I've loved Riverside, the main band of lead man, lead songwriter, lyricist, vocalist and bass player Mariusz Duda, from my first listen. As I've posted before, I was introduced to Riverside by my husband Marek's best friend, Michał, who described them as Poland's answer to Steven Wilson's band Porcupine Tree.
In 2008, Duda released the first Lunatic Soul album, as essentially a solo project, which I immediately fell in love with, and still love to this day. The story told of a man who, unbeknownst to him, is recently deceased, and follows him on his journey as he learns the truth, and winds his way through the reflections of his life recently past, into the afterlife. It is a brilliant and affecting album, and I recommend it highly; musically akin to (though completely different from) Pink Floyd's "Momentary Lapse of Reason," and Jethro Tull's brilliant "Passion Play."
This latest Lunatic Soul album is a different breed, also one I have posted about before, which was written in response to Duda first losing one of his closest friends, who died in his sleep at age 44; and then his best friend and band mate, the lead guitarist and soul of Riverside, Piotr Grudzinski, whom he considered his musical older brother, who dropped dead of a heart attack at age forty, literally weeks before the band was to embark on a world tour in support of their latest album.
"Fractured" is an apt title for the album, as Duda had worked out a lot of his grief over losing his friend while writing and recording "Love, Fear and the Time Machine," with Riverside; only to be blindsided with Grudzinski's death, and plunged back into the blackness of depression from which he had so recently emerged, which broke his world apart.
And, having lost three of the people I loved the most, back to back, with the September 11th attacks sandwiched in-between, I can completely relate.
Interestingly, if someone had described the songs from "Fractured" to me, I would have pegged "Battlefield" as my least favorite, and in truth, I wasn't initially crazy about the song. But on repeated listenings, I recognized my own anguish and anger at losing my loved ones, without any chance at a final good-bye, and have come to view it as one of the truest reflections of what that time in my life was truly like.
It is not an easy song. But it is an exceptionally good song. And yes, it might make you uncomfortable, and that is not a bad thing. Sometimes we need to be made uncomfortable in order to make forward progress.
And to 
So yes, I love this song. And I am glad that Mariusz Duda wrote and recorded it, as here he is at his rawest and most truthful, with his immense gifts as lyricist and vocalist on full display.
Mariusz Duda remains one of the most original and successfully experimental songwriters and lyricists I've come to know in recent years, exceeded only by Steven Wilson, and equaled only by Lisa Gerrard, the members of King Crimson, and Banco de Gaia (Toby Marks).
Which is doubly impressive when you consider that the man is writing in his second language.
Hopefully, you will be moved by his work as well. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
If you enjoyed this post, please Upvote and Resteem it to share with others!
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
Some of my recent posts:
Barn Cat Candidate - Day 101 - Daily Haiku
One Hundred Days On - Day 100 - Daily HaikuCoupling - British TV Series - Intelligent, Irreverent and Hilarious
Feeling My Power - Day 99 - Daily Haiku - My Entry for the TeamGirlPowa Feminist Fire Poetry Competition
One of Our Small Businesses at Crescendo of Peace – www.AquaTrust.org - Part 2
One of Our Small Businesses at Crescendo of Peace – www.AquaTrust.org - Part 1
Goaty Boys Are Mad – Day 98 – Daily Haiku
Fireflies in the Woods – Day 97 – Daily Haiku
Hummingbirds Are Here – Day 96 – Daily Haiku
The Dark Before the Dawn – Original Poetry
White Kitty, Patient – Day 95 – Daily Haiku
If you feel my posts are undervalued, and/or you want to
donate to tip me, I would appreciate it very much.
In the process, you will be helping our small organic farm to operate,
to help others, and to feed and house all our animals better. Thank you!
Bitcoin (BTC) – 37Z9UabFyygFYXMoChifdCkyFgPJtKwXRj
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – qq5p7dkr9239u6fer98lyc3cjvhcwcggzuxyde9mjp
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x731e363a4e6C680D47aFA63e4620342964a9d0Fb
LiteCoin (LTC) – MprMcJSAXKvtBouDQRSSk85qbms8ak3xDY
The following are a few affiliate links, to companies we really
believe in, that will further help us to operate, to help others,
and to care for and feed our animals.
If you have any interest in becoming affiliated with these companies,
which may bring you additional income, please contact me,
and perhaps we can work together!
Dr. Al Sears, well known anti-aging doctor, with his first-class
line of supplements that actually work:
https://primalforce.net/?aff=1893
Melaleuca, a company that has been making natural, eco-friendly
products since the 1980s, that not only work as well as
chemically laden versions from the supermarket,
but are safer, and typically save money overall in addition.
I was introduced to them by a co-worker in 1990, lost track
of them, and was thrilled to find them again about a year
and a half ago. I strongly recommend their products.
http://www.melaleuca.com/corimacnaughton
Prime My Body offers a nanoenhanced hemp-based CBD oil
that is legal in all 50 United States, and clinically proven to be
absorbed 3X better than the leading pharmaceutical brand.
I have used it on myself and my animals with excellent results.
https://Crescendo.primemybody.com
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate yourself,
check out this link:
https://enrollpmb.com/Crescendo
All words are my own.
The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table.
You can see how much that deterred them both.
The image and video are the intellectual property of Mariusz Duda and Lunatic Soul, their producers and record companies, and all rights remain with them.
I claim no rights, but offer this video, as I offer all the music videos I post, in the hopes of promoting my favorite music artists, so that more people become familiar with their music, and that they grow their fan base in the process, as they so richly deserve.
Resteeming is welcome, you may link to my post from your own website or blog, and you may use excerpts and/or images as long as you credit me, and link back to this post.
Please ask for permission, before using my work otherwise, as all rights are reserved.