| Lutheran Church of the Redeemer | Birmingham, Michigan |
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Wuggie's
Music Media and More
November 2007 My Review System: ++ Patently Christian Matchbox Twenty / How Far We’ve Come / M Just in time for Christmas is Matchbox Twenty’s new CD, Exile on Mainstream. The first single, How Far We’ve Come, has been out for about 5 weeks, and has hit the top of the charts, as well as being a top download. It’s a good thing the music to this song is upbeat, because the lyrics and video are quite depressing left to themselves. The setting is the end of the world, and the singer is concerned with the what his life has meant, and where the world has come to. The implication is that it has all meant nothing. The video traces the path of scientific, political and social progress from the first lunar landing to the current Presidential race, again asking the question, How Far Have We Come? We’re left with a rather bleak feeling that everything is going backwards. It fits with the view that many people have concerning the end of the world: That the world will burn out, cycle out, or end in tragedy. The Bible, however, is very clear. Things aren’t getting worse. They are getting better. Starting with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s Kingdom has been “forcefully advancing” (Matthew 11:12). The end result will not be the destruction of the world, but its renewal. The planet will not be destroyed or burnout or be fried by Global Warming. It will be recreated. It will be put back in perfect working order just like it was in the beginning. The future is not bleak, it is wonderful! The opening line of the song is, “I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world”. So when that day comes, it will be a joyous day full of peace and wonderment, not the despair and meaninglessness that the band pictures.
Feist / 1234 / M Nothing wrong with this catchy little ditty
that is featured on the Apple iPod Nano commercial. Even the
video is squeaky clean. Imagine a music video with 50 women
dancing in an airplane hanger, and yet there is not one sexually
suggestive shot in the video. It can be done, and Feist did
it. The choreography is as homespun and creative as the song.
Reminiscent of Fatboy Slim. Love it. 50 Cent / AYO Technology / XXX 50 cent shows no modesty, shame or restraint as he belts out this ode to his favorite stripper. Absolutely grotesque. The video is even worse. I could only watch 20 seconds of the video before I turned it off. Probably shouldn’t have done that. Sorry. Problem is that the video is easy to find on the Internet, and MTV. What I’m too embarrassed to watch for 20 seconds is being served up as a steady diet to any kid who watches MTV or spends unsupervised time online. Your call.
Foo Fighters / The Pretender / M The Pretender is a pretty creative issue from this alternative leaning hard rock band. I found nothing offensive about the song, video, or the band’s image. Good stuff.
Jimmy Eat World / Big Casino / X Jimmy Eats World is a fun band that sings about hopes and dreams. In this particular dream, the singer hits the big time of fame and fortune. No envelope pushing or other bad stuff. Nothing here to complain about.
Toby Mac / I’m For You / ++ Tobys’s new disc, Portable Sounds, is, in my opinion, his best solo disc. It showcases his creativity in a way reminiscent of the DC Talk days. The single, I’m For You, is singable, danceable, and thoroughly ignorant of the fact that the guy is in his forties. Billboard magazine calls him the Christian Justin Timberlake. Who wouldn’t accept a comparison to a heartthrob 20 years his junior? The bottom line is that Toby has always had the knack for creating music that honors God and the current music scene at the same time. Far out.
Kenny Chesney / Don’t Blink / + Kenny’s homespun charm saves this song from
the cliché wastebasket. He sings about the rapid pace of life
and delivers the age-old advice not to miss the simple
milestones, as they are what give meaning to life. You can
never hear that too often. |
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