“Stranger Ways” by Anberlin, Tuesday, October 8, 2024
On January 16, 2014, Anberlin posted a video on their social media platforms with a special message. The three-minute eighteen-second black and white video opened with a quote by Helen Keller; a droning guitar riff; and footage of a sideways camera playing a loop of a city from a car, an Anberlin concert, and footage from their “Paperthin Hymn” music video--all with a new emblem watermarking the footage. That new watermark was of fingers crossing. As the footage played, each member of Anberlin talked about their experiences in the band. A drumbeat joined the guitar and later a synthline. Then at 1:49 seconds into the video, the band gets to the point of the video: Anberlin is breaking up after releasing a new album and giving a final world tour. The video ends by reiterating the upcoming final album and final tour and with a Tooth & Nail Records copyright notice, inadvertently announcing that Anberlin had returned to their first record label to release their final album.
LOCKING EYES, THE WANING GLANCE. On May 13, 2014, Anberlin released the first single from their July 22nd album Lowborn, “Stranger Ways.” Keen listeners recognized the song from Anberlin’s break-up announcement. The guitar in “Stranger Ways” had changed from its demo form and the production was much more full. The song offered a new direction from Anberlin’s previous electronic era during Vital and Devotion. The production uses digital manipulation but rather than focusing on synthesizers producers Aaron Marsh, Matt Goldman, and Aaron Sprinkle--along with musical direction from drummer Nate Young who steered the band in their later career--create a musical round or cannon, slowly building into a dream pop wall of sound. Some listeners compared the new sound to the Scottish alternative band The Jesus and Mary Chain, whom Anberlin has listed as one of their influences. Lead singer Stephen Christian has said that one unnamed bandmate felt unsatisfied with the instrumentation and the lyrics of “Stranger Ways” but eventually came around to the song. Matching the creepy guitars are the equally creepy lyrics. The song talks about longing for someone but not being able to make the connection. Love becomes unrequited, staying in the shadows, becoming unnecessarily reverent.
STRONGER MEN HAVE ANSWERED. The creepy lyrics and music of “Stranger Ways” are matched with a music video directed by former Norma Jean co-founder and drummer-turned-director Daniel Davidson. The director depicts Anberlin in a house of paused animation, slowly being wrapped in plastic and cobwebs. What makes the video especially disturbing is how Davidson shoots the band members. Each band member appears in separate shots at different places in the house. The camera angle of the first shots only shows band members from the torso up. Hand movements sometimes enter the shot, but the facial expressions seem to take full focus. Viewers first see drummer Nathan Young moving his hands offscreen. Then there’s a shot of Stephen Christian singing as he looks out the window. Next, we see bassist Deon Rexroat then guitarist Joesph Milligan. When the music video premiered, some viewers thought that it depicted the band members masturbating, given the off-screen hand movements and facial expressions. The camera films lower, each shot, eventually revealing each band member pretending to play their instruments.
A LITTLE BIT CLOSER… I remember video comments on the “Stranger Ways” music video pointing out that the band looked like they were masturbating, but it seems that the band has deleted and shut down the discussion. As a result, there is very little discussion about the band’s “last music video.” But I think it’s a missed opportunity. Many people get squeamish with the topic, especially in Christian circles. The musical style “Stranger Ways” imitates, the post-punk of The Smiths, The Cure, and The Jesus and Mary Chain often speaks of unrequited love that expresses itself in stranger ways than other musical genres. Morrissey, former lead singer of The Smiths and one of Stephen Christian’s musical influences has had a very repressive view on sexuality and celibacy which has been well documented in interviews and his Autobiography. Drawing influence from these musical sources and staying in the Christian music industry makes sense as long as a band doesn’t normalize sex and continues to keep it mysterious and dangerous like the repressed ‘80s rockers. But 2014 wasn’t repressed like the ‘80s and videos like “Stranger Ways” would normally be met with blunt conversations around unrequited love, stalkers, and even masturbation. I realize that not everyone is interpreting the music video the way that I am--I can’t imagine what I would have thought if I had seen this video when I was 14 when everything was about jerking off--but imagine if The 1975 had released the same video performing the same way, what would viewers say about that? The Manchester-based band has similar influences but has a much more open discussion about sexuality.
PONDERING THE WHY WE ARE ALONE. “Stranger Ways” could have been a song about the flaws of unrequited love which can lead to stalking--getting “a little bit closer” to that person, but never getting up the nerve to make a prosocial connection. Instead, the music video introduces a subtly sexual element--the speaker masturbates while fantasizing about what falling in love with this person could feel like. Of course, in this masturbatory fantasy, this person is make-believe and no one can ever live up to that fantasy. Anberlin has always pushed what is acceptable in Christian music and some parents and Christian music gatekeepers disliked how Anberlin wrote songs that were commentary rather than instructive. “Stranger Ways” is certainly a commentary on repressive sexuality, whether you factor in masturbation or not. It’s certainly not instructional as the longing in the song is never healthy. At 14 it’s cute and endearing to be afraid to talk to a love interest. But at what point does it start to get creepy? But it’s also the basic premise for genres of music, often the listeners to that style turn out to be well-adjusted adults. Maybe “Stranger Ways” is a parable to show repressed listeners the error of their solitude and just to get out there and take a chance on real love.
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