The Bear Necessities

So I had the idea for this section a while back..or the name for it at least..but I’ve been a bit lazy about actually figuring out what I want to put in here.  I was thinking though, that it would prabably make the most sense to use it as a place to talk about some of the records, movies, and whatever else that helped shape who I am now..or at least things that caught my attention along the way. Anything I talk about here is gonna come with the highest praise I can give it because I undoubtedly have a huge affinity for it. Alrighty. Without further ado, let’s get right to it.

Enigma – ‘The Screen Behind The Mirror’
Virgin Records
Released Jan 18, 2000

There was a time when MTV played videos..and lots of them. Granted, by the year 2000, that mostly happened late at night..but hey, at least it happened. One of shows I used to watch religiously on the channel was a show hosted by Matt Pinfield called 120 Minutes.  It was a show that played a huge variety of videos from various genres under the ‘alternative’ umbrella. I can remember it as clear as day..I was sitting in the office room at my parent’s house at the time, hanging out..where else..on AOL, when I heard the first few bars of Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’ playing on the tv in the next room. I’d always thought it was a cool song, so I ventured out to see what this song was that was sampling it.  Turns out it was Enigma’s song ‘Gravity Of Love’. The video was kinda weird and the song was fantastic and I was, needless to say, instantly intrigued. The next day, I went out to my local Circuit City and picked up this record and..haha..I remember the girl working behind the counter notice what I was buying and then call her coworker girl over to show her and Enigma must have been a fave of co-girl because she smiled at me and said ‘oh cool’. I probably should have hooked it up, she was cute if I remember correctly. But I just digressed all over the place. Back to the actual record. Most of my friends only know of Enigma because of the ‘Return To Innocence’ song..or ‘that one with the indian in it’, and that’s cool I suppose..it may be the same for you. Heck, it was the same for me at the time.  ‘The Screen Behind The Mirror” scratched me right where I itched though. I was pretty big into techno at the time, and Enigma combined lots of electronic elements with some new age sounds and the majesty of ‘O Fortuna’ (which is a recurring theme throughout this record) and for whatever reason, this cd just worked for me.  It’s such a good cd from front to back, and I couldn’t begin to tell you how many nights it provided the soundtrack either for sleep or for a long, thoughtful moonlit drive around Gwinnett County, Georgia or both. There are so many good songs on this disc man! ‘Push The Limits’, ‘Silence Must Be Heard’, etcetcetc. Great stuff. Actually, Enigma is just a really solid bandthing all around. Most of their releases, especially the first 4 or so, are stellar.  The first few even use lots of that Gregorian Munk chanting stuff that was all the rage in the 90’s. I like that.  Give the band a chance, you may enjoy ‘em.

So often, music enables you to travel back in time; to remember where you were in life when you first heard it. Heck, I just rambled off a story about where I was when I first heard a song on a cd 9 years ago, and I remember it as plain as day. God, that’s what I love so much about music. It provides a soundtrack for your life, and whether you realize at the time or not, it’s something that will always be with you, providing an audio yearbook of your life so to speak. This Enigma cd is part of the fabric of my life, it’s part of who I am and it helped, just like everything else I’ve listened to, create my current fantabulous musical taste.  Is this the best cd in the world? Nah. It’s not even one of my all time top 20 or anything (although Gravity Of Love as a song is still right up there as an all-timer). But it’s important to me, it’s essential..to me. To me, it’s a necessity. I’ll hop down from my soapbox now.  I will return though. This is only the beginning – a small piece of the puzzle that this new, awesome section of BEP will slowly put together.

William Orbit – ‘Pieces In A Modern Style’
Maverick Records
Released Feb 22, 2000

If you had told most of my friends that I was making a section to dedicate to my favorite things, I venture to assume that many of them would expect this record to be one of the first, if not the first, thing I mentioned.  Why? Oh just because it’s basicalllllly my favorite cd of all time (despite being dethroned by Damien Rice’s ‘O’ during the 2008 Labor Day List-A-Thon), and is just a resoundingly beautiful record.  Let’s see..where to begin?
The year was 2000. Bill Clinton was still President, I was still enrolled in college, and MTV, in addition to the 120 Minutes show that I talked about in the Enigma post, still played a show called Amp.  Probably my favorite of all past MTV shows, Amp usually came on after 120 Minutes and was dedicated to airing videos from the electronica/techno genres of music. This show played a huge role in my growing interest in that genre, as it had introduced me, a total techno nOOb at the time, to artists like Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Chemical Brothers, Mr. Oizo, Faithless, Orbital, and yada yada yada.  I kinda miss those days, don’t you? The days of turning on MTV, actually seeing videos, and maybe finding something new you hadn’t heard before. Oh well.  So I’m watching this Amp show and a video comes on for ‘Adagio For Strings’ by a dude named William Orbit, and it started out with a tree and some familiar sounding strings so naturally I was interested as there aren’t many things I like more in this world than trees and stringed instruments.  As the song went on, it picked up the pace and turned into a trance tune and I was completely hooked..although I still couldn’t place where I knew the song from.  The next day, I grabbed my brother, we hopped in my big ass Cutlass (lovingly dubbed ‘The Whale’), and headed down to Media Play so I could pick this interesting trancey record up. On the drive back home, I put the cd into my makeshift cd player ready to get my rave on..and the song started..aaaaand never picked up into a techno song. I was perplexed. Had I purchased the wrong album? Ohhh I was so confused.
As time passed and I started listening to this record though, I realized that it was a million times better than an album of trance songs (though there is a 2nd disc with 2 remixes of ‘Adagio..’). What I had on my hands was a musical goldmine.  ‘Pieces In A Modern Style’ is a record made up of reimagined versions of timeless classical tunes by the like of Barber, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and others by uber-producer William Orbit (his work on Madonna’s ‘Ray Of Light’ record is outstanding btw). He’s recreated the original tunes with an ambient electronic twist without taking anything away from the works and has created a cd that is so phenominal in my eyes that words can’t really do it justice.
The whole record is amazing, but the obvious star of the show here though is the  9 minute opening track, composer Samuel Barber’s classic ‘Adagio For Strings’. Gah, it’s the most gorgeous piece of music ever created and remains my favorite song to this day. Never have I heard a song able to capture soo much emotion with the simple swelling of strings. It’s warm & hopeful and sad & undeniably depressing at the same time and is the absolute perfect song if you’re into the whole thinking thing. The whole cd is perfect thinking music for that matter. Or sleeping. Or walking. Or anything. It’s just perfect music. In fact, it gives me goosebumps! Goosebumps! Something like that must be awesome, right?
The bottom line is, music doesn’t get much better than this for me.  It’s been the soundtrack to many of my life’s ups and downs, it’s gotten countless spins in my cd players, and it’s even been given as a gift a few times. If you haven’t heard it, I feel like you’re kiiiinda doing yourself a disservice.
It’s just that good.

VAST – ‘Visual Audio Sensory Theater’
Elektra Records
Released April 28, 1998

Wow, 1998.  Seems like yesterday. Chances are, even if you aren’t familiar with the band, you’ve probably heard something they’ve done before. The song ‘Touched’ was fairly popular and used on a few movie trailers (most notably that I can remember The Beach), and ‘Pretty When You Cry’ was all over The Box music video channel back in the day. That channel was the bomb back in the day man. Ah, good times. VAST, at least at the time (and to an extent still today), was sort of a one man band project of a dude named Jon Crosby.  He sorta followed Trent Reznor’s early NIN formula of doing it all himself, and with this record, his debut, some adventurous reviewer might even seek to lump him in to NIN’s genre of music, and that might not be THAT far off base.
In the mid 90’s, I was really just starting to come into my own musically. I knew I liked Metallica and a few other things, but I been dabbling in all sorts of music as I have mentioned here before. I went through my various phases..techno, death metal, industrial, Collective Soul, you name it,  I have been into it.  My influences came from all over, but perhaps none more important to me than a girl in NYC that I know named Alexis. She can be credited for introducing/recommending all kinds of new stuff to me..stuff that I probably would have ended finding on my own in the end, but ya never know. It would be safe to say that she was, for a long while, a musical beacon for me, and partly because of her, artists as promient to me as Tool, Depeche Mode, and Madonna got their first real fair Brandon shake thanks to her. Well in 1998, this chick recommended that I pick up a copy of this cd by VAST because she thought I might dig it. She had rarely let me down musically, and so soon after I picked this bad boy up at Target in Stone Mountain, Georgia. How’s that for specifics? I can vividly remember standing there looking for the tiny ‘V’ section of cds and finding this disc in there. Why I remember? Who knows. Who cares. I also instantly remember being blown away by this music. VAST was a  sonic mix of everything from NIN to Depeche Mode to The Cure..centered in a dark, almost brooding sort of rock, but yet not heavy with plenty of electronics, elements of classical music, Gregorian chanting and samples and acoustics thrown in there to really spice it up.  Like, I can’t really tell you how great I think this cd is. I mean, it’s pretty brilliant. Lyrically, it hits everything from spirituality (an element you’ll likely notice pretty quickly) to romanticism to sadness to loneliness to anger..all the emotions and aspects of life are covered here.
I really love Crosby’s voice too, it’s so honest and perfect for the  music and he does SUCH  a good job at making all these songs sound huge and important and melodically solid. In fact, some of the songs kinda sound like they’d have a spot on NIN’s ‘The Fragile’, if that helps give you any barometer for the way this record goes. There is just sooo much good stuff here I don’t have the time (it’s really late right now, and I’m fading fast) to talk about it all. From the opener, ‘Here’, to the beautiful closer ‘You’, this record is a classic to me from the first note.  I would, however, be remissed  if didn’t mention the song ‘Flames’. This song is so unbelivably perfectly gorgeous and is probably my second favorite of all time, behind ‘Adagio For Strings’.  The combo of the love-y lyrics and the mellowness of the cello and the acoustic guitar..just..gah!..so perfect.
For those that know me, you already know about and maybe even enjoy this record..I certainly have done my best to push it on you over the years. For newcomers, know that this cd comes hiiighly recommended by me and is an all-timer. It’s a classic in every shape of the word in my little world.  Other VAST stuff? Eh, it’s hit or miss..although some of Crosby’s new ‘Generica’ stuff is pretty rad..but this..this is wonderful.

Bright Eyes – ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’
Saddle Creek
Released January 25, 2005

Is it a faux-pas to have this recent a record as an essential piece of music? I don’t really think so, especially if it can hold it’s own with any other record I view as being a classic.
There was a time not all that long ago when I would have scoffed at this album. It’s hard to imagine a Brandon world where acoustic/folk/singer-songwriter music wasn’t some of the most revered fare, I know, but it’s true. BUUUT like, once Damien Rice’s ‘O’ knocked down all those silly musical walls and I was free to like this kinda stuff, Bright Eyes’ ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’ was one of the first things that caught my fancy.
I recall hearing ‘Lua’ or whatever the first single was before this cd came out and while I’d never cared all that much for Conor’s voice, something about it just seemed kinda special this time around. Soo I bought this record when it came out and liked it but it never really..grabbed me. Ohhh but then, one fateful day, I was driving to Nashville to see some friends on a cool, overcast spring day and I had popped this in for giggles and ka-boom, this thing hit me like a ton of bricks.  That’s such an awesome feeling too, ya know? The moment when you really ‘get’ a record is one of my favorite feelings in the world. Everything about I’m Wide Awake.. was perfect at that exact minute. I remember it like it was yesterday………….. ‘Another Travelin’ Song’ was the initial culprit, as it’s upbeat tempo was the perfect soundtrack for the endless highway in front of me and the lush fields I was driving through in southern Tennessee. I was driving towards a situation where all hope for what I really wanted was seemingly gone and the line ‘I’ll fight like hell to hide that I’ve given up’ is one that really caught my attention, and one that, to this day, I’ve always been able to relate to. I’m sure you probably can too. Really though, Conor has a way with words that few can match, and his shaky, vulnerable delivery really helps said words come across with a brutal honesty that as a listener, I appreciate and love. He has a way of transferring the emotions of life’s highs and lows into tangible thoughts and ideas that, as a writer, I only wish I could come close to duplicating.
As a whole, this album really delivers. From front to back, it’s packed with great song after great song..and my gosh, isn’t ‘Road To Joy’ one of the best closing songs you’ve ever heard?
‘Why yes Brandon, it is!!’
Yea, I know it.
It’s a perfect roadtrip album, it’s a perfect bummed out moody album, and it even has the amazing Emmylou Harris on it! Can’t beat that.
This record remains the best work of his still young career, and is a bar by which all of his other records have, and will continue to be measured by both myself and countless others. It’s a fantastic work of art, and if you don’t like it, well, maybe you should. Hater.

There was once a time, long long ago when Finger Eleven was one of my favorite bands in the whole wide world. Yes, it’s true, despite what the music noobz may think, F11 was relavent long before that retarded (but admittedly catchy) Paralyzer song. More than 10 years ago, the dudes dropped a record called ‘Tip’ and man, that shit was awesome. Back then, they were actually fairly original and had a sound that stood out from the crowd in the music scene as opposed to, ya know, going with a sound that really kinda sucks (but it $ell$ records, sooo..). Anyway, they were great because they stood out..they weren’t rap metal in a time when that was cool, they weren’t really 90s alternative, they were just a good ol’ Canuck band making really great rock  music.
I was first shown the light in terms of these guys thanks to a friend of mine who, looking back, was hugely influential in shaping some of my musical tastes (or at least pointing me down the right path). She lived up in NYC, and had told me about a band getting a little airplay on a music video channel called Much Music called Finger 11 and praised them up and down and since I trusted her judgement like whoa, I went right out and searched around for this record.  Once I got it, I was thrilled to find it was as good as I had heard, and perhaps even better.  It’s jam packed with really, really solid songs no matter which angle you’re looking from. If you’re into solid lyrical stylings, they’ve got you covered. Tunes you can bob your head to and kinda rock out at the same time? Check. Talented vocalist? Yup. All around awesome.  I can’t tell you how long this record stayed in my discman at the time. I listened to it almost nonstop for months, and honestly, as I listen to it right this moment while I type, it’s every bit as great now as it was back then.  Songs like ‘Awake and Dreaming’, ‘Quicksand’, ‘Temporary Arms’, and ‘Above’..they’re just so darn good! I highly recommend giving it a shot if you missed the boat back in 1998.
Their second record, ‘The Greyest Of Blue Skies’ is awesome too me thinks..it’s a little bit darker, a little bit heavier and nu-metallier, but it’s a wonderful record as well and really, I think it’s a Bear Necessity as well. Buuut that’s for another day.
Oh and like, I have NO idea wtf happened to this band after that ‘Greyest’ record. Generally speaking, everything they have released since has been utter shite and they totally lost what had made them special to me back in the day. Don’t ya just hate when your favorite bands “change directions” or try to “broaden their sound”? Screw getting paid and a finding a broader audience..stick to your guns and keep making music I like, damn it.

Sleeping At Last – ‘Keep No Score’
Released June 21, 2006

If you have been a follower of my blogging or year end reviews through the years, you may remember my gushing about this album. If you have not, that’s okay, because I’m about to do it again.
There are times in life when you experience something and as it’s happening, you just know it’s something that will be important to you for the rest of your life. Be it a movie, a book, a conversation, or a sunset, everyone knows that feeling I’m speaking of. You knowing that feeling is important to you understanding truly how I feel about this record.

To be honest, I almost don’t know how to approach talking about this cd. I don’t know what words to use to describe it that can do it justice in my eyes. I’m gonna try though, so bare with me for a bit if you will. From the very start of first track ‘Tension & Thrill’, this album grabbed a hold of me in a way I’d never expected. I’d always liked the music of Sleeping At Last, I’d always thought they were super talented, but this immediately seemed a bit different. It was like I was listening to music for the first time again; and this new music seemed to be written for the sole purpose of making it’s way into my ears. I’ve always been partial towards sad songs. Confusion, heartbreak, and feeling lost..those are song topics that I can understand and relate to and generally enjoy. But ‘Keep No Score’ bucks that trend. Everything about this record has the uncanny ability to make me feel warm inside and bring the traces of a smile to my face. The melodies are so beautiful, the lyrics are so awesome and hopeful and spiritual, and singer Ryan O’Neal’s voice is so welcoming and powerful..I just can’t deny how it makes me feel.  Everything about this record, straight down to the artwork, is perfect to me. I adore it in every way.

My gosh, and the song ‘Umbrellas’ is truly one of my favorite songs of all time.  Every single time I hear it, it helps me realize that one day, everything will be okay..and that feeling, that thought, is priceless to me. If I ever get married, this tune will undoubtedly be featured somewhere in the proceedings, so anyone out there that would be invited to said wedding should it ever occur, be prepared for that special moment.

That’s probably enough outta me for now, because I could go on and on.  If you dudes in the band happen to google your name someday and this comes up in the search results, thank you for this record and it’s greatness.  For everyone else, maybe give it a listen if you’re so inclined. The band just went into the studio to record a new cd, and that should be coming out in the summer sometime sooo maybe you’ll look forward to that as much as I am.