Saturday, August 29, 2009

Indie Music and the Rapture


























I don't know why but it seems like an increasing amount of great bands-whose lyrics are rife with Christian terms- are stuffing their songs with 'rapture' themes. Here's an example from Page France's "Chariot":

you're a wrecking ball
with a heart of gold
we will wait for it to swing
like a chariot
swing it low for us
come and carry us away
so we will become
a happy ending.

And then also from My Brightest Diamond's song "Disappear":

One day I may disappear
Don't be too suprised
'Cause I get tired of
Noisy alarms
& phone bills

& I don't think we're meant to stay here very long
I don't dream of bringing heaven down not like this
I'd rather move on.

There is also Sufjan's "Chicago" on Illinoise.

It's fascinating that edgy talented indie folk are seeming to prefer a relatively new doctrine without much scriptural warrant. Perhaps "noisy alarms / & phone bills" are really that annoying, add that to the wars, broken families, etc. Still it would seem that the more prevalent theme of restoration, new creation, new heavens and earth would be a less gnostic outlet for lyrical creativity.

I guess I didn't think folks like Sufjan and Page France would have much in common with Hal Lindsey. Huh.

2 comments:

Jon Furst said...

Perhaps they're just groaning with creation?

Bryan Halferty said...

It's a good insight. That said, some times the rapture stuff bespeaks a deep despair which is distances from the hope Paul refers to in Romans 8.

Thanks for checking the blog out...