You're Tongue-tied and Your Soul Cries on the Inside

If you're not familiar, the title of this post is a line from Leaded by Cause & Effect from their album Innermost Station. That line hit me right in the heart the very first time I heard it as a demo in about 1996. It's another perfect example of how Rob Rowe can brilliantly get inside your head and your heart and say everything that's in there in ways you never could. He can put into words feelings that you didn't even know were in there. Only then do you realize he's describing exactly how you've been feeling. That's what happened to me the first time I heard that line, and so many other lines of Rob's lyrics. That's why they're so special to me.

I still listen to Innermost Station a lot. It's comforting. And for the last few years, every time Leaded comes on, I realize that I've been feeling like that. For a long time. I have a lot I need to say, but I don't really know how to put it all into words. So it sits and festers inside me and weighs heavy on my soul. My heart is broken. My soul is broken. Because of so many things. Things that happened a long time ago that shouldn't really bother me anymore, but they do, and things more recent that I may never be able to get over. 

Almost a year ago I thought I'd start blogging again after being absent for almost 4 years. After a few posts, some things happened and I didn't really know how to deal with them. I'm still dealing with them. There are so many things I want to talk about, but I don't know what exactly or how exactly to say them. But I figure I need to somehow, because they're eating at me and I don't feel like I can continue posting things here until I get past them. "You're tongue-tied and your soul cries on the inside." See? And it doesn't just apply to blogging or my lack thereof. It's kind of become my life right now. My soul is crying out and I need to clear my mind of these things that have been weighing on me for so long. I think returning to blogging and explaining what has been going on with me these past few years might help me somehow. It might help my soul to finally heal. I need that. And who knows? Maybe it will help someone out there whose soul needs healing too. Or maybe no one will even read it or care. Whatever. I need to do this. 

I had originally thought of writing one super long epic post about the whole thing just to get it all out at once, but now I'm thinking it would be easier on me (and maybe you) to break it into smaller, shorter posts. I'll get these posts out as soon as I can, because I'm ready to put these things behind me and move on. 

Stay tuned...

New VH x RR!

So much for my promise to blog more often. It's been 8 months. I guess that's better than 4 years. I'm working on some posts that will explain those 4 years. They should be up soon.

In the meantime, we have some new music from VH x RR! At midnight on New Year's they released the single "Somewhere in Time." (I got to celebrate early since it was released at midnight Eastern time.) This song is awesome. (Like they're capable of anything less.) They released it in the old-school maxi-single style, with the single and a few remixes. What I'm most excited about is that they released an acapella track, which is just Rob's vocals!!! I have wanted this for years! Just his voice, by itself in all its gloriousness. (Is that even a word? I like to make up words.) I seriously almost passed out listening to it. It's amazing! There are also a couple of instrumental tracks, so you can hear Von's amazing talent by itself too. And he did a 12-inch Extended Mix which is super cool, not only in how it sounds, but also the fact that it's part of that throwback to the maxi-singles of yesteryear. So go check it all out!

Somewhere In Time | VH x RR (bandcamp.com)

And, much to my surprise, they released another single (yes, another one!!!) on February 5th called "The Speed of Light." This one is beautiful. The lyrics make me cry. It starts out "Running out of time, breaking down inside..." If that's not a perfect way to describe how I feel right now, then I don't know what is. The song tells a story that could be interpreted in a few different ways. All super relevant, especially right now. Listen and see what you get out of it. This release also features a remix by Rob (the Solitude Remix) and another 12-inch Extended Mix by Von. Both are fantastic! And just like the last release, this one has an acapella track! I really hope this becomes a regular thing with them. I love it! It's so cool for me as a huge audio nerd to hear how the vocals were put together. There are a lot of layers and harmonies that go into giving Rob's voice this kind of new sound. It truly is fascinating to listen to. So once again, go get it!

The Speed of Light | VH x RR (bandcamp.com)

I should mention that the acapella versions and instrumentals are exclusive to Bandcamp. "Somewhere in Time" and the remixes are available on iTunes and other streaming platforms, and I'm assuming that "The Speed of Light" will be made available in the future as well.

Okay. One more surprise. Rob and Von just did another interview on the Permanent Record Podcast! This is great. It's so much fun to listen to, and there are some super cool surprises mentioned, but I'm not going to tell you what they are. Duh. Go listen for yourselves. 

Permanent Record Podcast: Sarah's Milestone Birthday Extravaganza Featuring VH X RR

So enjoy listening to these. Hopefully they'll keep you occupied until I can post again.