Or rather, what do I think it says about us. And also, admittedly, it's a limited scope of music, and kind of some general observations, but anyways, this was occupying my mind last night, so it's going up here.
There exists a general opinion, which I subscribe to, that you can tell a great deal about a culture by its musical trends. Music touches us because of the message it sends, or how it makes us feel. We identify with music that matches our mood. I mean, who listens to Little Richard's "You Make Me Wanna Shout" when they just got laid off? Or who listens to Barber's Adagio for Strings when their team won the big game? The power of music is its ability to amplify our emotions.
To begin this, post, I first need to clarify that I understand there are exceptions. This is a lot of broad generalization, and is in no means an attempt to be extremely thorough or exhaustive. It's just an interesting thought process I had, and wanted to share.
So to begin this analysis, let me point out what kind of music was a huge hit during the depression. Blues. Granted, it began to grow in popularity before that, but it really resounded with people during the Great Depression. The cultural mind was preoccupied with sorrow and melancholy, and our music reflected that.
Now to move that to modern times. Our obsession with gadgets, gizmos, and all manner of electronic devices has made electronic music take off in popularity. Where once people were nerds, dorks, or rejects for listening to electronic music, now it is all the rage. I remember predicting as much in middle school; that electronic music would gain popularity and become mainstream. I was still made fun of (but oh well, I WAS SO TOTALLY RIGHT!).
So I got to thinking, since the real "arrival" of electronic music on the scene, what are a couple that were very popular (with the audience that listens to electronic music) and what are the differences between them that might reflect a shift in our cultural psyche? So I decided to consider the sub-genres "hardstyle" and "dubstep".
Hardstyle was very popular a couple of years ago, and basically came about as a very distorted and faster version of house, which is the very simplistic "bum-tis-bum-tis-bum-tis" sound often associated with techno. Hardstyle is categorized by being high-energy and, well, that's pretty much the best descriptors. Here are some good examples:
Freak by ShowTek
Hahaha by SMF
Imitate by Dragan
There are plenty more, but a lot of them have a fair bit of foul language and themes like parties, drugs, and sex. A song that pretty well sums up the general attitude of hardstyle can be found here, but I warn you, it's a pretty worldly monologue (aka, lots of f-bombs). But it amply sums up the vibe of the time period. Life is about partying. Enjoy life. Do what you want. Live for the weekends. Just blast through life doing things you love.
Stylistically, hardstyle is reminiscent of house or DnB (Drum 'n' Bass) music. It is a steady beat that slowly develops and matures. Hardstyle songs are all about two elements. First is the Build; the gradual addition of increasingly complicated and complex musical structures that grow off of each other. Second is the Climax; the pinnacle of the song, usually following a cross-level fade (everything gets quiet) or a monologue section or a key soundbite from a popular film (which often gives the song it's name. This peak of the song is where the melody is usually fully developed and all the elements of the song work together to produce a very energetic and exhilarating listening experience. If you were to diagram a hardstyle song, it would look like a pyramid: everything builds to the climax, and slowly resolves after that.
This arrangement contributes to the theme of the music. Life builds to a furious fever-pitch. You hit the top of the world and life is just amazing. You reach a high point where nothing else matters but the moment, and you get caught up in the marvelous experience of just living life. Hardstyle evokes a sort of ecstatic frenzy and feeling of being "high on life".
During the time it was most popular, that was the general attitude. Sure, life stinks sometimes, but there are still peaks. No matter how slow or methodical life seems, there is always points where you just hit cloud nine, and you need to live for those moments. People did crazy things just because they could. They pushed themselves to the limit, just for the thrill of the moment. It was a time where all that mattered was enjoying the high points of life, and surviving the times in between those high points.
Now this is in contrast to Dubstep, which is still developing in its popularity, but seems to be hitting it big, so to speak. Dubstep, in the words of my brother, sounds a bit like "if you crossed all of the robot-sounds from Transformers and made music out of it." And he's not far off. Dubstep is very loud, distorted, frantic, and chaotic. It has repetitive elements, but also confusing and non-linear elements as well. Here are some good examples of some dubstep:
Tutorial by Dubba Jonny (warning: some language)
Cobwebs by Skeptics
Bangarang by Skrillex
Dubstep is a genre in which the normal elements of music (rhythm, melody, progression, etc.) are twisted and chopped up like an iPhone in a blender. The music often starts normal enough, a simple rhythm is developed slowly, often with accompanying vocals or a simple melody. But then all heck breaks loose and sound is coming from every direction. Not just sound, though. It's loud, crazy, hectic, and chaotic. You are quite literally plunged into a vortex of noise. This is called the Drop, and is dubstep's pinnacle moment in a song. It's the point where the floor drops out on the song and the DJ hits yo with literally everything he has.
The music reflects a mindset of fear, almost. We are a people who worry. Everything about life right now is insane. People are killing each other in every continent. There are revolutions, wars, terrorists, cruddy economies, bailouts, mass-hackings, and all manner of other things. To many right now, life just doesn't make sense. We're confused and bewildered by the veritable hurricane of problems the world has right now, and that is reflected in the music of choice that's quickly becoming popular.
All of that to say this. Our culture seems to be shifting away from "party it up" and "woohoo! Life is awesome!" to "What the heck is going on?!" As a culture we have a growing angst about things to come. The road ahead is one that we do not understand, and what is the more unsettling to us, unseen. We have no idea what lies ahead for us, and that scares the living daylights out of us.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Who am I?
Now, to make up for having not really posted anything for a couple days, I figured I'd write a little more today.
I have recently entered an identity crisis. Don't be alarmed, it's nothing seriously horrible or terrible, it's just the product of some good reading and having to face my nature as a man. There's been several "marital counselling/preparation" books I've read recently in the hopes that I can do at least a passable job as a husband, and throughout my reading, I've come across a common thread: men are respect gluttons.
Now, if reined in properly, this craving for respect can be a good thing, but the problem is that all too often we as men let it get ahead of us. An author used the illustration of a first-time meeting. You get a bunch of men together at a table, where none of them knows any of the others, and eventually SOMEONE will break the silence with "so tell me about yourself." Now, almost INEVITABLY, the opening of their response will be what? If you guessed 'occupation', congratulations! You win a lifetime supply of oxygen (limit one per player, void where prohibited, amount subject to lifespan)! Now this is where it gets interesting.
As men, we are created to work and provide. It is our purpose on this earth (thanks a lot Adam *scowls*) to care for and tend the earth. As such, we tend to view our significance and purpose as men through our chosen careers. "Important" men are doctors, lawyers, or scientists. "Good" men are cops, firemen, store managers, etc. "Average" men are construction workers, janitors, waiters, etc. The rest of us, well, when we say what we do, we are met with "oh... ok, cool." That pause after the "oh" is the soft whistle of a wrecking ball headed for the other man's self-esteem.
Now, is it wrong for us to make an idol of our jobs; to get so lost in the rat race that we lose sight of our true value and calling? Yes, it is. BUT, there is a fair bit of healthy competition in that need for respect. It makes us constantly strive to be better men. To accomplish more, and to make others proud, especially the people who matter most to us.
Enter me.
I am a student. I get up. I go to class. I go vacuum the cafeteria. I go vacuum one of the class buildings. I go to bed. I get up the next day and do it again. I heard someone the other day complain that their paycheck for the month was less than five-thousand dollars. And I began to daydream a bit about what exactly I would be willing to do to make even three-thousand dollars in a month. This is where the dilemma hit me. I know I'm just a student now, but the fact remains that I am spurred on by an innate desire to achieve and provide, especially now that I'm a husband. So I get home and look around at the tiny apartment that's falling apart in places, has only one overhead light, and a door that only shuts when it feels like it, and I think to myself "gee, a good man would provide better for his wife." I get home after midnight and crawl into bed next to my wife, who has been in bed for over two hours since she has to get up at 6 to get ready for work, and I think "a good husband would make enough money for his wife to not have to go to bed so early or work such crazy hours."
And then the rational me posits, and rightly so, that this is just our first year together, and we're both still students, and that things will get better. It's just a hard place to be as a man. But this is where my epiphany came in. Yes, I am a man. Yes, I am called to work, and to provide. BUT, my identity is in Christ, and it is because of this fact that I can be a good, or even a great man, regardless of my occupation. If I truly believe that my existence is merely to reflect and magnify the unmatched love of God, then the circumstances are irrelevant. A mirror in a mansion has the same purpose as one in a Walmart bathroom. And THAT is my true purpose.
I am a good man, not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done in me.
I have recently entered an identity crisis. Don't be alarmed, it's nothing seriously horrible or terrible, it's just the product of some good reading and having to face my nature as a man. There's been several "marital counselling/preparation" books I've read recently in the hopes that I can do at least a passable job as a husband, and throughout my reading, I've come across a common thread: men are respect gluttons.
Now, if reined in properly, this craving for respect can be a good thing, but the problem is that all too often we as men let it get ahead of us. An author used the illustration of a first-time meeting. You get a bunch of men together at a table, where none of them knows any of the others, and eventually SOMEONE will break the silence with "so tell me about yourself." Now, almost INEVITABLY, the opening of their response will be what? If you guessed 'occupation', congratulations! You win a lifetime supply of oxygen (limit one per player, void where prohibited, amount subject to lifespan)! Now this is where it gets interesting.
As men, we are created to work and provide. It is our purpose on this earth (thanks a lot Adam *scowls*) to care for and tend the earth. As such, we tend to view our significance and purpose as men through our chosen careers. "Important" men are doctors, lawyers, or scientists. "Good" men are cops, firemen, store managers, etc. "Average" men are construction workers, janitors, waiters, etc. The rest of us, well, when we say what we do, we are met with "oh... ok, cool." That pause after the "oh" is the soft whistle of a wrecking ball headed for the other man's self-esteem.
Now, is it wrong for us to make an idol of our jobs; to get so lost in the rat race that we lose sight of our true value and calling? Yes, it is. BUT, there is a fair bit of healthy competition in that need for respect. It makes us constantly strive to be better men. To accomplish more, and to make others proud, especially the people who matter most to us.
Enter me.
I am a student. I get up. I go to class. I go vacuum the cafeteria. I go vacuum one of the class buildings. I go to bed. I get up the next day and do it again. I heard someone the other day complain that their paycheck for the month was less than five-thousand dollars. And I began to daydream a bit about what exactly I would be willing to do to make even three-thousand dollars in a month. This is where the dilemma hit me. I know I'm just a student now, but the fact remains that I am spurred on by an innate desire to achieve and provide, especially now that I'm a husband. So I get home and look around at the tiny apartment that's falling apart in places, has only one overhead light, and a door that only shuts when it feels like it, and I think to myself "gee, a good man would provide better for his wife." I get home after midnight and crawl into bed next to my wife, who has been in bed for over two hours since she has to get up at 6 to get ready for work, and I think "a good husband would make enough money for his wife to not have to go to bed so early or work such crazy hours."
And then the rational me posits, and rightly so, that this is just our first year together, and we're both still students, and that things will get better. It's just a hard place to be as a man. But this is where my epiphany came in. Yes, I am a man. Yes, I am called to work, and to provide. BUT, my identity is in Christ, and it is because of this fact that I can be a good, or even a great man, regardless of my occupation. If I truly believe that my existence is merely to reflect and magnify the unmatched love of God, then the circumstances are irrelevant. A mirror in a mansion has the same purpose as one in a Walmart bathroom. And THAT is my true purpose.
I am a good man, not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done in me.
"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
So, I was reflecting on some of my classes today and I remembered a snippet from an article we read. In it, the author said something to the effect of "To the typical teenager of today, with the rise in popularity of Facebook and especially Twitter, if something cannot be said in 140 characters or less, it's not really worth saying." This is where my brief time as an English major made me reflect on how quickly our languages is shrinking, too. Not only are we losing words, but were losing the ability to use them in any sort of complex way.
This strikes me as terribly sad, and a little frightening. Not to get TOO paranoid, but this systematic reduction of language seems almost Orwellian. As we lose words, we lose the ability to express complex parts of our humanity. Now, I don't want to make too many enemies here, but the example that popped into my head was the difference in song lyrics over time, in this case Christian worship music. Here are the songs that came to mind, the older song first, and then the new:
"Could we with ink the oceans fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade.
To Write the love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky."
~"The Love of God" by Frederick Martin Lehman
"God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
(repeat)
~"Be my Everything" by Tim Hughes
Now don't get me wrong, the second song is completely true. God is God no matter what my state of being is, but it just strikes me as too simple. The honesty of the song is there, but is there really and truly no better way to express the unchanging nature of the Almighty God then in a sang where the lyrical rhyme scheme is AAAAAAAAA?
Now if you look at secular music, the effect is still visible. We have moved from songs like "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "My Girl" to songs called "Stupid Hoe" and "Sexy B***h". Firstly, what does that say about the effect of... well, feminism to be sure, but our culture in general. Secondly, there are plenty more examples like that. Now I know some of you will point out that the current musical trend is shifting away from lyrics to a mere emphasis on the music itself, and that argument holds some weight, but honestly I don't think that accounts for all of it.
I think that author I mentioned earlier might be right. As a culture, we are slowly shifting our definition of what is worth saying, how we say it, and even to an extent what we are capable of saying. We have moved from the bestselling books being things like Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to Jasper Fforde's "50 shades of Grey". No longer do we desire to peer into the heart and soul of our fellow man, or to challenge our minds to follow twists and turns of complex plots. We settle for base and lustful writing that promotes only self gratification and promiscuity. The mind is no longer a fertile field for intellectual exercise; it is a landfill to fill with whatever happens to be passing by.
This strikes me as terribly sad, and a little frightening. Not to get TOO paranoid, but this systematic reduction of language seems almost Orwellian. As we lose words, we lose the ability to express complex parts of our humanity. Now, I don't want to make too many enemies here, but the example that popped into my head was the difference in song lyrics over time, in this case Christian worship music. Here are the songs that came to mind, the older song first, and then the new:
"Could we with ink the oceans fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade.
To Write the love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky."
~"The Love of God" by Frederick Martin Lehman
"God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
(repeat)
~"Be my Everything" by Tim Hughes
Now don't get me wrong, the second song is completely true. God is God no matter what my state of being is, but it just strikes me as too simple. The honesty of the song is there, but is there really and truly no better way to express the unchanging nature of the Almighty God then in a sang where the lyrical rhyme scheme is AAAAAAAAA?
Now if you look at secular music, the effect is still visible. We have moved from songs like "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "My Girl" to songs called "Stupid Hoe" and "Sexy B***h". Firstly, what does that say about the effect of... well, feminism to be sure, but our culture in general. Secondly, there are plenty more examples like that. Now I know some of you will point out that the current musical trend is shifting away from lyrics to a mere emphasis on the music itself, and that argument holds some weight, but honestly I don't think that accounts for all of it.
I think that author I mentioned earlier might be right. As a culture, we are slowly shifting our definition of what is worth saying, how we say it, and even to an extent what we are capable of saying. We have moved from the bestselling books being things like Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to Jasper Fforde's "50 shades of Grey". No longer do we desire to peer into the heart and soul of our fellow man, or to challenge our minds to follow twists and turns of complex plots. We settle for base and lustful writing that promotes only self gratification and promiscuity. The mind is no longer a fertile field for intellectual exercise; it is a landfill to fill with whatever happens to be passing by.
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