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LISTENER’S
GUIDE
Listener’s Journey #1: ANGEL
In this upbeat, uplifting song,
Paradox Playground celebrates the beauty of a strong and passionate
relationship. The partners, who vow “I
will always love you”, see each other as angels on earth holding onto each other’s
wings for support as this happy song soars to a wonderful and ecstatic
conclusion.
Listener’s Journey #2: DANCE
AWAY
Your magical journey begins in
a colorful, high-energy underground dance club -- an exciting world of swirling
light, sound immersion, and hot, agile bodies.
You dance among many, yet you dance apart to a place of inner
peace. The night is late, and getting
later, but for you time is standing still as each moment brings its own reward
in this passionate, blissful escape from the stress of everyday life. For now, nothing exists outside the
physically and emotionally intoxicating realm of dance.
Listener’s Journey #3: FEEL
The scene you are now entering
opens the door to a very different alternative lifestyle -- the mysterious,
hidden world of BDSM -- a community within which pain is inflicted and received
consensually. What does it take to
“feel” . . . to feel loved . . . to feel special? The music and spoken vocals in the verses are
hypnotic and compelling, and the second verse introduces to this scene an
intriguing contrasting element -- an angelic male background voice. At the end of this compassionate journey, the
last word in the song, quite notably and importantly, is “heal”.
Listener’s Journey #4: THE BEST
IS YET TO COME
“My life’s so much brighter
because of your love” and “words can’t express how amazing you are” set the
tone for a rock-solid relationship which is “building memories and dreams one
by one”. In the past, “you gave me
strength when I wanted to give up” and “you saw me through my darkest of days”. Now, as two people who bring out the best in
each other, “whatever we do is a celebration”.
And what does the future hold?
Despite an ever-changing world, this triumphant song confidently
proclaims “the best is yet to come”.
Listener’s Journey #5: HOW MANY
MORE GOODBYES
A guy. A girl.
Two very different backgrounds, yet the same experience with life:
nothing is ever quite right. Never fully
satisfied, always on the move and looking elsewhere for that perfect life and
life partner. They meet. Will it work?
There is hope!
Listener’s Journey #6: I
BELIEVE
Eerie is the night as you walk
alone along a dark road. However, you
are not afraid, as you feel a sense of warmth and protection in being connected
to the moon, the stars, the universe. In
fact, your concern is for a troubled friend -- someone you want to get to know
better; someone you want to help; someone you know you can help. Whatever problems may exist for your friend,
your mind keeps repeating the same message: “I believe in you . . . I believe
in us . . . I believe in faith . . . I believe in trust . . . I believe in hope
. . . I believe in dreams . . . I believe in love”.
Listener’s Journey #7: WHERE MY
HEART BELONGS
“Tossed between the tidal waves
of so many questions . . . not always knowing what is wrong and what is right”,
we all need people we can count on, people we can trust. In times of doubt, especially, we find
comfort in “the light that shines within you and the light that shines in me”,
which in turn gives us the strength and courage to soar “high above the
mountains” and “through rainbows and waterfalls”. Whatever we may do in this life, the first
and foremost thing is knowing where our heart belongs.
Listener’s Journey #8: DREAM
FANTASY LOVER
Now it’s time to lighten-up and
have some fun! Picture an exotic island
paradise, with its tropical climate, balmy breezes, sparkling beaches and
waterfalls, with its wonderful island sounds and fragrances . . . and the
ever-present feeling that anything is possible.
The perfect lover is waiting in this paradise, and you will find
that lover! We begin with a fantasy, but
in the end “fantasy becomes reality” and is celebrated by a long intermingled
flow of beautiful English and Spanish vocals, to be followed by Balinese bells,
steel drums, and other magical sounds as you merge with this island paradise.
Listener’s Journey #9: WHO’S TO
SAY
Time to get introspective. What
follows this life as we know it? Vignettes
based on stories believed by many to be true raise interesting questions. We all have our beliefs about the future --
and our relationship to the past, and loved ones who have gone before us --
still no one knows for certain what lies beyond. Nonetheless, whatever awaits us in the Great
Unknown, we prefer to believe the answer will be positive, and therefore close
the song with a bright, uplifting instrumental ending as a final reflection on
the subject.
Listener’s Journey #10: ENDLESS
HORIZON
A state of peace and calm with
no inner turmoil -- something we all desire . . . but perhaps rarely have. Immersed in “too much chaos”, you may feel
that it’s “time to slow down”. This
song, “Endless Horizon”, seeks to help you do exactly that. Buoyed by the rich, warm layer of sound, you
may find yourself floating or flying . . . without any fear of falling through
the solid sonic surface. If you take the
time to “breathe new life” and let “pure light” surround you, you may indeed
find the peace and calm you seek. At
least it’s worth a try!
Listener’s Journey #11: SOMEDAY
You are now entering the very
sad and often tragic world of domestic violence, where untold numbers of women
and children are the unfortunate victims of physical, mental, emotional and
other forms of abuse. Unfortunate also
is the fact that this crime against humanity is often unseen by the public, and
may even be unknown to family or friends seemingly close to the situation. We hope this song will be heard by many
needing to hear it . . . and will help to inspire those who feel emotionally
and financially trapped in abusive relationships to “fly away” to a new life.
Listener’s Journey #12: IBIS
This upbeat song -- what might
be called a female anthem -- celebrates the power and beauty of being a woman,
regardless of one’s age, shape, color or any other defining
characteristic. The capacity to be
“sexy, smart and tough” blossoms from strength within -- strength that already
exists within each woman and merely needs to be acknowledged. This song also emphasizes the value of living
and learning from the past, and moving on from painful and unhealthy
relationships -- accepting responsibility for having made mistakes, but
retaining faith in oneself and not settling for anything “less than total
respect”. When “the quiet voice has learned
to sing” and has discovered her “Inner Beauty” and “Inner Strength”,
the “scarlet IBIS spreads her wings” in preparation for flight.
Listener’s Journey #13: DON‘T
FORGET TO LAUGH
This song tells the story of a
teenage girl growing up in a troubled home, where the premature passing of her
father has created an extremely difficult relationship between her and her
single-parent mother. Burdened by having
lost her beloved husband and having to work to support herself and her
daughter, the mother, who is rarely home, struggles with the challenge of
raising a teenage daughter morally and ethically. Meanwhile, the daughter, also missing her
beloved father, is living through the difficulties inherent in the rites of
passage experienced as part of growing up and can often be found “crying
through the night”. Whereas the
mother-daughter relationship was once warm and loving, the daughter now feels
her mother finds fault with everything she does. As a result of the constant tension between
them, “all they do is fight”. However,
the daughter does have one source of solace and comfort: her deceased father’s
final message to her.
Listener’s Journey #14:
DESTINED TO WIN
Like a roller-coaster with all
its ups and downs and twists and turns, our final song celebrates the adventure
ride that is life. Some things seem
“meant to be”, but most often the achievement of goals requires a strong belief
and persistent effort to overcome obstacles over an extended period of time. With the right attitude and conviction, however,
the opportunity to be “destined to win” lies within each of us. This song chronicles the story of a
developing relationship that initially experiences its “little earthquakes” and
its “share of snowstorms”, but is held together by passion. Over time, however, the two lovers ultimately
are “soaring like eagles” and sharing the ecstasy of a dream that never
ends. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy
the ride . . . and wherever your dreams may lead you, “never give up, never
give in“!