Cave Trolls and Other Fascinating Creatures

Why am i obsessed with The Lord of the Rings?  I turned the t.v. on tonight after work, fully intending to leave it as background noise while I waxed poetic on the music that I listened to during my commute today.  When the picture came up, The Fellowship of the Ring was on, and I was immediately hooked.  I want to be perfectly clear with you:  I have seen these movies (extended versions) over a dozen times, I have the soundtracks (Howard Shore wrote AMAZING scores for these films.), I am listenting to the complete series on audio book including the Hobbit and the Silmarillion, unabridged.  So, here I am, obsessed again.  Luckily it was almost over because I would have been up way too late if it weren't.  There is something about these stories that haunt me.  I want to be a part of them.  I wish J.R.R Tolkien would rise from his eternal slumber and write me into these books.

The mythology alone is mind boggling to me.  I have always written, ever since I learned how to write.  What he has done though goes beyond writing.  He has created entire worlds with languages, customs and it's own histories.  I have a hard time fathoming the sheer scope of imagination that goes into this process.

I think that Galadriel is my favorite character.  She is so mysterious, so old, so wise, so beautiful.  If we could all be so lovely....

So what else did I hear, see and smell today?

Well, I listened to The Duke Spirit's album: Neptune.  I have been accused many a time of being an anglophile.  To put it crudely.  Anyway, much great art has come from Britain and The Duke Spirit is a genuinely good band.  Leila Moss, the lead singer, sounds really HOT when she sings.  You totally will want to make out with her just after listening to the first song, I Do Believe, and this is before you've seen what she looks like.  Her voice is raspy, a little gravelly and she is not afraid to experiment with it all over the album.  Lets add that to the rest of the band.  They put together a solid alternative rock sound, executed much more cleanly than many of their peers.  They sound very bluesy in parts of the album with the definitive rock and roll vibe rolling alongside the rest.  If you like a good rock album much along the veins of Florence and the Machine (which deserves it's own review... soon!) then please check out The Duke Spirit.  They deserve our attention with all of that talent!

Sample anyone?

This clip came out kind of small but listen anyway, I don't think you will be disappointed.  That rasp in Leila's voice is great, and it makes their sound one of a kind.

OH. ORC FIGHT!  GOTTA GO!