Some Powerful Rap /// Music Monday #59

Heyo! It's time for another rapid-fire Music Monday post.

Our song for today is none other than . . .

"The Search" from the album The Search

Composed by NF

If you have never listened to any of Nathan Feuerstein's songs, have you even lived? His is some of the only music that I'd consider to be excellent rap. Most rap music these days use the same ol' trashy beats, with the same ol' curses flying everywhere and the same ol' messages about girls they've had sex with, how much money they have, what kind of cars they own, etc.

Not NF. A Christian rapper who prefers to be known as just a rapper (thanks to the pre-conceived notions that come when someone hears about a Christian musician), he appeals to both the religious and the non-religious with his deep, powerful, and sometimes dark lyrics. I don't mean dark in the typical sense when it comes to music and such, but rather, real and brutally honest lyrics about life and its trials.

The song I chose isn't one of his darker songs, but it's still crazy good. I just heard it for the first time a week or two ago, and it's probably one of my favorite songs of his now. First, can we talk about the actual music? Since when does a rapper rely so heavily on strings to provide the beat for his speedy lines? Then the way that percussion comes in and shakes the whole thing, including the camera . . . It's perfect! And the haunting choir, too! NF really knows his stuff.

The music video is also really well done. Filmed in Iceland, I believe, it uses the same color scheme that has been used for pretty much every one of NF's music videos, if not them all. Plus, there's a lot of symbolism here, which I won't take the time to explain. I'd like to see you draw your own conclusions first.

And the lyrics! This man is practically a poet, a master of the word. I think my favorite part is when he's talking about how we all have something that we try to drown, but it's always coming back to haunt us. Then he relates that to how our minds are so influential. The best stuff comes when he says:

"Just think about it for a second, if you look at your face

Every day when you get up and think you'll never be great

You'll never be great, not because you're not, but the hate

Will always find a way to cut you up and murder your faith."

That's a super deep and important message for people. Too often we slice ourselves at the knees with our misbeliefs and our poor self-image. And this is coming from a rap song, mind you. Like I said, NF is not like your average rapper.

That's all for today! What'd you think of the song and its music video? Any thoughts on the symbolism? Favorite line(s)?

Monthly HapPENings: August

So, uh . . . this was technically supposed to be up on the 6th, but that didn't happen. Whoopsie. At least it's here now, but I'll try to keep it a bit shorter.

In terms of life stuff, I thought August was going to slow down, since both my family vacation and Realm Makers were over. Both events had required a good deal of preparation that took up most of my June and July. Alas, August was no different. I was busy a lot of the time with various things--or at least, it felt that way.

There were a couple of notable highlights. The first was that my sisters and I spent one Saturday in the nearby city. We stopped by a book store and game shop, had lunch, rode a four-person bike in the rain (which got very tiring, since only two people could pedal at a time and some of the paths were gravel), got ice cream treats, then headed home. It was a lot of fun and a grand ol' time!

The second was that some of my coworkers and I went out for supper, since one of them was leaving the job. We had pizza and then ice cream later before taking a short walk. I enjoyed that so much. I loved laughing and hanging out with my friends, something that I can't seem to get enough of these days.

Bookish HapPENings

source

This was the only book I read in all of August, which definitely isn't great. What was great were some of the stories in the anthology. There were several really good ones, ones that made me want even more from their authors. Others were fine. Like, they were good, but I didn't have a strong desire to see more added to that storyworld. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty solid collection! Now I just have 22 more books from RM to read . . .

HapPENings on the Screen

source

Okay, Into the Spider-Verse was hecking amazing! This was definitely one of the best Spider-Man films to date. From the incredible visual/animation style to the colorful cast of heroes and villains to the crazy plot, everything was a masterpiece. And the soundtrack! Daniel Pemberton rocked the whole orchestral and electronic mix. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

I'm getting so close to finishing the first of S4, which I am very much looking forward to. I'm quite curious about what the second half is gonna be about, and I'm more than ready for the Snow Queen to get off the screen permanently. I do hope that Anna, Elsa, and (definitely) Kristoff stick around for longer, though.

S4 is still proving to be thoroughly entertaining, minus some parts of episode five. I really can't yet see why people hate on this particular season. I personally like where it's going so far.

Avatar has been a surprisingly great show! Like, I didn't expect it to be as awesome as it is. Always love it when stories take you by surprise and make you fall head over heels in love with them.

This is really shaping up to be quite the epic season. From the Time Blades that allow their users to control time in different ways, to the villains themselves and their army, to the twists and turns in the plot, it all works together to form a very engrossing S7.

Another show that is getting super good. The ever-thickening plot has certainly intrigued me, and it looks like things are going to become even more intense soon. I can't wait to see where it all goes! (Also, the last episode I watched used a TSFH song, which made the scene extra epic.)

Gaming HapPENings

source

So I decided to get Minecraft for my Wii U, after watching Jacksepticeye's videos on the game (the PC version). It has been quite fun, and surprisingly creepy at times. I've died probably a couple dozen times already, raged at my continual deaths in a dark, underground cave next to a zombie spawn point with no light to speak of, and walked to the edge of the world. Overall, while it is a great game, I still wouldn't put it above Terraria. There are just certain aspects of that game that I really appreciate, and Minecraft doesn't have those. At least it's still enjoyable.

Writerly HapPENings

I've written 4,210 words in the month of August, all of which went to my personal Realm Makers journal. It was wonderful to mentally relive the experience, but it took me far too long to finish that sucker. I've taken a bit of a break from writing recently, but I need to work on a 90s submission for Havok.

Speaking of which, I found out that my 80s story is getting published with Havok on their online magazine! It's going to be up on October 7th, and you won't want to miss it. It's a court drama story with some wonderful twists thrown in. I'm quite proud of it, so be on the lookout for when it's published!

And that was my August! How was yours? Anything exciting happen? Fill me in on the great or not-so-great stories you've taken in this past month.

Beautiful Tragedy /// Music Monday #58

Well, here we go! Time for another song to kick off the week.

Our song for today is none other than . . .

"Faded (Restrung)" from the album Faded - EP

Composed by Alan Walker

I first heard this song at a sporting goods store, of all places. You would've thought that they would play the original, since that's got more of an upbeat, electronic style, but nope. They played this version. To be honest, I actually prefer this one. It's probably because I heard it first and/or because the music is more orchestral.

What do I like about this song? Well, first of all, the singer--Iselin Solheim--has such a magical voice. I don't know how one would describe the quality of her voice, but it's kind of airy, if that makes sense. I'm not sure what the right word for it is, but what I do know that she really captures the tone of the song.

Second of all, I sometimes like listening to sad songs, and this one just hits me right in the feels. The combination of her voice with Alan's piano playing and the lush strings, along with the lyrics themselves, make for an emotional-sounding song. For some reason, I really like the line in the main chorus where she says, "The monsters running wild inside of me/I'm faded." I dunno why; it resounds me with me somehow.

The third reason I enjoy the song is because it fits stuff for book one--or perhaps all--of the Titan Saga (the follow-up trilogy to the Portal Chronicles). I really can't say anything more than that, because then I would be venturing into heavy spoiler territory. You can rest knowing that it's going to be very, very feelsy.

I think I'll end the post here, since you're getting two of them in a row. I know, that never happens, but this week is special. Hope that's okay with you!

What'd you think of the song? What aspect of it is your favorite and why? Does it work for anything you've written, or anything you've been through in life?