Thursday, April 21, 2011

"Primeval Rhythm of Life" Mandango-Black Rite


This soundtrack is blaring while I am watching the second half of Apocalypse Now Redux. It's heavy, it is the scene when they are at the bridge at the Cambodian boarder and everything is spiraling out of control, the shit is so thick you can walk on it while Lance is painting his face and the Captain is trying to maintain some military bearing.

I found this song earlier in the day watching a surfing video which in some way ties into the Apocalypse Now theme. Just as Conrade before us the path up the river gets stranger and stranger, more surreal while everything gets hairier and hairier. There's flares shot at the boat, one of the men just died, the Chief is freaking out while the tape plays his mother's voice as they cry over a man's dead body.

War is the breakdown of all cultural mores, it is what happens when man becomes an animal and because of that there is no logical conclusion that can be drawn from the actions made inside of its sphere. Many people would say that it is wrong and not the way of our civilized society but in the past four thousand years of written history there have only been around two hundred and forty years of total peace. Man is made to destroy each other. Those that disagree are only living in a false reality. Do we like it? Of course not, I would rather be holding hands with my brother, running around naked with beautiful blonds listening to Jazz. But this is the world we have to live in and it is the world in which we make our stake.

This song tracks its history to the ancestral roots of African natives and the beat that emerged on the plains thousands of years ago. And make no mistake about it, regardless of what your school books tell you, it was violent. It was despicable and it was every man for himself. Today we look at death as if it was something in the ether that would never transpire, years ago it was a fact of life. The fact that death has been subjugated for worse in our society and the fact that we place it out of our minds leads to more death, more insensitivity which leads to the constant killing of men before their time. Men who wanted nothing more than to live their lives, get laid and have a drink before bed; after which they would rise to work their jobs at the factory.

It's a heavy thought, but then again life is quite heavy. Whether it is Colonel Kurtz at the end of our journey or some other political diatribe all should know that the end will come. At the very least let's hope the soundtrack is as funky as the track in this title.