"Little Talks" - Of Monsters And Men

Imma show you how proud I am

Remember back in the old days when people used to marry within their heritage to keep the bloodlines pure?  I guess you probably don't remember, because you'd be 700 years old now, and dead instead of reading this blog. Anyways, I like those days. I am annoyingly proud of my heritage (hey son, check out all of my foreign tattoos).  I am half Icelandic and half Ukranian.  Don't tell my Baba (Ukranian Grandma), but I might just be a little more proud to be Icelandic.  Come on, really though - even pierogi can't compete with Vikings!

There is nothing more gangster than Vikings, no saga more enchanting than Norse mythology, and nowhere as hauntingly beautiful as Iceland.  That being said, I feel like Iceland is misunderstood and misrepresented (like moi). The only significant media coverage Icelanders ever seem to get is for volcanoes erupting or the Country going bankrupt.  Besides epic glaciers and Huldufolk (Iceland's hidden people), Iceland is becoming known for their music festivals and homegrown talent.  Enter Of Monsters and Men, who gained their first success after winning The Icelandic Music Experiments: Musiktilraunir, a nationwide battle of the bands competition.

Iceland = Epic

My passion and interest in obscure and fantastic music is becoming increasingly more apparent to my friends, and I am so thrilled for your random texts suggesting songs I might be interested in.  The songs are my little treasures, just like you my elskans (my dears).

First thing I Googled - "What the hell does Of Monsters and Men stand for?" Through much creeping I found an article where the band explains, "We like looking up strange stories, stories about monsters and stuff. We're just kind of inspired by the whole weirdness of everything." Fair enough,  I'll take it.

Second thing I Googled - "What the hell is "Little Talks" about?" Now this search produced just over 1 million answers. It was amazing how people could interpret the same song in so many different ways.  From an abusive relationship, to someone going insane. A few people threw the possibility out there that the song might be referring to someone suffering from dementia.

Of Monsters and Men

My Amma (Icelandic Grandma)  suffered from dementia, and the more I read the lyrics the more that theme clicked with me.  I finally found an interview with the band who wrote that the story behind "Little Talks" is "about lovers that have gone away, It's basically about losing someone."  If you've ever known someone diagnosed with dementia the lyrics will speak to you a little bit, "There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back/I tell her that I miss our little talks", "I wish you'd disappear/All that's left is a ghost of you."  And this made me like the song even more, because it reminds me of my Amma now.  Not in a sad way, but in a nice way, like a hand on the shoulder.

What did you think of the song my little blog-bots?  How did you interpet it.

Skal!

Sources:  http://mplayer.pastemagazine.com/issues/week-10/articles#article=/issues/week-10/articles/of-monsters-and-men-icelands-folk-pop-stars





Hey! Hey! Hey!
I don't like walking around this old and empty house
So hold my hand, I"ll walk with you my dear
The stairs creak as I sleep, it's keeping me awake
It's the house telling you to close your eyes

Some days I can't even trust myself
It's killing me to see you this way

'Cause  though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore

Hey! Hey! Hey!
There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back
I tell her that I miss our little talks
Soon it will all be over, buired with our past
You used to play outside when you were young,
Full of life and full of love.

Some days I feel like I am wrong an I am right
Your mind is playing tricks on you my dear

'Cause  though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore

Hey!
Don't listen to a word I say
Hey!
They screams all sound the same
Hey!

'Cause  though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore

You're gone gone gone away
I watched you disappear
All that's left is a ghost of you
Now we're torn torn torn apart
There's nothing we can do
Just let me go, we'll meet again soon

Now wait wait wait for me
Please hang around
I see you when I fall asleep

Hey!
Don't listen to a word I say
Hey!
They screams all sound the same
Hey!

'Cause  though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore\

Hey!
Don't listen to a word I say
Hey!
They screams all sound the same
Hey!

'Cause  though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore x 3

"I Wish I Was The Moon" - Neko Case

Sting uses Tantric Sex to relieve stress

Wow I've been out of the loop for awhile now hey?  This is the longest I've gone between blogs since my blog first came to be.  In many ways I find blogging therapeutic. Yes, there are some of us freaks out there that actually ENJOY writing.  It de-stresses us in the same way chocolate, yoga or Tantric sex might work for other people (although I wouldn't say no to the latter either).



When I look back at my epic blogging career, I can directly correlate the pattern of my blogs with the events in my life. There was a time when I needed to blog weekly, then monthly, and now it's to a point where sometimes it's even longer than that. I find I need to blog less and less,  but don't worry my pretty little followers, it's not for lack of music, because I have plenty of that to come.


I first heard "I Wish I Was The Moon" on, (surprise, surprise) my favourite vampire porn - True Blood.  The best way to describe this song is "haunting".  It has a very dated and lonely feel to it.   Now my Neighbour has been harping on me for listening to too many "depressing" songs, but I think that the most powerful emotions are listed in this order - sadness, anger, happiness.  The kind of heartache and pain that goes into a sad song can't even touch one that's been written with a smile.

Neko Case

You might recognize Neko from her contributions to The New Pornographers.  There wasn't much info available about this song but I found the below explanation on a song forum.  


"She said that this song was written about her father whom she described as a "sad and lonely man" who hated his life and let them know about it every day.  Her Mother and Father emigrated from the Ukraine, when it was still part of the Communist Soviet Union.  the Line "God bless me, I'm a free man" refers to that, but they were very poor which us the line "with nowhere free to go".  He worked for the US Air Force which meant moving around a lot and explains why they wound up in Tacoma, Washington as there is an Air Force Base There"







Chimney falls and lovers blaze
Thought that I was young
No I've freezing hands and bloodless veins
As numb as I've become
I'm so tired, I wish I was the moon tonight


Last night I dreamt I've forgotten my name
'Cause I sold my soul
But I woke just the same
I'm so lonely, I wish I was the moon tonight

God bless me I'm a free man
With no place free to go
Paralyzed and collared tight
No pills for what I fear
This is crazy, I wish I was the moon tonight


Chimney falls and lovers blaze
Thought that I was young
Now I've freezing hands and bloodless veins
As numb as I've become
I'm so tired, I wish I was the moon tonight


How will you know if you've found me at last
'Cause I'll be the one, be the one, be the one
With my heart in my lap
I'm so tired
I'm so tired
and I wish I was the moon...


I'm so tired
I'm so tired
And I wish I was the moon tonight.