Off the Shelf, a Stroll through Sandgerði

Today I thought I would debut the other two of the main segments that I plan to have here on Delves and Shelves. The first of them is this one. It’s called Off the Shelf, and it's pretty much what you'd expect from a blog on any old subject, a purr stream-of-consciousness rant about something-or-other which is probably doesn't matter, but maybe you can find some sort of meaning in it, and maybe that meaning can be of use to you in your RPG playing, writing, or general hobbyism.

Today's segment concerns a trip I took back in college during the summer after my junior year. A friend and I made a trek across the Atlantic to attend that year's Sonisphere, a big rock festival, with emphasis on harder rock and metal in England. Though that was full of many fun experiences and excellent performances, this story is not about that. This story is about the three-day stopover that we did, for free thanks to an airline promotion, in Iceland. While there, we stayed, similarly for free, at my friend's grandmother's house, enjoying the peace and quiet of the Icelandic countryside (even though we were only about twenty minutes drive from the airport), caught a couple games of the 2014 World Cup, made full use of blackout shades to sleep at all given that it was light for 19 hours a day, and ate more milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and ice cream than I previously thought was humanly possible.

Our story today concerns one afternoon while we were there, with nothing much to do, and we ended up deciding to walk to a nearby lighthouse just to see what was up. The form this trip took was largely that of a point-to-point march, with us starting in his grandmother's back yard, and walking straight out into the field behind it, all the while discussing Primus bass riffs and formulating our plan of attack for seeing the most bands as efficiently as possible in a few days time.

A field much like the one I walked through that day, as well as the lighthouse that was my destination.  Wikipedia says it's in Garður, so if anyone Icelandic happens to see this, I'd certainly like to hear where exactly the line between there and Sandgerði is.  Is it sort of like a city within a county?

For those who are from or have been to Iceland, I'm sure you'll agree that the scenery is quite something to behold. For those of you who have been out in the countryside, away from any major cities, you'll know what I was experiencing at this moment. The flat fields of rocky ground covered only with low grasses, moss, and lichens stretched out as far as the eye could see behind me, and in front of me only ended in the cold grey waters of Reykjanesbær, the inlet of the Atlantic which forms the bay that shelters Reykjavík from the north sea. Above, the sky was grey, but clear, empty. All around, the atmosphere was as the kind of still quiet that you can only find in the middle of nowhere.

And then, the terns came…

In our efforts to go from one physical point to another, my friend and I hadn't realized until we were already in it, that this particular part of the field was the nesting ground for a flock of terns, who were less than happy at us trespassing on their land.

The whole encounter only lasted perhaps a minute or two before we passed through the area where they were gathered, but in that time, we were angrily squawked at, occasionally dive-bombed, and I was altogether rather thankful that my friend is about 6-foot-three, and thus a closer, easier target. It was only after the fact that we noticed the small white splotch on his dark blue knit hat, that we realized that he had, in fact, been shat upon.

It was in that moment, and again for the rest of that day, and ever since, that I've had what I'm fairly certain is a slightly better idea of what a random encounter with a randomly determined group of small animals would be like, kind of a nuisance for a short time, but untimely not too harmful for either of the parties involved.

After that brief brush with a bevy of somewhat belligerent birds (bonus points to anyone who can make that sentence any more obnoxiously alliterative), the rest of the walk was pretty uneventful. The lighthouse and its visitor's center turned out to be closed for the day, we got lightly rained on as we walked back to the house along the actual road, and as we passed some local club fields I can officially say that I've seen people playing soccer in the most northerly and the most southerly places I've ever been. After that, the rest of the day was, much as the ending of the the others that I spent in the small seaside town of Sandgerði on the southern coast of Reykjanesbær, a collection of flatbread, smoked lamb, butter, and cheese. I do plan to go back to Iceland someday, and when I do, those kinds of sandwiches will be just about first on my to-do list.

And with that, as always, may your road lead you ever onward to adventure,

-Armstrong

Battle of the Bards: We Hunt Buffalo

Welcome to “Battle of the Bards,” a segment here on Deep Delves and Bookshelves where your ol’ pal Armstrong takes a look at a particular song, artist, album, or other wondrous item of aural artifice, and breaks down what makes it cool in a general sense, and what additional value an RPG player can get out of it. Today’s sonic scrivening is We Hunt Buffalo’s new album “Head Smashed In.”

The “Backstory”

“Head Smashed In” is the third full-length album from Vancouver-based heavy fuzzed-out rock outfit We Hunt Buffalo. I can see a potential source of debate in the band’s sound, as I am sure some would argue that the band’s self-described “dirty, grimy fuzz rock” would fall under the umbrella category of Stoner Rock or Doom Metal, but regardless of where you might place the group on your own musical cladogram, this album to me is one thing above all others, this album is good.

My knowledge of We Hunt Buffalo as a band was nonexistent until about a month ago, but in the time since my discovery of the band, thanks to a couple of fuzzy rock-loving friends, I have become fairly well enamored with their heavy, low-fi but not low quality riffage, and their at times atmospheric style that occasionally puts one in a darkly bluegrassy state of mind. In this way, We Hunt Buffalo have delivered for me on what another album, “Red Hands, Black Deeds,” by Shaman’s Harvest, set me up for with its first two tracks, and then let me down on (Definitely not a knock towards Shaman’s Harvest though, they make a lot of very listenable and radio-friendly modern rock, and have apparently partnered several times with WWE to write theme songs for professional wrestlers, a niche for which their sound is perfectly suited. I’d definitely encourage you to check them out if you’re a wrestling fan or a general fan of more mainstream hard rock bands like Black Stone Cherry or Halestorm). At any rate, from the moment I heard We Hunt Buffalo’s sophomore offering, “Only Ghosts,” I’d safely say that I had once again found that musical place of dark mountains and coal dust-infused heavy fuzz for which I had been searching ever since I first heard the magical first two tracks of the above mentioned Shaman’s Harvest record earlier this year. I also knew that I was hooked on this uniquely fuzzy, complex, and atmospheric sound that We Hunt Buffalo have produced with such aplomb on their last two records.

The “Adventure”

When listening for the first time to what in only a few weeks had gone from a release entirely unknown to me, to one of my most anticipated of the fall, I can’t say that I went in without at least some expectation of enjoyment. What I can say, though, is that this record not only met, but far exceeded that expectation. Musically, all of the songs are written and arranged in a way which is engaging, and easily parallel in quality to the tracks on “Only Ghosts.” It sees a band who found a good formula on their debut self-titled album, improved in production to produce a truly excellent sophomore record, and who have now shown that they are truly masters of arranging an album. The entire track listing flows nearly flawlessly from one track to the next, without a jarring transition to be found anywhere on the album. The strong, heavy opening of “Heavy Low” -which, don’t worry, I’m not about to talk politics, but I feel as though this song’s lyrics really speak to, and make it an anthem for, the unique predicaments of our present world- launches the listener right into bangers of tracks like “Angler Must Die” and “Prophecy Wins, before going truly bonkers on the energetic instrumental of “Get in the Van,” and the aggressively bluesy “Industry Woes.” It then transitions surprisingly seamlessly into the breathy, atmospheric soundscape of “Giant’s Causeway,” before returning to heavy resonant fuzz that serves to quite literally “Keep it Refreshing.” “Anxious Children” is likewise heavy, funky, and serves to really highlight some of the album’s more elaborate bass passages, and then finally the album closes somewhat quietly with “God Games,” the track which I personally would consider to be the weakest of the lot, but is still melodically complex and full of interest. This is an album meticulously designed to take the listener on a journey with multiple climactic moments, and just enough chances for a breather that each crescendo is highlighted. All in all an excellent album to follow an excellent album, from an excellent band that I will eagerly anticipate any and all future releases from.

"A group of bards sings of my front door-step?  How preposterous..."

Armstrong’s Rating: 4.25/5 frothing mugs of ale

Favorite Tracks: Heavy Low, Prophecy Wins, Get in the Van, Industry Woes

The “Rewards”

So, by now, hopefully I’ve kept your attention through my rambling thoughts on a rock n’ roll record, and you’re all still with me, even if you’re thinking “Great, he’s written a music review. This is fine, but what does it have to do with RPGs?” Well, if indeed you are still with me on this journey, allow me to deliver the payoff you’ve been waiting for this whole time. This album, to me, is what I might describe as an “Atmosphere Album.” This is an album which I would listen to, and which I would encourage you to as well, in order to establish a mental framework for developing an RPG setting or fleshing out the details of an adventure which you want to have a certain theme. This album, and other Atmosphere Albums scratch many of the same itches as playing and running RPGs themselves to. They transport the mind to a place in which your setting and stories can take place, and which contain a very strong thematic connection to a certain desired tone to a campaign, one-shot, or adventure of any kind. In this particular album’s case, the atmosphere it cultivates, and the tone it evokes is one of a rugged, vaguely western setting, surrounded by mountains or in the deep, dark hills of a frontier mining region. For me, it’s the perfect accompaniment to writing a session of a fantasy western adventure, whether or not I end up actually playing any of it during the running of the game itself.

So, there you have it, a well structured atmospheric album perfect for getting into the mood for writing a setting or adventure for your next game of Owl Hoot Trail, ICRPG’s Ghost Mountain setting, or that Red Dead Redemption LARP you’ve recently started working on again with the release of the sequel. As always, I do not own any names, images, or trademarks thereof which I have mentioned above. I do so only for the purposes of review and discussion, and make no profit from their use.  All are the property of their respective creators, who I urge you to support.

Once again, may your road lead ever onward to adventure,

-Armstrong