What I've Been Up To

So, I went to visit my cousins in Georgia last week for the fourth of July and found myself right in the middle of Redneck Nation.  I hope the citizens of Jasper County, GA don't mind me saying that, but it is definitely true.    

 Here's an example of the culture shock I experienced when visiting Jackson Lake:

Yes, this is a VW bug attached to a dissembled boat...

This is pretty self-explanatory.

This is less self-explanatory.  It is actually the underside of a deer's tail, as we were later told by  a local.  The facial features were added by the taxidermist.  I am not making this up.

Now, I know that it seems like I'm making fun of this lifestyle, but the truth is that I wish I grew up in the South.  I mean, geographically I was raised 7 hours south of "The South", but Tampa may as well be New York City in comparison to the backwoods of Georgia.  They all have a southern accent, impeccable manners, and aren't the least concerned about living in an area where Rattlesnake Repellent is commonplace.  I'm a little embarrassed, but I thought that a fishing weight was a bullet.  Like, for a gun.  Think about that.

I wish that I didn't feel awkward when I sing along to a country song with a fake accent.  I wish I wasn't terrified that my boyfriend had a tick when we came back from Georgia.  According to Brad Paisley, ticks are pretty normal and even a little sexual.  The first time I went to a gun range was a week ago.  I guess I'm just not all that well-rounded.

Either way, this is what I've been listening to lately.  A lot of it is country (what I listened to in Georgia) and some of it isn't.  I guess the moral of this blog is that Florida is an odd place in relation to the states that surround it.  Music crosses cultural boundaries in a way that I find important as I get older and experience new things.

1) Unorthodox Jukebox- Bruno Mars.  My favorite tracks are: "Locked Out of Heaven", "Gorilla", "Natalie", and "If I Knew".  It's just a great album, I'm a really big fan.

2) Blue- Malbec.  I have a weird habit of downloading soundtracks, and this song is featured in "My Best Friend's Girl".  I've never seen the movie, but the song is just adorable.

3) Don't Ya- Brett Eldredge.  This is just a cute song that makes me dance.  Also I've made a very keen observation that Brett Eldredge looks a lot like Josh Dallas (aka Prince Charming on "Once Upon A Time").  Exhibit A:

Nailed it.

4) Geraldine- Glasvegas.  This showed up on my playlist and I remembered how much I love it.  Sometimes social workers are just inspiring enough to write a song about.  This is a song I think everybody should know.

5) Good Directions- Billy Currington.  This is one of my favorite country artists, and it has almost nothing to do with his gorgeous face.  

 6) Madness- Muse.  I've always loved Muse, but this song is one of their best thus far.  That's saying a lot, too.                                                                                                                                       7) Me Me Me- Lars and the Hands of Light.  I discovered this song in Hollister, believe it or not.  Great things happen when buying gift cards for your cousin's birthday.  It's fantastic, that's all there is to it.                                                                                                                                                                                                 8) Subterranean Homesick Blues- Bob Dylan.  I think this song is pretty underrated, especially because the music video is iconic.  I just want to learn all the words and quote it on a daily basis.  That's not too much to ask.

9) Could It Be- Charlie Worsham.  Another cute country song that is pretty forgettable, but when I hear it I'll sing along and be instantly happy.  Also I'm pretty confident that Charlie Worsham looks a lot like Judd Nelson (aka John Bender from "The Breakfast Club").  Exhibit B:

This is another similarity that nobody else seems to see, but one day my genius for seeing doppelgangers will be realized.  I digress.

10. It Goes Like This- Thomas Rhett.  It's a cute little song that goes well with driving home from work on a Wednesday night.  It goes well with most everything.  Side note: I'm pretty satisfied with the number of attractive country singers that have recently produced music videos. 

Yeezus and other Religious Musings

I am a practicing Christian.

People immediately jump to conclusions about me based on this fact.  Possibly, I am a terrible follower of Jesus due to the music I listen to, the lifestyle I lead, and the opinions I have.  Either that or I am a terrible music critic because I obviously believe that the only credible music in the eyes of God is gospel.  This is not, however, how I feel.

I believe God has put musicians on earth to show that He is accessible through many mediums. That means he can even be heard through the writing of non-believers, you just have to hear it and feel it.  Note:  This is conditional to the specific musician and the personal beliefs of the listener, just like anything else in the world.  What I believe brings me closer to God may not to the next person and visa versa.

You may be thinking that this is my way to justify my music taste in the eyes of God.  You are right.  I'm sure that I listen to songs that He would not approve of, but that does not define the quality of a relationship.  That's all I will say about that.

All of this being said,

I am sure that musicians have an equally hard time justifying the music they write with their faith. This is a universal problem.  A prime example, as stated in the title of this post, is the new album Yeezus by Kanye West.  It is no secret that he is my favorite rapper.  To those that know me very well it is also no secret that I can recite "Jesus Walks" line for line.  I do, however, find fault in this album due to the conflicting ideas between his Christianity and the content of some songs. 

 I will be the first to say that music should not be censored or watered down, but does that mean that it should even have super explicit content in the first place?  There is a line of what is acceptable for every person, which I understand, but what is the line for Kanye West, a self-professed Christian?  I don't know if there is one, because in this album he actually equates himself to God in a way that I personally am uncomfortable with.

Now, all of this moral hoo-haa aside, what do I think of the album?  What do I think of the actual music?  Can the morality and the artistry be separated at all?  I don't know if I have answers to all of those questions, but I am going to state my personal opinions with each song I feel is notable.

I hope it's very obvious by now that I don't think or want everyone to agree with me, but I'm putting it in cyberspace because it's a controversial subject that is worth at least considering.  Plus I love Kanye.

1. On Sight- From a secular point of view this song is very listenable.  It seems to be an elaboration of "Stronger", which as everybody knows can't be a bad thing for album sales.  I also enjoy the bridge cutting into the song the way it does. I think that Kanye often uses a shock factor that ruins the song for people like me.  He didn't have to curse that much or write about what he did, and I don't appreciate that aspect of it. Bottom line: I don't think that the artistry of the song outweighs the lyrical content that I am opposed to.   

2. Black Skinhead- So, I'm Catholic.  However, I'm not offended by what he says in this song because I've heard worse from other Christians about Catholics.  That's the thing about this song, the political inaccuracy is ironic and therefore very important to hear.  I think that the anger is necessary and the cursing is warranted. Bottom line: The song is not a classic and by far not marketable for 80% of music listeners, but it is a song worth listening to. 

* I'd like to add that a lot of interesting information can be found on songfacts.com and artistfacts.com, not only on this song or any other Kanye West song, but on almost any artist you can imagine.

3. I Am A God (feat. God)- I assume that he says the song is featuring God because the song features a lot of ideas from the Bible. This sounds like Christian rap, but way better because it isn't terrible.  I don't like the sound of the woman crying in the background, but I do enjoy that it sounds like "Heard 'Em Say".  Bottom Line: Even though Kanye is super cocky and it's a little annoying, I think that this song was truly inspired by God.  It is candid, beautiful, and overall well executed.

4. New Slaves- Simply put, I feel the same way about this track as I do with "Black Skinhead", except the line about being...a "swallower" is trashy and unnecessary.  However, I would rather listen to this song over the other just because the bass line is really catchy.

Those are the tracks I think are most relevant to morality.  I can't say that it's an album I will listen to regularly because it is a little distasteful, but it's still relevant in the music scene and that's exactly what he was going for, isn't it?