Ode to Joy
Let’s take a break and focus on something else for a change, shall we?
“Window in the Skies” was one of two new songs on U2’s career-spanning (and curiously-chosen) singles collection a couple of years back. From things I have read here and there online, I gather that a lot of U2 fans do not particularly care for it, but at the time it came out, I felt that it was very appropriate for what I was going through. (I meant to blog about it at the time, but no one ever reminded me!) Especially after a couple of sub-par albums, I was finally content to say, “Okay U2, this one is actually good… so if you just STOP NOW then all will be forgiven.” [Hold on, I’m just getting word…] Oh. Nevermind. Anyway, there are two different videos for this song, both of which seem like they must have been mind-blowingly difficult to create, but I happen to favor this one. I was able to download it from the official website when it first came out, and have never been able to watch it just one time through. How did it not take years to put this together?
I used to read an awful lot of webcomics, and though I have tapered that off, there are still a handful that I keep up with. They all have their unique charms and are entertaining in various ways, but none of them make me exclaim, “I love Kate Beaton!” quite like katebeaton.com. (Although that site seems to have a lot of technical difficulties and I find it easier to go here.) The art work appears simple, yet the characters convey emotion quite well. I must warn that the comics occasionally contain language and “adult situations” so are probably not for everyone, but her unique perspective on historical figures (most of whom I have either never heard of or know almost nothing about… so it’s educational!) is definitely worth the price of admission. Especially this one.
Speaking of webcomics, this one panel happens to be from a side project of another comic I enjoy. Some of you know that I take my humor very seriously, so it is no small endorsement that I say, without exaggeration, that this is the single funniest thing that I have ever seen.
Back on the music side of things, Sigur Rós is an experimental band from Iceland that sings songs in a made-up language. Okay. They also happen to make cinematic masterpieces for music videos.
This dude actually quit his job to dance around the world. With the popularity of his first video, he got corporate sponsorship to make more.
And what’s this? A new Purple Robe song? Okay, it’s not that new… It was just sitting in a pile of stuff on my computer that all needs a little something-something to be finished. But hey, it’s new to you. I put together this song after watching the above Sigur Rós video as an experiment to try to capture an entirely different sentiment than my music usually conveys.