Surpinto wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Sep 01, 2024 8:40 pm">3 months ago</span>As much as we love their albums I don't think we can call them anything but a collection of songs. Their albums are definitely ordered so to not cause listener fatigue (such as by interspersing more upbeat songs with more downbeat ones as stated already), but I do not think that the album is a unitary whole - intended to be listened to from start to finish so as to get a musical arc as intended by Libera music staff.
Yes, I agree with you; I don't see anything like a read thread (a superior theme) either.
Regarding the starting and ending song of an album, it is of less importance now in a digitised world than it was in vinyl times, where the artists even had to decide twice. Then the CD appeared and brought the possibility of a random order, and later on, digital music services came the option to put your own playlists together, and so that has lost much of the former importance. And still, when you buy a new album, the first listen will most probably happen from the first to the last song without changing the order and so I still think that these two positions are particularly exposed.
Surpinto wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Sep 01, 2024 8:40 pm">3 months ago</span>
I've discussed this very issue with fans in the past and there seems to be no consensus as to what, if any, logic or reasoning there is with the order of songs on the albums. I definitely think there is a tendency to have more robust and upbeat songs followed by ones that are more slow or more ethereal, but aside from this there don’t seem to be any patterns; neither has anyone else to whom I have presented this issue found any.
The tendency across the music industry seems to be to put the newer songs, or simply the songs the group wants to be most prominent, towards the beginning of the album. I would say that Libera sometimes does this as well, but there doesn't appear to be any guiding principle that I can detect.
I basically agree, however, it's interesting to place a solemn song like
Sanctissima at a beginning for example.
Here are all the opener and final songs with a few thoughts. Or no thoughts, where I had none.
Libera
Salva Me
Lux Aeterna - Very fitting, the last notes seem to float somewhere very high and pianissimo fade away, dissolve.
Luminosa
Vespera
Sanctus II - Their other signature song, so it fits.
Free
I am the Day - Slow and mysterious entry into the album, yes, good start.
Adoramus - Good as the contrary to the beginning: completely earthly, playful, that leaves the listener with a cheerful feeling. Could also have been a good album opener.
Visions
Locus iste (Sanctus) - Okay, 2nd signature piece once more ... a bit uninspired to use it again?
Abide With Me - Strange as a final song. I'd have preferred
Libera or
Sing Forever.
New Dawn
Orinoco Flow
In paradisum - Final song like on Luminosa, but without that dissolving element. Simply peaceful ending.
Peace
Sanctissima - Slow song leading into the album; an unusual choice I think, but I like it. I would have been less suprised to find
Time or
Lead Kindly Light there.
The Fountain - For me the strangest of all final songs, because it's so "dolorosa".
Hope
Salve Regina - Very warm opener calming you down for the album
Home - Comforting song, as it's good to come home, so I do think it was the topic of the song that made it be the final piece, which is a good choice.
Beyond
Ave Maria (Vavilov, attr. Caccini)
Mother of God
If
Once an Angel - To spare some work I just quote from
my review:
► Show Spoiler
It's the album's starting song and I like this choice. It's like a preface Robert took. To lay down his sorrow and his wishes for Libera to persist also after him and then, with the following Let Me Make Songs for the People say: "And now let us dive deeply into the music and enjoy!"
- 3rd time and 3rd arrangement to be the last song.
► Show Spoiler
It is striking that Lux Aeterna ends in unison on the root of the tonic, which can be interpreted as having arrived at home, which is backed by the fact that it's set to the word "Jerusalem". It's the last word of the song and thus of the entire album as well. Since the endings of all three versions differ in lyrics and accordingly music, the choice of "Jerusalem" as the final word was, without doubt, intended. (If you then have a curious glance at the first word of the album's opening song, you will find "Remember". Quite meaningful, too, but here it probably wasn't more than a coincidence that it fits so nicely.)
-
They'll have to repair that on the next album. How can they let me go out of an album with this one?
Dream
Not yet born, still in the pond.