Guernica's Great Northern Fires
Guernica's Great Northern FiresNorthern Fires (Guernica) by. Silent Planet - Single Review
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It's finally here! We finally have a new single from the boys in Silent Planet! This coming from their third album that has yet to be titled. I am seeing a clear pattern with Solid State Records. Fit For A King, and Earth Groans have released singles. And you can find my reviews on both of those linked below with my social media links. They have yet to release their album titles or release dates for them. Makes me wonder what kind of awesome things the producers, Solid State, and bands have in store for us in the coming months! But all three are looking to be released either late summer or early fall.
Moving on to the song. The title is Northern Fires (Guernica) and it was released yesterday, Friday, June 15th. Boy is this song a straight up banger! It has a small interlude before Garret's powerful vocals hit you. Reminding you if what it was like when you heard their music for the first time. And to add more of the "Did ya miss us?" vibe we get a new vocal element from Garret. And before I tell you what that is let me first tell you that he is coming for you with that "Old-School" Corey Taylor style.
Now. The next part is where I would normally breakdown the lyrics. Giving you my thoughts on what the singer is trying to say. But Silent Planet being the band that they are. And Garrett Russell being the lyricist that he is. There are a ton of footnotes that Garrett has supplied that tell you the story of his lyrics and what their message is. So lets go ahead and go into the breakdown of those footnotes. Because what he gives are just those. And we need to expand those to unlock the meaning behind this wonderfully written and composed song.
Now. The next part is where I would normally breakdown the lyrics. Giving you my thoughts on what the singer is trying to say. But Silent Planet being the band that they are. And Garrett Russell being the lyricist that he is. There are a ton of footnotes that Garrett has supplied that tell you the story of his lyrics and what their message is. So lets go ahead and go into the breakdown of those footnotes. Because what he gives are just those. And we need to expand those to unlock the meaning behind this wonderfully written and composed song.
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The song seems to be built around the Spanish Civil war that happened back in 1936. Specifically focusing on the bombing of Guernica. This was also depicted in a way by the Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso. Of which the painting was named after. This song expands on not only what the war held in store for Spain. But also those across the globe who lost, and benefited from the war.
1.) Ration my breath - Terror clandestine in my chest. Mangled, I lay on a foreign forest floor: Spring, 1937. This was during the Spanish Civil War which lasted from 1936 to 1939. Anywhere from 231,000–2,000,000 civilians were killed during the War.
2.) Caught in an instant, divided by distance! Alone in the fray, clutching my trigger, I pray! As I make amends with death on a distant shore: Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bells Tolls. The book was published in 1940 by Ernest Hemingway. The book tells of Robert Jordan who was involved in blowing up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia.
3.)Such is the fate of the nation-state!: Leo Tolstoy, speaking on Patriotism and Government. Leo Tolstoy was known for writing about Patriotism in the United States during his time. The book “Patriotism and Government” was written in 1901 and tells about how he feels patriotism is a problem in society.
4.) Despite the myths, they propagate!: Plato, The Republic. This was a manuscript encyclopedia written in 380-BC by Plato. The 10 books were written about justice issues and of man. It is argued to be one of Plato’s most influential piece of work and has helped shape political theory.
5.)The narrative never fits the crime!Democracy’s died this death a thousand times! The masses kneel before the golden cross! Held by the priest!: Utilizing Religion as a means for sustaining the rule of fascist dictator Francisco Franco from 1939-1975. According to History Channel, Franco only allowed Catholicism during his reign and would use religion to increase his popularity. The Franco regime also essentially made Catholicism the only tolerated religion, banned the Catalan and Basque languages outside the home, forbade Catalan and Basque names for newborns, barred labor unions, promoted economic self-sufficiency policies and created a vast secret police network to spy on citizens.
6.) who bows at the feet of the king!: Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War. Written in 1961. This book tells of the events that led Europe to divide against itself.
7.)Bury me with my name in an unmarked grave! Another casualty to the vanity of history!: Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: The Will to Knowledge This is a four-volume study about sexuality in the west. According to Wikipedia, Foucault: argues that the notion that every individual has a sexuality is a relatively recent development in Western societies.
8.) The war marches on after the killing ends!: Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon. Written back in 2002, a novel written by Richard K. Morgan. The science fiction novel takes place in a futuristic world where human personalities that have passed away can be downloaded and placed into new bodies, referred to as “sleeves” throughout the novel. Towards the end of the book, a character who was killed in the book’s prologue has been downloaded into a police officer who has witnessed a lot of violence throughout the novel. Altered Carbon was adapted into a 10-episode Netflix Original Series in February of 2018.
9.) Take our lives - colonize our minds!: George Orwell, 1984. This is the infamous book written by George Orwell that has inspired shows like Big Brother. The book is set in a dystopian future where government involvement is omnipresent and always surveilling its people. The “thought police” in the book are in control of persuading your thoughts and controls how you think.
10.) I’ve been digging through time lines, historical bylines; I find the fatal flaw in our design lies! Between thoughts we had and words we knew!: Jacques Lacan, The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. This is the 1978 English-language translation of a seminar held by Jacques Lacan. The original (French: Le séminaire. Livre XI. Les quatrain concepts fondamentaux de la psych-analyse) was published in Paris by Le Seuil in 1973. The Seminar was held at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris between January and June 1964 and is the eleventh in the series of The Seminar of Jacques Lacan. The text was published by Jacques-Alain Miller.
11.)Between what we’re told and what is true!: The Robber Bride is a Margaret Atwood novel first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1993.
12.) Who fuels the fascist?: The Battle for Spain by. Antony Beevor. The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century - a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica. Antony Beevor's account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the 'coup d'etat' in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939.
13.) A classist— inculcating the masses in passes! Under the contrived! Countenance of contrition!: American corporations, such as Texaco oil, that made large financial gains due to loyal support of Franco’s nationalist forces in Spain, and subsequently Hitler in Europe.
14.) The victor writes the story!: The Discovery of India was written by India's first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 1942–46 at Ahmednagar fort in Maharashtra, India. The Discovery of India is an honour paid to the rich cultural heritage of India, its history and its philosophy as seen through the eyes of a patriot fighting for the independence of his country. The book is widely considered one of the finest modern works on Indian history.
15.) More often burns the manuscript! Set fire to a pyre cremate the crimes that they commit!: This comes as a more direct link to the bombing of Guernica. The attack gained controversy because it involved the bombing of civilians by a military air force. The number of victims is still disputed; the Basque government reported 1,654 people killed at the time, while local historians identified 126 victims (later revised by the authors of the study to 153). A British source used by the Air War College claims 400 civilians died. Soviet archives claim 800 deaths on 1 May 1937, but this number may not include victims who later died of their injuries in hospitals or whose bodies were discovered buried in the rubble.
16.) But the flames kept us warm! So we bit our tongues and tasted scorn! The bitter stench of finite men! Betrayed by the thieves they swore to defend! The bell will toll!: John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions: Meditation XVII.
17. And in the end, lay only the echoes of! What could have been!: George Santayana, Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies.
18.)We stand alone in the dust of what could be, fighting to find our humanity! We stand alone in the dust of what could be; nothing we fought for will set us free!: This line brings my favorite footnote. Where Garrett incorporates a little bit of his Spiritual side into his writings. And the Bible verse that he picks fits the song very well! He puts in Matthew 26:52 "Put your sword back. People who live by the sword die by the sword." This verse comes right after Jesus was surrounded by the roman soldiers and Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of a servant. And that plays into the whole theme, seeing as the Spanish Civil War was started on the back of violence and it ends that way.
19.) Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast! The war machine that feeds for eternity!: Mario Savio (December 8, 1942 – November 6, 1996) was an American activist and a key member in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. He is most famous for his passionate speeches, especially the "put your bodies upon the gears" address given at Sproul Hall, University of California, Berkeley on December 2, 1964. Savio remains historically relevant as an icon of the earliest phase of the 1960's counterculture movement.
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And that wraps up this song! Boy what a roller coaster it is! I really have nothing to say except that I hope they get heavier into the lyrics. I know Garrett has it in him. And speaking of Garrett. He does something a little new. Something that reminds of some old-school Corey Taylor. That is the rapping that he does in verse two. I love it! I really do. But if he keeps this up I would like to see him tighten his flow up. I feel like there are a little too many loose ends. Other than that I can't wait to see what is to come on this album!
Another thing to note is what Garrett said about the song. On Garrett Russell’s Instagram He explained the meaning behind “Northern Fires (Guernica)”. "I’m stoked to share this first single with you beautiful souls. Dealing with various themes and events surrounding the Spanish Civil War, this song was a year-long process. What began during my time living in Madrid, now ends here as I’m writing this from a field in deep rural Georgia. The millions of insects and stars say hello. So yeah, thank you for still believing in us, even after all these years. LOVERS!
We also may have gotten a glimpse into What the new album is going to be titled. On the band's social media. As well as the member's personal accounts. They have been cryptically posting the initials to the title, Those were W.T.E.B. The artwork for the single has a phrase in Braille. And that phrase translates to "When The End Began". If you put their previous two albums together with this one you get, "The Night God Slept, Everything Was Sound, When The End Began." If this is the title then I will be VERY INTERESTED to see what their 4th album is titled when the release it in 2020!
If you guys loved this review you are going to love everything else I have written. So check that out and don't forget to subscribe to this blog. When you do you will get an email every-time I post a new blog post! Follow me on my other socials for fun stuff in between posts. And I will see you in another blog post. Very soon!
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Links-N-Stuff
1.) Ration my breath - Terror clandestine in my chest. Mangled, I lay on a foreign forest floor: Spring, 1937. This was during the Spanish Civil War which lasted from 1936 to 1939. Anywhere from 231,000–2,000,000 civilians were killed during the War.
2.) Caught in an instant, divided by distance! Alone in the fray, clutching my trigger, I pray! As I make amends with death on a distant shore: Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bells Tolls. The book was published in 1940 by Ernest Hemingway. The book tells of Robert Jordan who was involved in blowing up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia.
3.)Such is the fate of the nation-state!: Leo Tolstoy, speaking on Patriotism and Government. Leo Tolstoy was known for writing about Patriotism in the United States during his time. The book “Patriotism and Government” was written in 1901 and tells about how he feels patriotism is a problem in society.
4.) Despite the myths, they propagate!: Plato, The Republic. This was a manuscript encyclopedia written in 380-BC by Plato. The 10 books were written about justice issues and of man. It is argued to be one of Plato’s most influential piece of work and has helped shape political theory.
5.)The narrative never fits the crime!Democracy’s died this death a thousand times! The masses kneel before the golden cross! Held by the priest!: Utilizing Religion as a means for sustaining the rule of fascist dictator Francisco Franco from 1939-1975. According to History Channel, Franco only allowed Catholicism during his reign and would use religion to increase his popularity. The Franco regime also essentially made Catholicism the only tolerated religion, banned the Catalan and Basque languages outside the home, forbade Catalan and Basque names for newborns, barred labor unions, promoted economic self-sufficiency policies and created a vast secret police network to spy on citizens.
6.) who bows at the feet of the king!: Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War. Written in 1961. This book tells of the events that led Europe to divide against itself.
7.)Bury me with my name in an unmarked grave! Another casualty to the vanity of history!: Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: The Will to Knowledge This is a four-volume study about sexuality in the west. According to Wikipedia, Foucault: argues that the notion that every individual has a sexuality is a relatively recent development in Western societies.
8.) The war marches on after the killing ends!: Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon. Written back in 2002, a novel written by Richard K. Morgan. The science fiction novel takes place in a futuristic world where human personalities that have passed away can be downloaded and placed into new bodies, referred to as “sleeves” throughout the novel. Towards the end of the book, a character who was killed in the book’s prologue has been downloaded into a police officer who has witnessed a lot of violence throughout the novel. Altered Carbon was adapted into a 10-episode Netflix Original Series in February of 2018.
9.) Take our lives - colonize our minds!: George Orwell, 1984. This is the infamous book written by George Orwell that has inspired shows like Big Brother. The book is set in a dystopian future where government involvement is omnipresent and always surveilling its people. The “thought police” in the book are in control of persuading your thoughts and controls how you think.
10.) I’ve been digging through time lines, historical bylines; I find the fatal flaw in our design lies! Between thoughts we had and words we knew!: Jacques Lacan, The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. This is the 1978 English-language translation of a seminar held by Jacques Lacan. The original (French: Le séminaire. Livre XI. Les quatrain concepts fondamentaux de la psych-analyse) was published in Paris by Le Seuil in 1973. The Seminar was held at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris between January and June 1964 and is the eleventh in the series of The Seminar of Jacques Lacan. The text was published by Jacques-Alain Miller.
11.)Between what we’re told and what is true!: The Robber Bride is a Margaret Atwood novel first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1993.
12.) Who fuels the fascist?: The Battle for Spain by. Antony Beevor. The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century - a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica. Antony Beevor's account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the 'coup d'etat' in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939.
13.) A classist— inculcating the masses in passes! Under the contrived! Countenance of contrition!: American corporations, such as Texaco oil, that made large financial gains due to loyal support of Franco’s nationalist forces in Spain, and subsequently Hitler in Europe.
14.) The victor writes the story!: The Discovery of India was written by India's first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 1942–46 at Ahmednagar fort in Maharashtra, India. The Discovery of India is an honour paid to the rich cultural heritage of India, its history and its philosophy as seen through the eyes of a patriot fighting for the independence of his country. The book is widely considered one of the finest modern works on Indian history.
15.) More often burns the manuscript! Set fire to a pyre cremate the crimes that they commit!: This comes as a more direct link to the bombing of Guernica. The attack gained controversy because it involved the bombing of civilians by a military air force. The number of victims is still disputed; the Basque government reported 1,654 people killed at the time, while local historians identified 126 victims (later revised by the authors of the study to 153). A British source used by the Air War College claims 400 civilians died. Soviet archives claim 800 deaths on 1 May 1937, but this number may not include victims who later died of their injuries in hospitals or whose bodies were discovered buried in the rubble.
16.) But the flames kept us warm! So we bit our tongues and tasted scorn! The bitter stench of finite men! Betrayed by the thieves they swore to defend! The bell will toll!: John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions: Meditation XVII.
17. And in the end, lay only the echoes of! What could have been!: George Santayana, Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies.
18.)We stand alone in the dust of what could be, fighting to find our humanity! We stand alone in the dust of what could be; nothing we fought for will set us free!: This line brings my favorite footnote. Where Garrett incorporates a little bit of his Spiritual side into his writings. And the Bible verse that he picks fits the song very well! He puts in Matthew 26:52 "Put your sword back. People who live by the sword die by the sword." This verse comes right after Jesus was surrounded by the roman soldiers and Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of a servant. And that plays into the whole theme, seeing as the Spanish Civil War was started on the back of violence and it ends that way.
19.) Throw myself, headlong, to the jaws of the beast! The war machine that feeds for eternity!: Mario Savio (December 8, 1942 – November 6, 1996) was an American activist and a key member in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. He is most famous for his passionate speeches, especially the "put your bodies upon the gears" address given at Sproul Hall, University of California, Berkeley on December 2, 1964. Savio remains historically relevant as an icon of the earliest phase of the 1960's counterculture movement.
__________________________________________________________
And that wraps up this song! Boy what a roller coaster it is! I really have nothing to say except that I hope they get heavier into the lyrics. I know Garrett has it in him. And speaking of Garrett. He does something a little new. Something that reminds of some old-school Corey Taylor. That is the rapping that he does in verse two. I love it! I really do. But if he keeps this up I would like to see him tighten his flow up. I feel like there are a little too many loose ends. Other than that I can't wait to see what is to come on this album!
Another thing to note is what Garrett said about the song. On Garrett Russell’s Instagram He explained the meaning behind “Northern Fires (Guernica)”. "I’m stoked to share this first single with you beautiful souls. Dealing with various themes and events surrounding the Spanish Civil War, this song was a year-long process. What began during my time living in Madrid, now ends here as I’m writing this from a field in deep rural Georgia. The millions of insects and stars say hello. So yeah, thank you for still believing in us, even after all these years. LOVERS!
We also may have gotten a glimpse into What the new album is going to be titled. On the band's social media. As well as the member's personal accounts. They have been cryptically posting the initials to the title, Those were W.T.E.B. The artwork for the single has a phrase in Braille. And that phrase translates to "When The End Began". If you put their previous two albums together with this one you get, "The Night God Slept, Everything Was Sound, When The End Began." If this is the title then I will be VERY INTERESTED to see what their 4th album is titled when the release it in 2020!
If you guys loved this review you are going to love everything else I have written. So check that out and don't forget to subscribe to this blog. When you do you will get an email every-time I post a new blog post! Follow me on my other socials for fun stuff in between posts. And I will see you in another blog post. Very soon!
__________________________________________________________
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Last Two Reviews:
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