Friday, June 12, 2009

Dusting Off Some Golden Oldies

Last night I uploaded the special double album BladeRunner soundtrack that Itunes has released and what a strange feeling it is to listen to it. I have literally been trying to get my hands on the album for years, but something always cut me off at the pass. I first ordered it on Amazon in those chaotic pre-Ipod days, and after waiting for two weeks for it to arrive, I was told that it was no longer available from that seller. I tried again some time later, but the CD that the seller sent me was an album of orchestral covers with no Vangelis to be seen. You can understand how I became a bit frustrated. After a time I simply forgot about it, who knows what made it come into my head again last night. Now, sitting in my living-room with the volume cranked up to 11, I am overcome, and the wait was all worth it. There’s a certain pleasure to be had in finding something again that was lost long ago....I suppose it’s a bit like coming home in a way, it allows us to briefly meet our past eye to eye.

And oh the score; poignantly sweet at times and always haunting. Vangelis expertly carries the theme of the film through with his clever juxtaposition of fragile chimes, piano, and heartbreakingly delicate vocals (As in Rachael’s Song) with coldly soaring synth soundscapes. It really is the plaintive sound of humanity trying to surive in a world where meaning seems lost.
I was born in the early 80's and I still fondly remember a time when artists like Vangelis, Kitaro, and Tangerine Dream took up long-term residence in my tapeplayer. Its nice to see that the music of that era still holds an appeal for me (god, writing that makes me feel old). In some ways it’s a bit heavy-handed and experimental for my jaded ears, but there is an exuberance and a passionate embrace of (what was then) new music technology, that I cant help but respond to. Maybe tonight I’ll dust off some of my other old albums and see if I can still reconnect with those past selves as well.

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