SUPERMAN - IN DEBT TO EARTH: Freeze off, I don't envy your seats, at least don't break, until we descend. To peace talks, full of remorse, but the keeper tends to remain aloof. They know what we'll lose, they know what they'll lose. Such unspeakable ruin, now that what will we do? Liasons, falling in toe, this blinding forest wont bloody unfold. Don't be long, this has to be told. We weave out mazes, be in debt to the earth, and they know what we'll lose. They know what they'll lose, such unspeakable ruin, now that what will we do? But with gratitude and fortitude we credit your enlightenment, the panic of this solitude is calling out until. With gratitude and fortitude we credit your enlightenment, the panic of this solitude is calling out. Forgettable, peccable, Just get 'em all, peccable, just.
This song is a rare bonus track off their 2007 record Vena Sera that was only made available to those who had purchased the album off iTunes. Its a semi-acoustic track that sets an unplugged tone, until it breaks into the metallic hard rock refrain the band is known for. The lyrics play out like an exact parallel of Kal-El's dillemma in
Man of Steel, with three of his character traits "
Gratitude,
Fortitude, and
Solitude" (a slight nod to his Fortress of Solitude) being held responsible for Such unspeakable ruin and how the consequences of his inaction will be taken to task in
BvS:DoJ, where Superman truly does feel "in debt to the Earth" more than they to him.
THE FLASH - PAINT THE SECONDS: I'm about to give rise, like the sun never could, more often not we belong. Albeit with a little taste of regret, see these streams of color they threatened. It's too magical, that you still need to grow. The sooner we enter, the sooner we'll blend. Ease into another, endless abyss. We stopped time. To chase these truths, tell it to move. Feel like climbing the walls. Useless messengers haste, rushing to arrive. Save these strings of color, the sooner we enter, the sooner we'll blend. He's into another, Endless abyss.
Track #8 off
Vena Sera is their definitive hidden gem, its questionable why this wasn't made a single, the drums synchopate perfectly with the pulsing guitar riff, and Pete shows off a vocal range that soars above the likes of Jared Leto. This song relates to
The Flash in the same way that the Flash relates to
Hermes, the Olympian god of speed, a god of transitions and boundaries, described as quick and cunning, able to move freely between worlds of the mortal and divine. So lyrics like "
messengers haste, rushing to arrive." and "
Save these strings of color." evoke the same kind of imagery as the Scarlet Speedster's lightning trails, while the more abstract lyrics "
We stopped time, to chase these truths." are more evocative of the messenger god's mission statement.
BATMAN - BEND THE BRACKET: So the water's thickening, his collar's pulled, begin to be aware. It's on, that he needs to focus. Beyond that man, he brings a world of pain. Cause the war is on, too weak to move. Call it off, sorry refused. So we bend the bracket. Shove it down, anything to make it fit. It's on, and being foolish won't cover up, exposing them as fakes. So boredom captured another fool, shredding him to bit. It's on, and the more we tense up avoiding pain, you'll never learn a thing.
The dark, grim, and somber closing track to 2004's
This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) is quite possibly their darkest, grimmest, and somberest little ditty to date, which is exactly why I chose this song to represent
Batman. These lyrics bring to mind his pain endurance training in the Himalayas, seen exclusively in
Begins, and how he used that pain to his advantage throughout his career as
The Dark Knight. Most of all, these lyrics evoke the sense of despair and defeat from when Batman fought Gotham's reckoning himself, the militant merc Bane in
The Dark Knight Rises. Bruce Wayne's alter ego fought valiantly against the asthmatic terrorist inside his watery underground lair, but couldn't stand a chance against the League of Shadows last remnants' bone-crushing might.
AQUAMAN - SAFERWATERS: The city's saving grace, but whoever knows, nobody knows why she'd roll the eyes back. Why he'd roll those eyes, those heartless eyes, well I won't pretend to lie. Once more protect my blinded sight, you'd say. For I came from a fish you mock the place where I exist, that world is calling. So I'm crawling back to sea, against the surge of waves that held us, in that ancient grip beneath. Retreat to safer waters, still learning what chaos kills. But whoever cares, nobody cares like you. Why we'd abandon time, just shut the door. Why we'd go to the wall, claim less is more. This city's saving grace, but whoever knows, nobody knows.
Everything about this track just screams
Aquaman, and the borderline-nonsensical lyrics tend to speak for themselves, its obviously a song about someone who "
came from a fish" and wants to return to the ocean that birthed them: "
That world is calling, so I'm crawling back to sea, against the surge of waves that held us in that ancient grip beneath." But what really makes this indicative of Jason Momoa's Aquaman reveal, are the lines about "
Why he'd roll the eyes back." and "
well I won't pretend to lie." which bring to mind Jason's outright denial about being cast in the role: "What does everything tell you? No. Stop asking me. It's so annoying. Sorry, you're not annoying. Oh you're the press? Get the f*** out of here." -Jason Momoa ladies and gentlemen. Haha, isn't he just the worst?
WONDER WOMAN - DELIVERY (Compulsion cover): Yet another bonus track off
Vena Sera that no who bought the record has ever heard before.
Compulsion were an Irish punk band from the 1990s, who used to be known as
Thee Amazing Colossal Men, they only made two records, but somehow that made a huge impression on a trio of brother musicians from Chicago. That's all I have to say about this one, really. I had a difficult time choosing a song to represent
Wonder Woman that had a distinctive female energy, but also kicks a bunch of ass. This song's lyrics could easily be projected onto the daughter of Zeus, "
Time will never destroy your heart." and "
you'll fly far away." bring to mind her unaging immortality, and Invisible Jet.
CYBORG - PROVE TO YOU: I'll fight your war, and promise not to lose. But you give in to circumstance. Not gonna prove to you. Learn of patience worth to you. Many teacher, no student. We go by name, not by rank. Too many sighs incompetent. There's no bond between some men. A concept already known. What little time you try to give. A big cheer for you alone. Relax and try again. Broke off, broke up and spent. He's choking in left field. Can't tell this place is doomed. Now no place like home. Doomed, now there's no place like home. I'm gonna prove to you, I'm gonna.
Chevelle's 1999 debut
Point #1 was produced by Steve Albini, (the same guy behind Nirvana's
In Utero and The Pixies'
Surfer Rosa) and the similarities can be heard in the audio engineers' trademark rough & raw production style. One of my favorite tracks was always Track 3, and while the whole album is full of sports metaphors, Prove To You has the strongest and hardest-hitting references to the failed school system in the midwest.
Victor "The Cyborg" Stone was a gifted athlete and star football player before he was a superhero, and this song seems to have the same kind of intensity & angst he experienced when most of his body parts were replaced by futuristic prosthetics.
BRAINIAC - BRAINIAC: Time hold us for a minute, it dries the wrists like penicillin, each of these men holds a pentagram. So ease up on the slurs, they're pushing off the charts. We know him as one cell, should've combined to save brains. How 'bout I teach him to crawl, lift up the head so proud. Imagine this one cell, he's gotten through the piss, so he can blame few. Slept off the chainsaw buzz, this passing eye-sore, these are the longest days, sits like a razor. How many found? This defines him, so useless these rules. Tempting timing and, I should use the same tools. We know we miss one cell, imagine this. One.
Simple enough, right? The song is called BRAINIAC, moving on!
GENERAL ZOD - MEXICAN SUN: Soon the stares catch, we begin to kill the calm as we. Feed on the facts, let's give in, let's give in to give in more. Still on the knees, such a shame the cat's up and run away. Scratched at me first, then the boy, gonna panic for a little more. Like to be feeling the sand bring color back to both my arms. The sun, let it do damage like they said it would if given chance. Had to be shouting your voices. Scheming devils never make it through. Hey way to go lad, can't wait to go. Closing out all my tabs, tighten down the pitiful. Leave you a pen, write it down, or you know what you can do with that. Let's let the panic bloom, could help us all end up in the clear. Then let the havoc choose. To shape us all, push us to invent. We can feed off shame all day, we could feed of shame all day.
Now that CBM Tunes is under new management, look out for
cbmTunes #7 Avengers: Age of Ultron Edition which will feature a variety of artists & genres. Don't forget to comment below!