Poets of the Fall – False Kings, new promising single
When I went to bed yesterday, I was rocked by Ollie T‘s Firefly playing in my head, but I woke up to Marko Saaresto‘s voice in False Kings. I had not listened to these songs before going to bed if you were wondering. 2018 promises to be musically rich… it is one of these years and the best part about it, it is indeed new music from Poets of the Fall. If what is coming is as brilliant as the single they just released, we are in for yet another treat people.
As I listened to False Kings, I told my friend Susan that it sounded very James Bond-y… to which she answered: wait until you see the video. Well, it did not disappoint either… and then everything got out of hand and I realised, to my dismay, what I had missed before. Such realisation made me enjoy and embrace the craziness around False Kings even more. I will try and share a little here, but my guess is that most of you have already read all this and even participated. But before I get on with this, a word about the words…
A word about the words
I am not going to analyse anything – much – today, but I am going to talk about something that I’ve missed on Clearview although I love that album. I missed the crazy turns of phrase, the psychotic storytelling, the last verses turning everything around provoking jaw dropping reactions. False Kings delivered that again which made me jump in my head – could not really do that in the middle of the office, now could I. I guess it’s all calculated, how Marko writes the lyrics, how the music sounds, how the story is told… or do I give them too much credit? Aren’t they super-humans, if earthlings they are… Alright, let’s be realistic, they are geniuses but even they did not know how it would all play out from the start… at some point, they must have had to swing it a bit. I mean, they cannot know all ramifications of what they are doing all the time, it would be exhausting… yes! I am awe-struck again.
Veering off course now… so, the words are full of doubts and extreme self-awareness. Double-edge knife of seeing everything so clearly and knowingly admitting to going back – or wanting to – the easy way and fall off the wagon. At the same time, it is what it seems but it is not, hence the doubt… self-doubt. Did I do something wrong? Is that it? Was it worth it? Has my success any worth? Is it even real or important? We spend our lives struggling through trials, winning and losing, and it can be tough to deal with all that… overwhelming even. It almost feels like the lyrics are telling a story that Poets of the Fall has already told before… why bother, why can they not write about something else…
I believe that it is all connected… real or fictional, or maybe both, the story (ies) that they tell us is on massive overview of our journey in this life. The approach to it is to get as close as possible to self-awareness, understanding, constant questioning in order to stay the course. A massive Clearview of how we, as individuals, can make our lives count for something in this ocean of souls populating our world. I think it is brilliant…
… or they are just humans and they need to ramble in order to remain sane… or everything is fictional and the characters they have created are just as crazy as the stories sung to us… or it is a little bit of it all which makes it even more amazing. You gotta give it to Marko though to come up with a punch line like this:
Yes, I wined and, and I dined on, on that cyanide
– Poets of the Fall, False Kings – 2018
False Kings official video
I have never experienced first hand the signs… I mean, except for the chess game puzzle from Clearview, I got every bit of fun from Poets of the Fall‘s albums after the facts. Well, it seems that things change after all… Please, for the fun of it, watch the video before reading what follows… unless you’ve already seen it or if, of course, you are one of the guys, then you would not need to… well, anyway since this post is starting to have a high word count I need to get briefer ?
Anyhow, there used to be a forum on the band with conspiracy theories of some sorts, often instigated by the guys themselves… but no more… the spirit of it endures though. As long as the fans remain devoted the way they always have, the game will forever be on, and the discussions will find another platform to be had. There is a crazy thread on A Poets of the Fall Street Team (USA, Any Region) Facebook page, you need to check it out if you have not… I even put my two cents when I could. So, in order not to repeat word for word what has already been said, here is the deal about that video. The band has remind us that they are celebrating their 15th year anniversary… at the beginning of the video, the room number is 438 (4+3+8=15). Easy! But who would have thought checking the octal system? Not me… but someone did and well, converting 438 to octal gives 666. Coincidence? Maybe, although I don’t really believe in them… I mean, the room could have been 348 to get 15… so, coinkydink? no way! Why though? Inner demon, sins etc, might be the reasons… or we are reading way too much into this ?
Leaving maths and its obscure possible meanings aside, if you look closely each and every album from the band’s discography is somehow “mentioned”. Here is a little list:
Signs of Life, reference to Lift with the morph sign. The fact that it is the woman doing the sign to Marko in False Kings (while it is the opposite in Lift) has without a doubt a meaning too, but I do not believe it to be an indication that False Kings is a prequel to Lift. But it is definitely linked.
Carnival of Rust, reference to the title song (and album cover) with the lollipop. What we have to figure out now is the reason behind the dissimilarities of the lollipops.
Revolution Roulette, reference to gambling (Roulette vs Poker) or the mirrored images
Twilight Theater & Temple of Thought, the Tarot Cards. Again, why the dissimilarities and changes to the cards?
Jealous Gods, Daze, would be the party and the money flying… not euro bills but dollars this time. Innocent change? Probably not!
Clearview, would be the chess game puzzle I told you about… the rook is about to be moved into place – from A2 to C2 and that is check I suppose ?
There is a lot more of course… and the discussion on the Street Team Facebook page is very diverting so I’ll let you go there too and have some fun!
Until next time! ?
PS: Featured image design by yours trully – Photo of the band by Tiia Öhman.
7 Comments
Chiff
The woman in red is seeding all of the flaws for JP, making him keep switching into Hamartia mode. She’s the sun, the metaphorical fire source we’ve been hearing about all through the catalogue. That’s why the Morpho is so insincere, after she has literally just passed him a version of the ToT card with Hamartia’s head from TT pasted over the angel head. And it’s not just the sun in the video, the moon is there too, making his first human appearance – the Puppetmaster himself – played by none other than Miika Hakala, and beating Marko using a copy of “The Game of the Century” – Fischer vs Byrne 1956. “One of the best moves of all time” was said of Fisher (Black) and his
Knight sacrifice. Byrne was let down by a seemingly minor mistake (A
hamartia I guess). After becoming world champion, Fischer descended into
madness and paranoia. Clearview is said to be about the inner workings
of the mind. Fischer was also referenced in the film Inception, which
takes place within layers of subconsciousness, with the character
creating a delusion that he feeds back to himself as a reality.
Clairepeek
Hello Chiff!
Although I really enjoyed your conspiracy of all being connected within the band’s repertoire, and I must admit, there must be some truth in what you say at least about the woman in red and her lack of sincerity… I have to disagree about your vision of the Puppet Master incarnated by Miika Hakala in this case… I don’t see the Puppet Master like that, I really see him as a villain in all this and sorry Miika just does not cut it 😛 Of course, by now we are all aware of the chess game that is being used as a reference in Clearview obviously – long and fun discussions on the subject have happened once we were made aware of its presence 🙂 I find it rather far fetched to use what happened to Fischer afterwards and link it to Clearview’s purpose… or that Inception (which I saw and fairly enjoyed as well) has an relevance or influence in this.
BUT, again this is an extremely clever and interesting perception you shared, and I can hardly give you any worthy argument to refute your theory… just a gut feeling ^_^. One thing is certain, you made me think. I like your mind 😀
Please DO come again!
/Clairepeek
Chiff
It seems like the only place anyone even talks about this stuff since the forums closed is the US street team facebook, and they never accepted my request to join, so finding your page was rather amazing. I’ve been in the dark musing to myself. I see the Puppetmaster as a villain too, and who makes more sense as the person pulling the strings than the video’s director? As for the relevance of the Inception incarnation of Fischer, I was just noting the parallel to the Clearview synopsis as being about the inner workings of the mind.The new album’s art made me want to go back and have another crack at Lift. I’m always blown away by how much comes back to being relevant. The video shows three (note the Number 3 all over the Poet County Jail walls) layers of Marko’s mind. The child in him, the mental versailles, and the prison. Also…. https://i.imgur.com/MqEz5Rj.png
Chiff
Oh and best way I could justify my combined universe theory is You’re Still Here + the chorus of The Labyrinth + the Tarot cards in Carnival of Rust + the back cover of Alchemy Vol 1. Then there’s tons of little links like the duality between Children of the Sun (“X of Y”, references the track order of the CoR album and the fall of JP throughout Temple of Thought) and Moonlight Kissed (references the “X Y” albums – gambling, deception, regret and perspective, the video for Dreaming Wide Awake, etc) Then there’s tons of running themes like Red/White, fire as either passion or pain, the moon over the scene, walls, the machine, necklaces that change things, and here’s my favourite bit:”It’s all a game, avoiding failure, when true colors will bleed.” – Carnival of Rust”Her clashes of colors are flashes of society in ashes.” – The Game
Clairepeek
Hi Chiff,
While I am glad that you found Misfit at Heart, I am not turning it into a forum ?, however, i found it makes me happy to read your well-thought out comments. Now, “The Labyrinth” was composed for a game I believe though it never made it to the actual game… so I suppose it might be off topic with the rest of Clearview… I love that song, but I have always found it the trickiest to explain it.
Still, think about it… how, now matter the brilliance of the mind, how would someone create such intricacies throughout his work (which is 8 albums so far, if you count Alchemy vol.1). I am not saying it is impossible, but that maybe you are giving the guys way too much credit
?
Just an after thought, why don’t you create a forum to talk about that stuff? I’d put a link on Misfit for sure 😀
Chiff
Woo I got into the US Street Team Facebook now so forum problem solved heh. I agree that it’s quite the big claim, but it’s not really that complex if it’s simply a reflection of the literal inner workings of Marko’s head – i.e. the thing he uses to write these songs. “I’m good at staring at walls” is something he said a long time ago. It’s just a weirdly philosophical approach to writing, like an attempt to decode reality – his reality. Sure the lyric-weaving is impressive but we already knew that’s the case anyway. As for The Labyrinth being made for a game, so was The Happy Song (Alan Wake’s American Nightmare) yet that fits perfectly well as the eponymous Fall slotting in between The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper and More. Not only that, the callback to Lift (in the trilogy’s past) in the bonus track Signs of Life contrasts the song being about a hope about the future, indicating a looped timeline following on from being a psycho. Marko/Mark is in the “Psycho Ward” of the Poet County Jail after all.
Clairepeek
I didn’t know that about the Happy Song… not one of my favourites, unless I need some boost during the day. Whatever reality Marko is writing about, through the knots of ideas and feelings within, I don’t need to understand it all. That being said I am rather amazed at your analyses. Suddenly, I feel rather new to the Poets of the Fall’s world…