It is getting harder to explain the BTS phenomenon to people without sounding like the facts are being made up. Industry execs and celebrities have resorted to comparing it to Beatlemania — which sounds like an exaggeration until one witnesses ARMY in person (the name for their worldwide and fiercely devoted fan base). ARMY generates more traffic for BTS on social media than Donald Trump and Justin Bieber…. combined. Their latest album has surpassed 1...
How do we help people who are wrestling with doubts in their faith? Can we create a safe space for them to question and voice their doubts without being judged for their questions? How do we help give them this space, while also still pointing them gently back to the truth that God is real and present even when He does not feel near? These questions came to mind after I read an article on...
Just the other day (July 11) the post-hardcore-indie-funk-hip-hop-piano-punk duo known as twenty one pilots just released two new tracks that will appear on their upcoming album, Trench, which is set to be released this October. The first song, “Jumpsuit,” appears to continue some of the themes from their most recent album Blurryface about their insecurities, their love-hate relationship with the music industry, their fear of selling out, and their desire to be authentic. I find their explorations...
Irony in music is cyclical (even if we can swear that those cycles take us lower and lower as a society the way we swear the lights are dimming in a theater minutes before the house goes dark). I’m thinking about irony because the magic YouTube algorithm thought I might want to see David Bowie and Arcade Fire sing a moving rendition of Wake Up. They were right. http://www.thetwocities.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Arcade-Fire-David-Bowie-Wake-Up-HQ-Fashion-Rocks-2005-YouTube.mp4 We’re just a million little...
What does it mean to be known? I’ve been thinking a lot about how we all tend to project images of ourselves and how we all tend to create images of others. It’s something that compels me to get to know people on a more real basis, but it also compels me to be as genuine and authentic as I can be. In the realm of online dating there’s a term for the blatant disregard...
Since the 8th grade, the start of my summers usually involved the creation of some kind of playlist (though for me these were called “mix-tapes” for much longer than I’m willing to admit). In keeping with this tradition, and because writing about music is more fun for the moment than writing about ancient Greek and Jewish texts, I’m using this time to offer my summer playlist. The list is purely for fun, ranging across genres, and not particularly Christian (no...
Kanye West’s 7th album, The Life of Pablo (TLOP) was released a few weeks ago. On this album, Kanye gives his listeners a window into his life and thoughts. Furthermore, I believe this album gives us a picture of a particular type of Christianity that characterizes our american society. The Atlantic’s review of the album is spot on with its analysis of the individual tracks as it details Kanye’s struggle between family life and the...
Just the other week I was walking around St Andrews and I bumped into a pastor friend here in town. We stopped to chat for a minute and he asked me what I think of P.O.D.’s new album. WHAT?! There’s a new album?? is what immediately went through my head. And so I ran back to my office and immediately downloaded The Awakening. If you recall, last time P.O.D. created an album they did something...
Thanks to Logan’s post a few weeks ago, I have been introduced to an absolutely fabulous worship band called Kings Kaleidoscope (hereafter KK). If you’ve never heard of them, go buy their album, Becoming Who We Are, right now. I did the very same thing after reading Logan’s review and I am so glad that I did. In this post I won’t rehash Logan’s analysis of the main reasons that make KK (#1) so good,...
Sufjan Stevens’ new album, Carrie & Lowell, has been out for over a month now, but I’ve only had the chance to listen to it for the past week. I had pre-ordered it a while back and mistakenly assumed that it would automatically download to my account and so I spent a few weeks wondering when it would do so. Once I finally did the google I realized that I had to take action myself. Nay...
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