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A podcast centered on going beyond the music to dissect song lyrics and how they relate to philosophy, data, anecdotes, current events, and more. What does these songs have to say about the world and what does that mean for our lives? It's a music podcast for academics. It's a TEDx series for punk rockers. We focus primarily on lyric-driven artists of all genres.
21 Episodes
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In western society, freedom has become an idol for all sides of the political spectrum. We are individualist. We are self-defined. But are we better off for it? Today, we explore how a worldview of being created beings gives us a unique predicament - to be fully known and fully loved means we must first be exposed. But this temporary discomfort is naught in light of greater joy by realizing our true purpose and design.
Justice is a critical topic in our present moment, but how much justice can we actually accomplish? We explore the philosophical roots of what it takes to have an effective moral standard that actually allows us to facilitate change in some way that matters as well as pitfalls of relativism and materialistic worldviews.
In all of our debates of society and even in-fighting with those of our own ideologies, we're inevitably locked into a shared culture behind it all. But is it possible to reform the system, or does real change happen by laying a new foundation? What should community look like in a world of convenience? We tackle all of this and more as we look at the new Adjy record.
Inconveniences and trials of all sorts plague our lives; we are fixated on our myopic take on life, unaware or unconcerned for how these same circumstances might affect others. Today, we look at J Lind's "Letter to the Editor" and see how taking control of our thoughts can free us from complaint and comparison.
Here's a bummer episode to kill your holiday vibe. Today, we look at grief from a different angle, one not necessarily of guilt or absence but one of trying to make sense of our own identities of the loss of our loved ones. After all, we're all gonna die.
Today's episode is a bit straightforward - we unpack the process and significance behind Wind Words' latest themed project, Minor Prophets. The project was envisioned in pre-pandemic 2020, but the circumstances of the year, augmented by political divisions and plenty of pain and frustration brought to light more clearly, gave these texts a particularly relevant tone. These 'tracks' are reflections of the songs and the result of wrestling with what these prophets had to say to a corrupt culture - as well as a reminder of God's pursuit for His Beloved all the same. Ultimately, we conclude that these lesser-read texts are still timely for us today.
Today's episode covers a very emotional track about real stories of spiritual abuse, neglect, and manipulation. Some of it is charismatic. Some of it involves overt hypocrisy. Faith healers, false prophecies, and absent fathers. But in this song, we're reminded God meets us in pain and is not defined by those who represent Him falsely. More importantly, we're part of the problem, too. Join us as we explore this classic song!
As art has become more corporate and commercial, we've lost some sense of humanity here. And while usually listeners are to blame for taking artists for granted, artists also feel the guilt of exploiting listeners. We look at this post-hardcore band's magnum opus album to investigate how the complexity of marketing, integrity, utility, and art.
On our first conceptual album breakdown, we tackle this challenging and emotional classic released in 2016. It's an album about grief, but it's not merely one of playing the victim. Frontman Jeremy Bolm writes from an honest perspective of his own failures and misplaced priorities. It's an album of earnest wrestling that might not give us clear answers on how to overcome our own grief, but it definitely gives us a candid look at one account of grief that might at least help us frame our our thoughts.
Contemporary Christian music - one of the topics that seems to be divisive in many church circles. But the dark underbelly is that Nashville songwriters behind pop and country favorites are the same people behind palatable, positive spiritual pop. Are artists like Lauren Daigle, Chris Tomlin, and TobyMac harmless and inspiring? Or is there compromise on the Gospel? Derek Webb is no stranger to the industry and presents us with a "parody" worship song - one that is eerily similar to what many artists churn out. Let's unpack some concerns surrounding this reality.
On this episode, we sit down with Chase Tremaine, a Nashville-based songwriter with a new album out this year. We live in a state of complex relational dynamics, where we either deceive others or ourselves in order to manipulate people and situations to our advantage. Even good intention can result in bad results. We explore this complexity and more as we look at Chase's song "Developments", one of the thematic centerpieces to his sophomore LP.
On our Good Friday special, we explore a topic that can feel routine and boring. When viewing Jesus' life through a Hallmark lens, we see a good teacher who had a few issues with the authorities of the day. But the reality is much more powerful. Today, we look at how God forfeits the glory of heaven to enter into a broken world and live a life wrought with greater and greater challenges - and how this is a beautiful message much of the world has yet to hear.
We live in an age of convenience, one where we are distanced from how our tax dollars are spent and the conditions of where our clothes come from. And while technology affords us many benefits, it has also numbed us. The state of instant gratification has created a sense of entitlement which is simply fuel on the fire of the American savior complex in international affairs. Today, we look at what it means to have an awareness of a global humanity and how bipartisan effort continues to fail in resolving deep-seated national issues.
There's a crisis where millions of children are raised in single-parent families, many led by young mothers who toil to support their families. Children also suffer in this process, often feeling neglected or unwanted. Today's song dives into one account of fatherlessness and a stunning show of love in light of damage done. How should this challenge us to respond to single parents in our own lives? How do we react to those who've harmed us?
An alarming number of people are finding themselves with fewer strong ties and community support. A staggering amount of men lack friends they truly trust, and many hypermasculine stereotypes of being stoic and not showing signs of weakness continue to be damaging, leaving many to suffer alone with nowhere to turn. We unpack this and more as we dive into Abandon Kansas' "Alligator", a song rife with uncomfortable honesty that arguably set the standard for how we should approach talking about our own struggles.
This is a bit of a trial as I get used to a new microphone that opens up the ability to record remotely or while on the move. These are candid, unedited thoughts on how marketing has changed as music has become decentralized, why Tiktok and Patreon are better than spending money on ads, and why the saturated creative space resulting in competitive pressures that force artists to think outside the box.
When I first head Eager Seas' (at the time, Lakes) Fire Ahead, I wondered how anyone could love their home state so much. On today's episode, we explore migration trends over the past few decades while diving into a track that feels like the album's thesis statement as we wrestle with how much of our childhood environment impacts us today.
One set of folks raise the banner of "Your best life now" - leave no desire unfulfilled and no pleasure untasted. Do more, BE more. Rest in your own efforts and work until you've sorted things out. The other side says to hide away from anything that might lure or corrupt, even if that means leaving friends, family, and the world at large behind. But maybe there's a better way, one that's neither hedonistic nor monastic.
There has been an interesting trend in popular songs using "churchy" language. Hozier had "Take Me to Church". Pop country takes about church being nothing more than listening to the radio in your car. Now, Justin Bieber has returned with "Holy", a track that seems to sum up this trend's influence. Should we simply take it at face value or is there more here than would seem? Let's explore together.
On this episode, we take a look at humanity's attempts to build the ideal society, the role of democracy, and the shifting ideals that both heroes and villains seem to employ. Have we even progressed morally or are we repeating the same mistakes as those before us?
Resources mentioned on this episode:
-Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting
-The Everlasting Man
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