note added 7/11/06–Looking for Salmarnir lyrics? Check out the comments 🙂

Why would I, a 40-something mom, even go there?

Well, 1) my 12-year-old son just got an iPod and mentioned wanting to download something from Underoath, and 2) I happened to get this email about the same time (you gotta click that second link for this to make sense).

After reading the review from Christianity Today, I have to say, I was intrigued and open to something new. So, I listened. To ALL 11 music clips.

Oh, my.

My first response was just to LAUGH! I soooooo didn’t get it. The random musings that occurred to me, in no particular order are….

— The audience for hardcore emo-screamo has GOT to be predominantly BOYS. Or grown men chasing their youth. The intensity and passion is nothing short of a testosterone release!

— I would LOVELOVELOVE to see what it looks like (sounds like?) when they “boldly proclaim Christ from onstage”! Then again, I’d have to wear ear plugs for the remainder of the concert.

— Just listening to the music conjured images of some mighty fine moshing and crowd surfing. Heck, it’s why they were invented.

— I can’t imagine how long a lead “singer’s” (should that be “lead screamer’s”?) voice could last night after night of this stuff. They must have an excellent relationship with their ENT.

— Thank goodness for Google lyrics search…I couldn’t understand a single word otherwise.

— At first I thought I was hearing the same song over and over but with a different title…it was nice to see some diversity with Casting Such a Thin Shadow and To Whom it May Concern…I heard the talent spoken of in the review. Salmarnir** also showcased a softer side, but I have no idea what they were saying and couldn’t find the lyrics on that one.

— Their lyrics weren’t negative, but I had to use a little creativity to see Christ in ’em.

Thomas also wanted to download AFI’s Miss Murder. SOMEHOW, and I have no idea how, I had seen their performance on the MTV awards. Ummm, I didn’t even watch the MTV awards, but I must have been channel surfing and caught them. I kinda liked the song, but of course, during their performance, I couldn’t understand a word they sang. Well, before I let Thom download it, we listened to a clip…and I liked it again…until I downloaded the lyrics, too! Good grief, Charlie Brown, IT WAS ABOUT FREAKIN’ SUICIDE! Painting it as a thing of beauty. I took a look at the rest of the stuff on the album, and all of it was dark and death-riddled. The contrast made Underoath look like a band of powderpuffs. (Before you get smart with me, no it didn’t occur to me that “murder” in the title was so ominous…)

And, THAT, my friends, is where I draw the line at open-mindedness. I once read if you’re too open minded your brains might fall out. I think that would be evident–and I would’ve had to turn in my parenting credentials–if I let Thomas listen to that crap (and, for the record, I let him look at the AFI stuff I found and he actually agreed :); that, after initially being ticked at me for not letting him download it…).

** If you check out the Comments, you’ll see “Salmarnir” is Psalm 50 spoken in Russian…cool, huh?

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