Death tunes...

It may have become apparent to anyone who follows this blog (...crickets...) that I love music. Sure, I might reference groups that no one listens to (or has even heard of for that matter) but that's not the point. The point is that I listen to a LOT of music and a theme that seems to be fairly prevalent throughout is death. Now, I'm not talking strictly evil metal type stuff about sacrificing babies, burning churches, and killing everyone (the genre mostly isn't like that anyways, but most people think it is unfortunately...), I'm talking some stuff that most people would like because it's just solid, well written music, that happens to have a theme about death in some manner. Take, for example, Flaws by Bastille.

Before I start rambling about this song, I have to mention that this is probably my favourite song of 2012. Well constructed song, incredibly catchy, awesome, well sung lyrics...just what I like, even though I generally listen to significantly heavier/faster stuff. Anyways,  personal opinions aside, look at all the death references in this song! First off, singer/songwriter Dan Smith is clearly dead to start the song...then he basically has a sweet day hanging out with some girls done up like day of the dead folks (I've always assumed they are his "flaws"). This is probably the most obvious death reference in the song but the lyrics hold a few more less obvious (until they're pointed out...) mentions of death related topics..

When all of your flaws and all of my flaws
Are laid out one by one
A wonderful part of the mess that we made
We pick ourselves undone

All of your flaws and all of my flaws
They lie there hand in hand
Ones we've inherited, ones that we learned
They pass from man to man

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up; let's finish what we've started
Dig them up, so nothing's left unturned

All of your flaws and all of my flaws,
When they have been exhumed
We'll see that we need them to be who we are
Without them we'd be doomed

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up; let's finish what we've started
Dig them up, so nothing's left unturned

When all of your flaws
And all of my flaws are counted
When all of your flaws
And all of my flaws are counted

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up. Let's finish what we've started
Dig them up. So nothing's left unturned

All of your flaws and all of my flaws
Are laid out one by one
Look at the wonderful mess that we made
We pick ourselves undone 

I see 5 separate lines with imagery that could be directly associated with death...pretty cool in my books. Hope someone enjoys the song!

The science of your death...

After cruising a few of my classmates blogs, I came across a bit that I thought was pretty funny. It was about having a physicist talk at your funeral to explain, in unequivocally scientific terms, the science of your death (unless I totally missed the point, in which case just stop reading right now because I'm about to make myself look like an idiot...). The concept thoroughly entertained me...all I could think of was having a rigid woman wearing a lab coat (obviously with a pocket protector...)wandering amidst all the grieving and crying, calmly speaking about photons, particles, and sciency laws that most people can't grasp. I imagined the confusion people would feel as their emotions came face to face with science, the ultimate emotion killer. As the physicist (let us call her...Alice) tactfully maneuvers through the funeral throng (assuming people actually like you of course...) stoically delivering the facts, she can't help but notice the clasped hands, twisted faces, and cheeks glistening with tears. "There is a scientific explanation for all of this," she thinks to herself, "why don't these people understand?". As she continues to spread the truth, she can't help but notice that the sorrow is turning to anger..."these people don't appreciate this logic" she calmly mutters to herself. Alice begins to realize that she is being surrounded, pushed into a corner by the once sobbing gathering turned irrational mob..."they don't want to hear this" she says in a slightly wavering whisper. Soon, people are demanding to know why Alice is there, ruining their grieving process with crazy talk of photons, particles, and sciency laws they don't understand. "He's gone, show some respect...what about his soul?!?" the funeral attendees bellow in chorus, surging forward in a wave of black cotton. Panic..."He wanted this!" Alice screams, finally showing a crack in her utterly unflappable mask of scientific truth..."He wanted you to know that according to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of him is gone...he's just less orderly!". "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..." say the mourners collectively, all nodding in approval of their new found scientific enlightenment... OK, obviously this would never happen anywhere except inside my oddish headspace but I still found it immensely funny..."According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you're just less orderly." was the quote by Aaron Freeman that was in my classmates blog that really made me think about this as I could see myself saying something very similar (at what would probably be the most inopportune time to sound like an academic blowhard ever). Seriously, how much would people hate you for dropping science into a completely unscientific scenario like a funeral? As great as I think it would be, probably a lot...so, note to self...keep your mouth shut when people are grieving, no one wants to hear your scientific rationalizations about the source of their irrational emotional behaviour.