Slight Return (40 bpm)

Lonely Eyes

Forget pearls
I'm not an oyster
but an empty peanut shell
carnival girls threw on the ground
remember

and remember it well

When was it last that you laughed?
and was I there when you did?
Did I sell you the soul
portrayed in my role
or the life my persona hid?

I try to be me
but sometimes my Me is really a You
and the bubble gum pop you see in my eyes
is a reflection of lights from the rides
I ride
in an attempt to be loved

but how can you love a window
who masquerades as a mirror
when the carnival hits its crescendo
and tonights expectations are clear?

When the lights go out on Center Stage
you'll see complexity
waxed simple with Age
and wonder
what wonders you missed
behind the eyes
the Lonely eyes of child

-A
http://arnabpal.blogspot.com

History of Heavy Metal

There are many theories about the “origin” of this dark genre, being, Heavy Metal, but I believe this to be a fairly accurate version. During the sixties, Rock & Roll demonstrated a clear split from R&B and Swing. Though many of the aspects of Blues have been sustained in all its sons and daughters, many of the modal traits of its brother, Jazz were gone. Rock & Roll became the popular movement, catering to the teenager, and often borrowing tunes from R&B and making them its own (ie. Beatles and Rolling Stones).

Rock & Roll itself, however, suffered splits during the late sixties, with many bands re-incorporating folk ideas, and many others incorporating classical progressions and artistic near-jazz colorings. Rock & Roll continued on into the seventies as Pop Rock, with many fabulous acts such as Elton John and Billy Joel. The other versions, however, became powerful genres unto their own. The folk artists became an anti-war activist collection, providing us with CSNY, the Guess Who, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix (who, himself, could be considered a member of many genres). Most importantly, the progressive movement developed into “Progressive Rock,” providing such class acts as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, and many, many more. It has even been argued that the Beatles attained a complete defection from Rock & Roll over to Progressive Rock.

Is it a wonder that all the well-known Progressive Rock bands were British? Just like the Who, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, these groups had a sincere influence on Rock, and competed with the American groups for fans. These Progressive artists introduced new concepts of powerful operatic vocals, condensed distortion, and progressions that were previously unheard of outside of classical music. But it would be Black Sabbath (in direct contention with both Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin), with its dark themes and very heavy, bluesy sound, which would become known much later as the “father of Heavy Metal.” Pink Floyd, meanwhile, drifted into the visual realm, and after its climactic “The Wall” album, drifted on into memory, having etched a permanent mark on all of modern music.

Very early in the seventies, another wave of this Progressive movement invaded America, bringing with it the likes of Judas Priest, the Scorpions (from Germany) and Iron Maiden. Listen to an early Judas Priest or Scorpions album and you might think you’re listening to a Floyd or Sabbath set. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest each carried forward the vocal torch as set by Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple (Ian Gillan). Other groups from this invasion introduced still darker themes in their lyrics, carrying on the trend started by Black Sabbath. This was known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and, though short lived, would finally seal Metal as a distinct version of music from Rock & Roll.

However, many Pop acts enjoyed the distortion, visual demonstrations and heaviness of the entire Progressive movement. Though they stuck with the Rock & Roll format, they further emphasized the “solo.” Musicians of this latent seventies Pop movement gradually improved the solo standards. Hard Rock was here to stay. Groups like Van Halen, Foreigner and Bad Company were born. KISS provided elaborate shows. And AC/DC has held strongly to the Hard Rock (blues based) flag for over two decades.

During the early eighties, these two genres of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock competed extensively. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and OZZY (having left Black Sabbath) put out incredible albums. Hard Rock (now with British members) fought back with Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and AC/DC. The Scorpions changed format, and defected from NWOBHM to Hard Rock, releasing the ever-memorable “Blackout” album (arguably fitting comfortably within both genres). It became difficult to the average listener to tell the difference between the two styles, and soon, Hard Rock radio stations would even be calling Heavy Metal a “heavier version of Hard Rock” (which was a huge mistake in my opinion!). Hard Rock groups like Ratt, Queensryche, Twisted Sister, Accept and Krokus emulated their Heavy Metal cousins, confusing the audiences even further.

During the mid-eighties, however, a low rumble was being heard within the Metal genre—one which was distinctly different in tone and attitude, and one which absolutely could not be confused as Hard Rock. Some Metal groups had experimented with a more aggressive vocal approach, had incorporated a “punkier” style of instrumental attack, a quicker form of time transition, and an increase and speed. One group in particular, being heavily influenced by NWOBHM as well as the likes of Deep Purple, had difficulty finding gigs, being considered too “rock” for Punk yet too “punk” for Hard Rock—Metallica had arrived on the West coast, and upset the status quo! Anthrax did the same back East. Thrash was born. But this still wasn’t fast enough for some, and Slayer helped launch Speed Metal.

As Hard Rock weaved its way into glam rock in the mid and late eighties (same music, though a bit toned down with the likes of Bon Jovi and Poison), Heavy Metal introduced a still darker movement in Death Metal. But in the early nineties, both genres would suffer dearly, as Seattle spawned the contra-punk movement which would shake Pop music to its very core, “Grunge.” Nothing has been the same since, and even with valiant efforts on the part of Corrosion of Conformity, Pantera, Iced Earth, Anthrax, etc., and a couple of mediocre efforts from top-billing Metallica, Metal has once again returned to the underground. It is here, within this context of underground motivation and motifs, that Black Metal would be born under a dark sign.

And now? Grunge came and went, being framed as a movement by the coming and going of Nirvana. The remaining Seattle acts either died out quick, became more artistic and strange (Pearl Jam—who hasn’t provided a decent album, in my opinion, since its debut, “Ten”), or eventually just fizzled (ie Soundgarden). The Pop scene became known as the “Alternative Rock” scene, with some fine jewels presented in re-discovery of older acts, and an especially fresh and powerful representation on the part of female vocalists (Ani DiFranco, Sarah McGlauchlin, Holly McNarland, Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morisette, Joan Osborne, Beth Orton, and many more—even Madonna, the queen of eightees bubble gum pop, has presented tremendous and mature material of late, having discovered that soft-techno can be good too).



Genre-specific Metal Traits:

Metal is a sub-genre of Rock, stemming (as noted above) not from Hard Rock, as is the common misperception, but rather from the progressive rock movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Metal’s own sub-genres (sub-sub genres of progressive rock):



Heavy Metal (ie Judas Priest, Iron Maiden): aggressive, driving beat



Speed Metal (ie Slayer): blindingly fast



Thrash (ie Metallica, Anthrax): punk influences, very quick meter changes



Black Metal (ie Iced Earth, Lacuna Coil): combination of Heavy Metal and Thrash



Death Metal (ie Obituary, Cannibal Corpse): that indescribable vocal quality



Progressive Metal (ie Therion and Opeth): very long tunes of near-Floyd standard in composition



Some Metal bands fall into more than one of the above category, and bands who evolve often switch categories completely (ie Metallica shifting from Thrash to a standard Heavy Metal format for their self-titled 5th album—“the black album”).



Metal songs follow their progressive roots, reaching back to Classical and Jazz forms in many instances, by maintaining 4-8 minute average tunes, as opposed to their Hard Rock cousins who average 3-5. Also, Hard Rock tunes, for the most part, follows the standard for all Rock & Roll: “stanza, stanza, solo, stanza.” This is definitely not the case for Metal, which has no strict format, will provide extensive intro and outros, cut-aways in the middle of songs, etc.



Whereas Hard Rock (simply a hard form of Pop Rock) follows Rock and Roll in concerning itself the standard interests of “Sex, Drugs and Itself,” the main themes of Metal tend to delve into more complex issues and often darker recesses of human emotion, and though the following examples are not all-encompassing of the Metal genre, they are common threads throughout :

politics & governmental abuses:

“One” – Metallica (anti-war song)

“Electric Eye” – Judas Priest (anti-abuse of power song)

“Two Minutes to Midnight” – Iron Maiden

“Freedom” – Rage Against the Machine


sociology:

“Potters Field” – Anthrax (societal observation)

“Prison Sex” – Tool

“Evidence” – Faith No More


deaths of loved ones:

“Cemetery Gates” – Pantera

“10,000 Days” – Tool


effects of drugs:

“Hollow” – Pantera (effects of drug overdose)

“Master of Puppets” – Metallica (cocaine addiction)

“Snowblind” – Black Sabbath (cocaine)

“Rosetta Stoned” – Tool


metaphysics / religious studies:

“Creeping Death” – Metallica

“The Real Thing” – Faith No More



As for the next stage for our beloved genre, well, if I am correct in stating that Metal incorporates a high level of integrity in lyrical structure, progression and theme, then it might follow that we have not heard the last of Metal…our numbers are again growing…we’re just waiting for that next great Metal act to follow in the footsteps of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica and Pantera, and show the way for Metal to come out from the underground. That’s why you’re here, taking in all this history, reviewing up-and-coming bands in your local dive bars, and listening intently for an indication of more than just “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll”: you are devoted fans who know that Metal offers an outlet for musical and intellectual exploration of a higher nature than mere Hard or Alternative Rock -- thanks to you, Metal, Heavy or otherwise, is here to stay.

-A
http://arnabpal.blogspot.com

I Forget sometimes

I sit staring into no where
Focusing all my energy
Into concentrating on the TV
Or whatever is keeping me from thinking
Because sometimes I forget
That you're not here
Or I'm not there
That I can't lean to the side
And fall in your arms.

And sometimes I open my mouth to speak
Or criticize the stupid movie I'm watching
And it's not until the echo of my own voice
Is ringing in my ears
That I realize I'm talking to no one.

And sometimes when I hear your voice
I turn to give you a hug
But it's not your arms that I find
Only the nothingness
That reminds me
Your voice comes from the phone on my ear.

Sometimes I see your face
And it seems so close
I can almost feel the silk of your skin
Under my gentle hand
Then I see the smudge of a finger print
And find it's only a photograph in my hand.

Sometimes I cry
But you're not there to wipe away the tears
Only I don't realize it until I feel the salty trail stinging down my face.

And sometimes my sobs lull me to sleep
The next morning I wake holding you
But when I open my eyes to kiss you
And say good morning
I realize it's only a pillow in my arms
And it's damp with my tears.

Because sometimes I forget
That you're not here...
But I never forget the pain of that realization.

-A
http://arnabpal.blogpsot.com

Weekend Getaway - Coonoor

Coonoor Photos

Coonoor (TamilNadu)is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea. Recently it has experienced a growing networked economy and a significant influx of tourists.

The town is the second largest in the Nilgiri hills after Ooty, the district head quarters.

Coonoor’s dominant demographic is a healthy mix of religions, languages and cultures - caused by the tourists who decide to retire here, the Indian Army’s regimental headquarters and Staff College (DSSC) in neighboring Wellington Cantonment, and the local boarding schools. Economic development of the town has at best been lopsided, with very little going towards the maintenance of the town.

-A
http://arnabpal.blogspot.com

Raag Bihag in D melodic Minor

backbenchersmusic.com

Backbenchers (mortality at stake)
The Bangla Rock Band

My humble try to tribute an extremely talented group of musicians. The website was launched with development effort from Dyutiman Chaudhuri, comments and criticism from the Band Members without which the effort would not have bore tangible fruits, and some minor support from me.

I have taken a refuge in my guitar (for certain corrections in my "trying to create melody") and not currently performing with the band. I am keen on getting back on track pretty soon ... The site is:

http://www.backbenchersmusic.com/

-A
http://arnabpal.blogspot.com

Mourning

Richard Wright
(28 July 1943 – 15 September 2008)

The step he took

A man stands in rain, looking to the midnight sky and the crescent moo above. As he stands and stares to the sky he feels the water run down his face and mutters a few words to himself, not aloud but not in silence.

He looks about to see if the trees in the woods in which he stands should wave and hiss in the wind of the storm. And so he stands by himself, alone with himself, to whisper himself closer to insanity...and should he wonder with whom he should speak...he is his only option.

So alone he stands in the sun, as it burns his face to hell...as closer and closer the afternoon breeze should cool his cheeks...awaiting further the season in which he is to die alone as he should always be. And as he stands and feels the heat, he thinks of what should and shouldn't be. But yet with wisdom he knows its true as he looks down toward the ground and takes a single step.

A man stands in a field after days of walking, watching the brown veins of leaves as they blow in the wind past his face. How obvious it is to see the small changes that are made as seasons change and time takes its constant travel forward. The fact that time in itself moves forward never backward, on a straight line that never deviates its course...

And nor should he...

A man walks forward, staring in himself and out ahead as the winter wind stabs his cheeks like daggers being thrown at him by a silent assailant watching and plotting his death with every step. A torture he is not willing to bear but still he walks fighting it all...why did it take all this time for him to see that the only things he wished was that step...

Was that crescent moon in the winds of spring, that burning sun in the heat of summer, those browning leaves in the cool of fall, that last dying step of himself in winter!

-A
http://arnabpal.blogspot.com

ScreenShot

I coded a nifty screenshot (with mouse) tool for windows.

Our beloved OS is still lacking this feature...
Hope they take a hint from here :P

http://riddlespot.blogspot.com/2008/09/57.html