The $5.98 TAC EP Roulette V.4 Final Results

[Crow]

T

[The Walrus]

Kattelox

1. Enya - I_ I ___l_ _e W_ere ___ Are
2. Florence and the Machine - T_ir_ E_e
3. Randy Newman - I Think It's Going To Rain Today
4. Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow
5. Explosions in the Sky - T_e __l_ ___e_t We Were Al__e
6. Leonard Cohen - ___e _eali__
7. Florence and the Machine - __ake It __t
8. Florence and the Machine - All T_i_ A__ _ea_e_ T__
9. Enya - I ___l_ _e_er _a_ ______e
10. Enya - _a__ta _aria


TLAWEPRKI
The Less Actively Wack and Evil People's Republic of Kattelox I

[Crow]

Florence and the Machine but the has an extra underscore

[The Walrus]

Florence and the Machine but the has an extra underscore

Could you see it with your third eye?

Good reference, Katt!

[romdrums]

Romdrums, there's a Kingston Lake in Michigan but not falls, that I know of.  Did you make that up?  Just curious since I was assuming most of the places are real.

Had to use some poetic license there, because I really liked the song, but it's not called Grand Haven.   

[romdrums]

Katt, let's get the W on there.

[Crow]

Randy Newman - I Think It's Going to Rain Today

You unsolved Florence also, did you copy over the wrong hangman

Leonard Cohen

[The Walrus]

Yeah I did. I'm 40% stupid so

[Crow]

Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow

That's all the artists, I'm too lazy to solve the songs rn

[The Walrus]

Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow

That's all the artists, I'm too lazy to solve the songs rn

guess a letter you coward

[jingle.boy]

Yeah I did. I'm 40% stupid so

But 100% awesome!

[Lethean]

Romdrums, there's a Kingston Lake in Michigan but not falls, that I know of.  Did you make that up?  Just curious since I was assuming most of the places are real.

Had to use some poetic license there, because I really liked the song, but it's not called Grand Haven.   

That EP was really cool.

[Lethean]

Randy Newman - I Think It's Going to Rain Today


Leonard Cohen

Oh no...

[The Walrus]

Guess a letter, cowards.

[Lethean]

Well you already told us one is Third Eye.

C

[faizoff]

Been missing all the excitement in these threads. Still have a tons to read and listen.

[The Walrus]

Kattelox

1. Enya - If I Could Be Where You Are
2. Florence and the Machine - Third Eye
3. Randy Newman - I Think It's Going To Rain Today
4. Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow
5. Explosions in the Sky - The Only Moment We Were Alone
6. Leonard Cohen - Come Healing
7. Florence and the Machine - Shake It Out
8. Florence and the Machine - All This And Heaven Too
9. Enya - I Could Never Say Goodbye
10. Enya - Sancta Maria

[romdrums]

N

The only moment we were alone.

[romdrums]

Romdrums, there's a Kingston Lake in Michigan but not falls, that I know of.  Did you make that up?  Just curious since I was assuming most of the places are real.

Had to use some poetic license there, because I really liked the song, but it's not called Grand Haven.   

That EP was really cool.

Now to see how this does with TAC.  I'm in last place going into this round, so, I figured, what the hell.

[ariich]

Yeah I did. I'm 40% stupid so

Ahem...

Am I weird for greatly enjoying the process of manually editing hangman? :<

[Crow]

If I Could Be Where You Are
Come Healing
Shake it Out
All This and Heaven Too
I Could Never Say Goodbye
Sancta Maria

[The Walrus]

Nice work Cyril. Go ahead and post the writeup, Tim - a couple lyrics are incorrect like I said earlier but whatever.

[TAC]

Kattelox

1. Enya - If I Could Be Where You Are
2. Florence and the Machine - Third Eye
3. Randy Newman - I Think It's Going To Rain Today
4. Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow
5. Explosions in the Sky - The Only Moment We Were Alone
6. Leonard Cohen - Come Healing
7. Florence and the Machine - Shake it Out
8. Florence and the Machine - All This and Heaven Too
9. Enya - I Could Never Say Goodbye
10. Enya - Sancta Maria

[TAC]

OK...3 consecutive posts incoming!

DO NOT INTERUPT!

[TAC]

First off, this is a very special EP. We all know what Mike has gone through over the last couple months. For those of you who are not aware, Mike unexpectedly lost his younger sister in October.

I was so happy that he wanted to join the roulette. He has a way of livening up and bringing joy to whatever thread he posts in.

The Lucy EP is more than urban legend. He sent it to me, which I immediately refused it. He mentioned he was thinking of doing one about his sister. I told him I thought that would be a great idea. I know he got pressed for time towards the end, and I have already apologized to him privately for egging him on, but I have to say that this is one incredible piece of music.

I've been on DTF for over 15 years, and have made lots of friends and had a lot of yucks, but listening to this was one of the most amazing experiences I've had here.

It just so happened that my wife had to take my stepson to the airport early on Thanksgiving, so I ended up listening to this at 6:30am. Damn.

As each song started, I read the writeup attached. By the time the song would end, I would recompose myself, only to lose it all over again.

Mike has put some very difficult and personal feelings into some amazing words, and picked pieces of music that are perfect to the narrative.

My advice is to not read ahead, but to listen as you read for the full experience.
Oh, and grab some tissues.

Mike, amazing job, and we are really thankful to have you here.

[TAC]

Playlist link in title.

Alone In A Storm

1. Enya - If I Could Be Where You Are
2. Florence + the Machine - Third Eye
3. Randy Newman - I Think It's Going To Rain Today
4. Kacey Musgrave - Rainbow
5. Explosions In The Sky - The Only Moment We Were Alone
6. Leonard Cohen - Come Healing
7. Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out
8. Florence + the Machine - All This And Heaven Too
9. Enya - I Could Never Say Goodbye
10. Enya - Sancta Maria

Listening to this EP has been one of the most difficult things for me in recent memory. Every song here makes me cry. I know this is not a heavy or energetic EP, so I hope you can at least appreciate the spirit in which it was created and what it's meant to communicate. That's also why I trimmed it to just 10 songs, because 15+ metal songs is different from having to listen to 15+ tearjerkers in a row.

*   *   *

1. Enya - If I Could Be Where You Are

Where are you this moment?
Only in my dreams.
You're missing, but you're always
A heartbeat from me.
I'm lost now without you,
I don't know where you are.
I keep watching, I keep hoping,
But time keeps us apart.
Is there a way I can find you,
Is there a sign I should know,
Is there a road I could follow
To bring you back home?
Winter lies before me
Now you're so far away.
In the darkness of my dreaming
The light of you will stay.
If I could be close beside you
If I could be where you are
If I could reach out and touch you
And bring you back home
Is there a way I can find you
Is there a sign I should know
Is there a road I can follow
To bring you back home to me?

This song is not energetic, but it sets the tone for the EP pretty well, both instrumentally and lyrically. This song sums up a lot of the grief I've been feeling over the last 6-7 weeks as I struggle to accept my sister's passing and deal with all the regrets I'm trying to get over. Taylor was only 19 and despite making a lot of bad choices and hanging out with bad people, had a heart of gold and could be the sweetest person ever when she wanted to be. There's a lot that hits home here, right down to the lyric "Winter lies before me, now you're so far away." "You're missing, but you're always a heartbeat from me." "Is there a road I can follow to bring you back home to me?" I miss her, to quote a Toto song, from the top of my heart to the bottom of my soul.

2. Florence + the Machine - Third Eye

That original lifeline
Original lifeline
That original lifeline
Hey, look up
Don't make a shadow of yourself
Always shutting out the light
Caught in your own creation
Look up, look up
It tore you open
And oh, how much?
Cause there's a hole where your heart lies
And I see can it with my third eye
And though my touch, it magnifies
You pull away, you don't know why
That original lifeline
Original lifeline
That original lifeline
Hey, look up
You don't have to be a ghost
Hidden amongst the living
You are flesh and blood
And you deserve to be loved
And you deserve what you are given
And oh, how much?
Cause there's a hole where your heart lies
And I see can it with my third eye
And though my touch, it magnifies
You pull away, you don't know why
That original lifeline
Original lifeline
That original lifeline
Original lifeline
Cause there's a hole where your heart lies
And I see can it with my third eye
And though my touch, it magnifies
You pull away, you don't know why
That original lifeline
Original lifeline
That original lifeline
Cause your pain is a tribute
The only thing you let hold you
Well now I'm a memento
Always there to remind you
But your pain is a tribute
The only thing you let hold you
Well now I'm a memento
Always there to remind you
I'm the same, I'm the same
I'm try'na change
I'm the same, I'm the same
I'm try'na change
I'm the same, I'm the same
I'm try'na change
I'm the same, I'm the same
I'm try'na change
Cause there's a hole where your heart lies
And I see can it with my third eye
And though my touch, it magnifies
You pull away, you don't know why
That original lifeline
Original lifeline
That original lifeline
I'm the same, I'm the same
I'm try'na change

This one kicks some life into the EP with its cheerful, upbeat vibe, and strong vocals from Florence Welch. This song is about several things: it's about someone trying to change for the better, it's about anybody who's had their heart broken and doubts themselves, it's about reassuring someone that they're not alone in the world. Taylor was a ball of fire, a real strong personality, but had a heart as fragile as anyone else's. Several years ago she had a boyfriend who left her and that really left a mark on her. My mother was the one person in the family who never gave up on her no matter what she went through, and would always try to give her good life advice, and talk about trying to help Taylor change and be a better person. And she really was. In this last year, she was trying very hard to change and get her act together and figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She had a few setbacks, but overall she was trying, and this summer I had the first heart-to-heart talk with her in a very very long time, and she let me know she wanted to be closer with me and have a relationship with her siblings, which breaks my heart to think about now. I feel like some of the lyrics also relate to me - "I"m the same, I'm the same, I'm try'na change" makes me think about dealing with my own heartache I had while she was dealing with hers, and how we were both just trying to learn how to grow and be better people - me in my late 20s trying to be a 'real adult', and her fresh out of high school trying to figure out what she wanted to get out of life, and how no matter what, she's still worth as much as the rest of the kids in the family, even if she felt like nobody loved her. But I loved her, I always did. I just never got to tell her face to face.

3. Randy Newman - I Think It's Going To Rain Today

Broken windows and empty hallways
A pale dead moon in the sky streaked with gray
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today
Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles
With frozen smiles to chase love away
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today
Lonely, lonely
Tin can at my feet
Think I'll kick it down the street
That's the way to treat a friend
Bright before me the signs implore me
To help the needy and show them the way
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today

One of my favorite songs of all time. This ballad is not satirical or humorous in nature like most of Randy's works. This song describes the day of Taylor's funeral, a gloomy, dark autumn morning, wind whipping all the fallen leaves around, heavy, low clouds speeding by overhead. The wind was fierce during her service at the cemetery, but thankfully it didn't rain until after it was all done. "Human kindness is overflowing, and I think it's going to rain today" makes me think of all the warmth and love from family and friends and all the other people who showed up during the wake and funeral. "Bright before me, the signs implore me to help the needy and show them the way" refers to my own warmth and love that needs to be shared with anyone who needs it, since I wasn't there to be the big brother I think I should have been. Maybe if she had a sibling to really talk to, things could have been different. Hindsight kicks you in the teeth hard.

4. Kacey Musgrave - Rainbow

When it rain it pours but you didn't even notice
It ain't rainin' anymore, it's hard to breathe when all you know is
The struggle of staying above the rising water line
Well the sky is finally open, the rain and wind stopped blowin'
But you're stuck out in the same old storm again
You hold tight to your umbrella, well, darlin' I'm just tryin' to tell ya
That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head
If you could see what I see, you'd be blinded by the colours
Yellow, red and orange and green, and at least a million others
So tie up the bow, take off your coat and take a look around
'Cause the sky is finally open, the rain and wind stopped blown'
But you're stuck out in the same old storm again
You hold tight to your umbrella, well, darlin' I'm just tryin' to tell ya
That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head
Oh tie up your bow, take off your coat and take a look around
Everything is alright now
'Cause the sky has finally opened, the rain and wind stopped blowin'
But you're stuck out in the same old storm again
Let go of your umbrella, 'cause darlin', I'm just tryin' to tell ya
That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head
Yeah there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head
It'll be alright

My mom showed me this song the week before Taylor's funeral, and said it described Taylor perfectly. Taylor just wasn't happy here, for whatever reason. Our family gave her everything she could've wanted, tolerated so much more behavior than most people would, sacrificed so much for her... but something inside her was just eating at her, and she said numerous times she didn't want to be here, which broke my mother's heart. But my mother has stronger faith than I do, and is at peace, since she believes she's in a happier place now. Taylor always put up a fight and walked to her own song, but like the song says, there's always been a rainbow hanging over her head. The lyrics in this song make me weep like a baby, because Taylor's life was very much like a storm, ever since she learned how to talk. Now the storm is over, and I want nothing more than to hear another clap of thunder.

5. Explosions In The Sky - The Only Moment We Were Alone

This instrumental track has a few meanings for me in the context of this EP (sorry for the loud noise at the start, it is track #2 on an album full of songs that kind of bleed into one another, unfortunately the first track would not have fit very well in this EP). One of them describes the afternoon I found out about Taylor's passing - I had just come from Walmart to pick up a few things for my mom. Set them on her dining room table, turned around and watched my mother's face change as she got the news from the coroner at the front door. The first 7 minutes of this song could be thought of as me and my mom talking and laughing and making jokes, and that abrupt change around 7 minutes would be my mom answering the door. The last couple minutes, after the quick swell, is my mom and I crying in the living room, alone.

This also describes me kneeling by Taylor's casket in the funeral home, before the doors to the public opened, at both her wake and the funeral. My mother picked out a very "Taylor" outfit for the funeral, including a black hoodie from Pink (clothing brand she loved) and a new pair of black slippers, since she loved wearing slippers at home. We almost put her toy cat, Figaro - from when she was a baby - in there with her, but thought against it. Taylor actually found 4 stray cats around town since 2010, and we still have all of them at home, so we all still think of them as gifts from her. Bless her heart. I reached over and held her hand for a moment, which had a bracelet my older sister bought and put on her. I don't want to forget that feeling, that touch, or the touch as I kissed her forehead and said my last goodbye, because I can't remember actually ever giving her a real hug, and it breaks my heart to think about that.

6. Leonard Cohen - Come Healing

O gather up the brokenness and bring it to me now
The fragrance of those promises you never dared to vow
The splinters that you carry, the cross you left behind
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
And let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb
Behold the gates of mercy in arbitrary space,
And none of us deserving the cruelty or the grace
O solitude of longing where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
O see the darkness yielding that tore the light apart
Come healing of the reason
Come healing of the heart
O troubled dust concealing an undivided love
The heart beneath is teaching to the broken heart above
Let the heavens falter, let the earth proclaim
Come healing of the altar
Come healing of the name
O longing of the branches to lift the little bud
O longing of the arteries to purify the blood
And let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb
O let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

A song to describe both the funeral itself and the aftermath of everything, trying to pick up the pieces that shattered around myself and my family. "O troubled dust concealing an undivided love" makes me think of all the turmoil and drama that would occur because Taylor was kind of the lit match that would come and blow up most situations... like I said, she was a ball of fire. But because we would fight so often and she would escalate things so much, it was very, very hard to ever have a real heartfelt moment with her and just let her know that her family does love her. "The heart beneath is teaching to the broken heart above" is a lyric I read a couple different ways. "Beneath" could refer to my sister, who is buried, and teaching me and my family how to love better and come together more often. It could also refer to one's own broken heart trying to learn from that true love for family that's deep inside. It could also be looked at as a metaphor for coping with regret. All applicable. I want this song played at my own funeral. It's so beautiful.

7. Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn
And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
Our love is pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it's always darkest before the dawn
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
'Cause I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
I tried to dance with the devil on your back
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a final mess but it's left me so empty
It's always darkest before the dawn
(Oh whoa, oh whoa)
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, for the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

Finally injecting a bit of optimism and upbeat tempo into this EP with another from Florence. This is a song that's been getting me through most of October and November. From the very first word, it hits me in the heart. "Regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments." I have so many god damn regrets about how I treated Taylor, how I wasn't a good brother to her, or certainly not as good as brother as I should have been even with the understanding that we both instigated a hell of fights ourselves. Two very strong personalities mix like oil and water, I suppose. This song is about letting go of regrets, not letting them drag you under and suffocate you, and even if you can't change the past or make amends, it's best to face those regrets head on and then move on because lingering on them does nothing but make things worse for yourself. I adore the big energy in Florence's voice and how even she seems to sing more confidently and proudly by the end of the song. "It's hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off" is such a warm lyric to me.

Part 2 coming because of PM text limit

[TAC]

8. Florence + the Machine - All This And Heaven Too

And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of it's own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs
And prayers and proclamations in the grand days
Of great men and the smallest of gestures
In short shallow gasps
But with all my education
I can't seem to commend it
And the words are all escaping me
And coming back all damaged
And I would put them back in poetry
If I only knew how, I can't seem to understand it
And I would give all this and heaven too
I would give it all if only for a moment
That I could just understand
The meaning of the word you see
'Cause I've been scrawling it forever
But it never makes sense to me at all
And it talks to me in tiptoes
And sings to me inside
It cries out in the darkest night
And breaks in the morning light
But with all my education
I can't seem to commend it
And the words are all escaping
And coming back all damaged
And I would put them back in poetry
If I only knew how I can't seem to understand it
And I would give all this and heaven too
I would give it all if only for a moment
That I could just understand
The meaning of the word you see
'Cause I've been scrawling it forever
But it never makes sense to me at all
And I would give all this and heaven too
I would give it all if only for a moment
That I could just understand
The meaning of the word you see
'Cause I've been scrawling it forever
But it never makes sense to me at all
No, words are a language
It doesn't deserve such treatment
And all my stumbling phrases
Never amounted to anything worth this feeling
All this heaven never could describe
Such a feeling as I'm healing, words were never so useful
So I was screaming out a language
That I never knew existed before

This song is entirely about love and not being able to fully understand or communicate what it is, but we can feel it deep inside our hearts. It's about thinking you know what love is your whole life until something occurs that really makes you realize what it is and how powerful it can be. I always told my parents that I loved my sister as family, but she would piss me off so much it's hard to have much of a relationship with her. But God knows I've shed enough tears over the past month to make me realized that I loved her to death and only wanted the best for her, and she was really trying to make good on those promises. I feel that love whenever I see the notes she wrote for my mom, taped up on mom's refrigerator, about how much she loved her and how much she mattered. Love is reassuring, but god, love hurts. It hurts a lot.

9. Enya - I Could Never Say Goodbye

Night has gone without my tears
Now I walk alone
You're no longer here
The days turn to years
I could never say goodbye
To the sadness in my eyes
You know you are in my heart
But the miles keep us apart
Time moves slow
In the falling rain
I still dream of you
And whisper your name
Will I see you once again?
I could never say goodbye
To the sadness in my eyes
You know you are in my heart
But the miles keep us apart
I could never say goodbye

This song destroys me. I start bawling as soon as Enya begins to sing. These lyrics really hit home. There is a line about "But the miles keep us apart" which I think of in a few different ways... the cemetery is just a few miles away, so I could go see her and give her flowers or talk to her whenever I want. But I could also refer to the years of our lives as "miles" - and if my health keeps up, I have a lot of miles left to go before I can see her again. Every single line in this song fills me with emotion. I don't want to say goodbye to her, and although I did at the funeral, I still don't feel like she's gone. She's still here, in my siblings and my parents and the house she grew up in. I just can't say goodbye.

10. Enya - Sancta Maria

I included this because it seemed to fit best after a song like Shake It Out. This song makes me think of clouds breaking to heavenly sunlight, and although I'm not a religious person or have faith in something like a Biblical Heaven, I often wonder if there's something else waiting for us after this life, and I have often been talking to Taylor privately ever since she passed, just trying to fool myself into believing that maybe somewhere, somehow, she's watching me, or can hear me and all the things I've been wanting to tell her or should have told her when she was with us. My mother has strong faith, and believes without a doubt she's in Heaven, and this song to me sounds like what music in Heaven is like. Wherever Taylor is, I hope she's safe, and I hope she's finally at peace, and I hope she's finally reunited with her grandma and grandpa and one of her oldest friends Luke who sadly died of leukemia when they were about 5 or 6 years old (she was devastated by his loss even then, and kept pictures of him on her bedroom door and walls for years).

[TAC]

GO!

[The Walrus]

Thanks so much for the kind words Tim. That brought tears to my eyes. Happy to play. Thanks for having me and for letting me put this together.

[jingle.boy]

My advice is to not read ahead, but to listen as you read for the full experience.

Not sure I can (or want to) do that again.

[TAC]

You're welcome, Mike, and I hear you Chad.


I will post First Listen Impressions tonight to chew on. I'm still doing writeups, and still trying to figure out the damn Bonus Points.

[Crow]

Was that the last hangdang? Whoa

[Lethean]

That was very emotional.

[romdrums]

Damn, Katt. I haven’t listened to the music, but the words are powerful.  Glad to hear you’re working your way through.

[TAC]

Was that the last hangdang? Whoa

Yes it sure as hell was...unless I forgot somebody.