Good music can sometimes be hard to find. But if you find something that is really quality music, it is worth the fight. While I was studying abroad in Paris, I discovered AaRON (Artificial Animals Riding On Neverland). They are a French male duo who sing, write, and compose their own music. They released their first self-titled album in 2007. I was in Paris when the album came out. A girl that was also studying abroad had bought the album and lent it to me. I was astonished that I even liked it. They are somewhat mellow, sad, and meek-sounding. They are French themselves, but only one song is in French, “Le Tunnel d’Or.” If you do not understand the language, you will still love the song—guaranteed.
Most of their songs seem to about drugs and trying to get, apparently a lot of girlfriends, off of them. Song titles such as “Blow” and “Angel Dust” would lead you to believe that these guys had some struggles themselves but the lyrics take unexpected turns.
For example, “Blow” has such a beautiful and dark rhythm. Almost scary. And with lyrics such as “I cannot hang on any thought/I'm falling from an endless boat/I dive into the darkest sea/And sharks are dancing around me,” you can’t help but love their creativity.
Second best song on the album, “Last Night Thoughts” is probably one of the most heart-wrenching songs I have ever heard. Few musicians can really evoke feelings that a listener can truly feel. It is rare this is authentic. And with all the technology available to enhance music, emotion can be manufactured quit easily, making it “emotion” rather than emotion. This song truly sounds painful. And it is so simple. There are 3 lines to the whole song: “I still feel like a child/I still need you by my side/I still hear you late at night.” Simple, but the song seems so much more complex than this. When I actually researched the lyrics, I was shocked when I saw only 3 lines listed on every website I read.
Best song is “Angel Dust.” Slightly more uplifting (only slightly). It is truly amazing. There is nothing like it. “The pain could go just with one shot/sleep little princess/one last caress/one last pearl of blood/rolling on your world/so slow/she almost touches, the rainbow/sometimes I do wonder.” GORGEOUS!
I fell in love with this album—it was the soundtrack to my trip abroad. The last night I was in Paris, I paced around the city in the dark and in the rain (cliché but oddly true) listening to this album over and over again. I was happy that I had had the last 5 or so months; sad that they were over. It was bittersweet and this album really is the most beautiful bittersweet sound I have ever heard.
I used to check iTunes every once in a while, purely to look for a second album to be released. Artificial Animals Riding On Neverland, I saw was available on US iTunes so I thought surely I would see another album appear someday. About 3 years went by that I stopped looking. I gave up. They must not be releasing another album. Maybe they broke up or their drugged-up girlfriends killed them and sold their bodies to buy more drugs.
Then, today, I by chance went on Wikipedia to learn exactly how to spell their name (uppercase versus lowercase, you know). When I scrolled down the page, I saw under Albums, the album in 2007, but then another album, Birds In The Storm, from 2010 listed underneath.
I went on amazon.com—nothing with this album title. No mp3 downloads, nothing. I searched around and finally found it—their second album. I could not believe it. Now, how would I order it? I saw it on sites from Belgium and Germany, but nothing in the US. Then I found myself on Amazon .fr (the French amazon.com). Now, it has been a while since I used my French, but I managed through the site, into checkout, verified my mailing address and purchased, in US Dollars, Birds In The Storm by AaRON, for only $31.90.
Yup, this is officially the most expensive album I have ever purchased (besides my Middle of Nowhere, Hanson album signed by all 3 members which is now priceless). But, like I said, some music is worth the trouble and time to find. And when you find it, money is no object. Sure, I could have downloaded it for free, but somehow, having it sent to me from France, where I first heard the band almost 5 years ago, is worth the $31.90.
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