Lovely Colors With Lovelier Names

I bought Enya's new album yesterday, and I've been listening to it almost non-stop since. What exactly can you say about Enya? In this day and age, to critique something usually means criticizing it. I just can't do that. While I can't say that Enya's music has been a soundtrack for my life (Dear Goddess, how I wish), I can say with sincerity that it has been one of the most profound influences musically. For me, "Book of Days" will always be a winding mountain pass in northern Idaho, a strange piece of beauty on an otherwise-dull drive. "The Longboats" will always be a story my brother began and to my knowledge never finshed. "Tea-House Moon" will always be a serene dream that I yearn for and never touch.

I visited her website tonight, and poked my nose into the forum. I read a review, and to my shock actually found my stomach turning. It wasn't that it was a negative review, or at all vicious, it was more that someone actually didn't like certain songs. I've been sitting here thinking about why this provokes such a reaction in me. It's not like Enya is a religious icon. To quote Robin Williams, "It's not the Bible, you won't go to hell for it"... It's not like this person attacked a friend of mine (in fact, when it comes down to it I know less about Enya as a public or private individual than just about any other celebrity. Hmm, maybe that's why I respect her so much). Maybe it's just that I overreact to things. Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that to me there is no such thing as a bad Enya song. Enya (of course that's Enya the triumvirate / musical concept, as I said I don't know Enya the person) is almost the definition of beauty in music to my mind. Worlds of beauty and mystery are painted in sound, stories are hinted at but never entirely revealed, and a soft glow seems to take the rough edges off of reality for a while. Even when I don't understand it, it touches me. Even when it's a touch formulaic, it stirs dreams. Even when I pay it little attention, it's presence soothes me. Maybe I put more into it than is there, but does that matter? It is what it is to me, and unlike just about everything else in my life I can say nothing against it.

All of that said, I strongly recommend this album to anyone with ears and an imagination. It helps if you have headphones too, as the best way to experience anything Enya is total immersion. This album moves me on a very deep level. The overall sound seems like a tiny departure from the usual Enya ways and means, but yet it's still everything it ought to be. Lush musical landscapes travelled by simple but powerful lyrics, stories of love found and lost, dreams that warm like a fire in winter, pains of the past and knowledge that even the deepest pain will heal given time and love.

Long, long journey
out of nowhere,
long, long way to go;
but what are sighs
and what is sadness
to the heart that's coming home?

Perhaps it's strange for those of you who know me, to hear me talk about things like this. I'll be honest, hope is not something I have a lot of or something I talk about most of the time... I guess you could say that that's another reason why this music means so much to me. Even when the whole world feels like a hell I can't escape from, it can still stir hopes and dreams within me. I hope it does so for you...


-The title for this post comes from a thought that's struck me several times since buying this. The album's title, "Amarantine", is a deep shade of purple according to my dictionary. I can't help but love words that add even more beauty to an already lovely concept...