Track of the Week #1: “The Fallen Ground”

Before you begin to wonder and question, I acknowledge that this may not be the blog post that you readers are expecting.  You all are justly expecting post dealing with the nature of that odd dream I had a few weeks ago.  I’ll let you all know that such a post is being completed.  For you see, this weekend I went to a “Borders” bookstore that was going out of business in Virginia Beach.  The prices for everything in the store were 40-50% off!  I would have been a fool not to take advantage of that!  In my search I came upon a rather intriguing Star Wars novel for four dollars and, more importantly, a book on dreams for about two dollars and fifty cents.  My plan is to apply the knowledge I gain from this book to my own dreams.  Expect a post on it by Sunday at the latest (we can be optimistic right).

Since that subject is now out of the way, I shall get to the point of this post.  Like many a person I have a great love for music and I like to share that.  My many years of gaming have forged a very strong appreciation for good videogame music into me.  A certain track in that category is what I’ll be writing on today (and possibly many other days too).

My current video game music addiction is for the game Panzer Dragoon Orta for the original Xbox (am I using these italics right…heck am I using these parenthesis right ha…?).  The fact that I have never played this game makes my love for its music that much more amazing to me.  It also helps to prove my theory that really good videogame music is not solely reliant on the context of the game.  This is not to say that videogame music that uses context to characterize it (or vice versa) is bad.  That is not what I’m saying.  I have plenty of videogame soundtracks that I listen to for nostalgia’s sake.  I listen to some simply for the fact that the music reminds me of some of the most memorable moments in the games.

           

The track for today though is called “The Fallen Ground.”  The entire soundtrack for this game was composed by various individuals but this track was composed by Yutaka Minobe. Certain websites confirm to me that this man began playing piano at the age of four.  By eight, he was developing compositions of his own.  That’s mighty impressive if you ask me!  I’ve always wanted to play the piano but I’ve never got into it.  Heck I even have a keyboard in my brothers’ room but bah I’m lazy ha!  Anyways…

Mr. Minobe’s piece here is quite evocative to me.  Before I explain though, allow me to direct to this link for the track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQjeVdSd6g

What do you think of it?  How does it make you feel?  What images come to your mind?  Let me know in the comments.

The first time I heard this track I was impressed. I played it on loop for quite a time haha. The images that came to my mind were of a barren field.  At one point, maybe many years ago, it was a thriving plain with green grass flowing for miles upon miles.  What had happened though?  What had caused such a wonderful land full of beautiful scenery and azure skies to fall into such a melancholic state?  I thought on the ideas of war, human misdeeds, or simply nature “giving up” on the land for one reason or another.  It’s safe to say that the track inspires scenarios in my mind.  Good music (instrumentals in particular) usually results in story ideas coming to my mind.

Along with this vision of a once majestic and radiant field becoming something quite the opposite, I had the idea of a young lady traveling alone through this field.  She isn’t going too fast, but at the same time, her pace is not slow.  She sees and acknowledges how this land used to be something wonderful but now it is not.  She feels an intense sadness then.  She feels sorrow at this loss of radiance.  The “why” to all of this is still swimming around in my head at the moment?  Maybe it will manifest into some sort of story one day.

I wish I could dive even deeper into this track though.   If I had a greater knowledge of music (terms, techniques, instruments, etc.) than I’m sure I could describe more of this song and how I feel about it a lot better.  All I can say is that everything just “sounds right” to me.  The vocal work at the beginning sets it all up in a way that brings out the mood and prepares me for where this song is going.  All of the instruments and sounds thereafter are used in a way that just satisfies me.

Is that vague enough for you readers?  It’s hard to explain.  I know what I want to say but I don’t know how to say it really.  Ah well.  Point is, this song does a lot right.  It strikes the right parts of my heart and mind.  It makes me think and feel.  It makes me create scenarios and it evokes feeling.  That’s what a good track should do.  Like I said, the fact that it comes from a videogame I’ve never even played makes it even more fascinating to me.

...a fantasy based on reality...

If you were to ask me what I remembered, I’d tell you that there was a classroom.  At least that’s what I thought it was.  Well, I knew it was.  Without any thought of how I even got there I simply knew it was a classroom.  In this classroom there was a black wooden table that I sat at.  It had enough room to hold two and that it did.  A young lady sat next to me.  She seemed to be a young lady I was very happy with too because I had this feeling in me that all was right in the world.  The fact that I was there, sitting behind that black table, in a hazily remembered classroom made me feel all the relief in the world.  Why?

  

She turned to face me and revealed her milky white face and beautifully warm smile.  Her eyes were blue and she was a brunette with hair reaching down just past her shoulders.  She rested her chin in her hands and continued to smile at me as I noticed her freckles.  They gave her quite a sense of personality and I suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia and memories engulf me that I oddly enough knew that I never had.  Odd.

  

Overall, seeing her smiling face was almost a Kodak moment until I somehow-at the last minute-noticed the deep shadows of eyeliner surrounding her optical units.  She wore far too much of it and that is why I stress that this moment was simply an almost picture perfect, beautifully memorable, brings-tears--of-artistic glory- to-my-eyes Kodak Moment.

Almost.

Overall, (again), without us even talking I had this feeling that she was important to me.  I made a long, and slightly arduous journey to get that seat next to her and the pay off was finally here:  me sitting next to her.  Despite her horrendously misguided use of eyeliner, I was with her and we were both happy.  Would you like to know what happened next?  Here’s what happened:

I found myself in a very cramped office sitting in a refreshingly comfortable chair.  Across from me was an older woman with a slightly wrinkled face and short dark hair.  Her legs were crossed and she held a pen in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

            “The operation is scheduled for later today,” she said something to that effect.  “Have a look around before we begin.”

 I nodded to her in mock understanding.  An operation?  For what?  I have accepted to be a part of some surgical operation that I didn’t even know about?  I couldn’t-well I didn’t-even protest!  Why was I- What was I- Ah now I am standing up and walking away.  Will I ever know the answers to these questions

It was as if I had blinked then for I found myself in a small food court.  My sister sat at the opposite side of me with a large plate of French fries, chicken tenders, and a goofy expression on her face.  We talked then:  her happy and me quite a bit indifferent to the conversation.  Maybe I was thinking about the mystery of my operation.  I’m not entirely sure.

           

This fragment came to an end and another began.  I stood in what seemed to be a bookstore.  I knew it was.  In front of me was a vast wall of books and magazines.  I was in heaven and I couldn’t be happier as I scanned each spine for familiar material and newer intriguing titles.  This was the happiest I had felt.  It certainly distracted me from the vague operation looming in the back of my mind.

Seconds later, my sense heightened as a group of  adolescents walked into the aisle I was reading in.  Without another glance I slammed the book shut, fumbled it into its space on the wall and slowly moved out of the aisle and into another.  I didn’t want to be in that aisle with anyone else.  I didn’t’ want to be with anyone else.  It was as if some crazy spirit of teenage angst had decided to descend into me.  I was not happy.  I was the complete definition of fearful.

I left the store then and found a moving walkway-you know- the kind that you stand on as it moves you forward at its own languid pace.  As I stood there I ran into the doctor from before.  She straightened her glasses and stood next to me as we waited to reach the end of the moving walkway.

            “Your operation will be occurring soon.  There are things you need to know.”

            “Like what?”  I asked her, still looking ahead.

            “Information about it.  How your lungs will react, how you’ll be changed, the possible side effects, etc.”

            “And you’re telling me this now?  I assumed that I would go in and they’d tell ME all the details.”

            “That won’t be happening,” we exited the moving walkway and came upon what I thought was the central atrium of the building.  There was an administration booth in the middle of it.  On the circular side walls were couches. We sat.

            “Instead,” she continued.  “You’re going to go to The Council and tell them what you know about the procedure.”

            “And if I know nothing?”

            “You’d better make it a point to know something.”

            I turned my eyes away from her and said nothing.

            “Also,” she seemed to pay no mind to my rudeness.  “We’ll be having a “pre-procedure” before the actually operation commences.  Come to my office in 15 minutes so we can prepare.”

I nodded to her and she left.  A  "pre-procedure" and an opportunity to look absolutely foolish in front of “The Council.”  I didn’t even know who this Council  was but I was nervous.  I had no idea what to expect from this “pre-procedure.”  I told myself that fear would be pointless: stress for nothing.  I couldn’t help it though.  I felt more fearful than I had in a long time.  I sat there silently.

            “You think it’s a catheter?” My sister laughed at me as she shoved a large plat of French fries and chicken strips into my face. 

            “Maybe,” I responded.

She and her friends  laughed and continued talking about whatever they were talking of.  I was back in the food court and feeling quite a bit calmer actually.  The whole “pre-procedure,” Council, and operation situations did not seem as daunting anymore.  I would just go with it.  As I sat there, a smile crept on my face.  This wouldn’t be-

…

This, what you just read, was a pretty odd and disjointed story wasn’t it?  I thought so, though it makes about as much sense to me as it probably does to you.  Why?  Because this is a fantasy based on reality.

This is a dream I had a few nights ago.

You see for the past few nights I’ve been having these weird dreams lately.  Actually, the most amazing part of the entire series of dreams is the fact that I remember them all in the first place!  I haven’t actually remembered any of my dreams for a few months now.  Why do you think that possibly is?

I want to say it’s because I’ve been going to sleep a lot later lately but maybe that’s not quite it.  I really don’t’ know what it is.  And since we’re on the subject, I’ll say that I don’t’ really know very much about dreams at all.

Why were some parts of this dream so fragmented and why did others flow easily?

Why was my sister in it?

Why was the greasy mention of food mentioned twice?

Operation?  Older woman?  Pre-procedure?  Catheter?

Why did  I “know” certain things about the scenario without me ever experiencing them?

Why was there a young lady with the eyeliner?

Why was I in a classroom?

Why?

That’s just the question isn’t it?  I want to know the “why” of dreams.  Hopefully the dissecting of this one plus a bit of external research can yield some answers.  I’ll return soon with another post detailing the specifics of my findings.

Do not hesitate to comment if you have any information or opinions to share about dreams or just anything to say about mine.  I encourage it!  Until next time.