Misfit Heart
Albums,  Ultraviolet,  Video Games

Poets of the Fall – My Dark Disquiet (official video)

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It is no secret to say that My Dark Disquiet is my absolute favourite song from Poets of the Fall latest album, Ultraviolet… mostly because I say it over and over to whomever cares to listen. When the band announced a week ago that the official video would premiere today (30.09.2019), I was so excited that my heart skipped a beat and I was dancing the victory dance in my head. When I realised that Miika Hakala would be directing said video, I could not contain my joy. Finally, when I learned that the song would be featured in the game Control, I decided to get to playing it…

Fair warning no 1: if you expect an explanation about the relation between My Dark Disquiet and the game Control, others have already done it better than I ever could… so you won’t find anything of the sort here.
Fair warning no 2: if you expect this post to make sense, it only will if you – like me – are mad as a hatter…

You’ve been warned! Happy reading 😀

Control

Design by Markus Captain Kaarlonen

My Dark Disquiet is, as you all know, used in Remedy‘s latest brilliant game: Control. I have not a full grasp on the story yet, for I am a hopelessly slow player… and I die pretty much around every corner of The Oldest House… The video is obviously very much inspired by the game itself and to get an understanding of the story, well you might need to have played the game a few times before watching. Motivation enough to play further and not give up in the face of the Hiss (THE villain as I understand it). That being said, it was not so long ago that Marko Saaresto admitted not having had time to play the game, yet he wrote the video’s story in collaboration with Miika Hakala of course… anyway, go figure… insider information I suppose 😛

There are many references to the game, and a fellow fan from Poets of the Fall Nation seems to have had a fun time tracking them. I don’t want to paraphrase, but there is one thing he wrote that was very interesting to me considering the role music has played – and is still playing – in my life. *** GAME SPOILER *** it seems that in the game, My Dark Disquiet is used as an experiment to find out the emotional impact on the listener (subject of the experiment) *** END OF GAME SPOILER *** and thank you Lucas, hopefully I understood your take on this correctly!

Music for mind control?

Music as an instrument to create certain feelings in people. It is well known that it is easier to control and manipulate people who are feeling down, angry, desperate etc. What if, as the game suggests, there was such a song… but here is the rub – as Alastor Moody would say – what if the song was possessed? Then it is not the song doing the control but rather what’s possessing it… In the case of the game, a malevolent entity such as the Hiss… could be, and how I do you fight such malevolence? What would the Hiss stand for then?

People use tools for control, power etc. not the other way around… dark painting indeed, the corrupting power of power.

“We are marionettes by strings animated”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet

Puppet Maestro

Captain’s role looks to me like he controls and sees all… he orchestrates the madness, both musically and visually. It is very much a metaphor as he is a maestro; still I love the virtual aspect of the scenes he is in, and he is hidden under a hood, sunglasses… behind the screens. He can virtually do anything. Reminds you of anything? This anonymity that gives a so-called freedom of being whomever… not to mention behavioural traits, but let’s not go there.

Music as a portal

On a more personal touch maybe, why is it that music influences us so much? The melody of words strengthened by endless chords, aggressive/soothing rhythm are what pushes our buttons. The frequencies carrying the musicians’ emotions through invisible webs of waves meeting our every movements… and we relate, over and over because we all are the sum of our experiences, and as we relate, we react at that moment because the chord struck a chord. Something hidden re-surfaced and became so loud that it is unbearable. Still… we think we react to the music. Music is our portal to let out the madness within, without shame and embrace the darkness if only for a brief moment.

Chords

Where do they fit in the story? Unless they stand for who they are which brings balance to the storytelling in some ways… we cannot be all mad, or the world would … already there? oh well… If think about it though, the energy that comes from Olli and Jaska is strength, confidence while I get this soothing calmness coming from Jani. I don’t know if it is made on purpose, but it is how they make me feel.

Madness within

Photo by Tiia Öhman

Have you noticed that Marko looks precisely as he does in False Kings? His face, with half “normal” half “mad”… I love the symbolic even if it might not be the meaning behind that particular choice of make-up. I guess I see what wanna see. The choice makes sense though…

“We are false kings and bastards”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet

If you look closer at his outfit in the video, it reminds me a little of his character in Choice Millionaire, handing out the Hopecatcher (I’ll show you mine if you show me yours) as the key to the world… outside the machine…

“the sweet corrupting reality”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet

There are a few scenes, during My Dark Disquiet,that make me think of the particular idea of the liberator… or was he about to become the Puppet Master? … so many possible interpretations… Whether Marko stands for the liberator in My Dark Disquiet and whether such entity is benevolent or malevolent… I guess it is only a point of view because we all have a choice.

“I’m ready to fight to run from the light”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet

Another character, closer to home maybe, Marko from Drama for Life… not so obvious, but by the end of the video, for a split second he made me think of the circle of candles scene by the way he moves… so I stand by the madness within. The question is: do we let it out? Always the same question…

“We are momentary masters”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet

Brick wall

Jari‘s character is puzzling… is he playing the experimenter as being part of the music, is he one whose emotions are tested… his outfit, a bit in shambles… no smiling… a brick wall. Is he a prisoner? He could be that he represents the resistance or the hurt. He brings a such a contrast to the madness and yet… he’s interesting.

We are all both dark and light, sane and mad… dreamers and down-to-earth… what do we do with that if we cannot embrace both? Maybe the trick is to Take Control so that we don’t need to control ourselves, but rather be ourselves. In such a world, creative madness ruled by songs, plays, movies… fantasy, brings such comfort and strength. Let the emotions flow and let My Dark Disquiet boost your madness.

“These are mad times, MAD!”
– Professor Slughorn

Who would you be: Jesse or the blond lady? Or would you be a marionette already?

Last words…

“SHUT UP!!!”
– Poets of the Fall, My Dark Disquiet video


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