I love Porcupine Tree.

 Pre-script: This is NOT a review. The writer does not understand too much of the technical aspect of music and may be wrong at some junctures during the course. In the occurrence of such an event, do leave a comment.

   Porcupine Tree.  Porcupine Tree is by far, the most astounding , awe-inspiring and unearthly music i have come across. Not once have heard any music by any artist as breathtakingly abstruse and original as that of this supernatural band called Porcupine Tree. Each day of my life is an ode to these Gods. My day starts with their music. It ends with theirs. And the remainder of the day revolves around that one piece of prodigious music that gets stuck in the head. That riff, that bass-line or a part of those mind-boggling lyrics.

   This piece of writing, i write as a mark of respect towards these supremely talented musicians. Porcupine Tree as a band, transcend everything. They transcend the petty boundaries of generic classification. They transcend the critical acclaim, the thousands (millions maybe) of fans around the world and surely this write-up. These musician surpass the stereotypical Rock/Metal-god image. For once, it is all about the music. Music which is serene. Divine.

   Art is considered by many as the ultimate form of God. These musicians are Artists of the highest caliber. Off the stage, they may appear to an outsider as nerdy middle-aged men. On the stage and in the studio, they weave magic that only the virtuous can. Proficient and accomplished to say the least, it takes only a few listens to their work to develop an adulation for them. And then it took me only a few more for my love towards them to turn into idolatry. If you do not feel the divine rush of fervor pass through your veins when they play, there is something wrong with you. 

   The level of drumming by The Gavin Harrison is par genius. Each time-signature, each beat, designed to inseminate the song with a soul of it's own. Wondrous bass-playing by Colin Edwin deserves a special mention. Not only does it coalesce with the lead guitar with superb ease, but more often than not, plays a powerful counter-melody. The keyboards handled by Richard Barbieri add to the ambient, sometimes psychedelic feel of the music. The guitar playing is magnificent to say the least. Steven Wilson is a maestro. Words escape me when i try to describe the musical ingenuity of this stalwart. The acoustic guitar is used widely in albums such as Lightbulb Sun and other earlier works to again, provide the ambient effect. The electric guitar too is played using a tone which is in no way oppressive upon the ears but melodious. The vocals are clean and ironically, trippy. 

   But what adds to the essence of their music is, according to me, the lyrics. Scarily truthful, sometimes metaphorical and more often than not, mysterious. These lyrics never fail to impregnate my mind with pervasive thoughts. These unearthly lyrics sometimes consume weeks to comprehend in totality.

   For me, life came a whole 360 degrees on the 21st of December 2009. At about 8.20 p.m. Porcupine Tree made their way to the stage after what seemed like an eternity to us fans. What ensued was 2 hours of Music. I am not using any adjectives to define the kind of music they played that night. The upper-case 'M' should suffice to point out that it was Holy. I remember each bit of my musical journey as i started discovering newer forms of Rock, then Metal and then a whole myriad of sub-genres. My first real gig was an alternative rock band named The Giraffes from Israel at IIT on the 26th of December 2008. Almost a year later, i experienced the divine Porcupine Tree experience.

   I love Porcupine Tree. I think i may have reached a point where it has become fairly difficult for me to survive a whole day without any 'ear orgasms'. For me, Porcupine Tree is sex. Do not think of it in a pejorative way. I mean in the way we experience the ultimate ecstasy. :)

Now Playing- So Called Friend.

Lip read, a mountain stream, fibres in the car

Shut down, a cheerless a town, a head rolls in the park

Once seen my libertine undresses in the dark

She puts her love inside to break us both apart

With you I felt brand new, you opened up the sky

What need to punish me with surgery and lies?

Sleep well my so called friend, a virus in your heart

She bends my so called friend and rips my life apart

In sound escape is found from carving out the day

My gift a weight that lifts, my eyes give me away

You tell me all the things you know

I want to hear

You stain the sub terrain

With sarin gas and fear

What kind of friend are you?

What kind of friend are you?

You're so cold

What kind of friend are you?

What kind of friend are you?

So Called Friend

I miss the holy bliss of sun across the bed

How sad that all my plans seem foolish now instead

More later.

Sumedh.

This is why i loathe theism.

Long gone are the days when I would question the ideologies imbibed within me. Those times have passed when my religious views had a certain level of ambiguity to them. When the indoctrination of the concept of a 'Creator' lost more and more ground, more and more rapidly to a want for logic, a need for reason. I am now, no longer 'Agnostic'. I am no longer 'Pagan'. I no longer question the authority of the Almighty, i reject it. I am an atheist. I no longer live my life in denial of a supernatural being but in conviction of his non-existence. And that makes the difference. The sanctity of atheism is way more blissful, way more euphoric and exuberant than the bonds of religion ever were. The thought that the absence of moral obligation and accountability to The One shall result to chaos which may result in the end of mankind has been established faulty.
Today, the thought of how organised religion has stood strong for thousands of years now, leaves me perplexed and thinking ever so often. I am always filled with awe and disgust at the realisation that human intelligence is bi-polar to say the least. Over the course of history, men with lofty ambitions of ruling over the world have assumed righteous positions assuring mankind of security, a safeguard against what man fears the most- the unknown, the uncertain, the unseen, the invisible. The future. And history has shown that irrespective of the might and strength that kings have employed in their quests, the globe still remains too large a territory to conquer in one lifetime.On the other hand, assume the position of the messenger of Divinity/ a messiah/ whatever, guarantee a VIP entry to heaven and people around the globe will conform to your commandments. And TADA! You rule! (quite literally). Organised religion is quite possibly is possibly the best run scam ever.
On the other hand, we have human ignorance, courtesy of which, logic and simple reason are defied/ raped and people waste Sunday mornings waking up early and getting all dressed up to attend mass. Seriously, had the Almighty even existed and had, going by popular belief created the entire Universe, do you think he would bother about petty things such as being worshiped by asswipes such as yourselves? I mean dude, he created the world! Get it? He doesnt care if someone like you worships him! Rather worship Steven Wilson now, eh? Atleast i've seen him with my own eyes once! XD
"For as long as there has been a God, there has been killing in his name."
-Dan Brown.
I find it hard to believe someone would be ignorant enough to have even a penny worth of faith in religion. Something, that has only divided people over the years, brought about some of the most brutal wars history has witnessed, created boundaries and is the sole factor/purpose behind terrorism over the world. Support religion and you support killing. Support religion and you are no better the politicians who would rather divide the country for their benefits than try to bring about peace. Support religion and you are blinded. Think for yourself. Refuse to conform.
P.S.: I do not mean to hurt sentiments, bla, bla, bla...
P.P.S.: This writeup was to also include my viewpoint on 'Militant Atheism'. But i kinda am not really a writer at heart. I have problem putting my thoughts down in words. So that woud take quite some time. But i do assure a post regarding that sometime in the future.
P.P.P.S.: The above writeup has been influenced by a lot of other articles that i have read that condemned the idea of religion, written by other atheists. And there might be similarities though i have made a conscious effort to refrain from plagiarism.

More later.
Sumedh.

  Okay, so this is one article that i wrote for fifthname that was supposed to be put up when the site would be upgraded to a Beta version. But that did not happen and i came across this article today while searching for some music on my PC. And i do feel this articles should be read by someone at least, not because it is awesome or something like that, but because it would then just be such a waste if it was meant to be read by people and read by nobody at all! And since this article is more than a month old, it might appear as if i have been reading newspapers dated a long while back. Just thought i would put it up here, on my blog since nobody really bothers reading it anyway.

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                         Champions League status update.

  A day after Liverpool were muscled out of Group E of the Champions League by seemingly  harmless teams such as Lyon and Fiorentina FC, a friend of mine (not so much a Liverpool fan  apparently) updated his status on Facebook to this- "Q-What do Liverpool fans do when their  side wins the Champion Trophy? A- They turn off their Playstations and go to bed." I couldnt  agree more. 

  After having drawn 1-1 with Lyon away from home, Liverpool were only left hoping for divine  intervention as proceeding to the knockout stage now seemed an occurence over which they  had no control. Not only did they have to beat Debrecen away from home, which in itself  looked like an uphill task considering their ongoing poor run and the unconvincing 1-0 victory  against Debrecen at home, but also hope against odds that Lyon would resist defeat against  Fiorentina away from home. Not a very comfortable position to be in I tell yeh. Veteran  defender J.Carragher commented- "We always believe at this club, that we can do special  things."

  Nothing special happened this time though, as the Reds crashed out even after a 1-0 victory in  Hungary. Fiorentina's 1-0 win rendered Liverpool's useless. And the favour which Liverpool  expected from Lyon, wasn't granted. 

  This ouster in the early stages itself, implied multiple consequences with financial uneasiness  heading the list. Even as qualifying to the knockout stages of the Champions league boosted  Fiorentina's revenue by a whopping 25 million euros, Liverpool found themselves in a tight  spot. And the road to recovery isn't an easy one as Liverpool now focus on the secondary  trophy- the Europa League cup. They are also under pressure to raise the level of performance  in the Premier League if they are to qualify for the Champions League next season.

  The ouster was also followed by a lot of talk regarding the end of Benitez's reign as manager at  Anfield. These rumours, however were immediately put to rest. The loss was also followed by  much pointing of fingers towards the owners of the club and their apparent lack of concern  towards towards the current state of the most succesful English club in history. Accusations of  lack of financial support granted to Rafa were made too. In the midst of all this, captain Steve  Gerrard has admitted that each team gets what it deserves in the Champions League. And  Benitez claimed  that Liverpool could have made it to the next stage had Spaniard Torres not  been injured.

   With the 3 other English clubs of the top 4 making it to the knockout stages in a relatively  smooth fashion and this being Liverpool's first ouster at such an early stage of the tournament  since 2002, it definitely comes as a major blow to the club's standing. Also adding disgrace to  their dismal performance is the fact that none of the other 3 clubs present in Group E would  have been considered as a major threat to the Reds under different conditions. Also, the  number of goals scored by Liverpool in Group E matches is only equal to the number of goals  scored by Debrecen. All in all, they screwed up. Big time. Good luck with the Europa league,  suckers!

  P.S.- It was orgasmic watching ManUtd. lose to Besiktas at Old Trafford.

  P.P.S.- If you are a Liverpool supporter, you are probably fat, lonely and gay. No offence.

  P.P.P.S- If you think Arsenal is a great club, you are wrong. Period.

  

  More later.

  Sumedh.   

The change.

 Seema: You know Kd, a couple of years back, i was just like you. I used to dress the way you do  now, play soccer and hang out with the guys.

   Sumedh: So, why did you give that up?

   Seema: Well, i didn't give up everything! I still listen to metal, watch football and stuff. I just  gave up dressing like a guy because i realised being a girl is way more fun and most guys are  jerks anyway!

   Sumedh: No. I think you quit on all that stuff because you started feeling insecure about it.  It's a major personality killer. You fell prey to it.

   Seema: Insecure about what?

   Sumedh: Insecure about not being part of the mainstream. Insecure about being different  from the others around you. Insecure about actually being an 'individual' and not part of the  mass.

   "Why is it getting harder and harder to feel the joy of just being alive?"- Anon

   There exists a phase in the life of each individual when one is an adolescent. When one is torn  between what has been imbibed within his character and what the society has to say. Between  the indoctrination he undergoes for the few years that he is imbecile and between what is  expected of him from the people who know no better. It never ceases to set me off on a train of  thought, to understand and realise the numerous possibilities that could have been, had the  course of my life been just a little different. Sure we are bestowed with a family since birth. But  then, there is also the family that we choose for ourselves. We decide what we look up to and  yet we are completely powerless when it comes to shaping our own individuality. In other  words, we may choose our influences all we like, but what these influences inseminate within  our subconscious self, is completely out of our control. And although it may seem viable in the  present tense, it is, very often resentful at hindsight.

   Insecurity is most often the reason why people change i guess. I have nolong theory to rant  about. But more often than not, people believe that changing the way they are may make them  more acceptable to their peers than they already are. Paranoia, as someone once said, is a  completely natural state of  mind in today's world. And that, is a major reason why a huge  chunk of the mass feel uncomfortable with themselves, with who they are. When one feels the  need to change, it directly implies that the people around them find them unfit to be part of  'the cult'. Sure, people may talk about revolutions against the cult, their militancy towards the  mainstream and their hostility towards the idea of religion more often and more openly than  ever before. But, in reality they follow a thought process that makes them more acceptable and  in a way 'cooler' to their peers with a  similar outlook.

  @Seema: You changed for reasons i am not aware of and yet it is pretty evident that you made  the decision self-consciously. You felt it would make you a better person than you already are.  And that, is the single most deceptive and deceitful fallacy of 'the change'. It never makes you a  better person. It turns you into 'just another person'. YOU then start getting lost behind the  mask that you adopt and the individual within, ceases to surface. You are a wonderful person  the way you are, and a great friend. You never stopped listening to metal. You never stopped  being a football fanatic. This shows that it is within you to decide what you want to be. We are  always larger than our paranoia.

  Now playing: Porcupine Tree-Trains

Train set and match spied under the blind

Shiny and contoured the railway winds

And I've heard the sound from my cousin's bed

The hiss of the train at the railway head

Always the summers are slipping away

A 60 ton angel falls to the earth

A pile of old metal, a radiant blur

Scars in the country, the summer and her

Always the summers are slipping away

Find me a way for making it stay

When I hear the engine pass

I'm kissing you wide

The hissing subsides

I'm in luck

When the evening reaches here

You're tying me up

I'm dying of love

It's OK

 P.S.: The lyrics are for you, "Cma". :P I hope you forever regret not attending PT and not  having a 'limited edition tee'. :P

 P.P.S: And for the love of God, Man Utd. suck!

 P.P.P.s: You are just so, so awesome. Thank you for being a friend. :)

 More later.

 Sumedh.

Random Y0!

   Okay, even as I sit to write this post and get it done with, I am still as clueless regarding what it's going to be about as I was on the 1st of Jan which was the day, atleast according to the plans i had in mind, on which I would start writing as frequently as possible. Now, i'm not a great writer by any stretch of imagination. But i don't let that deter me from enforcing my obnoxious little pieces of Art on the dear friends that are kind enough to read even the most ridiculous  stuff that i write. But if you happen to like any of my random rants, do leave a comment and i may just do a special write-up for you and pray for your mental health at the same time.

   Anywhoo, since 2009 is over, the news channels are totally flipping out. Even as i try to look into my computer, i am unable to contain my attention which keeps roaming away to the "news" being slapped upon me by the channel. Some of the most defining moments of the past year are being telecast on a certain channel which certainly feels the need to remind the viewers of the atrocity which  a certain "Kanye West" ( these hip-hop guys have such weird names, i tell yeh!) committed upon a certain blonde who won some award for some music video, which, btw, the news channel has assumed the authority to declare "well-deserved".

   Random piece of information for you- I am jobless! In case you are wondering, i did have a job. But that was about a month ago. Well, they didn't pay me for my 'skills' and i did work from home and yet, it was fucking awesome for the short while that it lasted. And i just realised that i didn't mention what the job was. I was a 'writer' for a site named 'fifthname.com' And by writer, i mean i was supposed to submit an article every now and then and the article could be anything from a movie/album review to my personal comments on whatever i thought was cool enough to be written about. And i met some of the most awesome people thanks to that 'job'. But, the site was shut down for a whole lot of reasons last month. :(

   Today, i was looking at a beautiful array of fireworks going off in the sky. The whole brightness that it emits and the colour that it spreads and the whole beauty of it, although short-lasting is always pretty awesome to look at. Stuff like that usually cheers me up. But then, i kept looking. The light faded away and in a second something else blurred my vision. The smoke that it had just emitted became visible. And it brought about thoughts of environmental degradation and such depressing like. I would have been so much happier off had i not 'known'. "Ignorance is Bliss" is such a cliche.

   P.S.-   Archie: What sense does that make?

           Chandler: I don't know. It made sense when i started out. But a whole lot of stuff happened in the middle and the sense in it just got lost along the way.

   P.P.S- The name of the blog is courtesy of fifthname. Had they not opted for the fifth name, my blog would just have to be named something else.

   P.P.P.S- I may just include lyrics with my posts sometimes. Do not try to apply too much of thought to understand how the lyrics relate to the post. They just might not.

   More later,

   Sumedh.