A Review Of 'The Story'

I posted a long blog about the emotional impact Runrig has had on my life and that of my family, so what do I think of the latest, and last, album?

Overall it's a emotional journey, from start to finish, a more 'classical' sound to Runrig which more harks back to their earlier works compared to more recent albums such as 'Proterra' and 'Everything You See'.

There isn't really any huge 'crowd pleaser' tracks within this album, what I mean is the sort of tracks they'd play at a concert to get the crowd going, every track here is fairly somber and emotional, sure some would sound great live but they're more like the tracks you'd find in the middle of the concert after you've got them geared up with some 'jumping' opening tracks.

Not to say this is a 'boring' album, it really isn't, but it's a different feeling album to most of the past albums, especially those with Bruce Guthro at the helm.

So whats the good and the bad?

The opening track, also the leading single, is 'The Story' and admittedly it's a good solid track, pretty much atypical Runrig, a song blending Gaelic and English together with a solid beat and rhythmic guitars, it deserves to be the single and the leading track.

Second track is 'Onar', very much a 'Bruce' song, despite Mr Guthro having no writing credits on this album, it feels very much penned by him with Calum and Rory adding their usual Gaelic twist to the proceedings, it's another solid track with some unusual twists including a saxophone of all instruments, there's hints to other albums such as 'Big Wheel' in the lyrics.

Next up is 'Rise And Fall', paired up with 'Elegy' on the album, it's a mournful very sombre track, it's very much a tribute to our soldiers and it's deeply moving with its slow pace, marching drums and gentle piano, it's a lovely track which stirs up scenes of fields of poppies, fallen soldiers watching over their comrades from a distant viewpoint, the following track, a instrumental called 'Elegy' pairs up with the track and sustains the images in our heads.

'Every Beating Heart', a fairly simple track with a chorus which is surely intended to get the crowds singing along, it slowly increases with its layers of instruments, again a very 'Bruce' sounding track, pretty much 'classic' sounding Runrig here.

'The Years We Shared' this is probably one of two tracks on this album I'll be playing again and again over the coming weeks, months, years perhaps, this feels like one which they'll belt out live, I get misty eyed when I hear this, everything about this touches me on a emotional level and it almost sums up everything that Runrig means to me.

Now the next track is 'When The Beauty', I apologize in advance but this is by far the weakest track on the album for me, it's possibly one of the weakest songs Runrig have given us in a very long time, there's little good to say about it, it's a long tedious track for me, there's glimmers of great instrumentation here but a 3 minute track shouldn't feel like three times its length, no insult to Rory here, he's got a great singing voice but the almost talking warble here makes this track feel really slow, I might gain a appreciation for this track later but right now, this is the weakest of the whole album.

'18th July', this is the other track which I will most definitely have on repeat, just everything about this track hones into everything that I like about Runrig, the mix of styles, a message in the lyrics, a chorus which just catches in the ear, I had this song on repeat on my commute home, for about 20 minutes all I listened to was this one track and I kept hearing different levels within the sound, each time sounding new and fresh to me, a proper highlight of the album for me.

Next is 'An-Diugh Ghabh Mi Cuairt', 'Today I Took A Walk', it's a steady driving Gaelic song, the writing style of Rory and Calum are present throughout this song and proving my previous point that Rory has a great singing voice, the choir is a wonderful touch to the track, it's a pleasant song, just to have it playing emits such calm and stillness within me.

'The Place Where The Rivers Run', this heavily reminds me of 'Clash Of The Ash' but instead of a shinty team, this is clearly a song about the band themselves, talking about making a 'City Of Lights' and having treasure in 40 years, this is definitely going to be one they're going to play live, I'm sure the concert halls will jump with this one, I mentioned a lack of 'crowd pleasers' in this album, well this one certainly comes very close to being one and who knows, this might be a big crowd pleaser, it does get my foot tapping every time.

And to close we have 'Somewhere', probably the most emotionally powered track in terms of its sound and lyrics, I know I talked about this last post but this track is clearly dedicated to CMDR Laurel Clark who was on the Shuttle Colombia on it's fated mission in 2003, it's a haunting track, within the radio static in the end we hear CMDR Clark herself, talking about her love for Runrig and her family, taken from the 'Wake Up' transmission a few days before the tragedy when they broadcast 'Running To The Light' to the crew of Colombia, she had taken up a Runrig CD up on the shuttle in hopes to show the band a album of theirs had been to space, sadly she would never return home.
When the cleanup was happening, in a field in Texas a lone intact Runrig CD was found, the same one Laurel had taken up with her, it had survived the tragedy, it was later presented to the band, a memento of Laurels wish to show the band her dedication.
As a closer and a tribute this track is humbling and powerful, it makes for a emotional closing track and a fitting end to this album.

So altogether 'The Story' is a fine Runrig album, I kinda expected 'more' after 9 years of waiting but what we've got is wonderful and that makes it all the more painful knowing it's their last.

Yes Runrig ain't breaking up yet, they said 'this isn't the end', personally I think it's going to go like this, they'll tour with this album, then it's going to be a big farewell tour and that will be the end.

I don't want it to end, but 'All Things Must Change', and most certainly, this will always be, the story of the life inside of me.

The Years I Shared

"The world changes as we get older, what comes in love must leave in pain"

'The Years We Shared' - Runrig

So The Story has been released, 9 years of waiting has brought us Runrig's final studio album.

And there's perhaps nothing I can do to express my flood of emotions, the ache in my heart, the longing in my very soul, the sadness fills me, I am happy but knowing that this is the end breaks my heart, it's probably the hardest thing to talk about, when something, which must come across as so mundane to many, which means so much to my life is ending, I've said before it's like I'm losing a member of the family.

I know that bands come and go like the passing tides, the never ending cycle of the music industry, but I don't think that many people have bands that mean so much to them as Runrig means to me and my family.

I've talked about this before but I still can't fully truly get across how much this little band from Scotland means to me and my family, every album is a landmark, a milestone, a journey from beginnings to the now, singing in the car, getting the lyrics wrong, listening to them in our darkest times and playing them loud in our brightest.

I've been listening to Runrig for 25 years, I'm 30 this year, so pretty much all my life I've had this band to turn to, from lone late night sessions to singing along to them loudly without a care in this world, crying quietly alone listening to Big Sky, crying in joy singing Every River with my boyfriend.

For every song which has become stained with sadness for me, there's always one which lifts me up, and across 14 albums each one has become a flood of memories on a plastic disc, from early years listening to 'Cutter And The Clan', 'Heartland', 'Searchlight' and 'The Big Wheel' to later years wrought with change 'The Stamping Ground', 'In Search Of Angels' and 'Everything You See'.

The Story has come at a very pivotal point in my own life, after many years in Germany I'm trying to forge a new life and make something of it, but it's been hard going and for every happy bit of joy I get, I seem to get another bit of stress coming to test me once again.

I got the chance to listen to this album a day before it's release on some really expensive equipment in a studio in west London, there wasn't many of us there but it was a closed little group of us just sat there in this room, the format was supposed to be that they'd announce each track as it went on but after the first track, they just let it play, no interruptions, the whole album from start to finish.

I'm sat on a white plastic chair,with a friend who also likes Runrig but not for as long, holding a glass of white wine in my hand, turning my phone to silent, I close my eyes and listen.

The room around me faded away, I become lost within the music, listening to every note, every word, each one taking me to different places, different times, different emotions.

'The Years We Shared' starts playing and I feel a tear running down my cheek, I snatch my hand up to wipe it away, in my shock I nearly spilled my wine, I'm sat there, trying not to let my emotions get to me, not out in public, but in my head it's continuing, I sit and listen to the music.

As 'Somewhere' slowly fades off, I hear a familiar conversation in the radio static, it was from the Shuttle Colombia, days before the tragedy, the day they used Running To The Light to wake the crew, Laurel Clark was on the ship, she was a big Runrig fan and took their cd's up to space in hope to give them back to the band.

After the tragedy struck and the debris was scattered over Texas, in a field they discovered a intact Runrig CD, the very same one which Laurel Clark took up with her on that fated mission, the band got presented the CD back by her husband, so her wish was fulfilled.

To our small group I recited this story since I recognized the audio, I think I moved a few people with it, once again I realized that this little Scottish band has so much meaning and purpose to some people, a trait oft cited to just myself and my family, it made me realize that this band, meant something.

For me it's memories, good and bad, happy and sad, weddings and funerals.

I'll never forget about Runrig, it's part of who I am today, the songs and music flow within my blood, and keep me going, no matter what.

They might be just this little band which nobody knows about, that makes it all the more special.

So as this story comes to an end, it'll be repeated for years to come.

Räyh! 2

So the other day I wrote up on the awesomeness that is Hevisaurus!

Since then I've actually bought their album 'Soittakaa Juranoid!' and I've been listening to it on my commute to work, since what could be better than listening to dinosaurs singing about space dogs, aliens, magical powers and leading a 'green revolution'.

So the album is released alongside their movie, it's ten new tracks with six bonus 'greatest hits' which feature within the movie, I've not seen the movie, nor will I get much out of it since it's entirely in Finnish and I seriously doubt there'll be English subtitles on the bluray release!
At least with the medium of music you don't have to enjoy the lyrics to enjoy the music.

I've included at the bottom a Youtube playlist featuring the album which is available officially to be listened to there.

Here's a couple of tracks which I like from the album.

Juranoid
Meant as the leading single off the album it has a music video set to clips from the film as well as being featured heavily in the movies advertising, it's got a really catchy chorus and it's what ultimately drove me to rediscover this band.
It's got a driven 'epic' feel to it, the lyrics apparently involve a 'alien' but since full lyrics ain't available it's hard to get a proper translation, though having a Finnish boyfriend certainly helps!

Harri Hylje
With most of these tracks, it's got something which just sticks in my head, I really dig it's refrain before the chorus, haven't run this one by my boyfriend yet but what I can gather this song is about a seal, doesn't matter, it's got a great guitar solo within.

Laika-Koira
Possibly my favorite, this one is about Laika the space dog, the first living thing in space, some actual history here, though I'm pretty sure she wasn't wagging her tail and looking out her window thinking 'is the moon made of cheese'.
Eitherway, this has a late 80's feel with it's synth tracks and ballad-esque chorus and it's been on repeat a few times!

Taikavoimat
Meaning 'Magic Powers' in Finnish yet another 80's power metal feeling track, with a unusual bridge nearer the end in which you can hear 'Herra Hevisaurus' (the lead singer) going "boingy boingy", don't know why but that cracks me up, got another good catchy chorus to it.

Jurahevarit
"Whether young, old or middle aged everyone is equal in the 'Saurus Army", this is meant as the Hevisaurus' anthem and it's a darn good one at that, it's got a very fast pace to it and it's a fun little song about becoming part of the 'Green Revolution' and the 'Saurus Army, "Green is the new black" indeed!

Räyh!
Meaning 'Roar' this song is about the Hevisaurus themselves, with a epic anthemic chorus introducing us to the band.

Riffi Raffi velhojen vuorilla!

Kraaterin reunalla hurjana soittaa

Milli Pilli ukkosen lailla!

Myrskyn silmässä urkuja hakkaa

Komppi Momppi ja Muffi Puffi

Tuhannen richterin voimalla komppaa!

Saurusarmeija marssiin käy

Kun Hevisaurus huutaa: Räyh!

Riffi Raffi on the mountain of warlocks!
plays fiercely on the edge of the crater.
Mill Pill alike thunder!
pounds the organ in the eye of the storm.
Komppi Momppi and Muffi Puffi
accompany like a quake of a thousand richters.
The dinosaur army starts its march
when the Heavysaurus shout: Roar!

It's just got so much going for it, this sounds like a concert opener to me, introducing us to this epic ensemble of a band and they're going to take us on a ride, yet another one I've had on repeat, if only for the chorus!


So what's the point in this blog yammering on yet again about a children's band from Finland, personally even though this post is akin to adding a post-it note onto the backside of a fridge, I'd just love for this band of really talented musicians to get some more attention, they're highly creative, the music is fantastically good, childish names, lyrics and looks aside, Hevisaurus is possibly the most enjoyable music I've heard in a long time.

If reading this has inspired even one person to listen to their music, then I'd be a happy man.

Plus I'm honestly surprised the Furry fandom hasn't picked up on these guys, they play full music concerts entirely in costume, they're anthropomorphic dinosaurs playing heavy metal music and they're more than just a novelty, they're now a established multi-million selling band with their own movie.

Then again, it's probably 'cause they're dinosaurs and not foxes or something, ah well, much more for us 'Scaly' fans to enjoy!

Räyh!

So reasons why Finland is awesome?

It's a beautiful country in which most of the population lives in the south, the rest is mile upon mile of forests and untouched landscape.

Internet is deemed a basic right, much like water and electricity, first country in the world to do so.

They have a dinosaur heavy metal band.

No, I'm not kidding!

Enter Hevisaurus!

Yes, Finland loves its heavy metal it's very much a part of the popular culture, another reason why Finland rocks, literally!

So Hevisaurus is a heavy metal band aimed at children and 'the like minded', they perform in the costumes in concerts over Finland, they've had 7 successful albums since 2009.

Now slightly dodgy costumes aside, I knew of them when they first launched, I listened to their first album and thought it pretty decent, if a novelty.

Recently my partner showed me a poster in a bus-stop in Helsinki, they're doing a Hevisaurus movie, I was absolutely stunned, so I looked them back up, turns out that they're massively popular and successful in Finland and launched a movie along with a new album 'Soittakaa Juranoid!'

So I listened to the single 'Juranoid' and then it stuck, buried in my head, the earworm digging away, holy crap, this is pretty damn good!, so I looked up yet more from the album, more catchy songs, yeah I couldn't understand the lyrics but, wow, this stuff is better than 99% of the crap that's heard on the radio over in this country!

Seriously, put aside the childish looks and give them a listen, yes, when you look into the lyrics they are very child friendly, 'Laika-Koira' is about Laika the Dog, the first living thing in space, 'wagging his tail and looking out the window, seeing the moon and wondering if it's made of cheese', but as someone who doesn't know Finnish, I have a very very basic grasp of it but even so, the lyrics don't matter, it's the music, it's the rhythm, the lyrics themselves forming your own pictures and ideas in your head, you might not understand them as intended but you understand them in your own way.

Some people might twist their nose, "why are you listening to kids music you cannot understand", have you even thought of looking into another culture?, yeah Finland is European but it doesn't mean we're all the same, this might look so unusual to most of us but it's just another day for Finland, most kids get Barney The Dinosaur, Finnish kids get dinosaurs playing heavy metal.

If that doesn't make the world a slightly brighter place for having it exist, then I wouldn't want to be part of that world.

Joskus kaikki tarvitsemme ondinosaurus pelaa raskasmetalli...kiitos

The Story

"And I can't help feeling, it will always be, the story of the life inside of me."

'The Story' - Runrig

To those who know me, I've always mentioned a band called Runrig when talking about my favorite music, they have been a part of my life since I was very young, I've been told my parents discovered them after going to a Chris De Burgh concert and they were the supporting act, a lifetime of music was brought to our ears.

Cue early memories of listening to 'Heartland', 'The Cutter And The Clan' and 'Searchlight' we knew these records off by heart, singing them in the car, even the Gaelic songs, even though we didn't know the words, we sang what we heard, through the 'Big Wheel' and the concert VHS 'Wheel In Motion', to which my parents went to the concert which was recorded.

Through 'Amazing Things' and 'Mara', being surprised that the lead singer Donnie Munro left the band, hearing about this Canadian guy called Bruce Guthro taking the lead spot, 'In Search Of Angels', 'The Stamping Ground', 'Proterra' and 'Everything You See' each and every one I know, each and everyone takes me back to other times in my life, what was I doing, what was happening in my life.

The music has been so en-grained on my life it'll never be forgotten, from 'Big Sky' to 'This Darkest Winter', 'Every River' to 'Abhainn An T-Sluaigh' (The Crowded River), years and years of growing up and listening to their songs, their stories, which in turn make us remember our own stories, our own lives.

Being picked on because we liked this 'Scottish band' in school, whom no one ever seemed to know about, or 'their parents listened to them', not knowing that this 'Scottish band' has more meaning in our lives then some jumped up boy band or rapper ever would.

'Always The Winner', I remember when the headmaster played that to assembly in primary school, me and my sister were the only people who knew who they were, we were not sheep, we cut our own path in this life, unique.

Today Runrig announced that their next album 'The Story' will be their last album, it feels like I'm going to lose a member of my family, but in time, all things must change, and so whilst I await their new album in the new year, listening to their new single and the songs of the past.

I'll remember of stories from the past and hope for the stories of the future.

From a fan

Thank you Runrig

So, it happened...

I got approved for Voluntary Redundancy today, my life here in Germany is officially coming to a end.

It's yet to fully dawn on me but it's going to be hard to finally leave what has been, for better or worse, my home and life for the past six years.

It's been a interesting, fun, stressful and demanding few years, I've been through so much, most of which I could never have the time to write down, I've seen people come and go, I've had fantastic days and I've had horrendous days, I've made friends whom I'll always remember, friends whom will stay with me as I move on.

Will I be happy to leave, but of course, I've had the urge to leave now since late last year but I'll be sad for the good things I'll be leaving behind, the friends whom I may never see again, the places here in Paderborn which I've gotten to know like the back of my hand, the experiences I've had, I've done so much during my time here, I've been to America twice, I've been to Finland so many times now I've lost count, I've gone around parts of Germany which I thought I'd never see.

I will miss being here.

So, what's going to happen to me then, well I've got a couple legal bits and pieces which I need to get done, but my last working day will be the 15th September and leaving on the 16th September.

I'm planning to move back to the UK and do a houseshare with two good friends of mine, we all know each other and we all get along, it'll be somewhere in London, where exactly is yet to be determined but that'll come in time and I'll be looking for jobs within that area.

I've got three months basically to get everything together to go, thankfully my employer is going to help get my stuff moved and fly me home, so that's something at least.

Right now I'm going to ride out the last of this month, enjoy my next trip to America and Finland at the start of next month, when I come back, that's when the real work begins.

Here's to the next chapter.

Not music this time, but here's a clip from the Crystal Maze, how stupid is this contestant!

The Year Under Review

Well it's been a couple of months since I last posted here, yeah, I'm very bad at keeping up with things like this, It'll be my forefront for a couple weeks then I'll end up forgetting about it until I kinda go 'Oh yeah I kinda had a blog somewhere!'.

This year has been a odd one, its had ups and downs, as many years do, I've hit lows and I've soared to new heights, doubted myself and yet still succeed in things, a year under uncertainty and a undercurrent of apprehension.

I came into this year with a prospect it'll be one of the best years yet and for the most part I'd say it certainly has been.

Highlights being being staff at Confuzzled, it was a really fun time and I look forward to continuing working for the convention as it continues to grow and grow.

The highlight of the year naturally has to fall down to the New York visit, this was hands down the best time of this year, being there with my boyfriend in excellent company really rekindled a spirit in me.

This year has had it's low points and whilst some are not to be mentioned, the low point is my own unease at still being in Germany, it's been nearly 6 Years now and I've got this urge to move on and continue on a new chapter in my life, it's been a interesting couple of years and I feel that now's the time I need to move onwards, I can't stay here forever, even if I wanted to.

I'm going to approach this topic again sometime in 2015 with a firmer outlook, but for now I'm going to ride out the rest of this year.

I'll have to thank all my family, friends and most of all my wonderful dear boyfriend for being with me throughout this year, through all the rough patches and tough times, I don't know where I'd be without you all.

So I sit here just before Christmas, alittle weary from the year gone by but hopefully a fresher brighter outlook for the upcoming year.

Plans ahead for the new year include another longer New York visit as well as potentially moving back to the UK to make a new start in my work career using all the experience I've gained throughout the time I've been here.

So here's to 2015, I wish you all, Good tidings for the holidays and a prosperous joyful New Year.


Since I always love linking to music, here's a cover of 'The Last Unicorn' by the angelic voice of Ashley Serena.