Tumblr. In addition to finding an awesome fandom for foreign musicals on there, it's a great place to find LGBTQ blogs. They're all great, in their own way. But, I do have some serious problems with some so-called "bisexual" blogs.
A blog will call itself a place for bisexuals...then have tons of stuff about pansexual people. This bothers me, it really does.
Bisexual people have struggled for years to have their identities recognized as separate from gay and lesbian. Biphobia and bisexual erasure comes from the LGT community as much as it does from cis, straight people. We need spaces of our own, about our own identities - not other people's.
In case you've never heard of pansexual, it's an orientation usually defined as "attraction to all genders", or "attraction to personality as opposed to gender". Many pansexual people refer to themselves as "gender blind" or "loving people, not genders".
Now, there is an increasingly big community emerging for pansexuals. They have plenty of blogs to submit things to. Instead, blogs that I go to to find stuff about my orientation are increasingly dominated by pansexual things.
The fact that this is happening specifically to bisexual blogs instead of, say, lesbian blogs is a large part of the problem. There are so many blogs for only lesbians, only gay men, only pansexual people, only trans men or only trans women. If you submit something that isn't any of those things to those blogs, it won't be posted.
But bisexuals? Nope, we're again pushed aside from having our own spaces. It really bothers me when I see "Bisexual events" whose flyers invite "All bi and pansexual people!"
Because here's the thing: Pansexual people are not bisexual. Including them in a "bisexual" space is as ridiculous as saying "this is a place for trans* people only! But we invite cis people as well! In fact, why don't we have MORE cis people than trans people?"
Pansexual people have quite often also been guilty of blatant biphobia, claiming that our orientation is "binarist" or "transphobic". Not all pansexual people are biphobic, obviously, but many have said very VERY biphobic things.
I'm also confused as to why pansexual people would want to submit their pictures/profiles to bisexual spaces in the first place - given that so many of them have worked hard to not be seen as bisexual.
Now, if a blog wants to be a space for lots of different orientations, go ahead! That's fine! But I cannot stand that bisexuals claim a space, then have it - as always - dominated by other orientations.
A blog will call itself a place for bisexuals...then have tons of stuff about pansexual people. This bothers me, it really does.
Bisexual people have struggled for years to have their identities recognized as separate from gay and lesbian. Biphobia and bisexual erasure comes from the LGT community as much as it does from cis, straight people. We need spaces of our own, about our own identities - not other people's.
In case you've never heard of pansexual, it's an orientation usually defined as "attraction to all genders", or "attraction to personality as opposed to gender". Many pansexual people refer to themselves as "gender blind" or "loving people, not genders".
Now, there is an increasingly big community emerging for pansexuals. They have plenty of blogs to submit things to. Instead, blogs that I go to to find stuff about my orientation are increasingly dominated by pansexual things.
The fact that this is happening specifically to bisexual blogs instead of, say, lesbian blogs is a large part of the problem. There are so many blogs for only lesbians, only gay men, only pansexual people, only trans men or only trans women. If you submit something that isn't any of those things to those blogs, it won't be posted.
But bisexuals? Nope, we're again pushed aside from having our own spaces. It really bothers me when I see "Bisexual events" whose flyers invite "All bi and pansexual people!"
Because here's the thing: Pansexual people are not bisexual. Including them in a "bisexual" space is as ridiculous as saying "this is a place for trans* people only! But we invite cis people as well! In fact, why don't we have MORE cis people than trans people?"
Pansexual people have quite often also been guilty of blatant biphobia, claiming that our orientation is "binarist" or "transphobic". Not all pansexual people are biphobic, obviously, but many have said very VERY biphobic things.
I'm also confused as to why pansexual people would want to submit their pictures/profiles to bisexual spaces in the first place - given that so many of them have worked hard to not be seen as bisexual.
Now, if a blog wants to be a space for lots of different orientations, go ahead! That's fine! But I cannot stand that bisexuals claim a space, then have it - as always - dominated by other orientations.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Celluloid Closet
Thanks to the wonder that is Tumblr, my attention was recently brought to the amazing film The Celluloid Closet. A documentary based off the book by Vito Russo, it analyzes the portrayal of gay characters throughout the evolution of film. (And it is pretty much just gay characters, not LGBT - there's maybe one ambiguously bisexual character, and no trans* people.)
I thought it sounded interesting, and I was not disappointed. A thoughtful look at many different kinds of films that all have their own problems or advantages. It's incredibly disheartening for the first half or so, of course - but don't worry, there's always a happy ending.
What I like about this documentary is the truthful commentary that comes along with presenting certain clips. I found myself agreeing with most of the things that were being said - for example, that gay audiences are so used to looking for tiny crumbs in media that we'll watch a terrible movie just for the possibility that a character might be gay.
This also put quite a few movies on my to-watch list. I can't believe I'd never heard of some of these. Overall, it's an incredible film, and I'm very glad I saw it. Why don't you take a look too?
I thought it sounded interesting, and I was not disappointed. A thoughtful look at many different kinds of films that all have their own problems or advantages. It's incredibly disheartening for the first half or so, of course - but don't worry, there's always a happy ending.
What I like about this documentary is the truthful commentary that comes along with presenting certain clips. I found myself agreeing with most of the things that were being said - for example, that gay audiences are so used to looking for tiny crumbs in media that we'll watch a terrible movie just for the possibility that a character might be gay.
This also put quite a few movies on my to-watch list. I can't believe I'd never heard of some of these. Overall, it's an incredible film, and I'm very glad I saw it. Why don't you take a look too?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Good News, Except Not
The saga of my ever-deteriorating physical health continues! After suffering from a severe throat-killing chronic cough for a whole year-and-a-half, I finally had an appointment with an ENT. The "normal" doctor's diagnosis of an acid-reflux disease seems to have been off, since the medication I took for a month made practically no difference.
The good news? I'm not suffering from some life-threatening condition that manifests itself as a cough. The doctor didn't stick that infernal scope down my vocal cords and freak out about what she saw there. It appears that there's really nothing wrong with me.
The bad news? Nothing wrong...EXCEPT THE COUGH. It almost would have been better if she had found something, because then there would be a definitive reason, and it could be treated. As it is now, the only explanation she can offer is that I just started coughing for some reason, and since then my body has self-perpetuated the irritation of my throat.
That or I have some form of asthma.
Well, I'll be taking some cough-suppressing pills to see if that will work. (I absolutely refuse to drink liquid medicine. I don't care if I'm 15 and should be "over this", I positively will not drink anything that tastes that icky.) If all else fails we'll probably try an inhaler to test the asthma theory.
The human body: Finding unique ways to screw you over since the beginning of time!
The good news? I'm not suffering from some life-threatening condition that manifests itself as a cough. The doctor didn't stick that infernal scope down my vocal cords and freak out about what she saw there. It appears that there's really nothing wrong with me.
The bad news? Nothing wrong...EXCEPT THE COUGH. It almost would have been better if she had found something, because then there would be a definitive reason, and it could be treated. As it is now, the only explanation she can offer is that I just started coughing for some reason, and since then my body has self-perpetuated the irritation of my throat.
That or I have some form of asthma.
Well, I'll be taking some cough-suppressing pills to see if that will work. (I absolutely refuse to drink liquid medicine. I don't care if I'm 15 and should be "over this", I positively will not drink anything that tastes that icky.) If all else fails we'll probably try an inhaler to test the asthma theory.
The human body: Finding unique ways to screw you over since the beginning of time!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The best place to find scary story books "for kids"?
I'm lucky enough to be within walking range of at least two bookstores and a library, and in driving range of many more, from small independently-owned stores to chains like Barnes & Noble and (formerly) Borders. (Rest in peace, my beloved Borders.) Being an avid reader (some may say "obsessive", and I will not disagree with them), I've spent plenty of time determining the best places for specific genres. Each store and library has its own strengths and resources when it comes to what they stock.
Personally, I'm always on the look for dark and Gothy books aimed at younger audiences. A lot of parents have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not all horror books are gorefests and wildly inappropriate for anyone under 13. Goosebumps aside, that is. Goosebumps are amazing, but when I was spending hours in my school library, I certainly wanted more than that one series that could satisfy my darker reading side. And in fact, I've discovered that the best place I've seen to buy scary story collections aimed at young readers is: Goodwill.
Seriously. I live in range of about three Goodwills, and have been to several more. Every one I've been to has four or five bookcases of haphazardly organized used books, which I always raid with enthusiasm (even though my parents brought me there to buy clothes...ooops). And every single time I've looked, I've found "children's" scary stories books. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I mean a collection of short stories made to be a little creepy but nothing overly scary - the typical book has about 8-15 stories, none more than eight or so pages. The most famous one is probably Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, though don't worry, no other collection/series has those mentally scarring illustrations.
(Oh yeah, have I mentioned that while I've never been scared of a movie or book, but five months ago when I saw the picture for The Dream, I flipped out and refused to touch those books because I was so paranoid there would be more terrifying pictures? Seriously, that Dream illustration, as well as the one from The Thing, made sleeping difficult for WEEKS.)
Anyway. So, if an entertaining short story collection for people under 13 is what you're after, don't waste your time at a normal bookstore. Just browse through the shelves at the nearest Goodwill.
(I put "for kids" in quotations, because I will still be reading these books when I'm 50. The stories are good, darn it!)
(Also, if you have a bunch of old books that you never read anymore, please consider donating them to Goodwill! Just like any other toy or piece of clothing - you may not want or need it, but I can guarantee you a person somewhere would LOVE to have a nice book to read.)
Personally, I'm always on the look for dark and Gothy books aimed at younger audiences. A lot of parents have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not all horror books are gorefests and wildly inappropriate for anyone under 13. Goosebumps aside, that is. Goosebumps are amazing, but when I was spending hours in my school library, I certainly wanted more than that one series that could satisfy my darker reading side. And in fact, I've discovered that the best place I've seen to buy scary story collections aimed at young readers is: Goodwill.
Seriously. I live in range of about three Goodwills, and have been to several more. Every one I've been to has four or five bookcases of haphazardly organized used books, which I always raid with enthusiasm (even though my parents brought me there to buy clothes...ooops). And every single time I've looked, I've found "children's" scary stories books. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I mean a collection of short stories made to be a little creepy but nothing overly scary - the typical book has about 8-15 stories, none more than eight or so pages. The most famous one is probably Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, though don't worry, no other collection/series has those mentally scarring illustrations.
(Oh yeah, have I mentioned that while I've never been scared of a movie or book, but five months ago when I saw the picture for The Dream, I flipped out and refused to touch those books because I was so paranoid there would be more terrifying pictures? Seriously, that Dream illustration, as well as the one from The Thing, made sleeping difficult for WEEKS.)
Anyway. So, if an entertaining short story collection for people under 13 is what you're after, don't waste your time at a normal bookstore. Just browse through the shelves at the nearest Goodwill.
(I put "for kids" in quotations, because I will still be reading these books when I'm 50. The stories are good, darn it!)
(Also, if you have a bunch of old books that you never read anymore, please consider donating them to Goodwill! Just like any other toy or piece of clothing - you may not want or need it, but I can guarantee you a person somewhere would LOVE to have a nice book to read.)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Review Of The 2009 Roméo Et Juliette Cast CD - Part 3
I know it's taken me forever to finish this up, but I finally got around to it. Here's the final part of the CD itself, though later I may talk about the bonus DVD (which I finally realized I could play in my computer regardless of the region...)
Anyway, let's finish up Act 2.
11.Avoir Une Fille - This is definitely my favorite arrangement of this song. A nice balance of the delicate piano, strong guitar, and Arié Itah's rough voice. I have to admit that this was another song it took me a while to warm up to. Here, you can really feel all the emotions that a father is going through. Overall, excellent!
12.On Prie - Aaaand another new song. I was a little suspicious of this at first - after all, the second act is already bogged down by too many ballads, and with this addition, we have eight slow songs in a row. But if you ignore the slow pacing it adds to, this is a nice song. Not an amazing song, but a nice one. Daniel sounds...odd, I don't know how to put it. He's not strained, but his voice doesn't always sound comfortable with what he's singing. Also, at several points it's nearly impossible to hear Joy's upper harmonies. Overall, a good song, but the show could do without it.
13.Le Poison - Confession: I never liked this song. And it's not one of the ones I've warmed up to - I still don't like it. But as far as I can appreciate it, the instruments are lovely, and Joy sounds delicate and fragile in the best way possible. She sounds like a beautiful glass vase that's about to shatter - very emotional. There's also a lovely subdued choir in the background. Overall, it's an amazing version of a song I just can't come around to loving.
14.Sans Elle - The only reason I've heard the melody of this song as much as I have is that I kept playing the German version on the piano. But, unfortunately, it's another song which I think could be poked out of the show and I wouldn't mind at all. Daniel and Joy sound great, and I love the guitar in the background, but overall I'm just not fond of the song itself or this particular arrangement.
15.Vérone 2 - When you first hear this, it might be difficult to even realize that this is a reprise of Vérone. It is, and it's GREAT. I think I've mentioned before that Stéphane Metro is my favorite Escalus, and this song just cements that opinion. So much emotion - and he goes in seconds from shrieking in anger to barely whispering in sadness. This song shows both the range of emotion in his vocal acting as well as his vocal range itself. Overall, bloody fantastic!
16.Comment Lui Dire - And we finally get a solo from my favorite Benvolio! This is another wonderful arrangement with another wonderful singer. There's the faintest hint of plucked strings in the background along with the guitar and synths, and along with Cyril Niccolai's soaring voice, it's a beautiful effect. Overall, just amazing.
17.Mort De Roméo - Another confession: This might as well be the first time I'm hearing this song, for all the times I've listened to it. I think I heard it once before. Because I'm used to the Hungarian ending, which has a reprise of J'ai Peur replace this song. (I like that way better.) I mean, this is a good song - I like the woodwinds, and Daniel sounds lovely as always - but it's just so...monochrome musically. Overally, nice singer but meh.
18.Mort De Juliette - I have listened to this song often, though, and I'm torn on this arrangement. On the one hand, the instruments are beyond fantastic. Great guitars, nice strings. On the other hand, Joy's voice sounds incredibly weak. I want to hear a stronger angst. There should be a little anger. Instead, all I get is a delicate little voice singing without all too much emotion. Overall, it would've worked better as an instrumental.
19.J'sais Plus - Another song which I must confess to skipping typically when I'm listening/watching. But I can find nothing to complain about here, strong voices and strong instruments, with a nice lamenting choir. Overall, while I might not be too fond of the song itself, a great arrangement.
20.Coupable - Yay, we get to hear more from Lady Montague! I remember this song as being arranged differently in just about every single version, and this is one of my favorites. A neat little string beat makes a nice background to the legato voices of the Ladies and the choir. I did really love the German version where they worked a reprise of Einmal in, and I wished they had done that here, but it's so lovely that I can't really complain.
21.Avoir 20 Ans - Aaaaand this song. This song was actually half of the reason I wanted this CD in the first place - after only hearing some very low-quality live recordings of the song, I was insanely curious as to how the recorded version sounded. And it did not disappoint me at all! I completely adore this song, everything about it. It's nearly as catchy as Les Rois Du Monde, and wormed its way into my head for days afterwards. It's just a fun, feel-good song with great singers. Overall, I beyond love it.
And thus ends the show! As a whole, any fan of the musical should have this recording. With an amazing cast, powerful orchestra, and some new songs, it's a must-have, and probably one of the best recordings out there. The only weak point of it is the occasional weak arrangement or unemotional singer, but those are easily overlooked in what is simply a wonderful CD.
Anyway, let's finish up Act 2.
11.Avoir Une Fille - This is definitely my favorite arrangement of this song. A nice balance of the delicate piano, strong guitar, and Arié Itah's rough voice. I have to admit that this was another song it took me a while to warm up to. Here, you can really feel all the emotions that a father is going through. Overall, excellent!
12.On Prie - Aaaand another new song. I was a little suspicious of this at first - after all, the second act is already bogged down by too many ballads, and with this addition, we have eight slow songs in a row. But if you ignore the slow pacing it adds to, this is a nice song. Not an amazing song, but a nice one. Daniel sounds...odd, I don't know how to put it. He's not strained, but his voice doesn't always sound comfortable with what he's singing. Also, at several points it's nearly impossible to hear Joy's upper harmonies. Overall, a good song, but the show could do without it.
13.Le Poison - Confession: I never liked this song. And it's not one of the ones I've warmed up to - I still don't like it. But as far as I can appreciate it, the instruments are lovely, and Joy sounds delicate and fragile in the best way possible. She sounds like a beautiful glass vase that's about to shatter - very emotional. There's also a lovely subdued choir in the background. Overall, it's an amazing version of a song I just can't come around to loving.
14.Sans Elle - The only reason I've heard the melody of this song as much as I have is that I kept playing the German version on the piano. But, unfortunately, it's another song which I think could be poked out of the show and I wouldn't mind at all. Daniel and Joy sound great, and I love the guitar in the background, but overall I'm just not fond of the song itself or this particular arrangement.
15.Vérone 2 - When you first hear this, it might be difficult to even realize that this is a reprise of Vérone. It is, and it's GREAT. I think I've mentioned before that Stéphane Metro is my favorite Escalus, and this song just cements that opinion. So much emotion - and he goes in seconds from shrieking in anger to barely whispering in sadness. This song shows both the range of emotion in his vocal acting as well as his vocal range itself. Overall, bloody fantastic!
16.Comment Lui Dire - And we finally get a solo from my favorite Benvolio! This is another wonderful arrangement with another wonderful singer. There's the faintest hint of plucked strings in the background along with the guitar and synths, and along with Cyril Niccolai's soaring voice, it's a beautiful effect. Overall, just amazing.
17.Mort De Roméo - Another confession: This might as well be the first time I'm hearing this song, for all the times I've listened to it. I think I heard it once before. Because I'm used to the Hungarian ending, which has a reprise of J'ai Peur replace this song. (I like that way better.) I mean, this is a good song - I like the woodwinds, and Daniel sounds lovely as always - but it's just so...monochrome musically. Overally, nice singer but meh.
18.Mort De Juliette - I have listened to this song often, though, and I'm torn on this arrangement. On the one hand, the instruments are beyond fantastic. Great guitars, nice strings. On the other hand, Joy's voice sounds incredibly weak. I want to hear a stronger angst. There should be a little anger. Instead, all I get is a delicate little voice singing without all too much emotion. Overall, it would've worked better as an instrumental.
19.J'sais Plus - Another song which I must confess to skipping typically when I'm listening/watching. But I can find nothing to complain about here, strong voices and strong instruments, with a nice lamenting choir. Overall, while I might not be too fond of the song itself, a great arrangement.
20.Coupable - Yay, we get to hear more from Lady Montague! I remember this song as being arranged differently in just about every single version, and this is one of my favorites. A neat little string beat makes a nice background to the legato voices of the Ladies and the choir. I did really love the German version where they worked a reprise of Einmal in, and I wished they had done that here, but it's so lovely that I can't really complain.
21.Avoir 20 Ans - Aaaaand this song. This song was actually half of the reason I wanted this CD in the first place - after only hearing some very low-quality live recordings of the song, I was insanely curious as to how the recorded version sounded. And it did not disappoint me at all! I completely adore this song, everything about it. It's nearly as catchy as Les Rois Du Monde, and wormed its way into my head for days afterwards. It's just a fun, feel-good song with great singers. Overall, I beyond love it.
And thus ends the show! As a whole, any fan of the musical should have this recording. With an amazing cast, powerful orchestra, and some new songs, it's a must-have, and probably one of the best recordings out there. The only weak point of it is the occasional weak arrangement or unemotional singer, but those are easily overlooked in what is simply a wonderful CD.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Review: School Of Fear: Class Is NOT Dismissed, by Gitty Daneshvari
Because I loved the original School Of Fear so very much, I was eager to get my hands on the sequel. I was delighted to find a copy in the children's section of my local bookstore. (My funds, however, weren't so happy, given that it was hardback and I already had four other books in my arms.)
I finished it much quicker than I expected, but it took me a long time to write a review, because I was stuck trying to convince myself that I enjoyed it more than I really did. Before I explain my feelings on the book, I suppose I should give a summary.
It's everyone's second summer at the School Of Fear, and Madeleine, Garrison, Lulu, and Theo are excited to be back. Well...sort of, anyway. But problems have been plaguing the residents of Summerstone - numerous break-ins and thefts have left everyone paranoid. On top of that, a new student joins the four. Hyacinth (or Hyhy, as she prefers) is an awkward ferret-loving girl with a crippling fear of being alone.
Frankly, I was disappointed by this book. Badly disappointed.
It had it's good points. Abernathy's backstory was excellent, and the reveal of Mrs.Wellington's motives for opening the school added an important depth to her character that was desperately needed.
However, it seemed like Daneshvari got tired of the story halfway through. There's no satisfying climax. The reveal of the "villains" is weak and somewhat forced. The fact that the author kept pushing the characters out of Summerstone whenever possible didn't help - as a result there's none of the wacky fear-solving techniques that were a treasure of the first book.
Basically, the book seemed like one long trailer - just a way to get to the third book.
Speaking of the next book, I know that you need to have a mild sequel hook, but the ending here was simply pathetic. Practically nothing got resolved. I felt cheated.
So yes, I was incredibly sad that such a fantastic book had such a weak follow-up. I'd say that if you want to get the best School Of Fear experience so far, just read the first book, maybe find some spoilers for this one, then go to the third.*
*Which I will be reading once I go through the crapload of books that are piling up on my bed because my bookcase in overflowing. Never let me loose on used book sales, people.
I finished it much quicker than I expected, but it took me a long time to write a review, because I was stuck trying to convince myself that I enjoyed it more than I really did. Before I explain my feelings on the book, I suppose I should give a summary.
It's everyone's second summer at the School Of Fear, and Madeleine, Garrison, Lulu, and Theo are excited to be back. Well...sort of, anyway. But problems have been plaguing the residents of Summerstone - numerous break-ins and thefts have left everyone paranoid. On top of that, a new student joins the four. Hyacinth (or Hyhy, as she prefers) is an awkward ferret-loving girl with a crippling fear of being alone.
Frankly, I was disappointed by this book. Badly disappointed.
It had it's good points. Abernathy's backstory was excellent, and the reveal of Mrs.Wellington's motives for opening the school added an important depth to her character that was desperately needed.
However, it seemed like Daneshvari got tired of the story halfway through. There's no satisfying climax. The reveal of the "villains" is weak and somewhat forced. The fact that the author kept pushing the characters out of Summerstone whenever possible didn't help - as a result there's none of the wacky fear-solving techniques that were a treasure of the first book.
Basically, the book seemed like one long trailer - just a way to get to the third book.
Speaking of the next book, I know that you need to have a mild sequel hook, but the ending here was simply pathetic. Practically nothing got resolved. I felt cheated.
So yes, I was incredibly sad that such a fantastic book had such a weak follow-up. I'd say that if you want to get the best School Of Fear experience so far, just read the first book, maybe find some spoilers for this one, then go to the third.*
*Which I will be reading once I go through the crapload of books that are piling up on my bed because my bookcase in overflowing. Never let me loose on used book sales, people.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Student Calls Out Rick Santorum's Bible Bullshit
I SO want to be this girl when I get to college.
There are a couple of things to notice in this video:
1.More of the "Religion = Always right but science = just silly" argument that Christian bigots just love to make. Gawker said it best: "Yea, a bunch of centuries-old bullshit from withered old men in robes and a magic book...is unassailable fact about the evils of homosexuality, but scientific findings about it are just so much silliness." I made the title about this line of argument because it pops up so frequently, that it just needs to be KILLED WITH FIRE whenever possible.
2.Notice that Santorum does exactly what a lot of adults do - it's one of the things that annoys me the most about them: He consistently interrupts the younger woman, but then, when she tries to speak again, starts whining about being interrupted. Then he gets even more hypocritical by saying "I've given you a chance, now give me mine." (Uh, no dude. You didn't. You interrupted her, basically saying "She's using actual reason to discredit my see-through arguments! This must be stopped at once!" Not to mention his completely patronizing use of "Time out!"
But what I am really wondering is...why the fuck was this man invited to speak at a college? How is a heterosexist religious fanatic EVER a choice for appropriate guests? If my school suddenly brought in a hate speech politician to present to us the reasons he is such a bigot, I would have protested the hell out of it. I'm imagining LGBTQ students in this class, closeted, and having the reasons for that being all wrapped up in this jackass that their school brought in.
Someone PLEASE tell me that I'm missing some context here, and this isn't a case of a school bringing in a hateful person to be hateful...please.
There are a couple of things to notice in this video:
1.More of the "Religion = Always right but science = just silly" argument that Christian bigots just love to make. Gawker said it best: "Yea, a bunch of centuries-old bullshit from withered old men in robes and a magic book...is unassailable fact about the evils of homosexuality, but scientific findings about it are just so much silliness." I made the title about this line of argument because it pops up so frequently, that it just needs to be KILLED WITH FIRE whenever possible.
2.Notice that Santorum does exactly what a lot of adults do - it's one of the things that annoys me the most about them: He consistently interrupts the younger woman, but then, when she tries to speak again, starts whining about being interrupted. Then he gets even more hypocritical by saying "I've given you a chance, now give me mine." (Uh, no dude. You didn't. You interrupted her, basically saying "She's using actual reason to discredit my see-through arguments! This must be stopped at once!" Not to mention his completely patronizing use of "Time out!"
But what I am really wondering is...why the fuck was this man invited to speak at a college? How is a heterosexist religious fanatic EVER a choice for appropriate guests? If my school suddenly brought in a hate speech politician to present to us the reasons he is such a bigot, I would have protested the hell out of it. I'm imagining LGBTQ students in this class, closeted, and having the reasons for that being all wrapped up in this jackass that their school brought in.
Someone PLEASE tell me that I'm missing some context here, and this isn't a case of a school bringing in a hateful person to be hateful...please.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Study Finally Tells Adults The Damage Schools Have Been Doing To Creativity
(First things first, sorry for the long title. I try to be concise, I really do. Whether I succeed in that respect is another, less likely, matter entirely.)
Well, this new study has been getting some attention in the blogging field. Findings suggest that modern society has been reducing children's creativity, with schools as the primary suspect.
My response when I read that?
What, now you realize that?
How can people be surprised by this?
With preschools and earlier grades cutting recess and free time, how can this come as a surprise?
With music and art programs being cut and removed entirely from schools, how can this come as a surprise?
With focus being directed more and more only at math and science - where there is no room for actual thought and individuality, there is only one correct answer - how can this come as a surprise?
With school boards deeming drama and theatre classes "unnecessary", how can this come as a surprise?
With growing class sizes and crowded schools, where no attention can be paid to a child as an individual, and they are seen simply as a monolith to be lectured, and punished for failing, not helped, how can this come as a surprise?
And, most of all, with the focus of everything being on testing - making your school the top in standardized tests, and judging a students intelligence by how well they do on tests - how the bloody hell can this surprise people?!
Students, in the past decade, have been feeling the effects of these awful changes every single day. The testing approach, especially, is one of the worst culprits for limiting our thinking. For example, in Algebra class at the school I attended last year, every single day, the routine was the same: We would be ushered into our seats and do practice on whatever subject we learned yesterday. As soon as all the answers for that were correct, we would immediately switch to a completely new subject and furiously take notes on that. It was just a lecture, there was no proper interaction with the students. How could there be, when schools are cramming people into classes of 40?
If you had a question, there was no time for it to be properly addressed. Because that would take too long - the teacher had to cram in one new concept every day of the week, to lead up to the test on Friday. The lecture would take up the whole class - and as the bell rung, we were assigned about two hours worth of homework from our textbook.
This is a good model of what a high school class in a public school looks like today, in America. My contact with other public high school students across the states gives me pretty much the same results - there's no room to be creative when it's all about grades.
So, school leaders cry, what the heck are we supposed to do?
It's not that complicated. Perhaps it may be difficult in your eyes, but it is really quite simple. Look, I can even give a few helpful suggestions:
*Treat art, music, drama, and other creative classes like they should be - just as important as math, science, and other "important" classes. There are so many students, me being one of them, who don't have natural talents for things like math and science, but have an aptitude - and more importantly, a passion - for creative subjects. What do you think you're doing when you cut out all opportunities for us to improve on our skills? You're lowering our chances of getting a career in out desired field. Adults complain about how "kids these days" are lazy, with no motivation to do anything. But here's the thing - we are motivated. But not to the subjects you want us to be. Having skills in a particular area =/= laziness.
*Stop treating all students like they're the same. We are not a monolith. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Schools, right now, are focused on punishing a student if they get a bad grade, instead of actually helping them when they clearly don't understand something. More individualized attention would not only be better for students' mental health, but guess what - those stupid test scores you care so much about? It would raise those up. I know, shocking, right?
*Cut it out with the "Shut up and listen to the teacher, now here's your homework" model of teaching classes. It is helping absolutely no one.
*Reduce class sizes. This is attached to the individualization thing - how on earth do you expect us to learn when we're invisible in a sea of other people? Where we know we're worth nothing in the long run?
And those are only a few.
And another thing about this study: Creativity isn't the only thing that the modern public school system has been crushing. Let me go back to that "motivation" point for a minute. I certainly had no desire to go out and do things when I got home from a schoolday. What, with hours of homework and a day that exhausted me, mentally and physically? Hell no. And when schools cut the only classes we like or are talented at - the ones we have motivation to do - what does that tell us? It tells us that motivation doesn't matter in the long run.
So how in the hell do schools expect to help a generation of young people go out and live productive lives, when all they teach us is that test scores are the only things that matter, our individual talents mean nothing, and that we're worthless in the long run?
Well, this new study has been getting some attention in the blogging field. Findings suggest that modern society has been reducing children's creativity, with schools as the primary suspect.
My response when I read that?
What, now you realize that?
How can people be surprised by this?
With preschools and earlier grades cutting recess and free time, how can this come as a surprise?
With music and art programs being cut and removed entirely from schools, how can this come as a surprise?
With focus being directed more and more only at math and science - where there is no room for actual thought and individuality, there is only one correct answer - how can this come as a surprise?
With school boards deeming drama and theatre classes "unnecessary", how can this come as a surprise?
With growing class sizes and crowded schools, where no attention can be paid to a child as an individual, and they are seen simply as a monolith to be lectured, and punished for failing, not helped, how can this come as a surprise?
And, most of all, with the focus of everything being on testing - making your school the top in standardized tests, and judging a students intelligence by how well they do on tests - how the bloody hell can this surprise people?!
Students, in the past decade, have been feeling the effects of these awful changes every single day. The testing approach, especially, is one of the worst culprits for limiting our thinking. For example, in Algebra class at the school I attended last year, every single day, the routine was the same: We would be ushered into our seats and do practice on whatever subject we learned yesterday. As soon as all the answers for that were correct, we would immediately switch to a completely new subject and furiously take notes on that. It was just a lecture, there was no proper interaction with the students. How could there be, when schools are cramming people into classes of 40?
If you had a question, there was no time for it to be properly addressed. Because that would take too long - the teacher had to cram in one new concept every day of the week, to lead up to the test on Friday. The lecture would take up the whole class - and as the bell rung, we were assigned about two hours worth of homework from our textbook.
This is a good model of what a high school class in a public school looks like today, in America. My contact with other public high school students across the states gives me pretty much the same results - there's no room to be creative when it's all about grades.
So, school leaders cry, what the heck are we supposed to do?
It's not that complicated. Perhaps it may be difficult in your eyes, but it is really quite simple. Look, I can even give a few helpful suggestions:
*Treat art, music, drama, and other creative classes like they should be - just as important as math, science, and other "important" classes. There are so many students, me being one of them, who don't have natural talents for things like math and science, but have an aptitude - and more importantly, a passion - for creative subjects. What do you think you're doing when you cut out all opportunities for us to improve on our skills? You're lowering our chances of getting a career in out desired field. Adults complain about how "kids these days" are lazy, with no motivation to do anything. But here's the thing - we are motivated. But not to the subjects you want us to be. Having skills in a particular area =/= laziness.
*Stop treating all students like they're the same. We are not a monolith. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Schools, right now, are focused on punishing a student if they get a bad grade, instead of actually helping them when they clearly don't understand something. More individualized attention would not only be better for students' mental health, but guess what - those stupid test scores you care so much about? It would raise those up. I know, shocking, right?
*Cut it out with the "Shut up and listen to the teacher, now here's your homework" model of teaching classes. It is helping absolutely no one.
*Reduce class sizes. This is attached to the individualization thing - how on earth do you expect us to learn when we're invisible in a sea of other people? Where we know we're worth nothing in the long run?
And those are only a few.
And another thing about this study: Creativity isn't the only thing that the modern public school system has been crushing. Let me go back to that "motivation" point for a minute. I certainly had no desire to go out and do things when I got home from a schoolday. What, with hours of homework and a day that exhausted me, mentally and physically? Hell no. And when schools cut the only classes we like or are talented at - the ones we have motivation to do - what does that tell us? It tells us that motivation doesn't matter in the long run.
So how in the hell do schools expect to help a generation of young people go out and live productive lives, when all they teach us is that test scores are the only things that matter, our individual talents mean nothing, and that we're worthless in the long run?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Secret: Vegetarianism Really Isn't A Big Deal. At All.
No, seriously, it isn't.
Why such a simple statement from me? Well, it seems every time I talk to someone about being vegetarian, if they're not being assholes about it, then I usually get a response similar to "I would go vegetarian, but it's so hard. I mean, NO meat? No way, I love hamburgers/chicken/steak/etc. And how do you get protein and blah blah etc."
Now I seem like I'm making fun of people who say these things, and I'll admit that I pretty much am. Because now I find that ridiculous. And I'll talk more about that later. But now, I feel like I need to confess: I used to think that way too.
There seems to be this perception that simply stopping eating meat is this monumental hurdle to scale - some massive life event where it's survival of the fittest...or something. In general, going vegetarian is seen as both difficult and a BIG DEAL.
But really...it's not. At all. Oh sure, it'll seem like it the first few months. You're so used to eating meat that all you think about when eating is trying to avoid meat. I was a little paranoid - I started to fear eating out, because a little nagging voice at the back of my head was saying "But what if they used chicken stock in the sauce?!?" for pretty much everything I ate. At that point, vegetarianism seems like it's about what you can't eat.
But the truth is, vegetarianism quickly becomes about what you can eat. The amount of diversity in my diet multiplied exponentially when I stopped looking at meat and seafood as default meals. I gained appreciations for unique and interesting foods. I tried things that, before, I wouldn't have even looked at, because then I would have simply eaten a simple meat/fish dish.
And here's the thing: Eventually, you easily forget that you're a vegetarian. I have gone through weeks where I don't even think about what I'm eating, and the only time that my mind registers the fact that "Oh yeah, I don't eat meat or fish" was when I started absentmindedly skimming the steak section of a menu.
And you don't worry about what you're eating. What people just need to recognize is that there's nothing difficult intrinsically about going vegetarian - the difficulty comes from other people. People thinking they can insult you for your choice, "helpful" people insisting that "you'll never get enough protein blah blah", school cafeterias that seem to think meat, not grain, is at the bottom of the food pyramid. And if, like me, you're a child who decides to be the only vegetarian in a meat-eating family, you'll most likely have to deal with some initially unsupportive parents. (Don't worry, they get better. Because soon they, too, realize that your diet is not a BIG DEAL.)
But really, there is the simple truth: Unless you have economic circumstances which inhibit access to good foods (and I know that many people do), vegetarianism is really a very simple, and small, deal.
Why such a simple statement from me? Well, it seems every time I talk to someone about being vegetarian, if they're not being assholes about it, then I usually get a response similar to "I would go vegetarian, but it's so hard. I mean, NO meat? No way, I love hamburgers/chicken/steak/etc. And how do you get protein and blah blah etc."
Now I seem like I'm making fun of people who say these things, and I'll admit that I pretty much am. Because now I find that ridiculous. And I'll talk more about that later. But now, I feel like I need to confess: I used to think that way too.
There seems to be this perception that simply stopping eating meat is this monumental hurdle to scale - some massive life event where it's survival of the fittest...or something. In general, going vegetarian is seen as both difficult and a BIG DEAL.
But really...it's not. At all. Oh sure, it'll seem like it the first few months. You're so used to eating meat that all you think about when eating is trying to avoid meat. I was a little paranoid - I started to fear eating out, because a little nagging voice at the back of my head was saying "But what if they used chicken stock in the sauce?!?" for pretty much everything I ate. At that point, vegetarianism seems like it's about what you can't eat.
But the truth is, vegetarianism quickly becomes about what you can eat. The amount of diversity in my diet multiplied exponentially when I stopped looking at meat and seafood as default meals. I gained appreciations for unique and interesting foods. I tried things that, before, I wouldn't have even looked at, because then I would have simply eaten a simple meat/fish dish.
And here's the thing: Eventually, you easily forget that you're a vegetarian. I have gone through weeks where I don't even think about what I'm eating, and the only time that my mind registers the fact that "Oh yeah, I don't eat meat or fish" was when I started absentmindedly skimming the steak section of a menu.
And you don't worry about what you're eating. What people just need to recognize is that there's nothing difficult intrinsically about going vegetarian - the difficulty comes from other people. People thinking they can insult you for your choice, "helpful" people insisting that "you'll never get enough protein blah blah", school cafeterias that seem to think meat, not grain, is at the bottom of the food pyramid. And if, like me, you're a child who decides to be the only vegetarian in a meat-eating family, you'll most likely have to deal with some initially unsupportive parents. (Don't worry, they get better. Because soon they, too, realize that your diet is not a BIG DEAL.)
But really, there is the simple truth: Unless you have economic circumstances which inhibit access to good foods (and I know that many people do), vegetarianism is really a very simple, and small, deal.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
But Do Your 'Friends" Know About It? (The Social Model Of Success And Worth)
If anyone has not yet heard of the incredible website Freerice, go there now. Really, just do it. It's a website which, through sponsors, donates rice to the World Food Program. And all you have to do is have a little knowledge.
When I was first introduced to this website three years ago, it was an incredibly fun experience for me. Since then, I've been going on daily, though recently time constraints have stopped me from keeping up my former quota of 500 grains (50 questions) per day.
And there was a feature I really liked about it: It was something you could do on your own. Even back then, before social networking was as far through the roof as it is now, so many websites relied on forcing a user to interact with others (which means having others to interact with) to actually have an effect/get the full experience of the website. But Freerice, you could go in and do by yourself. You didn't even have to make an account and log in. It was a measure of your knowledge. The little bit you were trying to help.
However, that changed months ago when "Freerice 2.0" came and completely redesigned the website. It is now no longer really a charity website - it's a social network with a theme of helping donate food.
Sounds like I'm exaggerating? Well, let's take a look through Freerice 2.0.
You now have to create an account to save your totals. (Not to mention that the total I had accumulated before was erased. Damn.) So, I go ahead and create an account. Now, there is a graph across from my avatar showing the ups and downs of how much rice I donated that month. I wonder what juicy secrets led to someone missing a day of rice, hmmmm? It's odd, even though I know that no one really looks through these profiles, to see things visualized like that. Why?
Now, below that, there's a list of my "Friends". Um, I thought I was on Freerice, not Facebook? But the similarities don't end there: After the list of "my friends' latest activity", there's a list of the groups I've joined. Yes, groups. When you join a group, the rice you earn is 'pooled' with the other members of the group to represent the group. The groups are things such as "Finnish Free Ricers" and "Muslims Fighting World Hunger".
But the changes extend beyond the user profiles into the actual 'play' for the rice itself. Now, in the original version, after you would reach a certain total (for example, 1,000 grains or 100,000 grains), there would be a cute little message thanking you for donating, and it would change based on the number of grains. That is no more. Instead, after every 10 or 15 questions, a message appears that says "You've just answered 20 questions in a row", then invites you to "Share" this on Facebook and Twitter.
I've probably made it clear that I don't like the redesign of the website. It's because it enforces what I've taken to calling the Social Model Of Success - achievements don't matter unless a bunch of people know about them. Instead of letting you be content with knowing that you're helping just a little tiny bit in the world, it says "Make sure you join a bunch of groups, so your successes can look even more insignificant!" (Okay, so, they don't say that last part. But you probably guessed that.) I liked getting that little message that admitted that you were doing something. Now, it's "Show it to your friends!" And of course, the concept of "friends" online has been long discussed by many others, so I won't go into it now, but it's another use of language to be pointed out.
And on the other end of this model, there's the narcissism that this social model encourages. Noticed that I mentioned that you're only helping a tiny little bit when you're using this website. But every few questions, the "Share this with your friends!" message encourages you to think that everyone else must be made aware of things that, really, aren't too big. Especially because so many other people are doing them. Think about it: If you 'share' the fact that you've answered 20 questions right on Facebook, you're essentially saying "GUISE! HEY LOOK GUISE! I KNEW THE DEFINITIONS OF 20 WORDS U GUISE!"
So there are many things wrong with the social model of the new Freerice, two of the main ones being almost opposites: 1.You should be able to fully experience a success without its worth being defined by how many others know it, and 2.You should be able to realize when things aren't significant enough to "share" them.
I hope I'm not discouraging anyone from using the website. Despite the design, it is doing great things, and deserves everyone who knows about it using it. But that doesn't change the fact that it has fallen into the trap of reinforcing the social model of success.
When I was first introduced to this website three years ago, it was an incredibly fun experience for me. Since then, I've been going on daily, though recently time constraints have stopped me from keeping up my former quota of 500 grains (50 questions) per day.
And there was a feature I really liked about it: It was something you could do on your own. Even back then, before social networking was as far through the roof as it is now, so many websites relied on forcing a user to interact with others (which means having others to interact with) to actually have an effect/get the full experience of the website. But Freerice, you could go in and do by yourself. You didn't even have to make an account and log in. It was a measure of your knowledge. The little bit you were trying to help.
However, that changed months ago when "Freerice 2.0" came and completely redesigned the website. It is now no longer really a charity website - it's a social network with a theme of helping donate food.
Sounds like I'm exaggerating? Well, let's take a look through Freerice 2.0.
You now have to create an account to save your totals. (Not to mention that the total I had accumulated before was erased. Damn.) So, I go ahead and create an account. Now, there is a graph across from my avatar showing the ups and downs of how much rice I donated that month. I wonder what juicy secrets led to someone missing a day of rice, hmmmm? It's odd, even though I know that no one really looks through these profiles, to see things visualized like that. Why?
Now, below that, there's a list of my "Friends". Um, I thought I was on Freerice, not Facebook? But the similarities don't end there: After the list of "my friends' latest activity", there's a list of the groups I've joined. Yes, groups. When you join a group, the rice you earn is 'pooled' with the other members of the group to represent the group. The groups are things such as "Finnish Free Ricers" and "Muslims Fighting World Hunger".
But the changes extend beyond the user profiles into the actual 'play' for the rice itself. Now, in the original version, after you would reach a certain total (for example, 1,000 grains or 100,000 grains), there would be a cute little message thanking you for donating, and it would change based on the number of grains. That is no more. Instead, after every 10 or 15 questions, a message appears that says "You've just answered 20 questions in a row", then invites you to "Share" this on Facebook and Twitter.
I've probably made it clear that I don't like the redesign of the website. It's because it enforces what I've taken to calling the Social Model Of Success - achievements don't matter unless a bunch of people know about them. Instead of letting you be content with knowing that you're helping just a little tiny bit in the world, it says "Make sure you join a bunch of groups, so your successes can look even more insignificant!" (Okay, so, they don't say that last part. But you probably guessed that.) I liked getting that little message that admitted that you were doing something. Now, it's "Show it to your friends!" And of course, the concept of "friends" online has been long discussed by many others, so I won't go into it now, but it's another use of language to be pointed out.
And on the other end of this model, there's the narcissism that this social model encourages. Noticed that I mentioned that you're only helping a tiny little bit when you're using this website. But every few questions, the "Share this with your friends!" message encourages you to think that everyone else must be made aware of things that, really, aren't too big. Especially because so many other people are doing them. Think about it: If you 'share' the fact that you've answered 20 questions right on Facebook, you're essentially saying "GUISE! HEY LOOK GUISE! I KNEW THE DEFINITIONS OF 20 WORDS U GUISE!"
So there are many things wrong with the social model of the new Freerice, two of the main ones being almost opposites: 1.You should be able to fully experience a success without its worth being defined by how many others know it, and 2.You should be able to realize when things aren't significant enough to "share" them.
I hope I'm not discouraging anyone from using the website. Despite the design, it is doing great things, and deserves everyone who knows about it using it. But that doesn't change the fact that it has fallen into the trap of reinforcing the social model of success.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Shocking News: I Am Not PETA
I have an earth-shattering secret to tell some people. It might just disrupt their perception of the world forever: Just because I am a vegetarian, does not mean I'm a member of/support PETA.
This seems to be an incredibly difficult concept for many meat-eaters to grasp. Apparently, in their minds, one radically offensive organization represents the whole of an enormously diverse group of people. Maybe this is because their only experience with vegetarians and vegans is news about PETA's latest screw-up. Maybe they're just jerks.
Whatever the reason, it seems to be a widespread opinion that, when someone tells you they're vegetarian, you are absolutely obligated to reference PETA in some way. I have been told the "People Eating Tasty Animals" joke more times than I can count (and often two or more times from the same person). I have been asked "Oh, so you call fish 'sea kittens' and all that crap?" (Oh boy did my lunch table love to bring that one up.) On the rare occasion that I meet with someone who shares a feminist outlook, I can expect to immediately be called a hypocrite because of PETA's overwhelmingly sexist ways.
Only, of course, I hate PETA. As does, oh I don't know, every single other vegetarian I've met. And I think I can accurately say, most of the ones I haven't met. And I don't know why this is so difficult for so many meat-eaters to understand.
This also happens in a sense even outside of just PETA: People will often feel the need to tell me about other ways that not-so-positive vegetarian groups or people have been offensive/violent/what have you.
Here's the thing: I don't give every Christian I meet a history lesson on the Crusades.
I don't tell every white person I meet "Oh, you're white? You know, I heard a lot of white people did this horrible thing called 'slavery'..."
I don't inform every male person I meet about the shitload of sexism that is the world.
And why? Because not all vegetarians are the same, just as not all men are the same, not all white people are the same, and not all Christians are the same.
And let me repeat for the record: Just about everybody hates PETA. We clear? Good.
This seems to be an incredibly difficult concept for many meat-eaters to grasp. Apparently, in their minds, one radically offensive organization represents the whole of an enormously diverse group of people. Maybe this is because their only experience with vegetarians and vegans is news about PETA's latest screw-up. Maybe they're just jerks.
Whatever the reason, it seems to be a widespread opinion that, when someone tells you they're vegetarian, you are absolutely obligated to reference PETA in some way. I have been told the "People Eating Tasty Animals" joke more times than I can count (and often two or more times from the same person). I have been asked "Oh, so you call fish 'sea kittens' and all that crap?" (Oh boy did my lunch table love to bring that one up.) On the rare occasion that I meet with someone who shares a feminist outlook, I can expect to immediately be called a hypocrite because of PETA's overwhelmingly sexist ways.
Only, of course, I hate PETA. As does, oh I don't know, every single other vegetarian I've met. And I think I can accurately say, most of the ones I haven't met. And I don't know why this is so difficult for so many meat-eaters to understand.
This also happens in a sense even outside of just PETA: People will often feel the need to tell me about other ways that not-so-positive vegetarian groups or people have been offensive/violent/what have you.
Here's the thing: I don't give every Christian I meet a history lesson on the Crusades.
I don't tell every white person I meet "Oh, you're white? You know, I heard a lot of white people did this horrible thing called 'slavery'..."
I don't inform every male person I meet about the shitload of sexism that is the world.
And why? Because not all vegetarians are the same, just as not all men are the same, not all white people are the same, and not all Christians are the same.
And let me repeat for the record: Just about everybody hates PETA. We clear? Good.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Review Of The 2009 Roméo Et Juliette Cast CD - Part 2
And now we move on to Act 2! Or, well, the first 10 songs of act 2. I have to warn you: Though I've listened to/watched act 1 more times than I can count, as well as On Dit Dans La Rue, C'est Le Jour, and Le Duel, I have a very bad habit of stopping after La Mort De Mercutio. (After all, my two favorite characters in the show are dead!) So, the reviews might not be as detailed after that point. That doesn't mean they won't be reliable, just not as thorough as the ones before them. Anyway, here we go!
1. Le Pouvoir - And we start off immediately with a completely new song. This song is a solo for Escalus, and it really does grow on you after a couple of listens. The melody isn't all too impressive - it seems like they took the main melodies of Et Voilà Qu'elle Aime, Mort De Mercutio, and C'est Le Jour and threw them in a blender, then slightly tweaked what came out. But the instruments are fantastic - the ways the chord progressions were arranged made up for the mediocre melody, and again there's a perfect balance of electric and symphonic instruments. (If you like militaristic drums as much as I do, this song is a gold mine of them.) And Stéphane Métro - while the way he uses his voice here (very growly) is not necessarily "pleasant", it really suits the character, so it's nice.
I think the main problem I had with this song is that I have absolutely no fucking idea what its purpose is. What is he so angry about? No one's died yet... See, I suppose this is one time where I wish I could understand French. Overall, very good. I have no idea why this song is here, but it's good so I don't care.
2. On Dit Dans La Rue - One of my favorite songs from the musical. And with John, Cyril, and Damien singing together again, you'd think I would love it. Except...the arrangement was pretty disappointing. The Montagues' voices during the chorus are incredibly weak, and their part is just about what makes the song for me. And the instruments just don't pop out at you like they do in so many other versions. Overall, the individual singers are great, but the arrangement really made this song a let down for me.
3. C'est Le Jour - Another favorite. Let me say that I know every version is going to be slightly disappointing when I'm used to the awesomeness of Ez A Kéz Utoler. However, this is probably the best non-Hungarian arrangement I've heard. Tom Ross really has improved, and this song really shows it. Overall, great!
4. La Folie - I jumped with joy clapping my hands when I first realized that this song had come back. Literally. So, it's not like the original - it's much shorter, only a small part is actually sung (most of the lyrics are spoken), and it's a Mercutio solo without Romeo and Benvolio. But guess what? It's STILL AWESOME. Again I have to praise John's skills at being endearingly annoying that can come through from his voice alone. Overall, simply amazing, and incredibly catchy.
5. Le Duel - Heeere we go. This song is, without a doubt, the song I have listened to most from this show. I've listened dozens of times to every version I could find, and it is not exaggeration at all to say that I've heard it at least 150 times. So I knew I was going to be especially critical of any arrangement. And I was right. Let me state that this is not a bad arrangement, per se, but like On Dit Dans La Rue, it's a let down. A song this strong needs a powerful arrangement, and this version just turned out weak.
First no-no: In the chorus, the choir was pushed to the background, and John and Tom's voices pushed to the front. No! It weakens the strength and emotion of the song.
Second no-no: Also in the chorus, I could not hear any of the beautiful harmonies.
Third no-no: Oh gosh, this is hard to say. I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of Tom's Tybalt before, and this song just strengthens that. His voice simply does not work with this music, and he doesn't sound really emotional at all. Annoyed, yes, but I don't hear any of that deep hate that should really be expressed. And he sounds very nasal. Sorry Tom, but...no.
Overall, such an amazing song, it just needs an equally great arrangement to do it justice, and this one fell short. (I should emphasize that if you actually watch live videos of this cast, it's much better. It's breathtaking live.)
6. Mort De Mercutio - I'm not going to lie: I cried the first time I heard this song. Just wept. If done right, this song is a gorgeous tearjerker. And I teared up again listening to this version. This is the best, most emotional version I've heard of it. (Yup, right on the heels of my least-favorite arrangement is my favorite.)
John really shines in this, again. Perhaps because you can hear that Mercutio is trying to sound like the carefree person he'd always shown to others, but can't quite do it. And the choir comes in lightly behind Damien near the end - it really is heartbreaking. Overall, wonderful, and tugs at your heartstrings like no other version I've heard.
7. Quel Est Le Prix - I haven't heard a particularly "bad" arrangement of this song, and this one doesn't change that. Great, but there's nothing really special about this version compared to any others. Although, you can hear the drums a little more. Overall, great but not remarkable.
8. Duo Du Désespoir - I had forgotten how nice this song could be. Frédéric Charter doesn't have an amazing voice, but it gets the job done. Here is where Ida Gordon really shines, oddly enough. Overall, very good!
9. Le Chant De L'alouette - This is one of those songs I don't normally listen to, because, to be honest, I think it's pretty tedious. So I don't have much to say about it, other than that Damien and Joy are great as usual. Overall, meh.
10. Demain - This song I have listened to a lot, and this is probably my favorite non-Hungarian arrangement. The instruments, singers, and arrangement are great. My only complaint is that Joy doesn't sound too emotional, either with her singing or her "No!" But I understand that this is a recording and not a show, so acting wasn't really the point. Overall, wonderful!
And I'll be posting part 3, with the second half of act 2, soon.
1. Le Pouvoir - And we start off immediately with a completely new song. This song is a solo for Escalus, and it really does grow on you after a couple of listens. The melody isn't all too impressive - it seems like they took the main melodies of Et Voilà Qu'elle Aime, Mort De Mercutio, and C'est Le Jour and threw them in a blender, then slightly tweaked what came out. But the instruments are fantastic - the ways the chord progressions were arranged made up for the mediocre melody, and again there's a perfect balance of electric and symphonic instruments. (If you like militaristic drums as much as I do, this song is a gold mine of them.) And Stéphane Métro - while the way he uses his voice here (very growly) is not necessarily "pleasant", it really suits the character, so it's nice.
I think the main problem I had with this song is that I have absolutely no fucking idea what its purpose is. What is he so angry about? No one's died yet... See, I suppose this is one time where I wish I could understand French. Overall, very good. I have no idea why this song is here, but it's good so I don't care.
2. On Dit Dans La Rue - One of my favorite songs from the musical. And with John, Cyril, and Damien singing together again, you'd think I would love it. Except...the arrangement was pretty disappointing. The Montagues' voices during the chorus are incredibly weak, and their part is just about what makes the song for me. And the instruments just don't pop out at you like they do in so many other versions. Overall, the individual singers are great, but the arrangement really made this song a let down for me.
3. C'est Le Jour - Another favorite. Let me say that I know every version is going to be slightly disappointing when I'm used to the awesomeness of Ez A Kéz Utoler. However, this is probably the best non-Hungarian arrangement I've heard. Tom Ross really has improved, and this song really shows it. Overall, great!
4. La Folie - I jumped with joy clapping my hands when I first realized that this song had come back. Literally. So, it's not like the original - it's much shorter, only a small part is actually sung (most of the lyrics are spoken), and it's a Mercutio solo without Romeo and Benvolio. But guess what? It's STILL AWESOME. Again I have to praise John's skills at being endearingly annoying that can come through from his voice alone. Overall, simply amazing, and incredibly catchy.
5. Le Duel - Heeere we go. This song is, without a doubt, the song I have listened to most from this show. I've listened dozens of times to every version I could find, and it is not exaggeration at all to say that I've heard it at least 150 times. So I knew I was going to be especially critical of any arrangement. And I was right. Let me state that this is not a bad arrangement, per se, but like On Dit Dans La Rue, it's a let down. A song this strong needs a powerful arrangement, and this version just turned out weak.
First no-no: In the chorus, the choir was pushed to the background, and John and Tom's voices pushed to the front. No! It weakens the strength and emotion of the song.
Second no-no: Also in the chorus, I could not hear any of the beautiful harmonies.
Third no-no: Oh gosh, this is hard to say. I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of Tom's Tybalt before, and this song just strengthens that. His voice simply does not work with this music, and he doesn't sound really emotional at all. Annoyed, yes, but I don't hear any of that deep hate that should really be expressed. And he sounds very nasal. Sorry Tom, but...no.
Overall, such an amazing song, it just needs an equally great arrangement to do it justice, and this one fell short. (I should emphasize that if you actually watch live videos of this cast, it's much better. It's breathtaking live.)
6. Mort De Mercutio - I'm not going to lie: I cried the first time I heard this song. Just wept. If done right, this song is a gorgeous tearjerker. And I teared up again listening to this version. This is the best, most emotional version I've heard of it. (Yup, right on the heels of my least-favorite arrangement is my favorite.)
John really shines in this, again. Perhaps because you can hear that Mercutio is trying to sound like the carefree person he'd always shown to others, but can't quite do it. And the choir comes in lightly behind Damien near the end - it really is heartbreaking. Overall, wonderful, and tugs at your heartstrings like no other version I've heard.
7. Quel Est Le Prix - I haven't heard a particularly "bad" arrangement of this song, and this one doesn't change that. Great, but there's nothing really special about this version compared to any others. Although, you can hear the drums a little more. Overall, great but not remarkable.
8. Duo Du Désespoir - I had forgotten how nice this song could be. Frédéric Charter doesn't have an amazing voice, but it gets the job done. Here is where Ida Gordon really shines, oddly enough. Overall, very good!
9. Le Chant De L'alouette - This is one of those songs I don't normally listen to, because, to be honest, I think it's pretty tedious. So I don't have much to say about it, other than that Damien and Joy are great as usual. Overall, meh.
10. Demain - This song I have listened to a lot, and this is probably my favorite non-Hungarian arrangement. The instruments, singers, and arrangement are great. My only complaint is that Joy doesn't sound too emotional, either with her singing or her "No!" But I understand that this is a recording and not a show, so acting wasn't really the point. Overall, wonderful!
And I'll be posting part 3, with the second half of act 2, soon.
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