Feeling? Good

In honour of the fact that I check Jeff's blog every day and he never updates, I am going to write about some of my favourite bands, and reveal what my (current) favourite song is.

Fave Bands (in no particular order, except for the final two...my second favourite is second last, and my favourite is listed last)(just cuz I want to keep you suspense)(mwa har):
Jars of Clay - I like that the music styles from Jars of Clay have changed on nearly every album. What has always struck me about them is that they are always looking at God through many different points of view. Sometimes they are praising, and sometimes they are questioning. My favourite album of theirs is Much Afraid, their second release. On that albums there are songs that seem to be searching, as though they are not sure what God is doing or where He is. And then it finishes off with the song Hymn, which is one of the better worship songs I've heard in a long time, and I wish churches would (could?) play it during church services.

U2 - They have spent a career in the secular world, looking at God through those eyes. I think that Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is an amazingly honest song, one that is far more accurate for most Christians than most worship songs. It talks of belief and faith and yet acknowledges the fact that sometimes, despite all of that, God still remains hidden. He promises to reveal Himself to us, but He does not promise a time line. Numb is probably my favourite song of theirs, and it also speaks to how I feel about God and faith...sometimes, there is just so much thrown at us that I end up feeling numb. Their strength has always been their lyrics, in my opinion. Their music has been solid, though many acknowledge that they should have perhaps grown as musicians more than they have, but when you listen to what the songs are about you can see their hearts displayed on their sleeves.

DC Talk - Though they are not together anymore, I agree with my friend Peter Ralph who says that DC Talk is the pinnacle of Christian music. Honestly, I don't really listen to much Christian music, (despite the bands listed here so far) but DC Talk got it right. They were honest without being overly preachy and pushy, and they put together fun music. I went to a concert of theirs and it was awesome. It was ten years ago and I still remember it (including what shirts Kevin Max (a black button up shirt with white circles on it - like giant zeros) and Michael Tait (a red long sleeve shirt, kinda tight) wore). Jesus Freak is a song that cannot be listened to quietly, and if I tried I could still do the rap from Luv is a Verb. I miss them.

Talking Heads - I first came across this band in high school, either grade nine or ten English, when we studied one of their songs in poetry analysis (the song was (Nothing But) Flowers), and I remember thoroughly enjoying the music when it was played for us, and finding the lyrics interesting (the song talks about how everything has returned to nature and how much he misses the 7-11s, and other conveniences). I came across them again five or six years later and realised that I liked every song of theirs that I heard. They were a band from the late 70s to the early 90s. They came out of the early punk scene, though they are not punk. I enjoy their different look at life, and how they manage the lyrics and music together as a whole. There are songs where the words are in many ways gibberish (as admitted by their lead singer David Byrne), but they were crafted as a part of the music to achieve an emotion, which is something that music can do in a way that is possible in no other medium. But then other songs are taking life and looking at it from a 45 degree angle. David Byrne's vocals are so unusual (not unique (though they are), but unusual. It is a much more apt word) and they make the words as much music as the guitar he sometimes plays. And if you ever see them in concert, his awkwardness is evident, and it also seems to become part of the music. Honestly, they are nearly my favourite band, only barely beat out by...

Our Lady Peace - What has always caught my attention about this band is their lyrics. Their songs are always seeking, always questioning, always looking for answers. I do not agree with the conclusions which they reach, not always, but at the same time, I find it much more honest than most Christian music. They look at the world and say "This sucks. Why? And what can we do?" It would have been easy for them to be a typical teenage-oriented whiner band, but they have continued to grow and seek while remaining accessible to teenagers and adults alike. I think my favourite lyric of theirs comes from the song Thief a song written about a boy in the hospital with cancer: "I don't want to hear who walked on water..." In a time of deep sorrow and pain, he does not want to hear about God. There is a part of me that feels like I should be offended or even dismissive (well he obviously has no idea). But the truth is, that lyric is brilliant because it shows how supposedly comforting words can become like bitter ash in his ears. He is going through pain as his son dies (it was not about his actual son, but that is how I always look at the song) and someone says to him "don't worry, God obviously loves you and just wants to enjoy your son". How empty and useless is that at such a time. The honest questions of OLP always inspires me. When I write, I hope that I am able to seek the truth like they do. They are solid musically and Raine Maida has an unusual and unique voice (though he has gotten away from it somewhat in later years, which does not make them any worse) and a unique perspective on life.

Honourable Mention: B-52s, Weird Al Yankovic, Wide Mouth Mason, Barenaked Ladies - all good bands that I enjoy.

Top Song:
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) by The The Talking Heads - This song always stirs an emotion in me. It is a musically simple song (the Naive Melody part of the title refers to the fact that the music is basically the same pattern for the entire thing - i.e. the guitar part is the same rhythm and two or three chords for the entire five minutes, even the chorus), but very poignant. It is a love song, but not a cheesy, sappy, lewd, sad, or boring love song. This is how I want love to be. It is not all about passion or sex or feelings. It is comfort and satisfaction, friendship and kindness, tender and longing, and their is a hint of bittersweetness about it, knowing that it is not permanent (even if love lasts until death, it is still interrupted by death...I may have great hope and promises for life beyond death, but my finite human mind cannot comprehend anything beyond what I experience here on earth, so any thought of that ending and changing is at best bittersweet). The opening line is "Home. Is where I want to be..." That is love - Home.


On an unrelated note, has it occurred to anyone that text messaging is basically a way of sending sophisticated telegrams? Progress is moving backwards...