Beyond the Veil – A Poet’s Interpretation

Have you ever read a poem, (Or Shakespeare, or something from classic literature, either because you had to for school or because you simply love the arts like me) and you thought to yourself, “Gee that was really pretty, but . . . wait, what?”

This was my first reaction to watching the amazingly stylized cinematic experience for Lindsey Stirlings video for her brand new song, “Beyond the Veil.” Recall my first reaction to her song having heard the music, but not seen her vision:

The violin ballad captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world. Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be one of Lindsey’s most popular works.

It took some thought, but the motifs in the video became more clear to me by watching the video and then listening to the song again on its own. It seems I was pretty close in my initial gut reaction to the song itself, but this video adds new insight.

The primal truth is self-acceptance, and comes at the end of the heroic journey. Also present is a new motif of old life versus new life, which can be found in both the chorus and  the way the song reveals a long build up to a triumphant crescendo. I found it easier to break down the various symbols, and let the journey in the video speak for itself.

Symbols

 

Ocean and Waves - The physical Veil, hiding the world Lindsey must journey through to find herself.

White dress – The prominent color of the video, representing hope, innocence, or purity. One Lindsey wears a gold exterior armored corset. (The Lindsey that dives in the water). The dry forest Lindsey wears a forest green shawl, and the Lindsey that remains on the beach or on the cliff is in the white dress alone. It looks damp and somewhat tattered.

New Life Imagery - There is a shot of new life as spores fly from the leaf and Lindsey releases white flower petals. New Life Lindsey dances in twirls or circular motions and wears green. This is the current Lindsey who wrote the song, and can be thought of as the narrator of the story through music.

Old life Imagery  - Ruins, old Gods, Old Forest both underwater and on land. Old life Lindsey dances in linear motions rather than circular, and plays in the storm. Old life Lindsey is ever present in the video because sometimes we all revert and all must continue to struggle. 

Transitional Lindsey – This Lindsey wears gold armor and undergoes the journey.

Storm – beach weather is in constant state of approaching storm, further hiding the calm beneath the waves

Treasure – Lindsey discovers treasure in the ruins of an ancient city in an underwater forest. She opens it, and the treasure floats upward like bubbles, rather than staying heavy like metal. I feel this represents the letting go of needless desires in the old life, but treasure could be interpreted as either new or old life imagery.

Mirror – Reminiscent of the Mirror in Harry Potter, the mirror reflects the true self. Touching the mirror in the video sets the true self free. The mirror sequence represents acceptance of the true self.

Child Lindsey – Represents both Lindsey’s spirituality and connection to God, and her true self. Lindsey spends the entire video searching for and following this true self on a journey. She was not able to simply accept who this child was at the beginning.

Musical Childlike Voice “Hey” – Lindsey’s child/true self calls to her in the song with this voice, masterfully placed into the music.

Awakening – The visual of waking up is not so much as from a dream but in waking up to a better reality. The video starts and ends with a wake up.

Cosmic Beauty – The Nirvana achieved when finally connecting with the true self. The Video starts and ends in the same and reveals the true self was always trying to reveal the cosmic beauty to Lindsey from the first awakening.

Violin – Somewhat self-explanatory but Lindsey’s device for connection to her true self. The one belonging to childlike Lindsey is older and worn looking, and could be viewed as both old life and new life imagery

Make sure you check out the new video at the link, and if you have not already like and subscribe

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyC_4jvPzLiSkJkLIkA7B8g

 

Beyond the veil is also now available on itunes and the entire album for preorder.

http://smarturl.it/ShatterMe

Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 5 - Shatter Me and the Longing to be Free

Hey Everyone. Sorry for the delay. My work with the Veterans Community Foundation often drains me of all energy. This is the best part of the article, the introduction of experiencing a new song for the first time. I was honored to be among the first to hear it, and I heard it first live, rather than on an album. Before I get to that moment, something else touching happened. Read on. Original article in black italics.  

She pauses again after Shadows for a touching act of respect and remembrance. Early on the morning of March 14^th, a drunk driver plowed through the barrier on Sixth Street, killing two and maiming at least fifteen others. Lindsey asks for a moment of silence to honor the people affected and their families. It takes a moment for the crowd to quiet down, but most comply. She prays silently to herself and many of us join her. This act in itself would have been enough, but Lindsey plays the next song in honor of the victims. Based on her next two concerts, it would appear she had planned on playing Transcendence, a song about overcoming adversity. Instead, she plays her cover of “My Immortal” by Evanescence. Lindsey’s rendition of the haunting, sorrow-filled song takes the original in new directions, for she can go places with the violin that the human voice cannot. It was the perfect song to play to help heal a city after such tragedy, and I do not feel it was a coincidence it was already in her repertoire. God was using her to heal.

It is important to note I did not expect her to play a new song. She even second guessed herself somewhat, having played it so few times with her band members. She need not have worried. 

After the last notes fade and the cheers die down, she approaches the microphone again. She begins by talking about how she has a new album coming out in May. My ears perk up. She talks about how excited she is about this new album. I cross my fingers. She announces she will now play a new song from her new album, “Shatter Me.”

I’m bouncing with such excitement I almost miss the name of the new song – “Beyond the Veil.” The new song captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world. Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be one of Lindsey’s most popular works. Yet “Shatter Me” as an album promises even more musical greatness.  Adina Friedman of Atom Factory and Lindsey’s manager describes the album to me in a few words.

“Epic,” she says. “Its on another level.”

The above quote was not pulled from an interview, but rather a brief message exchange and used with permission. I am honored to be involved enough to learn a little about what goes into producing an album, planning a tour, and in general making a star. I do not doubt as I struggle to complete my journey as a literary artist that it will take a team of hard working, amazing people who believe in me just like Lindsey has. So thank you to all of you already along for the ride.

With the crowd reeling from this first live play of the new song, Lindsey returns once more to the mic.

“Alright,” she pants. “This next song is a dance song so I want to see everyone dancing. I’ll be dancing with you.”

She begins Zi-Zi’s Journey. I try to dance, but I’ve never been able to pull it off well sandwiched between people like a sardine. Zi-Zi is a great song to jump to, but in actuality it holds a deeper meaning for Lindsey. It is about her personal journey as she faced down and conquered the growing pains of life. A perky, five note theme repeats itself to create a ten note fanfare. It seems to represent the child Zi-Zi and then later in the song represents Lindsey’s inner childlike wonder. The song marches forward into a classic Lindsey “journey” motif until the beat drops hard after a whimsical bridge. Lindsey speaks to the crowd in this quiet moment—a calm before the storm.

“When the beat drops, I need everybody to jump with me!”

The degree and amount of people who follow this crowd command depends on local culture and inhibition. Last year, Houston went wild while nearby Dallas barely moved. In this instance, it is mostly the gathered Lindsey fans with inside information about the concert who begin jumping. Here in Austin, when Lindsey jumps, more of the crowd joins in the commotion, and the concert reaches a crescendo of energy. Lindsey concerts are fun, and in all likelihood hundreds of new fans were discovering this fact for the first time. It was thrilling for me to watch the reactions of people discovering her for the first time.

Zi-Zi’s Journey was one song I did not like originally. It is the only song on Lindsey’s first album earning the distinction of needing to grow on me. I didn’t like the sharp electronic string beat or its electronic flavor, but I developed a new respect for the song when I heard it live. Since then, it has become the driving force of inspiration for my next book, “String Theory.”

She pauses one last time to thank the crowd for coming out, and then concludes with her most popular song, “Crystallize”. Crystallize was the first time any artist mixed dubstep with the violin with such resounding success, and the video for the song went viral within a day. Inspired somewhat by the work of Japanese scientists on the effects emotions can have on water molecules, the song emphasizes the realization of dreams through positive attitude and faith. Crystallize follows a different pattern than most of her other work. The journey motif is subdued in favor of a calm and swirling theme that is both uplifting and heroic. The majority of Lindsey’s music follows a traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus structure, but Crystalize deviates.

The verse is more powerful than the chorus, in particular when complimented by a dubstep power beat. As a result the chorus springboards from the verse but does not thrive independently. The chorus is a flurry of positive energy, alive with imagery of rapid construction or creation. This wanton assembly could be crystal at the molecular level, or the dreams and aspirations of humanity. There is no one specific bridge, but several sweeping transitions that complement the song, which ends with its powerful verse rather than its chorus.

Although Shadows barely edges out Crystallize as my favorite, it is currently her most popular song for a reason. Everyone has dreams they wish they could realize, and the song delivers in its message that they all can come true with just a little bit of faith and perseverance. Come back next time for the final installment in the series!