The Difficult Second Post

I'm still toying with the idea of turning this Blog into a music oriented one, but I'm still unsure..
If anyone is actually reading this and has an opinion,( chances are you won't, but humour me, please) then please send me a comment suggesting whether I should:

A) Keep twittering on about my little life- you know, college, friends and all that jazz.

or

B) Stick to what I'm good at and write about music. Most styles, though probably focusing on more alternative, indie, folk, rock-ish stuff.

Or I could just flitter in between, who knows?

Well, until told otherwise I shall preceed with the latter.

So, things have been a bit up in the air recently in my little bubble that I call a world. One of my relatives has passed away, though to be fair I didn't even know he was ill until the day he died. My family is quite small, so it was a bit of a shock, though he did live a long and full life, so there's that to be thankful for at least. Although I'm obviously saddened by the death of my relative, it hasn't made me feel that upset.

Is that a bad thing?

I guess I've just felt very philosophical about the whole thing, I understand that it's a sad thing to leave the planet, and obviously it depends entirely upon the situation in which the person died, but it got me thinking about the whole process. You live, you meet people and form relationships of varying degrees, then you age and die. It's all a bit morbid really, isn't it?
I mean I know there's more to it than that, but if you were to strip down life into parts, it is just basically that.

Which leads me on to a bit of a rant, aimed particularly at someone who I know won't read this, so I shall feel free to vent. Since we only stay on this little rock we call Earth for a supposedly pre-determined number of years, why make life difficult for yourself? It's perfectly natural to feel like an outsider at times, god knows enough of us get called that, or 'freak,' 'loser,' *insert ever-so-witty-insult-here.* But really if you keep thinking it yourself then you're hardly going to lead a very happy existence are you? You should focus on the friendships you have with people; concentrate on their good qualities and not their flaws, be open to meeting new people and make sure that you keep in touch with those more familiar acquaintances. If you think someone is slipping away from you then grasp the situation by the metaphorical horns and sort it out, we only get one life afterall. Though, that's only a guess, nobody's really had the kindness to come back and tell us if we get another shot at it all, selfish swines.

The point is that yeah ok you can go and be depressed and think nobody likes you, but then nobody will like you and you will lead a pretty miserable existence. However, if you do actually want to sing a little song, dance a liitle dance and generally love everyone (mann..) then bloody well get on with it!

Anyway, enough obscure philosophical jibberish, it's music tiiiiiime!

Rather aptly, here's my list of the top 10 Death related/Funeral songs, just because I'm a ray of sunshine:

1. The Smiths- Asleep

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arSjSmBzOuk
- The haunting piano vocal add a sense of beautiful tragedy to this song, accentuated by Morrissey's desparate cries for another world, "a better world."
Definitely a song to listen to when you're being a miserable sod.

2. Joy Division- The Eternal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPY5TxTdElM
Yes, I'm sorry but what did you expect from me, Alphabeat?
The heavy drum beat echoes throughout the song, tolling joyfully for those feeling melancholic. The immense reverb of Curtis' vocals provide a chilling listen.

3. The Cure- Friday I'm in Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxZuj77tUHk
Well they can't all be wrist-slittingly solemn can they?
(apologies to any self harmers, blah blah blah..)
I would like to have this at my funeral, it's upbeat and carries a positive message, which I think is important in funerals, they're all a bit dreary really otherwise.

4. For more mainstream music fans..

Coldplay- Fix You
(Or most of their back catalogue really, they don't exactly branch out of their box.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBEYyHGbwto
I think the fact that an organ is used makes it more customary as a funeral song. Chris Martin's falsetto is also strangely haunting, and, to me anyway, portrays both hope and sadness. This one in particular illustrates both of these qualities.

5. Sigur Ros- Straumnes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtGvwduFuY8
Mesmerisingly wondrous, a song that can reduce even the most tough person to a weeping little puppy. Although only just over a minute long, this instrumental track is good for creating an atmosphere of reflection and hope, emphasised by the sustained string notes. Actually, I would recommend their entire back catalogue if you're into the whole instrumental/'can't understand a word they're saying' thing, their new album is actually quite powerful, it's great to relax to with some candles after a loooong week.

6. Emmy the Great-Edward is Deadward
(Couldn't find a video on Youtube :( )
http://www.last.fm/music/Emmy+the+Great

I've become quite obsessed with this song, the lyrics tell the tale of someone struggling to cope with the loss of a significant other and the heartbreak that comes along with it. Her lyrics are, quite frankly genius on this track, she makes you empathise with her whilst at the same time not being weighted down by the gloomy subject matter. The juxtaposition of the concept of death and the cheery melody is done with precision and elegance. As you can tell, I don't half love this track.

7. Chris T-T - 7 Hearts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncC7UUHn9ao
This is a more jaunty version of the song. The track I have is much more stripped down, just Chris, a kazoo (I think) and an acoustic guitar. As with Emmy the Great, Chris paints a picture of love gone awry, and he does it so well. Chris is the reason I've become more interested in folk. LISTEN TO IT!

8. Oasis-Live Forever
(Just to be ironic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9GiLnZyUgM
Although this song might be perceived as insensitive, I think it's quite uplifting, the chorus refrain "You and I are gonna live forever" strikes a chord.

9. The Verve- Bittersweet Symphony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3m4e45bTo
Saw them live at Glastonbury this year and this song blew me away.
The grandeur strings riff can be used to highlight both elation and despair., and although Ashcroft's vocals do not exactly suit the theme of a funeral, it can offer some sense of relief for those mourning that there is indeed life after the death of their loved one.

10. Green Day- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKGzKy6rvD4
Though the title may give you a sense of irony, the song itself is brilliant. The string notes in the background merge wonderfully with the guitar, and lyrics such as "hope you had the time of your life" and "for what it's worth, it was worth all the while" really get to me, believe it or not I tend to choke up when I hear this one.

Ok, so this list isn't 'definitive,' just songs I could think of off the top of my head, feel free to comment and say more if you so wish.

I promise the next blog entry will be more geared towards either my attempt at satirical reality or musical ponderings, and much less sober.

R.I.P