Mute Math is an
American rock band from New Orleans which was formed in 2003. Their dissonant yet
catchy sounds, wacky sound effects, and profound poetic lyrics were what drew
me to their music. The self titled album, ‘MuteMath’, is intended to tell about one
story. Throughout the beginning to the end, the tracks are weaved into one
whole song. According to the Hard Music Magazine (HM), the album is about ‘longing
and determination to break through the mess of self and life to find the light
behind it all.’ And I thought the album would have intimate connection to
fundamental Christian worldview.
Instrumental
openings of the song ‘Collapse’ seems to imply some sort of breakdown. Could it
be about the breakdown of any system or a belief? It gets clearer as we listen
to the chorus from the following track, ‘Typical’:
“Cause I know there’s got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I’m feeling like it’s now or never
Can I break the spell of the typical, the typical”
The lyrics reflect the image of ‘the empire’
or Matrix that we live in. Bondage to typical is
what creates the delusion out of reality, and it hinders us to see the way
things are meant to be seen, because we believe that the delusion is
what’s normal; it is what everybody believes. Yet, there is a hope. Though it seems
vague and intangible, yearning for ‘another level’ implies hope for the unknown truth. As we listen through the album, the reality and truth that is longed
for gets clearer to the point where the hope could be ‘pictured’. The second last
track, Picture, portrays a moment when we are set free from the bondage to ‘typical’,
and redeemed in new ‘frame’. Also, it throws a message about shalom, where ‘things are all as they
should be’.
What
the album fails to emphasize is the redemption of whole creation. It focuses
more on individual’s redemption though the album vaguely implies it (“things
are all as they should be” – Picture).
I guess it is difficult to connect all the elements of cultural artifacts with the frame of
Creation, Fall, Redemption (Creation and origins of evil are not addressed in
this album). However, it is an undeniable fact that the album, MuteMath,
reveals significant truths about the world in relation to Christian worldview.
Q1) 'Chaos', one of the track from the album, addresses:
"... you stay true when my world is false, everything around breaking down to chaos"
Do you agree or disagree? Is truth always pleasing as it seems? Will we be comforted or disturbed when we are faced with the reality and truth?
Q2) How can interpreting cultural artifacts within Christian worldview can go astray with the meaning of Gospel? How can we prevent it?
Good analysis, Taek Been. Related to the concept of what's "typical," it's interesting to consider the two different ways that discussion could go. Questioning what's normal (the status quo), as you suggest, is a good thing. But there's also a side of us that fights against the "typical" because we always need something new. This drive for novelty is something that marketers really value in us, because we often try to fill that need by purchasing something new, which gives us a temporary rush.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the MuteMath concert in the spring semester!