It may start careless and airy, but this isn’t a happy travel song or a Sunday family gathering tune. Listen carefully to what’s being said. Get down into it and enjoy the depth and range of the message. The music is rich. It flows and transforms gently, leaving plenty of room for a wide array of singing styles to grace our ears. Indeed, this melody is quite the feast when it comes to vocals.
Ah, parasites! Those pesky little critters that suck the life out of various other organisms. But guess what, they’re more important than most people think. According to a new study, anywhere between 10% to 30% of the world’s parasitic species might go extinct due to global warming by 2070. This might seriously (and negatively) disrupt the ecosystem via the domino effect.
This song’s first 30 seconds are among the most beautiful beginnings for a mental journey I know of. It’s almost like it’s begging the listener to close their eyes and begin the trip. There are some very solid rhythms here and beware the wild guitar on the prowl.
The female element is present in all its mysterious sensuality, perhaps a bit over the top at times (although if the song is perceived through a mystical veil, this becomes a boon). Let your mind float on the echoes of Enigma.
The title says it clearly enough. A “no first use” pledge might work much better than threats if we want to advert a nuclear war with, for example, North Korea. Given the size of the country’s army, even a conventional weapons conflict would have devastating consequences on the Korean peninsula. But a “no first use” pledge would probably prevent that as well, since it could include something like “no state will use nuclear weapons as long as its territorial integrity is preserved”. Here’s an article that describes all this in more detail.
Mystical choirs, check. Lush, satisfying electronica percussion, check. A wide array of tribal and symphonic instruments to enhance the atmosphere, check. A talented, inspired musician to put it all together, check. And that’s how we’re gifted with a solid and I do mean solid psybient song.
Software is becoming more important with every passing year. We now live in a world where processes across the economic and social spectrum can be scaled, optimized and improved through software. Sometimes it’s automation, at other times it’s reinterpreting and transforming entire workflows into something that can be done remotely and collaboratively via various centralized systems (applications, websites, etc.).
Software is also a very new concept in the world of engineering. Its completely immaterial nature makes it difficult to craft using known techniques and processes. Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies out there haven’t yet adapted to software. Sometimes even companies that think of themselves that they are doing software go about it in a completely mechanical way. They put everything underneath the umbrella term “IT” (Information Technology). There is a very important distinction between technology and correctly (profitably) applying that technology.
The soothing chords the song starts with are a worthy companion for the singer’s gentle voice. But the artists wouldn’t leave it at that. The healthy percussion brings diversity to the melody. It’s a composition that flows, which is exactly what is needed for singing such wonderful lyrics.
We often hear that we “should take better care of ourselves”, like for some reason we’re missing out on life’s awesome hedonistic opportunities. I always felt that this way of thinking is incredibly superficial. This article explains very well what self-care really means.
I respect the fact that many people have difficult lives. But I also believe that a significant percentage of such people make their life more difficult by not integrating some practices that might make their passage through this existence much more pleasant. That’s slightly paradoxical because enjoying life has so little to do with micro-managing opportunities for enjoyment and everything to do with learning how to dance in your current circumstances.
The staircase leads higher and higher. Lights begin to circle everywhere around. And then the voice kicks in and brings us straight into the party. Like many of Norman’s songs, this one makes extensive use of sampling. There’s a beautiful contrast between the melody’s soft, meandering foundation and the intense percussion and vocal samples. 1998 is right here, right now again and it’s awesome.
As the birds of steel approach the city from the Baltic Sea, the lucky travelers are treated to one of the most beautiful panoramas this planet has on offer. Thousands of little green islands scatter away from the Scandinavian mainland, emerald dust sinking into blue depths. Stockholm itself is not much different from the archipelago leading up to it, except that there’s more green than blue that surrounds this well-planned, clean and cozy capital.
