All My CDs, pt 37: The Memory of Trees

The Memory of Trees - Enya

A few years ago I was at a yard sale, and while I was getting some other items I noticed a box of CDs marked as $.50 each. Enya's The Memory of Trees was the only one I thought worth getting, and since fifty cents would hardly set me back, I just added it to my pile. I don't remember ever putting it on until now, though.

I don't listen to Enya very often, although I've owned a few of her albums over the years (I only own one right now.) I realized, while listening to The Memory of Trees, that it's for much the same reason that I don't often listen to soundtracks. Ambient music, though pleasant, doesn't attract enough of my attention to stay on my mind and therefore in my player once the novelty has worn off. If music has meaningful lyrics, or a catchy tune, or awe-inspiring grandeur of sound, I am liable occasionally to be "in the mood" for it... rather than the music being little more than a mood itself.

I cannot deny the value of this album as a mood-enhancer. The calmness it exudes makes it perfect for situations like massages or bubble baths. It is less effective at motivating chores, workouts or other more active endeavors. If I listen while driving, I drive ten below the limit. And when people impatiently drive over the yellow lines to pass me, I don't even flinch from my fugue of inner calm.

But although Enya's music is mostly of that ambient, nearly soporific type, a few of her songs have enough of a tune and notable lyrics to stay in my head longer than their own run time. Orinoco Flow and Only Time are examples,  but they are not on this album. Instead there's --, which isn't as catchy as either, but attempts to be. I think its stilted rhyming puts me off a little, as well as its overfocus on lyrics when Enya's voice has a tendency to be indistinct (a strength rather than a weakness for the more ambient tracks). The instrumental -- is more to my liking, with a cheerful, bubbly sound probably achieved electronically.

I needed some low-stress albums like Driving Blind and this one, because I'll be ending my first shelf of CDs with a few by Evanescence. After that, there will be a short break before I begin the second shelf.

Next: Fallen

All My CDs, pt. 36: Driving Blind

Driving Blind - Driving Blind

This is perhaps the second or third album among several that I picked up nearly at random and bought, with no knowledge about the band or any idea of what the music would sound like. I was in my early teens at the time, prone to fits of drama, and new to this adventurous method of discovery, so my expectations exceeded reality from time to time. I was a little disappointed to find that this bland-looking cover contained an album of equally bland-sounding easy-listening-type songs.

But fortune rewards the patient. When teenage-me finished the first nine lackluster tracks, at the end I found what I’d been waiting for: a hidden gem. The final track, Cover Your Eyes, is a piece of musical wisdom that has stuck with me ever since.

I’m grass
you’ve tread on
I’ve known bending, but still I’ve grown
it’s a long ride
to the witness grounds
all the baggage seems to weigh us down
but I surrender is the hardest sign
when neither owns a flag

The message is simple: it’s better to bend, to surrender, than to remain steadfast and perpetuate needless conflict. The stubborn suffer for the smallest of petty principles, but those who remain flexible and know when to give in may find the way much easier for themselves.

Now, I say that this song has stuck with me, but that doesn’t mean I always remember and put into practice its advice. I’ve found myself in countless conflicts I could have easily ended by making some small concession, but something inside me - stubbornness, anger, selfishness, or a vain hope that I might very soon win - has kept me trying to have my way. The most important lessons in life are often the most difficult to fully internalize. One day, I hope this one sinks in to the point where I really can bend, like grass, with the wind.

Next: The Memory of Trees

All My CDs, pt. 35: Magnicifent

Magnicifent - Driftless Pony Club

A pattern I have is that I buy one album, and if I like it, I buy another by the same artist. Mostly, it ends there; either I am disappointed by the second one and not inclined to try another, or I am satisfied with only two. Sometimes I encounter a musician that captivates me such that I go about collecting their entire discography, but it seems that many of the artists in my collection are represented in only two disks.

Driftless Pony Club is among those bands. But when I first listened to Magnicifent (not a misspelling, but the album's actual title), I was not disappointed. I think it's a vast improvement over Buckminster, which was fairly good in its own right. Between the making of one and the other, I think DPC honed their craft and became more adventurous, as the songs here are more varied and interesting to listen to, as well as more emotionally evocative.

Although the overall mood is cheerful, a few songs are not. 18 Years Later describes a desolate and despairing mission to Mars, and since my first science fiction short story was along similar lines, this one hits as close to home as it could for someone who's never ventured more than a thousand miles from home. All Quiet isn’t quite as morbid, but is nonetheless quite dark.

But most of the songs are more optimistic. YR MNHTN, besides being one of the most instrumentally interesting songs, espouses a very positive attitude toward music itself: “Other people’s lives are failures, baby / but all of our mistakes are art / keep the record going, keep the music going / every song’s a brand new start.” This refrain proves to be delightfully catchy as well as meaningful.

Another of my favorites is Bedrolls Across America, which I love because it seems to be a love song from the members of the band to each other: “I’d sleep in a van with you if it meant we could do what we always meant to do.” It describes the beautiful feeling of not only being with people you care about, but achieving with them a mutually-held dream - such as becoming a rock band and going on tour. The song never fails to give me warm fuzzy feelings and hopes for a positive future. Fountain City gives me similar feelings, although I have more trouble parsing the lyrics to tell you exactly why. It’s a remarkably upbeat song.

I’d definitely recommend this album over Buckminster, although I do like them both. I may even someday break my two-disk pattern to buy more albums by this band, if they’re equally fun to listen to.

Next: Driving Blind

All My CDs, pt. 34: Buckminster

Buckminster - Driftless Pony Club

In the current popcultural landscape, creators and creations in different media are often interconnected, with a band creating music devoted to a show or book series, an author promoting his favorite musicians, or comics centered on critique and appreciation for video games. In the case of Driftless Pony Club, I would never have heard of them if not for vocalist/guitarist Craig Benzine's mostly-unrelated (to anything) vlog. While watching his vlog of the band's tour I caught ear of some of the songs, and liked what I heard.

It’s taken me over a year to get a handle on what I like about Driftless Pony Club. Their music is pretty, but unpretentious, and occasionally shows some rough edges but still shines in other areas. They employ the conventional rock configuration of lead and backup vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and keyboard, with few other instruments appearing. I’m not sure how much of my enjoyment of the music is derived from my knowledge of its members from their appearances on Craig Benzine’s vlog and other videos he’s made (watching a vlog for an extended period can often begin to feel like friendship). Regardless, I do enjoy their music.

Buckminster in particular is an example of a concept album I was too ignorant to recognize at first. The songs' lyrics contain numerous references to the life, work, and philosophy of Buckminster Fuller. I had heard of him, but only as the namesake of "buckyballs" and designer of geodesic domes. Since then my knowledge has expanded to include a few quotes and biographical errata, but I have neglected to familiarize myself more fully with him and his life. I have little doubt that once I have, I will suddenly understand more of the lyrics on this album.

It's fair to mention another contributor to my general lack of understanding. The vocal tracks are often not balanced with the instrumental ones such that the words are easy to hear, and the CD's liner notes do not include song lyrics. I am not complaining per se. One aspect is a musical aesthetic choice, the other a visual one, and neither is objectively wrong. Nevertheless, it does make the intellectual meanings of the songs rather obscure.

Personally, I’m not sure if more attention on the vocals would actually help Driftless Pony Club’s musical quality, since voice isn’t where the band gets their beauty. In my opinion, that beauty lies wherever the catchiest melodic refrain is - whether it’s in the vocals, a guitar riff, or wherever. Those moments are relatively understated, but worth watching out for.

Next: Magnicifent