Back in June I wrote a blog about what I would consider “Perfect Albums”. I had a list of 9 at that moment. I said I would write about them, and I didn’t. So, now I am going to start doing that when I have a chance (Like I have all the time in the world right now right?)
I am going to start with the first one on the list: The Light of Things Hoped For by Brave Saint Saturn. This is the second album of the Brave Saint Saturn “Space Trilogy” albums. While I enjoy the other albums this one stands out as being a great album.
It starts with “Prologue”. A nice intro with a background of piano and strings with a voiceover. The lady talks about the fact that there is hope in the far away sun while the “astronauts” are stuck in orbit around the moon Titan. It is clearly an intro analogy for a loss / lacking / depression. But it ends with the fact that “Though the dark may come, the sun also rises.”
Then it moves into “The Sun Also Rises”. A much harder song than the intro. This song is clearly about how even in the midst of despair that one can trust that the sun will rise tomorrow. And with that there is hope in what that day may hold. How the light from that sun will light the path and drive the darkness away. The drums really drive this song. You can feel them push one along to feel the sun that will drive that darkness away. I always find myself beating my hands to the drum beat before the chorus.
Next up is Binary. A clam song. Nice guitar sound. From this song I get that there are things that can pull on us. We can be attracted to certain things by how we see them. The binary star in the sky that draws our attention. What is that for me? It changes all the time. Again this song has undertones of hope in the darkness. That we need to look for that binary star to possibly draw us out of the darkness.
A quick bridge with “Mercury”. It sounds like a newsman letting us know that the crew on the mission are getting ready to return home.
Then comes “Enamel”. Another song with a clear beat. A song that to me seems to be saying that you hurt me again and I don’t have it in me to keep trying. I believe it is about Reese’s fiance at the time and how she broke up with him over the phone while she was in another country. The chorus says “You are beautiful but not beneath your skin.” He found that there was little deep love from her. It is too bad. It is a good heartfelt breakup song. Well, from the point of the view of the person that was broken up with. So if you need a breakup song it is a fine one.
Next comes “Anastasia”. For many reasons I love this song. It is a nice slow song that is the opposite of the last song. There is a woman that catches the guy’s eye, and he doesn’t know what to do. She seems so perfect. “She hits the mark, the candle sparks, but I’ll just drag her down”, it seems to be saying that after that breakup how can he be good enough for someone like that. The fact that Anastasia means “The Resurrection” is powerful as well since it is his resurrection back to life after the hurt and pain of the breakup.
After that comes “Titan”. Heading back into hard drums and guitars with electric cords in there too. There is a “Cancer that is eating me” is an early line that is the darkness inside him at the moment. Still dealing with the pain of the breakup and possibly more. I like how he talks about being in the emptiness of space and how lonely it is. Of course he is talking about just being alone. There is a section about how the Titans/Giants are “Looming over me” and how they create the darkness inside. There is a powerful repeating of “destroy and divide” to push out that darkness.
Another bridge “Gemini” of a new report letting us all know that the spaceship has been lost. That maybe there is hope of life, but there is nothing confirmed, and how we must wait and see.
Next comes an all time favorite song “Estrella”. The opening lines of “I write clever words on paper, I something think I don’t believe at all” are so powerful to me. I can relate to this sometimes. (I sometimes wonder if what I say / do really matter. Can I make an impact? I know I do. I get that reassurance in classes most semesters, but there are times when I wonder.) Then it goes into comparing one’s life to that of another that is clearly making an impact. How that comparison can lead to feelings of uselessness. Great light guitar song.
We move into “Heart Still Beats” next. Another song that touched on the concept of lack of worth. Even those that are torn down and feeling worthless have a heart that still beats. I like this song because it helps me think about those that many in society will look past. Those people that are considered less lovable, or of less value because of their past. Whether you are a former prostitute or a felon it doesn’t matter. When your life is crumbling and you don’t want others to know what is going on in your life, you still have a heart that beats inside. God still loves you and you have value to God. The chorus starts with talking about others “And her/his heart still beats inside” and moves to “And my heart still beats inside”. We are all broken in different ways. We all have that “remnant of life remains, and our hearts still beat inside.”
After that we get “Babies Breath”. I hear this song as a song of beauty. There is hope and you can look towards the daylight that is coming. You can “close your eyes until daylight comes.” When you start to focus on the “flowers” of life and what can come. The dreams of hope are there for us all. What is that daylight that is coming? It is made clear in a later song on this album. I love the build up this album creates along the way of the tracks.
Next we get “I Fell Away”. A harder song with science in it! This is a song that references the story of Icarus and how he tried to touch the sun but his wings of wax melted. Humans act like this all the time. We think we can do it all and we strive for it all, but then we are burned and end up falling. You can hear the singer talking about how he, like Icarus, failed those around him. And how that has affected how he feels about himself, and how they feel about him. The second verse says “Accelerate at 9.8” – got to love that physics. But this was more about the fact that as he fell he was falling fast and then crashed. The friends left as a result. But then the song turns to “You lift my battered soul, you mend my broken bones together.” God does that for those that trust in Him. Even when we fall away, He can, and will, help us and care for us.
The album moves into “Recall” now. Another light song about where we put our focus. The song opens with “It was all about acceleration, all for notoriety. All about the destination, driven by my own abilities.” Talk about the truth being told. We so often do this in life. We spend so much time and effort on getting seen and getting to where we think we need to be. But if we recall where we came from then we can realign our focus. We get tired and we get that “feeling of the world upon my shoulders” when we are all focused on the prize. But what is that prize? The song doesn’t talk about a prize, but I think it is there unmentioned for us all. The song moves to failure being a good thing and allowing ourselves to abandon what we are striving for. We need to “remember your love, being better than life” “we can sing the shadows” “when it all comes back to me.” So keep your thoughts on God and His love.
Another quick interlude with “Atropes.” A voice over about even in the lowest parts of life you need to have hope.
And finally there is “Daylight”, the conclusion to this album. As one has been in the depths of depression and trying to look for hope throughout the album you finally get to this song. “Aching for a spark. Trembling in pitches dark” It is a cry for help in the darkness. This is where the album has led to. “Daylight Save Me” – he knows where the saving grace is. Right in the middle of the song there is a powerful voiceover (it is like radio contact between NASA and the USS Gloria out at Titan) about coming out of the eclipse and seeing the sun after being in the darkness for so long. Then it goes into how Jesus is our light that brings us out of the darkness.
Read these lines here:
You (Jesus) never did forget me
And when I bled in darkness,
You held Me
Still held me
When desperate nights I cursed You
You loved me, still loved me
Jesus Christ, You dry the tears
You break my heart of stone
Your words are life
Cut marrow through
The darkness, to the bone
A heart of flesh You gave me
Only You can save me
Jesus is there in all situations, good and bad. He loves you, and holds you, and only He can save you (and me).
There is a “hidden track” that is just a melody at the end for a couple minutes. I feel it kind of throws off the album a little since Daylight is such a powerful ending.
This is an album of reflection. You get to think about what life is like for those who are down. There is hope though. God is there for everyone no matter where you have come from or where you are going. There is always a path back.