Douganator!

Some thoughts on music

Sound has a special place in my life. The soundscapes which envelope ones everyday life dictate the way we view the world. I know that 5 minutes from my house there is a storm water drain next to a creek that goes under the road. Its relaxing there, especially in storms, the wind hums down the pipe, the water gushes down the stream and over a waterfall next to it, cars splash water over the sides of the roads. The world is a wash with movement and vibrancy, sound pours itself into my ears and sets my mind at ease. I love the sounds of the city, its constant thrash is crazy and makes me stop and shut my eyes and think about all the lives being lived out around me without me ever having a part of them or anything to do with them. The city has the power to make you feel overwhelmed, nervous and sometimes even disgusted at the extent to which man has overpowered nature for commerce and economic prosperity.

There are constant beats in my earphones and throbbing from my computers subwoofer that act as a force that crams energy into my nervous system and fires my messages through my synapses. The carefully constructed, artificial, rhythms and grooves of dance music act as the background to many of my daily activities. I felt lost without my mp3 player, which broke after many hours of exercise caused its innards to rust from the constant barrage of sweat, yummy. It was weird the motivation to cycle almost completely left me. Getting up in the morning to grind up and down the winding roads that travel through bobbin head national park, Galston gorge and other such haunts suddenly became a massive effort.

The nature of cycling lends itself to music. The same movement gets repeated over and over again, with the only variation being in intensity and distribution of weight on the bike. That is not to take anything away from the skills and athleticism of cycling, because those simple movements can send you into a world of pain and suffering. High energy songs keep you going through those times when throwing down the bike in frustration seems like the best option. You lose focus on the pain and just attempt to keep in time with the beats pressing into your brain which are constantly running away from you.

There are times when you need to drop your life down a couple of gears, escape from the buzz and craziness of the routines and pressure that are placed upon you. I like thoughtful music in such moments. Lyrics, mind state and creativity are the three things I look for in music. I have little time for the technicality, skill of the musician or discrepancies between genre’s and styles, if it sounds good, makes me think and gives a new perspective through which to view any aspect of life, I’ll find a place for it. One such album which has been finding its way into my soundscape has been “The new arrivals” by Faithless.

Faithless have always been a unique and innovative force in the dance music world. They are hard to describe as a certain style or genre. “Electronic” does not do them justice. If I had to summate Faithless in a word it would be ontological. They make music concerned with people. Their music has a respect for the human condition and concern for its current state that few artists I know purvey. Something which electronic music tends to lack is intelligence, any kid with half a tech centered mind can bang out his own creation with fairly basic music editing programs. I am guilty of it myself. Hey, you never know, I could just make the “crazy frog” song. However faithless doesn’t meddle in this unintelligent nor commercial electronic music that seems to be ubiquitous throughout CD stores, clubs and the internet. I like the way that when they do use words they are designed to make you think, and the music is designed to make you feel. In a sense they impose on electronic music what tends to be missing from many other creators of it, they turn it back into an art.

A lot of faithless lyrics critique western culture and the flaws in western society. Some of their songs really make you question the way you are living. I often find that non-christian media can illuminate practical issues that people are concerned about and God is concerned about in a way that is harder hitting and cuts deeper than Christian media. I have so much respect for many non-christian thinkers, artists and philosophers who have given so much to the world and to my very own existence. I am addicted to reality, and finding out more and more about it. Artists like faithless help me to do this in ways that theology and Christian music does not. That is not to underestimate the later’s value. I am merely saying that Christian music and thought is not as comprehensive as many Christians believe and the rest of the world has a lot to offer in terms of understanding the world God created and the systems which humanity has put in place for its self.

I think the main reason why I connect more with this music than a lot of Christian stuff, is while Christian stuff praises our God and looks forward towards the future of Heaven and focuses us back on the cross, this looks at the now. Capitalism has raped and pillaged the world and our world is running under economic systems that are flawed and broken. Changing this world in the now is something that humanity needs to do, or perish. I know the Gospel is the most important thing in the world. But to think that spreading it is the only thing that we need to be doing as Christians rather than doing something about the shocking state that humanity has got itself into, is kinda apathetic in my mind. Besides there has to be people and a world for the gospel to go out into, so maybe looking after the canvas rather than just worrying about the paint is something worth doing more.

I’ll throw in a couple of faithless lyrics that I find I really connect with and make me think. Obviously as just words a lot of the feeling is lost, so I would recommend you get out there and either download or purchase some faithless and allow their soundscapes to take you into the faraway philosophical regions of your mind

Excerpt from mass destruction

My story stops here, lets be clear.
This scenario is happening everywhere.
And you ain't going to nirvana or far-vana,
you're coming right back here to live out your karma.
With even more drama than previously, seriously.
Just how many centuries have we beenwaiting for someone else to make us free?
And we refuse to seethat people overseas suffer just like we:
Bad leadership and ego's unfettered and free
Who feed on the people they're supposed to lead
I don't need good people to pray and wait
For the lord to make it all straight.
There's only now, do it right.'Cos I don't want your daddy, leaving home tonight

Excerpt from reverence

I'm not a mystic, My views are realistic, simplistic,
One special brew I get pissed quick
And get sick so I don't do it no more
I won't find peace of mind
Rolling around on the floor
The point I want to make is
you can never escape from your fate
The mistake is to take without giving
From within, You wanna know how I'm living,
I'm cool.. I'm looking after myself,
And I could never place wealth before my spirit,
I feel it's unhealthy
The devil creep around your soul stealthy, stealthy

I want more
Hey friend your misery bewilders me
How come you're never satisfied or gratified
Four walls n' a roof, electricity,
Stable mind, wife and child,
Hot and cold water to run anytime.
But still you, whine.

i want more

I was told as a child
I wants never gets
Learned to count my blessings
Long before I saw an abacus
So what ya family don't speak
At least they're alive
Show me a man without guilt
Or a soul that ain't lied
You don't know what ya got
Open your eyes, look around
Really, hear me you,
Ain't got no reason to be down

What d'ya meanI want more

Friend what is it that you seek
What is it that you try to find
Someday I hope you realized
It shined in you all the time.
Hills to climb, sights to see, seas to cross,
Friends to make, hands to shake, the world is yours,
Foods to taste, sounds to hear, love to feel,
Seeds to sow, things to know, fish to reel,
Space to quiz, stones to lift, life's a gift

posted by Douganator @ 11:23 PM