Longing for atonement?
Following on from my little discovery regarding the Linkin Park track Numb (see previous post) I think there's probably more to mention about this band. They're a really intriguing phenomenon. Some of their early stuff felt a bit like manufactured angryness and the videos and dress code also seemed a trifle 'attention-seeking'. But they've always had something special which now seems to be really coming to the fore. Take for instance their new single What I've Done, it's the latest in a long line of releases that revolve around the expression of a deep need to find a peace beyond the human condition. There are a lot of so-called Christian bands out there in secular space who would be scared stiff of writing a song expresing such overt spiritual angst - which may be why they never really get anywhere (the Christian bands that is, not Linkin Park!).
What do you make of it?
Read the lyrics here >>>
6 comments:
brilliant. i think you should also check out In The End also by Linkin Park as well, the lyrics aren't as, well, striking as this track but it has helped me express where i'm at in the last few years.
you have to take the lyrics a certain way for it to make sense - i took 'in the end it doesn't even matter' to mean that despite whatever i have or haven't done, grace will sort it. anyway, this just made me think of it. i need to get hold of some more of their stuff.
dev
Just to be antaonistic
i don't think linkin park are anything that special and there have always been the talk of one or more them being christians
musically they are following tracks well walked my many before them, from they're start as the band that hearlded the end of th nu-metal music craze to now buying differnt shapped guitars new amps, using less distortion and writting bassically the same songs again using differnt sounds trying to dress more like a indie band.all been done before more interesstingly
as much as the lyrics might be a slight change of directions i still find them to be full of same old vaguely spiritual, lowest common denominater we wanna sell millions of records so say nothing and offend no one trippe.
I think there are some christian artistis expressing much more interessting, less individualised and honest spiritual angst than this, unfortunatly rageing against the machine doesn't sell as many records as whining about nothing with a well made video
Dev - that's for stoppin' by - The End was the first Linkin Park track I ever heard and I was instantly struck by it.
Matt - I think you are probably much more of a muso than I am and you're probably much more aware of the bredth of the scene to be able to place this track in a wider context. I wonder if you could maybe point me in the direction of some Christian groups who are "expressing much more interesting, less individualised and honest spiritual angst than this".
I'm sorry my muso self has a tendency to jump out and attack with out warning, its not very polite and quiet self righteous (comes from growing up with punks for friends) Also I'm very sorry this might be long.
although quiet christian (somehow in my musical vocab this usually is a very negative thing)
the american band switchfoot i think are a very interesting case study
I started justifying this choice and giving some examples but it got to long
instead i;ve put a blog post up on my own sight talking about the spiritual angst in their music
check it out here
http://matybigfro.blogspot.com/2007/05/switchfoot-voice-of-spiritual-angst.html
azlyrics sucks!
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