NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Arrogance is the one trait that will kill any chance of a relationship. I can't stand it. This song by Starflyer 59 takes us back to a time in national pride. Starting out with a reference to Arthur Miller's 1949 work Death of a Salesman and alluding to Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State serving under Richard Nixon, who was partially responsible for establishing U.S. trade with Communist China. I think that the level of arrogance talked about in the song's lyrics  have got to be satire, so I will refer to the the one who says the lyrics as the speaker rather than the singer. This arrogant speaker says he's "right most of the time" and "a messenger like Kissinger," yet "only sees what [he] wants to see." WHY I CHOSE THIS SONG: An infectious like a disco-era Pink Floyd or Queen (i.e. "Another Brick in the Wall" or "Another One Bites the Dust") rock beat starts off this track, softening the blow of the arrogant lyrics...

Speaking of Christian music (refer to yesterday's post), today's song is by Paramore. Paramore may have never been a "Christian band," but they certainly have been around the scene. Lead singer Haley Williams is both praised and scorned by the Christian scene for her take on faith. Their first album, which is admittedly their least 'listenable' record, played into an "are they or aren't they?" bating that is so prevalent with the Tooth and Nail or other scene bands of the time. Riot, the band's breakout second record started to quash the Christian labeling. Take for example the lead single, "Misery Business," which is about getting revenge on another girl by stealing her man. Lyrics calling the other girl a "whore" and declaring "God, doesn't it feel so good when I've got him where I want him." Williams pushed things a little further on their third album in the song "Ignorance," where she declar...

I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with this band. I've been a listener to The BadChristian Podcast since 2015, but there's something about their musical structure that I fail to resonate with most of the time. What The BadChristian Podcast did for me, though, was opened up a dialogue about faith beyond the Family Christian/Lifeway brand. I'm sure I'll talk more about this as the year goes by. I'd like to talk about a few themes that this song brings to my mind. I STAY IN MY DREAMS, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. Reality is a theme that Matt and Toby talk about a lot on The BadChristian Podcast. How do we know that life isn't just a simulation? How do I know that I am real? How do I know that you are real? Are you just a program in the simulation? Am I?  I've spent a lot of time wondering about these things myself. We only really get one perspective in this life. And the human experience is at most 100 years out of thousands of years in ear...

Anberlin always opens up their albums with brute force. Their fourth album was no exception. Released in 2009 just after the Bush presidency, Anberlin was always low-key political. I discovered Anberlin while going to Christian school in Western North Carolina. Growing up as a Seventh-day Adventist, I felt an extra urge to be branded as an Evangelical. Peer pressure's funny, isn't it. Anberlin was always a step ahead of the Evangelical movement, though. They were an early adopter of the saying "not a Christian band" but a "band with Christians in it." And Christian radio seemed to love it. Stephen also talked about how he didn't believe the Genesis Creation account, and he also spoke out against the Bush administration and the Iraq war. Fast-forward to 2008. I'm in my first year of Seventh-day Adventist college. I preordered this album from the band's merch table at Cornerstone. John McCain was running for president against Barak Obama. There was...

  Back in college and a little after I used to get a bunch of free music from  NoiseTrade . This song was on 2012 Holiday Road Trip Mix. In the mix there were artists from different states. None of the songs in the mix are tailored to a particular holiday, and I find that this song works just as well in the spring or fall as much as the winter. I love to listen to this song as I walk. I picture it being the song that plays in the middle of a movie to speed up time to relevant points in a movie. It's quite arrogant to think that my life is worthy of a movie, but I'm going to imagine the montage. First, listen to the song . And maybe read the lyrics . IF HOME IS WHERE MY HEART IS SAFE, WHY DO YOU LEAD ME AWAY? I'm walking home from work under the shade of the ginkgo trees. First it's spring. The warm sunlight lights the sidewalk and the air is fresh. Traffic is crazy around me. Next it's later spring. I'm carrying my jacket in my hands. The light is stronger. Nex...

Last summer, Acceptance announced their comeback. The band released this song on June 18th and the video on July 2nd. It quickly became one of my most played songs of the year. I didn't know what the song was about, but it was full of '80s ambience. The lyrics were repetitive, but passionate. Then they released the video on July 2nd. The video shows four friends of different races standing around a bonfire, but as the video goes on we see that the friends burn old furniture including a map of the United States, on which is painted the words: "We Don't Belong Here," words that are part of the song's chorus. After watching the video, I immediately thought about the Black Lives Matter riots that had been taking place at the time. Jason Vena released this statement to Spin magazine about the song: "'The lyrics in ‘Cold Air’ present a snapshot of a community that is being broken apart by prejudice, indignation, and division. . . [i]t’s about having the str...

I was in coffee shop in Sinsa, a neighborhood near Gangnam in Seoul, when I first heard Kodaline . The Irish band's debut album, In a Perfect World  and the EPs containing different versions of songs from around that time were perfect for a cup of coffee. Subsequent albums have made the band sound like they were striving to be another Coldplay , but they got it right the first time on their debut.  I'm recommending the acoustic version of " Brand New Day ," featuring Nina Nesbitt . I WANNA TRAVEL THE WOLD, BUT I JUST CAN'T DO IT ALONE. The lyrics   of "Brand New Day"  talk about "outgrowing your hometown" and wanting to "travel the world" with someone. As someone who could be said to be (still) on that journey, I remember the feelings of travel thirst. I got to the end of my bachelor's degree and thought about the constraints of going back home to North Carolina. I thought about how it would be a few years of struggle in a career...