Music or Mythology

On the eve of my 27th birthday, my life seems a lot clearer. I am not afraid to be gone before I reach that ripe age, as most of the great artists have.
(As Thomas Acda once said: "I do not reckon that I am as good as they are, but somebody up there might just make a mistake.")
Friday was awesome, with a lot of people coming over to my home and having to make the difficult choice between blue or pink cake. (pink was clearly favourite among the men)
Laughter, talk, some discussion about hard liquor and the night was on its way.
Today continued the trend, with a Japanese taiko show.
Imagine drums the size of a small van, on which they start pounding as if their life depending on it. Now envision ten people doing that simultaneously.
I think that my heartbeat will match that pace for the next couple of days at least.
Tomorrow hails the relatives, which means more laughter, talk and imbibing of hard liquor.

On another note, last Monday I want to see The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, which did not disappoint. The entire movie had that particular Gilliam vibe about it, with even a small Python-esque interlude.
It might end a bit anticlimactic, but what else could happen with Heath Ledger's final movie project.

Anyway, the future has many things in store; new albums for Volbeat, Gorillaz, Abingdon Boys School, Kamelot, Blind Guardian.
And this all has inspired me at least a bit.
For all the trusty readers, complete this task and a specially selected committee will decide which of you will walk away with a music related prize. (a trifle, nothing more, of course)
Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

What songs were the blog topics from january taken from and why were they appropriate for said posts?

Answers can be handed in via mail (either electronic or tangible) or you could always use the comments, in which case other readers can benefit from your hard labour.

Until next time, may your birthdays be plentiful

And That's The Way To Stay

Single's Awareness Day is just around the corner, but with all the Carnaval, Winter Olympics and Valentine's Day festivities going on, no one really seems to care one way or the other.
So to all those happy or unhappy singles out there, party hard the next couple of days, especially when listening to the stylings of

Boney M


Alphaville

or even Abba

Chaos Reconstruction III

Time for an old fashioned mash up of reviews

Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol
Sometimes you just have to read a book to see if the hype is justified.
Unfortunately, Dan Brown did not deliver in spades.
He certainly gives the reader what they want. More Robert Langdon, more semi-scientific jibber jabber and an eccentric villain, but the concept is so far from original that even the little twists cannot save the novel form being a simple repeat of his earlier novels.



Avatar
James Cameron even had me under his spell. I assume enough has been said about his latest project. With the story being derivative, the cinematics spectacular and Checkov's gun being fired on almost every account.




The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya
Where The Melancholy needed the set-up for all the characters, the second novel could just jump right into the action.
The school festival is approaching and Haruhi would not be herself if she was not setting out to get the best project done before then. So a movie starring everyone's favourite bombshell upperclassman Mikuru should be all she needs.
But of course, Haruhi's overactive imagination and reality altering powers kick in to Kyon's dismay. The same andros ex machina comes to the rescue, so I am hoping that this is not going to be a frequently recurring mechanic.


Frank Beddor - ArchEnemy
The first one in the bunch that wow'ed me. In the aftermath of WILMA, King Arch plans his attack on Wondertropolis, whilst Redd and Alyss lay low, biding their time until their imagination comes back. Molly struggles with her failure, as Hatter takes her to the only person he assumes can help them.
The oracular caterpillars steer everyone in the direction they wish and all act as orchestrated.
In this final part of the trilogy, all loose ends are tied together, the possibility for any sequel is brilliantly snuffed out and although not happy, the survivors live ever after.

Allo Allo, the stage play
Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft did their best to make an adaptation if their innuendo laden series. With all players but René and Edith performing multiple parts, the show had a bit of a fourth wall breaking element, with them changing behind the transforming stage, as well as changing mid scene on stage. It is even more hilarious to see Herr Flick take of his coat and walk over to the next table to transform into captain Bertorelli. I laughed and groaned enough that night to make my sides hurt.

Now if only I would finish Wizard and Glass before I start another book.