New album is called Hope

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bachmahlerfan

Re: New album is called Hope

Post by bachmahlerfan »

Well, that was quite an interesting review from filiarheni. I wish I could gather my thoughts and force myself to write a thorough review like that, but I don't know if I have the will to do it. Speaking of reviews, I have read plenty of good reviews on fan sites like this one, and a few others on retail sites such as Amazon. However, I'm having a hard time finding any reviews of the album from professional publications or music blogs or any other types of sources. I came upon one Japanese site which seemed to have a review, but much was lost in translation, and the review didn't seem very thorough. My opinion of the album doesn't depend on these reviewers, but I want Libera to get the attention they deserve for this album.
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Yorkie
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Re: New album is called Hope

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Thanks to all who have posted reviews, I have enjoyed them all and it is interesting to read other peoples thoughts on songs I like and those I'm not so keen on!
filiarheni wrote: <span title="Sat Jun 17, 2017 1:03 pm">6 years ago</span> From A Distance
Regarding the words, I had only known the refrain before. I always thought of it as comforting: God watches us, he may be far away, but he surely is there for us. However, since I know the whole text, I wonder whether it could also be interpreted as a warning. Go on well with each other, for you are seen. Perhaps, I’ll find an answer in your reviews. If not, I would like to ask here and now, because this is very interesting for me. I don’t know if it is only a matter of language. Can the meaning of “watch” be the same as “look after, take care”? For in German, this does not apply, “watch” is neutral there.

In any case, this is an idealistic, longing text full of hope, which I, to be honest, haven’t yet fully understood. In terms of the music, the song sounds especially engaged with an intensive increase in the middle part that gets under my skin! The extended repetition of "God is watching us" shows the focus. Very successful arrangement of Sam Coates!
Well, your review was worth the wait! Re your question on the lyrics. In English 'watching' can mean taking care of or looking after or it can mean monitoring or surveillance (which doesn't necessarily mean caring about or looking after). Unfortunately, words in English can have different meanings depending on context.

When I heard the song I think I understood the lyrics to be about how beautiful and perfect the world could be if we only all embraced God and lived as He would want us to live (please understand that I am not religious so I might well be way off the mark here). There is no warning involved, just that the world we see around us could be very different.

However, your question got me thinking and I see the potential for other interpretations. I was thinking about Matthew 19:24 and the rich gaining entry to Heaven so maybe it could be a warning that if we don't change our ways and help people now that come our end we will be judged because everything we do is known.

Interesting. I wonder what other people think.
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john45
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Re: New album is called Hope

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Another interpretation could be that "from a distance" all appears well with the world. God is watching us "from a distance", so perhaps this means that God does not see, or does not care about, the misery and suffering in the world. Or perhaps it means God will not intervene and we must make our own peace and harmony - which is the "hope of hopes" and the "love of loves' in "the heart of every man".
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by Emily_kr »

filiarheni wrote: <span title="Wed May 31, 2017 6:42 am">6 years ago</span> @bachmahlerfan, great. :wink: Well, this very Morning Has Broken and today at work, I will be Dreaming Of Home all the time, until I finally get Home and can hear that Something Sings. I'd rather take the Wings Of A Dove than my car, because it's faster.
The way of delivering the album will stay a Mysterium to me, big chaos and wrong information repeatedly, and the whereabouts of the UK album is still a Secret to me. But, How Can I Keep From Singing now? Thanks to everybody, You Were There for me and offered relief during the waiting Time, and I saw that You'll Never Be Alone in your life.

I really feel Joyful, Joyful! :D
Wow. This must the the best thing I've ever read today!! :D
I should start practicing this Liberatic style of writing :lol:
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by Emily_kr »

john45 wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 2:17 pm">6 years ago</span> Another interpretation could be that "from a distance" all appears well with the world. God is watching us "from a distance", so perhaps this means that God does not see, or does not care about, the misery and suffering in the world. Or perhaps it means God will not intervene and we must make our own peace and harmony - which is the "hope of hopes" and the "love of loves' in "the heart of every man".
Just my opinion,
I think it's saying that God is watching us from up in the heaven("There are no guns, no bombs and no disease, no hungry mouths to feed"), but he is still watching us in everything each and every one of us goes through. The act of watching, I think, totally shows that the watcher is caring about it.
And seeing the following lyrics "From a distance, we are instruments marching in a common band
playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace, they’re the songs of every man
", instruments need someone to play them, and in this song I think it must be God because an instrument can't play another one by itself.
I think it's true that God won't intervene every sad things in the world by swiping up criminals or so but I do think that God cares and is motivating many to do good works, like Libera.
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filiarheni
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by filiarheni »

@Yorkie, thank you for coming back to my questions.
Yorkie wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 10:05 am">6 years ago</span> I was thinking about Matthew 19:24 and the rich gaining entry to Heaven so maybe it could be a warning that if we don't change our ways and help people now that come our end we will be judged because everything we do is known.
This is what I meant.
john45 wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 2:17 pm">6 years ago</span> Another interpretation could be that "from a distance" all appears well with the world. God is watching us "from a distance", so perhaps this means that God does not see, or does not care about, the misery and suffering in the world.
This is exactly what I stumbled upon, but I thought this to be kind of too absurd to write it down. Very interesting that there is another one who sees my point.

john45 wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 2:17 pm">6 years ago</span> Or perhaps it means God will not intervene and we must make our own peace and harmony - which is the "hope of hopes" and the "love of loves' in "the heart of every man".
Also interesting! When I was thinking about the above, I didn't notice that this could be the consequence. You could be right at the first bit ("voice of hope etc. - voice of every man"). While I believe that "hope of hope" and "love of love" is meant to be God, because he is the final aim (hope) and he is perfect love. But then it says "it's the heart of every man". Hm. I don't know. :?:

When I realise that I dissipate my energies, I always put myself into "space position”. Looking at the Earth then with that great distance, the relations instantly change, and this helps me very well to distinguish important from unimportant. I have thought about this behaviour once more:
Maybe, it also could mean that people consider things to be important that are not. For example: Why do they make war? There is no reason for it, never. Nothing can be so important to make war for it. Look at it from a distance, and you'll recognise it.
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by andmar »

A very interesting discussion about the song 'From A Distance'.

Well, the words 'God is watching us from a distance' in the context of the song's lyrics were quite disturbing for me at the very first. My first impression was close to one possible interpretation mentioned by john45:
john45 wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 2:17 pm">6 years ago</span> Another interpretation could be that "from a distance" all appears well with the world. God is watching us "from a distance", so perhaps this means that God does not see, or does not care about, the misery and suffering in the world.
I was quite confused. Yes, this was so absurd, this couldn't be meant here, as it was actually contradictory to what the Bible teaches.

After a while of very mixed feelings about the meaning of the song I managed to find an interpretation, which in my opinion may be that one, which was meant by the writer: God is multidimensional and unlimited. For God, watching us from a distance doesn't exclude being close at the same time. So, in addition to being close He also watches us from a distance - with a completely different perspective.
filiarheni wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 3:44 pm">6 years ago</span> ... Looking at the Earth then with that great distance, the relations instantly change, and this helps me very well to distinguish important from unimportant. I have thought about this behaviour once more:
Maybe, it also could mean that people consider things to be important that are not. For example: Why do they make war? There is no reason for it, never. Nothing can be so important to make war for it. Look at it from a distance, and you'll recognise it.
Yes, I think exactly the same. I don't feel the text as a warning. More as an encouragement to look at the Earth form a distance, like God does, and recognize what is important and what is not. You are longing for peace, for safety, for love, for a good place to live? Look, it's all there - just look at the world from a distance.
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Re: New album is called Hope

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Yorkie wrote: <span title="Sun Jun 18, 2017 10:05 am">6 years ago</span>
However, your question got me thinking and I see the potential for other interpretations. I was thinking about Matthew 19:24 and the rich gaining entry to Heaven so maybe it could be a warning that if we don't change our ways and help people now that come our end we will be judged because everything we do is known.
Surely the needle mentioned in this passage is the Seattle Space Needle. With a base 138 feet in diameter an entire herd of camels could easily pass through.

I've always thought of this song as a dream or a prayer for what the world could be.
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by Robolib7 »

Julie Gold, who wrote “From A Distance”, has said that she “only set out to write a decent song about the difference between the way things seem and the way things are”. Although this song is secular, one might easily give it a Christian meaning and it has even been covered by some contemporary Christian singers.
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filiarheni
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by filiarheni »

Thank you, Robolib7, for looking this up. I find it always very interesting to know the author's own statement about his song's meaning. At the same time, this doesn't have to be contradictory to having the possibility of various interpretations in addition. In fact, I consider exactly this variety or rather: ambiguity as a sign of quality of the lyrics.

It's striking, as was already said in this thread, how people can receive one and the same song differently, and so it is with lyrics. The one finds quite a deep meaning in certain lyrics, and the other says they are all dull and a waste of time (not here :mrgreen: , but I had that once somewhere else).

In my opinion, the lyrics of From A Distance offer a lot to seriously think about.

And I must say that the words "From A Distance / You look like my friend / Even though we are at war" touch me intensely. I can't pronounce and not even think of them without tears coming up. There is so much wishing in these few words that the situation was different and there is so much behind them.

I don't know if this is the right place to discuss only about the lyrics of a song, but if it goes on, maybe we should create an own lyrics thread?
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
bachmahlerfan

Re: New album is called Hope

Post by bachmahlerfan »

I wanted to make a couple remarks about Camden's voice in particular, because I think that the impact of his voice in this recording goes far beyond the one solo he did. I was quite happy with his solo in "Dreaming of Home", but I feel that his unique voice made an even greater impact throughout the rest of the CD. His voice adds extra richness to the choral sound in many songs. There are too many examples for me to remember them all. There are also a couple spots where his voice is briefly featured outside the full choir such as the wordless vocals in "Venite Adoremus" and the descant in "San Damiano" starting at the 2:49 mark. There are a couple other past Libera singers that had a similarly major impact outside of solos and super high descants, but not many.
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filiarheni
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by filiarheni »

Yes, I also noticed that you can hear his voice distinctly in some songs. Usually, it is not good to hear a single voice out of a choir, but here, they managed the sound to be balanced despite it. As you said: it adds something. For me, it adds a shine.

And I can add Camden's voice to the few I believe to be able to recognise (Ben Crawley, Tom Cully, Liam O'Kane, maybe (!) Isaac and now also Camden).
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
bachmahlerfan

Re: New album is called Hope

Post by bachmahlerfan »

filiarheni wrote: <span title="Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:52 am">6 years ago</span> Yes, I also noticed that you can hear his voice distinctly in some songs. Usually, it is not good to hear a single voice out of a choir, but here, they managed the sound to be balanced despite it. As you said: it adds something. For me, it adds a shine.

And I can add Camden's voice to the few I believe to be able to recognise (Ben Crawley, Tom Cully, Liam O'Kane, maybe (!) Isaac and now also Camden).
Well, I certainly remember Liam and Tom's voices being noticeable in various songs beyond their solos. I may have to listen more closely for Isaac's, but you may be right. I could mention Conor O'Donnell, who had a very distinct voice, although I would have to listen to the Visions album again to see how much his voice affects the choral sound.
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filiarheni
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by filiarheni »

Oh ... I meant, I could identify them by their solo voices, since they are special or their way of singing is so characteristic (Tom Cully).

I don't know if I could distinguish a voice from the choir sound. I've never paid attention to it, and, to be honest, I like to hear the choir as a whole and wouldn't want to hear single voices, at least not too distinctly. With Camden's voice, I realised for the first time that one of the boys can be heard so well. Anyway, as said above, in my eyes it's alright in his case, because his voice does not "divide" the choir sound, but only influences it.

@bachmahlerfan, I'm interested: Do you just hear this kind of things or do you try to hear it?
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Re: New album is called Hope

Post by Amie_Hill »

For me it's Anthony Chadney, and his unique "expanding" sound—not particularly in "Voca Me," but clearly evident in "A New Heaven," "Attendite," and other songs of his era.
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