Before feeble insults are hurled at me by members who think longevity on this god-forsaken forum gives them social capital to be assholes, I'll inform you that my former account was registered in August, 2003; no, this isn't my first post. I'd been lurking since early 2006 and felt compelled to resume my posting due mainly to:
complaints about Watershed, hinging in any part on "The Lotus Eater" and its conceptually/musically brilliant funk-death keyboard 'breakdown' that's suffered attempted belittlement as being.. Nintendo-esque, or circus-like (bad?).
Basic knowledge of Greek mythology, even ethnobotany, should hint at the concept of TLE: the escapist lure of oblivion through drug use or the like, at the cost of truly important things. In Homer's Odyssey such escape is the lotus itself (likely Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea and/or N. ampia) and consequently the distraction of Ulysses' men from their quest; in "The Lotus Eater", such escape is presumably alcohol ("Liquid is in your throat, one hopeless delight") at the sacrifice of oneself in general, perhaps talent specifically ("A barren waste is your land, crops they were sown to die"). Extend these ideas to analysis of not only all TLE's lyrics, but its music given their context. The 'Nintendo-esque' keyboard line can be easily interpreted as ignorant embrace of a "hopeless delight", met by the stark reality of loss possibly represented by the sinister song segment dropped into suddenly afterward ("And the pride of a mother, drawn close in your mother's son"). You might ask, why consider such interrelation? Well, besides "The Lotus Eater" being a song...
Åkerfeldt's statements about the relative unimportance of Opeth lyrics to music are not grounds for their dismissal, let alone with Watershed-- whose lyrics he wanted to write for what he said was basically the first time in his career. (This I actually doubt, as MAYH's lyrics were written before its music, though this is no detraction from Mike's statement or my point). A song's lyrics don't have to be its most important component for its music to be inspired by or even rooted in a concrete concept; music is the language of emotion, leaving such concepts to subjective interpretation and relation, not eliminating them from their existence and role in the creative process. My inference of TLE's concept from its music is of course completely subjective, but this does not at all nullify the aforementioned truth about concrete concepts.
By the way folks, Watershed's lyrics having been written in one night equals inspiration-- given Åkerfeldt's stated desire to write them. It does not matter nearly as much what possible creativity or refinement could've been added to them with time; sincerity beats originality, always. Too many Opeth fans want art for art's sake, not something rooted in emotional authenticity. I have always sensed an incredible degree of the latter in Mike's writing, and I wouldn't trade that for the most dazzlingly unheard musical concept, 'progressive' or not.
"Shut the hell up" is more of an attention-grabbing sentiment than how I really feel about people stating their opinions. Regardless, I'll maintain that many of said fans do not consider carefully (if at all) the artistic synergy of a work's every component.
Let's see what they might have to say.
Cheers.
Edit: By "carousel with 'hopeless delight'" I meant a 'dance with' or embrace of said hopelessness. My apologies for a confusing word choice.
complaints about Watershed, hinging in any part on "The Lotus Eater" and its conceptually/musically brilliant funk-death keyboard 'breakdown' that's suffered attempted belittlement as being.. Nintendo-esque, or circus-like (bad?).
Basic knowledge of Greek mythology, even ethnobotany, should hint at the concept of TLE: the escapist lure of oblivion through drug use or the like, at the cost of truly important things. In Homer's Odyssey such escape is the lotus itself (likely Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea and/or N. ampia) and consequently the distraction of Ulysses' men from their quest; in "The Lotus Eater", such escape is presumably alcohol ("Liquid is in your throat, one hopeless delight") at the sacrifice of oneself in general, perhaps talent specifically ("A barren waste is your land, crops they were sown to die"). Extend these ideas to analysis of not only all TLE's lyrics, but its music given their context. The 'Nintendo-esque' keyboard line can be easily interpreted as ignorant embrace of a "hopeless delight", met by the stark reality of loss possibly represented by the sinister song segment dropped into suddenly afterward ("And the pride of a mother, drawn close in your mother's son"). You might ask, why consider such interrelation? Well, besides "The Lotus Eater" being a song...
Åkerfeldt's statements about the relative unimportance of Opeth lyrics to music are not grounds for their dismissal, let alone with Watershed-- whose lyrics he wanted to write for what he said was basically the first time in his career. (This I actually doubt, as MAYH's lyrics were written before its music, though this is no detraction from Mike's statement or my point). A song's lyrics don't have to be its most important component for its music to be inspired by or even rooted in a concrete concept; music is the language of emotion, leaving such concepts to subjective interpretation and relation, not eliminating them from their existence and role in the creative process. My inference of TLE's concept from its music is of course completely subjective, but this does not at all nullify the aforementioned truth about concrete concepts.
By the way folks, Watershed's lyrics having been written in one night equals inspiration-- given Åkerfeldt's stated desire to write them. It does not matter nearly as much what possible creativity or refinement could've been added to them with time; sincerity beats originality, always. Too many Opeth fans want art for art's sake, not something rooted in emotional authenticity. I have always sensed an incredible degree of the latter in Mike's writing, and I wouldn't trade that for the most dazzlingly unheard musical concept, 'progressive' or not.
"Shut the hell up" is more of an attention-grabbing sentiment than how I really feel about people stating their opinions. Regardless, I'll maintain that many of said fans do not consider carefully (if at all) the artistic synergy of a work's every component.
Let's see what they might have to say.
Cheers.
Edit: By "carousel with 'hopeless delight'" I meant a 'dance with' or embrace of said hopelessness. My apologies for a confusing word choice.
