The Hawk In Paris (Part Deux)

Hey there! You remember the last time I posted about these guys?
Of course you don't. It's probably the first time you've ever heard of them as well. But it's alright, I'm here to the rescue!
You are about to witness the actual definition of awesome music. This is The Hawk In Paris, an electronic music project created and produced by Dan Haseltine (the amazing frontman of Jars of Clay), Matt Bronleewe (the amazing producer) and Jeremy Bose (musical mad scientist of sorts). These guys were friends in college, worked together, separated for ten years then came back to write together again, producing this one of a kind musical project.
It's basically pop music, with heavy electronic influences from 80s bands (Depeche Mode, Massive Attack...etc).
I said it last time I wrote about them; I never thought I'd like electronic music until I first listened to them, I recall the first song I previewed was "The New Hello (His)". I was shocked, then gave it a 2nd and 3rd chance, then got hooked on them for eternity.
I wanted to share with you a song called Beg For Love in the last post. I couldn't because I had obtained the demo version from Dan Haseltine's website, on which he left it available for download for only one day. He didn't wish for it to be spread as I presume, so I didn't post it to my SoundCloud account. That was the demo version.
They had released only two EPs until October 29th when they released their full length album Freaks. It included my dear "Beg For Love"  just with a different bridge instrumental. Needless to say, I was THRILLED!
Much to my joy they also graciously put it up to their SoundCloud account, so there you go. the much sought after: Beg For Love (with the lyrics that I deciphered)

Beg For Love (from their LP, FREAKS)

Lover in waiting out in the winter
You just wanna hold her or she wants just to let go
Will you watch her walk away?
Are you really gonna let her go?
Lie in the circus, forgotten your while
Your voice, over-rated, or she wants just to let go
Will you watch her walk away?
Are you really gonna let her go?

Don't make me beg for love, if I don't want to
Don't make me beg for love

There's a break in the action, a pause in the violin
She's a boat on the ocean, a drift on your silence
Will you watch her float away?
Are you really gonna let her go?
On this occasion, steady breathing is a cleansification
You'll be dead, she'll be leaving
Will you watch her float away?
Are you really gonna let her go?

Don't make me beg for love, if I don't want to
Don't make me beg for love

[bridge]
Don't make her wait, make her wait any longer (x 4)

Don't make me beg for love, if I don't want to
Don't make me beg for love

This next song is also one of my favorites on the album, it's called Wake Me Up. Here's a lyric video I found on YouTube, enjoy!
Wake Me Up (from the LP FREAKS):
That's it, guys! I hope you enjoyed the songs as much I do.
They are currently crowd-funding the release of FREAKS on CD and vinyl, they're almost there. So, check out these links if you're interested in their project:
PledgeMusic Crowd-funding project: Link
FREAKS: On iTunes
FREAKS: On Spotify
My last post: The Hawk In Paris
Freaks + Outcasts EP on NoiseTrade: Link

Love, Really?!

What kind of world makes us believe that every princess will be loved, and what if it's not true?
And language speaks poetry in the face of something so dangerous, what is it in these words that mystifies you?
When do these thoughts start swimming in my mind and set my heart to flood, and why does my temperature keep rising? -  Dan Haseltine, The Hawk In Paris

 

Disregarding that the pic on this video is not of the artist, I shall commence my interpretation of why I chose this verse of this particular song to start off ,and what are the circumstances that made it pop into my head in the first place.

Where I live Valentine's day is celebrated twice a year. For some reason in November 4, and the international/ western day of February 14. So it's pretty obvious why I'm writing about this now. I searched Wikipedia for Valentine's Day to find out why there's a conflict or duplication of the celebration date. And since I've practically found nothing, I just kept on reading. I came across two words that stirred some thought or should I say curiosity, the first being "Courtly Love" (not Courtney Love, people!). This one is defined mostly as a relationship where the man sees his lady love interest as superior to him, so he tries to win her affection by doing acts of chivalry, nobility and expressing his non-sexual attraction to her, mostly praising her mind and soul. 

The second is "Platonic Love", that is any relationship based on chaste (non-sexual) love and admiration, be it among two men, two women or a man and a woman. It was named after Plato, who first defined it as a superior emotion to any other, he even named it Divine Eros (divine love) as the opposite to vulgar, earthly, materialistic love. And it was considered by later, 15th century European, Christian philosophers as a state where the people having these emotions use them to draw themselves closer to the ultimate good, that is God. Both of these forms have been expressed heavily in works of literature, mainly poetry.

Wow! That's some thinking. I wonder how far the mankind has drifted away from thinking this way. I wonder why the concepts of love and sexuality have been so mixed and messed up together that it's hard for anyone to picture the former without the latter being involved. Yes, love can exist solely without the help of any other emotion as a source of motivation. Or at least that's what I'd like to think. I think that modern day Earth is a place where personal desires are over-rated. It's saddening actually to regard something so beautiful as a co-dependent thing, or more terribly, dismissing the idea of its existence in the first place!

Love is the greatest gift ever given to Earth by its creator. He made us capable of loving so that we wouldn't drown in an endless hole of self-concern, leading to self-destruction. It made us able to protect who/ what we love and even bother to care for them when needed. It is beautiful, divine, special and should be more common. This ought to bring a lot more peace and serenity to this war-torn, plagued and shattered place we call home.

P.s. I might have been under the influence of lemon tea and a terrible sore throat infection while writing this. So, yeah...

The Hawk In Paris

This is my current obsession. The Hawk In Paris is an electronic pop, 80's inspired music project. They've released two EPs so far, both are awesome. So awesome that the first time I've listened to any of the songs chills were running through my whole body, good kind of chills.
I dare you not to get addicted to this work of art. I never even thought an electronic project would appeal to me in any sort of way, turns out I'm a big sucker for GOOD electronic music. 
Here are some examples, judge for yourselves!

Science Fiction from "His+Hers" EP (2011) : 

Lyrics:
You're a robot army, sent to end my race
Like a sea swallowing cities, I'll be gone without a trace
And in your chronic, most apocalyptic state of mind
You will leave the Earth behind (x2)


Chorus:
'Cause sometimes in the future, the Earth won't spin
Someday, I'll see you floating in

And our love is science, our love is science fiction(x2)

We used up our feelings in a war to gain control
Now there's nothing in the crossfire, and no more stars to follow
We are space-like satellites, and orbits that won't touch
You're missing me so much, and I'm missing you so much

[Chorus]

Bridge:
And I can feel near you the gravity is growing
This transmission isn't showing
And we have a problem, we have a problem
There's nothing we can do to keep our worlds from colliding
Keep our world from colliding

And our love is science, our love is science fiction (repeat)


Put Your Arms Around Me (from the same EP) :
 
Lyrics:
Welcome to the fracture
Here in the the land of broken things
We burned our history lessons 
In the fire of childhood kings
When we run out of ammunition
And we exhaust our last defense
And we go from screams to whispers
This might all make more sense

We've finally disconnected
We are unemotional
And the anthems we are singing
Don't mean anything at all
We're afraid of our conclusions
What we love will kill us first
And the way to tell the difference
From what we hate only makes things worse
 
(Put your arms, your arms around me now)

We are objects without motion
Set this way by force
When our broken hearts give bad ideas
That cause the great divorce
And we found "suburbi-anderthal"
In its natural state
It acts and looks just like us all
But we still don't relate

Rolling windows up in neighborhoods we drive through in our cars
Most days we can avoid them, so things will stay the way they are

Put your arms around me
Put your arms around me now (x2)

Bridge:
I can hear the sounds of violins
In every word you breathe
And the worst of what's become of you
Is what's become of me
I can feel your hands are shaking
While you reach into the night
Don't let go
I'll hold on tight

Put your arms around me
Put your arms around me now (x2)


The New Hello (His)
(there's a Hers version, explains the name of the EP, but this is my favorite version of the song)
 
Lyrics:
(Girls on one side, Boys on the other)
She was falling down the mountain, an avalanche of human stone
As she tumbled to the valley, she thought she’s better off alone
He felt the pressure of a million miles underneath the sea
Still taking in water from a love that couldn’t be

It was girls on one side, boys on the other
No one was dancing or looking for love

Sometimes it’s over before it begins
No one takes a risk and everyone wins
If you love someone, then let them go
‘Cause goodbye is the new hello
The new hello

She was hanging in the shadows, a ghost along the flowered walls
And when she stepped out of the darkness, she thought she'll never love at all
He felt the pressure of a million lies underneath his skin
Still waiting for the courage and the music to begin

It was girls on one side, boys on the other
No one was dancing or looking for love

Sometimes it’s over before it begins
No one takes a risk and everyone wins
If you love someone, then let them go
‘Cause goodbye is the new hello
The new hello

As the boys took the hands of the angels
She watched him frozen to the floor
When the lights slid off of the mirror ball
She couldn't see him anymore
She walked right out the door

Sometimes it’s over before it begins
No one takes a risk and everyone wins
If you love someone, then let them go
‘Cause goodbye is the new hello (x2)

(Girls on one side, Boys on the other)

The lyrics are superb, and singing along is LOTS of fun. Left to add is that the first EP had some slower, sadder songs, the kind you'd listen to after a big break up. I admit I'm not so big into the whole "tormented lover" thing, maybe because I've never really been one. They will be left for another time :D

And now for the big finish. This song was featured on the hit show "Pretty Little Liars", right in the middle of an awesome episode, and from the YouTube comments (and my humble opinion) you could see it fitted like a glove.

Here is Freaks from the "Freaks" EP:

 

 

 Lyrics:

We have a flair for the shade and the in between
We like to run with the wolves from the darker scene
When we turn the safety off, the shots are automatic
All our friends tell their friends we’re so dramatic

We’ll have you wrapped around our trigger finger
Queen bee yellow, you’re the skin for our stinger
We’ll make you swoon, make it hurt just a little
We’re the boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle

We know the halls you walk are unforgiving
It’s not the kind of place to find your place among the living
We have a plan, we’ve got the means for your liberation
You’ll only have to blur the lines on a few occasions

We have you wrapped around our trigger finger
Queen bee yellow, you’re the skin for our stinger
We’ll make you swoon, make you hurt just a little
We’re the boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle
Boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle
Boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle

We have the cure for your crisis never patent pending
If you come along with us the doors are never ending
If you want to rule the world you’ve got to stop pretending
If you want to rule the world you’ve got to stop pretending

See, we’ve got them wrapped around our trigger fingers
Queen bee yellow, they’re the skin for our stingers
We’ll make them swoon, make it hurt just a little
We’re the boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle
Boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle

Alright then, this was what's on my mind right now. Hopefully I'll be posting soon about more stuff, but for now I'm kinda stuck with studying.

And please go check out The Hawk In Paris, you wont regret that!