Tag Archives: Music

2014 – A Blog in Review

Posted in Writings about Writing by

Now that we’re almost half way into January, I finally got around to reviewing my blog stats for last year. I had over 5,000 visitors from literally all over the world. So, thank you to all my readers! Whether you subscribe to my blog (and if you don’t, just sign up in the little box on the right side bar) or you just stumbled across a post by accident, I appreciate you! Sometimes I wonder if I’m writing to the great emptiness of cyberspace, but my stats show me otherwise.

In fact, one of my posts got shared on a Tumblr post featuring links to various blogs and websites for creating fantasy creatures. I’m not actually sure where my post was originally shared, because from there, it’s been shared and re-shared and linked to again and again. I’m so pleased that one of my posts has such wide appeal!

And so for you, dear readers of my blog, I thought I’d share my top three most popular posts from 2014 (according to the WordPress stat monkeys).

Creating Fantasy Creatures and Alien Species

This was my most-read post, one of the ones that’s gotten re-blogged all around Tumblr and other interwebs. Here I analyze what I believe to be some of the core elements in creating believable non-human races for fantasy and sci-fi stories.

Creating Fantasy Creatures and Alien Species – Real Animals as Magical Races

This is a companion post that was almost as popular as the original one, in which I discuss the concept of using real animals as sentient beings in fantasy.

Music Review: Dobbelis, Máddji

This post came in at the number three most popular post of 2014 – and it had the spot of the number one most-read post in 2013. Apparently there are a lot of people out there who like Sami music – or at least who like the Norwegian Sami singer Máddji.

So there’s my year in review. Again, thank you to everyone who’s read my blog – whether it’s been one post or many! If you’re a regular reader, do you have a favorite post from 2014?

Christmas Music to Write By – A Scandinavian Playlist

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

Because it’s almost Christmas, and because it’s been a while since I’ve posted some Nordic music on my blog, I thought I’d put together a short little Scandinavian Christmas playlist. Enjoy!

Sissel Kyrkjebø – “O Helga Natt” – Norway

 

Frostrósir – “Fegurð Heimsins” – Iceland

 

Tarja Turunen – “Maa On Niin Kaunis” – Finland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AqcTVBTgZI

 

Secret Garden – “Fionnuala’s Cookie Jar” – Norway (and Ireland)

 

God Jul, Hyvää Joulua, and Merry Christmas!

My Name in Music

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

I saw this meme on Facebook the other day that asked you to use your name as an acrostic, spelling out your favorite bands or singers with each letter of your name. So, since I’m low on blog ideas this week, here are five of my favorite singers/bands/musicians, one for each letter of my name. (My first name only. I could do my middle and last names, but then we’d be here all day).

G – Gjallarhorn (Finnish and Swedish folk-rock)

R – The Rankin Family (Canadian family singing Celtic and folk music)

A – Angelit (Sami singers from Lapland, Finland)

C – Christopher Franke (composer, well-known for composing the epic score to the TV show Babylon 5)

E – Eivør Pálsdóttir (Faroese singer, specializing in multiple styles of music and songs in multiple languages)

Feel free to leave a comment with your name and your favorite bands!

If you like soundtracks, then give a listen to these tracks by the instrumentalist on my list:

Music Review: “Just the Two of Us,” Secret Garden

Posted in Music Reviews by

After nearly 20 years of composing and performing, the Norwegian-Irish New Age group Secret Garden is going back to the basics, as it were. Secret Garden’s latest album is titled Just the Two of Us, and features Rolf Løvland on the piano and Fionnuala Sherry on the violin.

Even though Rolf and Fionnuala have performed with other musicians, singers, and orchestras for all of their other albums, a duo of piano and violin was always at the heart of their music. For their ninth album, they created a simpler, more intimate experience for their listeners.

Every melody on this album is a delicate resculpting of tunes that would be familiar to long-time Secret Garden fans: “Awakening,” “Song from a Secret Garden,” and “Papillon” are some of my favorites on this album. Two new pieces are featured for the first time here: “En Passant” and the title track “Just the Two of Us.”

There aren’t any of Secret Garden’s upbeat Celtic jigs or songs with full choirs on this album. This easily could have been called “Ode to Simplicity,” as one of the tracks on the album suggests. I feel that Rolf and Fionnuala achieved what they set out to do – create new life while revisiting the past.

If you’re looking for a soothing instrumental album, full of variety but without any jarring musical surprises to interrupt relaxation or enjoyment, then I would highly recommend Just the Two of Us.

Secret Garden’s website

“Song from a Secret Garden”

Christmas Stories

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

Just a brief post for Christmas week. I hope you are enjoying the holiday, getting to spend it doing things you love, with the people you care about most.

As I was reflecting on two of my favorite things – writing and Christmas – I remembered a fun holiday movie from a number of years ago: Beauty and The Beast: Enchanted Christmas. My favorite scene/song from that movie is “Stories” – Belle realizing that the power of good storytelling might just be the trick to reaching the Beast.

Beautiful animation, beautiful words, beautiful meaning. A good story, like good music, can transcend time and culture and bring us all closer together.

Enjoy the song, and enjoy the holidays and the rest of 2013. Merry Christmas!