As you may or may not be able to tell from previous posts, I am a big fan of what I am going to call Nerd Rock. Actually, to be fair I stole that term from this article. But what I mean is music that is about books, movies, pop culture, robots, zombies, etc. Whether it's Jonathan Coulton, one of my many favorite Wizard rockers, or some random song about Bellingham on YouTube, (and I could go on) these songs seem to always be at the top of my playlist (and they crowd out the thousands of other songs on my iPod to make it into the Top 25 most played). I love it when these songs are humorous and when they are emotional. I enjoy songs from the point of view of fictional characters, or those that look at the happenings of a story from the outside. When the song's interpretation is similar to mine I can find an instant connection, and when it's different then I can see this story in a new light. My two recent online music purchases add tremendously to this growing genre (further proof that nerds are taking over the world in more ways than before) and I cannot stop listening. Here's a brief summary and review of what I have been listening to repeatedly since downloading.
The Oceanic Six - Greatest Hits, Vol 1
Now that I've finished Lost I was finally able to download for myself what I had purchased for a friend at the beginning of the year. Alex Carpenter (of the Wizard Rock band The Remus Lupins), Jason Munday (of the Wizard Rock band Ministry of Magic and his own project Skyway Flyer), and Luke Conard's (also of Ministry of Magic as well as ALL CAPS) band dedicated solely to one of the most popular and discussed TV shows in the last decade. The album only covers seasons 1-5, so if you haven't gotten around to the final season there are no spoilers. The music combines everything that I love from the band members' other efforts and their respective styles, and sings about things that I can now relate to. I absolutely love Henry Gale - which I listened to prior to watching and was a bit of a spoiler when I finally watched the show, but I think general pop culture knowledge had spoiled some elements of Michael Emerson's character - which is high energy and very catchy (in a good way, not like a disease). However, I think Will You Be My Constant and Dude are my favorites, largely because they are about my favorite characters. Will You Be My Constant tells beautifully of Desmond & Penny's love while Dude gives a little insight into how everyone loves Hurley, even if he thinks he is cursed. The whole album is fantastic, and if we're being honest, a small part of why I wanted to watch this show. If people who write such fun and at times poignant music about other things that I love can put together an entire album about this show, it must be worth checking out.
Alex Carpenter - Freedom in Panem
As the world prepared for Mockingjay the final chapter of the Hunger Games series (my review/reaction can be found here), Alex Carpenter did so in his own way, by writing an emotional EP about the first two books in the series. These 5 songs cover brilliantly the important moments and emotions from Hunger Games and Catching Fire. There are some catchy hooks and some beautiful melodies. Overall, a fantastic EP, so wonderful that I haven't even picked a favorite song yet.
I am hopeful that these guys will write just a little more on these topics - the final season of Lost and Mockingjay - but I am elated to have these 15 songs playing randomly and repeatedly for now and look forward to more music from them all on whatever topics, nerdy or otherwise.
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The End of The Hunger Games (SPOILERS)
A brilliant, fast-paced, emotional roller coaster. A heroine worthy of the respect of tweens and adults alike. A critique of our own society as we see a future where our worst elements are taken to the extreme. While kept appropriate for its readers, it does not disguise the horrors of war or pretend like happily ever after is an option after the destruction that the audience witnesses. A wide array of well developed, complex characters.
I could go on and on, but I will stop here and just say that if you have not taken the time to read Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, stop reading this now and go buy it. It is yet another shining example of young adult fiction that should not be loved by readers of all ages.
Now that you've done that, I can stop worrying about spoilers. I picked up the final book in this series the day it came out, and finished it that night. I had been waiting since learning at the end of Catching Fire (a year ago) that there was no more District 12. The chilling cliffhanger and the fact that I believed Catching Fire to be even better than the brilliant first book in the series, The Hunger Games. I loved the unexpected twists and the growth of our favorite characters. The conflicts were new and you could sense their world was changing. You could sense the change because Collins' writing made you so familiar with this society that you could tell when things were just a little different. Mockingjay starts and thrusts you right back into Panem as Katniss, our beloved but reluctant heroine, is faced with the increasingly difficult decision of whether or not to be the face of the revolution. You know what she will decide, not just because it makes sense for the story, but because you know what kind of person Katniss is. When given too much time to think she can be clumsy and stumble and occasionally even act her age (17). However, at her core she is brave and wise. Her instincts are so pure and good that you know when she ultimately makes her decision it will be for the good of both her family and friends as well as the people of Panem. Her will to survive in the Hunger Games was stronger than anything the gamemakers could throw at her, and that will continues in the real war ahead. The thing that makes her will so strong is that her desire to survive is not about herself, it's about protecting her family and those she loves. If dying was what was needed to insure their survival, she would not hesitate, but she knows that they need her and she must continue on. Her selflessness combined with her strength makes her a brilliant heroine, and her imperfections make her relatable.
Mockingjay is a powerful and emotional book that does not hide the complications and consequences of civil war. We see in Gale someone who has been oppressed by his government so long that he wants not only to win, but wants it to hurt the Capitol. We see Peeta completely changed by cruel methods of brainwashing, so much so that the sweet, loving, charismatic boy that we grew to love in the first two novels is absent from almost the entire book. Nothing is more heart-breaking than the game of Real, Not Real that they create to try and help Peeta to understand what was an actual memory and what had been placed in his head by President Snow's people. And there is so much loss. While we are distracted by Peeta and Katniss during the final campaign of the war, Finnick is lost to some crazy animal hybrid. Hi death almost goes unnoticed as you are racing to read the final pages, but stopped me as I hastened to re-read that section and make sure that I understood what had just happened to one of my favorite characters. In the final moments of the war, we witness through Katniss' eyes the bombs going off that kill her beloved sister. After all her efforts to save Prim, starting with volunteering on the first Reaping Day to take her place in the Hunger Games, the war took her anyway. Collins pulls you into Katniss' head and you feel every moment of anguish as the realization of what has occurred is made clear.
It was emotionally draining to read this book, but if Collins had held back at all it would have felt empty or false. This society was so far gone that only that level of destruction could lead to any kind of sustained change. And only a heroine with the pure heart and brave instincts of Katniss could we have made it through to the end.
I could go on and on, but I will stop here and just say that if you have not taken the time to read Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, stop reading this now and go buy it. It is yet another shining example of young adult fiction that should not be loved by readers of all ages.
Now that you've done that, I can stop worrying about spoilers. I picked up the final book in this series the day it came out, and finished it that night. I had been waiting since learning at the end of Catching Fire (a year ago) that there was no more District 12. The chilling cliffhanger and the fact that I believed Catching Fire to be even better than the brilliant first book in the series, The Hunger Games. I loved the unexpected twists and the growth of our favorite characters. The conflicts were new and you could sense their world was changing. You could sense the change because Collins' writing made you so familiar with this society that you could tell when things were just a little different. Mockingjay starts and thrusts you right back into Panem as Katniss, our beloved but reluctant heroine, is faced with the increasingly difficult decision of whether or not to be the face of the revolution. You know what she will decide, not just because it makes sense for the story, but because you know what kind of person Katniss is. When given too much time to think she can be clumsy and stumble and occasionally even act her age (17). However, at her core she is brave and wise. Her instincts are so pure and good that you know when she ultimately makes her decision it will be for the good of both her family and friends as well as the people of Panem. Her will to survive in the Hunger Games was stronger than anything the gamemakers could throw at her, and that will continues in the real war ahead. The thing that makes her will so strong is that her desire to survive is not about herself, it's about protecting her family and those she loves. If dying was what was needed to insure their survival, she would not hesitate, but she knows that they need her and she must continue on. Her selflessness combined with her strength makes her a brilliant heroine, and her imperfections make her relatable.
Mockingjay is a powerful and emotional book that does not hide the complications and consequences of civil war. We see in Gale someone who has been oppressed by his government so long that he wants not only to win, but wants it to hurt the Capitol. We see Peeta completely changed by cruel methods of brainwashing, so much so that the sweet, loving, charismatic boy that we grew to love in the first two novels is absent from almost the entire book. Nothing is more heart-breaking than the game of Real, Not Real that they create to try and help Peeta to understand what was an actual memory and what had been placed in his head by President Snow's people. And there is so much loss. While we are distracted by Peeta and Katniss during the final campaign of the war, Finnick is lost to some crazy animal hybrid. Hi death almost goes unnoticed as you are racing to read the final pages, but stopped me as I hastened to re-read that section and make sure that I understood what had just happened to one of my favorite characters. In the final moments of the war, we witness through Katniss' eyes the bombs going off that kill her beloved sister. After all her efforts to save Prim, starting with volunteering on the first Reaping Day to take her place in the Hunger Games, the war took her anyway. Collins pulls you into Katniss' head and you feel every moment of anguish as the realization of what has occurred is made clear.
It was emotionally draining to read this book, but if Collins had held back at all it would have felt empty or false. This society was so far gone that only that level of destruction could lead to any kind of sustained change. And only a heroine with the pure heart and brave instincts of Katniss could we have made it through to the end.
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