SOUNDTRACK: ENYA-“Echoes in the Rain” (2015).
One of the running jokes in this series is that Daisy’s favorite musician is Enya.
So why not add an Enya song to the soundtrack here?
Enya has released eight albums over the last twenty years. Her sound is instantly recognizable and distinctive. The impressive thing about her is that if you give some time to her songs you can see just how much diversity there is in these songs that sound vaguely the same.
This song, from her latest album features those same synthy strings, layered and soft as they pulse through the melody. And of course, he layered soft voice running through the melody.
The biggest surprise to me in this song is that the chorus is simply Alleluia repeated over and over (with a kind of weird 80s repeat on her voice on one of them). I’ve never known her to have overtly religious lyric in her songs (of course I don’t know her music that well, so maybe she has lots of them). The verse is also a bit less soothing than usual–like the words are very distinctive and clear and make you think more about what she is saying rather than the feeling the song evokes.
There’s also a piano solo (sort of) in the middle of the song. This intrusion of an acoustic instrument (not soft and echoed like everything else) is kind of jarring.
All in all, it’s a lovely song fitting in with her other songs pretty well, although I tend to prefer her earlier singles for a total chillout.
[READ: January 21, 2020] Giant Days Vol. 6
Book six covers the Fall semester in the students’ second year at school. It takes us up through Christmas and a few new (sort of) characters get a lot of story time (to very good effect).
It is also a time of tempestuous love and solitary death (not one of the main characters).
But the honeymoon of Esther, Susan and Daisy’s brand new flat doesn’t last long because…
Chapter 21
They are robbed! After an instinctual freaking out, they deal things in their own way–Esther attacks the room with her karate, Susan crafts a weapon out of a broom and knives, and Daisy tells the robber they can work it out–no harm no foul. Of course the robber is long gone, but at least we have that established. There is humor to be had though, Esther says that whoever stole Susan’s laptop is likely to catch typhoid from her keyboard. But Daisy is the most upset because the only items she had left from her parents–some pieces of jewelry–were also stolen.
The police come and Susan assures them they have reset their passwords “some of our new security questions answers aren’t even true” (I love this series).
They see their creepy old neighbor watching them. Susan introduces herself and he says he knows who they are. He’s seen them, but he saw nothing. Daisy even wonders if maybe he broke in.
They decide to get their stuff back buy going to a bar. But first Ed Gemmel needs to show “two naive idiots” Roadhouse. They are stunned by the intensity.
To prep for the bar, Esther can’t look like a goth princess and Daisy poofs her hair into a hilarious afro. She also “tattoos”on her knuckles: ENYA. Susan: “No no no.” Then the reveal. BEAT ENYA.
They do get their stuff back (through no help of their own) but “one of the laptops had been exposed to some unknown contaminants and was destroyed in a controlled explosion.” Ha!
Chapter 22
sees the return of the intense German student Ingrid, Daisy’s one time crush. Daisy doesn’t know what to do about her ..shes never even held hands with a woman in public! But Ingrid has plans for our Daisy. A night of debauchery and crazy parties. The night is so intense that even though Daisy promises to never do anything like that again, she also leans in and gives Ingrid a huge kiss right in the street. This starts a new young love that is as intense as it is chaotic. Soon Daisy is an exhausted wreck.
In the other two stories, Susan is tired of walking up the hills, so she buys a scooter… which she has no idea how to ride. And Esther applies for a job at the local comic book shop.
Chapter 23
is post Halloween and Esther is bummed “because taking down the Halloween decorations is always so sad. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
The girls decide to throw a dinner party. They could invite Ed Gemmell, McGraw, McGraw’s girlfriend, Ingrid, even the old man from next door. Susan is less than thrilled of course. But Susan is dealing with a terrifying cough so that’s taking up most of her time.
When Daisy goes around to invite Ed Gemmel, Dean overhears and invites himself.
Esther slides a note under the door of the creepy neighbor. He opens it and shows her in. She is in love with all of his taxidermy. He does not come to the party, though.
The party is pretty funny as Ingrid bluntly asks Dean all kinds of questions about his comic book geek love–who would win in a fight between Hulk and Wolverine (and he has a lengthy answer). But she also gives a toast that with McGraw’s new girlfriend there. it can’t be easy for Susan, but we must get on with things. What a party.
Chapter 24
finds Susan so sick that she cannot speak. The roommates have a fun time interpreting her garble “I’m only becoming a doctor so I can write prescriptions for myself?”
The phone rings and it’s Susan’s dad. Daisy tell him Susan is sick and he says he’ll be right there. Susan’s dad is a big guy with longish hair and mustache (very 1980’s) and he moves right in. They ply him with beer and ask all kinds of questions about Susan’s childhood. And hes still there three weeks later.
Although he stinks up the bathroom something brutal, his cooking more than makes up for it.
Susan’s dad also comes in handy when they realize that the crabby neighbor has not picked up his milk in a week. He walks in a finds the old man dead.
Esther and Daisy admit it is paradise but they know he can’t stay there. They are grown women and their independence. And Susan, well, Susan is snuggling with stuffed animals and painting her nails (gasp).
When Susan says it’s time for him to go, her dad admits that he and her mum had a fight and hes sleeping in the caravan (again).
Well that can’t bode well for…Christmas!
This series continues to delight me. I’, so happy there are so many books left to read!
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