Songs of our times that remind you of LOTR...

I'd have to say:

Planxty Noel Hill by The Pogues (very hobbity)
Sgt MacKenzie by Joseph Kilna MacKenzie
I'll Go With You from the We Were Soldiers soundtrack
Streets of London by Ralph McTell aswell

[Encaitare]

Nightwish's "Away" has a sort of sad elvish feel to it:

The days were brighter
Gardens more blooming
The nights had more hope
In their silence
The wild was calling
Wishes were whispering
The time was there
But without a meaning

Away, away in time
Every dream´s a journey away
Away to a home away from care
Everywhere´s just a journey away

The days departed
Gardens deserted
This frail world
My only rest ?

The wild calls no more
Wishes so hollow
The Barefoot Boy
weeping in an empty night

Away, away in time
Every dream´s a journey away
Away to a home away from care
Everywhere´s just a journey away

Cherish the moment
Tower the skies
Don´t let the dreamer
fade to grey like grass

No falling for life
A gain for every loss
Time gathered me
But kept me flying

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

The Icelandic band Sigur Rós make the most Elvish music I know.

Also I've recently become more aware of the plethora of metal bands who reference Tolkien. There's Isengard and Gorgoroth, and just the other day I got a free CD with a track by a band called Battle Lore called 'Troll Shaws'.

That whole Battle Metal genre is just mad.

There's a Scots band called Belle & Sebastian, who recount a discussion about The Lord of the Rings in the inlay of one of their albums. They were asking which towers were the Two Towers (interestingly, they only mentioned four of them and left out the tower I always argue for: Cirith Ungol ).

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

The Icelandic band Sigur Rós make the most Elvish music I know.

Eomer, a post like that sends me scrambling to Amazon for samples-- but I must have chosen the wrong samples. I don't understand why you hear elves in their music from the samples I chose; so-- Hint me here! Which songs/ albums are you referring to? And what about them strikes you as elvish/ elvishness?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

There's a Scots band called Belle & Sebastian, who recount a discussion about The Lord of the Rings in the inlay of one of their albums.

Which album? I've not seen that - mind you, I gave up on looking at album sleeve notes when they stopped doing vinyl as it just lost all the excitement.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Which album? I've not seen that - mind you, I gave up on looking at album sleeve notes when they stopped doing vinyl as it just lost all the excitement.

It's on the Dear Catastrophe Waitress CD. I call such comments "liner notes" but then I go back to vinyl. They are signed "Stuart" and dated 21st July '03.

The subject moves around the 'The Two Towers.'

"I mean, what were the Two Towers anyway? In the film it makes out they were Saruman's bit and Sauron's bit. I always thought it was meant to be Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul."

I kind of agree with him. That would make the most poetic sense. There are four towers to choose from though. Orthanc, Morgul, Tirith and Garad-Dur.

"I'm surprised Tolkien didn't give the Hobbits a tower as well."

Well they had a sort of mound.

They (sic) are twelve ways you can pick two towers from four, right? Pick one from four and then one from the remaining. Three times four is twelve....I got to get out more. But I am out! Maybe I've got to stay in.

I wouldn't put too much stock in that as the notes are all a bit random really. Maybe just a bit like the attitude of some here. Scotch that. It's all random. I was told where to hang if I wanted to meet them when I was in Glasgow. But I saw them here. Great performance, fun, whimsical, entertaining, interactive. Nothing about Tolkien there unless you'd want to consider the performance a bit Hobbitish.

Originally Posted by mark12_30

I don't understand why you hear elves in their music from the samples I chose; so-- Hint me here! Which songs/ albums are you referring to? And what about them strikes you as elvish/ elvishness?

I won't answer for Eomer but I certainly hear the elves in Siggur Ros' CD ( ). It is first of all very emotionally evocative music. But I hear plaintive longing for times past all wrapped up with keening about a poignant loss that is about to come. Maybe it's something circum-polar, to do with the midnight sun and lightless days.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Bêthberry's post has made my reply quite redundant.

It's true that there's nothing Tolkien-esque about Belle & Sebastian. The Two Towers bit made me laugh, though.

And yes, as regards Sigur Rós, I am chiefly thinking of the albums () and Ágætis byrjun. I think the music is quite otherworldly and more beautiful than anything I've ever heard. About the Elvish comment; I'm not actually too fond of the music that the films used for the Elves. I think it's hard to find the criticism, but it seems as though they were trying too hard to 'put it on', if you see what I mean. It seemed a bit fake, just a little bit tiresome. Sigur Ros make me 'see' Elves, whereas the Elves' theme in the movies just makes me think of Liv Tyler.

Ba ba ti ki di do is less Elvish and I have not heard Von.