One of my favorite musical groups is VNV Nation.  As a fan of industrial, synthpop, electronica, and "goth" music of its many niche labels I can't keep track of because I'm not cool, one thing I love about VNV Nation is that its lyrics can be quite supportive and positive for "goth music".  As much as Nine Inch Nails will always be an old favorite and remind me of being a teenager, I can only listen to a rich famous white guy sing about how awful life is for one album before I've gotten my fix for a couple of months.

Last summer, I had a chance to see two amazing shows.  Peter Murphy, at god-knows-how-old-he-is, put on one hell of a performance in San Francisco last June.  In Seattle in July, I saw VNV Nation for the first time, and they tied Murphy for best live show I've ever seen.  It's inspiring for me to see performers who've been around a while who still give 110% to their fans and look like they truly love the fuck out of every minute of what they're doing.

Off VNV Nation's latest album, Of Faith, Power, and Glory, there's one song I have listened to many times in two months: Verum Æternus.  I think it's a lovely ode to outsiders and people who go through hard times - especially the first stanza - so I'm going to leave you with it as I skitter off to Mexico for a week to try and relieve some of the stress problems I've been dealing with lately.

If you and I had been
Anything less than these tormented souls
We would never have gone so far
To become what we are

If you and I had never seen the world
Through the eyes of a child
We would never have wanted to stop time
Sleepers passing by

If you and I had been anything less
Than these disenfranchised minds
We would have looked the other way
As we passed each other by

And for the things I know
From the broken, all I ask
Is to look beyond this place
Stop staring at the ground
Thinking only what went wrong

I know there are days
Too dark or hard to take
I hope you know
This is just one day you have to face
This is not the whole of your life

This is one day
This is one day
This is one day
One day out of the whole of your life
One day out of the whole of your life