{"id":6698,"date":"2012-01-27T18:53:57","date_gmt":"2012-01-27T23:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shuffly.net\/wp\/?p=6698"},"modified":"2012-01-27T18:53:57","modified_gmt":"2012-01-27T23:53:57","slug":"misunderstanding-all-you-hear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shuffly.net\/zoop\/misunderstanding-all-you-hear\/","title":{"rendered":"Misunderstanding all you hear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Visitors here, reading posts such as this<\/a>, might assume I listen only to Japanese music. That’s not quite true. I listen also to Finnish music. For instance, Gjallarhorn:<\/p>\n

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And V\u00e4rttin\u00e4:<\/p>\n

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And Loituma:<\/p>\n

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Here’s a tune you might recognize. Leeks are optional:<\/p>\n

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Then there’s Nightwish.<\/p>\n

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When I encountered this AMV many years ago, ((Mahou shoujo<\/em> outfits are fancier and frillier nowadays, but none improve on the Sailor Moon<\/strong><\/em> designs.)) I immediately ordered Oceanborn<\/em><\/strong>. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not instrumental. In principle, it should have been terrific: operatic vocals and symphonic metal combine surprisingly well. Tarja, however, sang in English, not Finnish, and I did not care for the lyrics.<\/p>\n

The case of Nightwish illustrates why I seldom listen to American or British popular music any more, and when I do, I focus on instrumentals. A few songwriters can devise songs with both interesting music and well-crafted lyrics. Most can’t. When the songs are sung in a language I don’t understand, I don’t hear how lame the words are. With V\u00e4rttin\u00e4 and Susumu Hirasawa, I can pretend that the the lyrics are as good as the music \u2014 and perhaps they are.<\/p>\n

Finally, a novelty featuring a pair of kanteles:<\/p>\n

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*****<\/p>\n

Here’s a time-lapse video you might find interesting and perhaps a bit creepy:<\/p>\n