That topic of course is Music.
I've written about some pretty abstract topics here on One Iris. What was it about music specifically that stopped me dead in my tracks? As I've let this question settle for the past 17 days, I have finally begun to form a semblance of an answer. There are two main reasons why I find music difficult to write about. The first is my own curious relationship with it.
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"Music: Aurora's Theme" was my spontaneity in its purest form. As I listened to the song, I jotted down whatever thought or image happened to cross my mind, and then attempted to distill it into a sentence or two. When I happened to feel like making some rhymes in the middle of it, I just went with it.
When I listen to music, I search for a story I can associate with it. It doesn't have to be something elaborate. A character, a setting, or just a single scene can be enough to tell the tale.
I search for clear melodies, rich background instrumentation, themes, and many other elements. Whatever helps in creating the story.
You may have noticed something about Aurora's Theme. It actually comes from a videogame, specifically the 2014 title "Child of Light." Videogames are home to almost all my favorite pieces of music.
Lately, I've been continuously asking myself: "Why?"
Why is it that when I hear the songs on the radio I often feel disdain and not joy? Why don't I tap my foot to the drum? Why am I not curious about the lyrics? Why am I equally proud, yet nervous to share my own favorite songs?
As you can imagine, there are an infinite number of questions that can branch out from these few alone. What about independent artists? Does it have something to do with lyrics? Or maybe I just haven't listened to enough music?
This is why I feel my relationship with music is quite curious. With any other topic, I can usually at least form a decent opinion or reflection. But when it comes to music, I feel equal amounts of empowerment and confusion.
And yet I am sure of one thing I really love about music. I love the stories and imagination it has the potential to evoke.
Perhaps this could begin to explain why from a young age I have loved videogame music. It does a fantastic job of creating stories. When we consider the purpose the game music serves, it's not difficult to see why. In games, the music must be clear, catchy, and intimately intertwined with the gameplay and story that it plays along with. Hearing the song outside the context of the game is then more likely to trigger memories of specific moments or scenes within the game. This makes the music much more significant to those who have played the game, as the stories and emotions one can derive from it have a richer context and more associated memories.
Aside from video game music, very little has caught my ears or my mind. Among them are musical scores, some film score, and assorted artists I've come across on youtube.
These questions fascinate me, and I've come to see that they constitute a great part of my enjoyment of music. I want to know how the image is created. How can something ultimately mechanical stir the spirit in such powerful ways?
I posted Aurora's Theme at the top of this post once again. If you're curious, you can google "Child of Light" to learn a bit about it's protagonist, which the song is meant to describe. I provided very little context or explanation for my thoughts in my prior post, so I thought I'd try again.
Aurora's Theme makes me think about growing up. The song feels like it could describe a full grown adult, or perhaps a curious young child. Coeur de Pirate creates something both fantastical, yet organic in this song with her instrument choices.
It's a song that feels... like it's flying. It sounds like child-like wonder, but within the context of a mature epiphany of some sort. There's a subtle sense of sorrow mixed in with all of this, yet somehow this sorrow seems to detail a deep and indescribable kind of joy as well.
The song embraces these dualities with strength and even a sense of warmth and comfort. All of this makes me realize a wonderful part of growing up, which all too often becomes victim to the mind's thirst for nostalgia. In overcoming this turbulent point in one's life, the song evokes a great beauty in life. I can't say this is what the artist meant for sure. Even for me, the song sounds a little different each time I listen to it. Yet these are my thoughts right now.
But what do you hear?
