Absolution
I was listening to the album 'Absolution' by Muse this afternoon. Every time I listen to music I notice different things, and what struck me this time was: do people really feel such morbid obsession and hatred for one another, or is it just in songs and movies? I dunno, it doesn't seem like real life to me. Maybe I just haven't talked to the right people.
Or maybe it's just that rock music lends itself to extremes of passion, even if they're unrealistic - which probably means manufacturing or exaggerating these feelings at times, or at any rate dwelling disproportionately on them. In fact, the kind of behaviour portrayed in these songs is so obviously stupid, that it almost seems like the lyrics must be satirical, at least in part.
I was talking to my brother once, a few years ago, about why he doesn't like Christian music. Basically his point was that he likes rock music, as in the style, when it is really excellent, and that you can only achieve excellence in such an emotional, over-the-top art form through associating it with over-the-top emotion. Good and healthy emotions just don't suit the style; they suit calm and balance and beauty. Not that you can't have balance and beauty in rock music - some of 'Absolution' is exquisite, musically; but you can't really have calm.
Tom felt that trying to fit Christian ideas into this genre requires an uber-enthusiasm that just comes across as cheesy. Either that or it ends up putting a skew on theology by focussing on excitement, where this is not really what it's about. Rock music is obsession, Tom thought, and you can't be obsessed with goodness; you can only be earnest, which is very different. Religion can be obsessive - hence a lot of rock music has religious elements (eg the title 'Absolution'); but religion is a distortion of faith.
I'm not trying to make any comment about whether this means we should or shouldn't listen to rock music - that conversation has been done to death on previous occasions. In fact I'm not sure where I wish to direct the discussion. So I'll just leave it at that.
Or maybe it's just that rock music lends itself to extremes of passion, even if they're unrealistic - which probably means manufacturing or exaggerating these feelings at times, or at any rate dwelling disproportionately on them. In fact, the kind of behaviour portrayed in these songs is so obviously stupid, that it almost seems like the lyrics must be satirical, at least in part.
I was talking to my brother once, a few years ago, about why he doesn't like Christian music. Basically his point was that he likes rock music, as in the style, when it is really excellent, and that you can only achieve excellence in such an emotional, over-the-top art form through associating it with over-the-top emotion. Good and healthy emotions just don't suit the style; they suit calm and balance and beauty. Not that you can't have balance and beauty in rock music - some of 'Absolution' is exquisite, musically; but you can't really have calm.
Tom felt that trying to fit Christian ideas into this genre requires an uber-enthusiasm that just comes across as cheesy. Either that or it ends up putting a skew on theology by focussing on excitement, where this is not really what it's about. Rock music is obsession, Tom thought, and you can't be obsessed with goodness; you can only be earnest, which is very different. Religion can be obsessive - hence a lot of rock music has religious elements (eg the title 'Absolution'); but religion is a distortion of faith.
I'm not trying to make any comment about whether this means we should or shouldn't listen to rock music - that conversation has been done to death on previous occasions. In fact I'm not sure where I wish to direct the discussion. So I'll just leave it at that.
posted by Kat | 6/22/2005 03:28:00 pm
1 Comments:
I've listened to absolution many a time, and I never picked up the whole hatred for one another. Are you sure its really hatred? I pick up a lot of angst, a lot of pain, a lot of defiance, but for some reason, hate doesn't come across as strong to me as it seems to for you. Anger maybe, but hate? I dunno.
Perhaps I'm giving them the benifit of the doubt? Or that I see hysteria and stockholm syndrome as exceptions rather than the rule?
Maybe I'll go listen to absolution again.
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