Blue on Black: Musing on the Songwriting Process
I have a confession that I suspect will offend a sizeable portion of my audience: I never really liked Five Finger Death Punch. I should be clear: I love the…
Layered Meanings in Folk Songs
This past week, I was introduced to the work of Luke Combs. There's a lot that could be said about this new artist, but I'd like to focus on one…
Pompeii: An Analysis
Back in 2013, an extremely underrated pop song hit the radio and never completely left. Since then it has managed to pick up top-ten placements in various countries until as…
Stories Within Stories
I recently re-watched The Phantom of the Opera (2004). The film was excellent in many dimensions, and may warrant a more in-depth analysis for itself down the road. But what…
Meditations on the Theological Significance of Crowns in Musical Contemplation of Heaven
And it came to pass that on my journey homeward from labors in the city, I became trapped by fellow travelers moving likewise in a slow and crowded manner. This…
Helvegen: An Analysis
Kalandra recently covered Wardruna's song "Helvegen," and damn near surpassed the original in quality. I had been planning on writing about this song for a while, but the discovery of…
Mongolian Nazis?
Mongolian folk-metal band "The HU" has been rising in popularity, topping American rock charts before even releasing an album, and continuing to grow. Their unique throat singing and traditional instruments…
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Ellie Goulding's new hit "Hate Me" touches on an interesting subject related to hatred in the context of romantic relationships. It is a topic I didn't address in my book In…
Simplicity in Music
I've written a little bit about how complexity can make music more interesting and enjoyable. Such is the case with Tool. But in many cases, the best music is not complex…
God vs. Judith: The Emotive Problem of Evil
Pastor Robert Houghton got a look at "Judith" by A Perfect Circle three weeks ago, and his reaction-video has gone somewhat viral -- amassing 283,000 views, 5,900 likes, and over 6,000 comments…