an earful
Now and again I've ranted about how "Christian" music sucks. Well, my old pal Josh Garrels' latest album just got voted "best album of 2011" by Christianity Today, and there's a good music critic over at Image magazine who put Josh's album on his list of Ten 2011 Albums for Christians who Hate Christian Music. I like Josh's music, so I figured I'd offer a qualification.
I think the best way to express my qualification is in the words of Under the Radar, a radio program that just voted Josh's album one of the eleven best of 2011, and bills itself as "a weekly syndicated radio program of the best music from Christians." With those two words, "from Christians" they undo a whole lot of dualist nonsense bound up in the words "Christian music."
While I'd probably still take issue with them in that I don't feel that where an artist comes from is as important as where he or she goes, I think it's cool they're picking their in-house favorites based on artistry, rather than just whether or not an artist toes the party line. "Christian" music (as as a separate music industry) still sucks tank; but there are musicians who refer to themselves as Christians and nonetheless make music that sucketh not.
In addition to being fans of Josh, the Under the Radar people also like "The Civil Wars" and "Over the Rhine." They're awesome too, so you have my permission to go check them out. And while I'm at it, you also have my permission to check out the music of my exceptionally hairy and beautiful friend Christopher John, who is more awesome than ten opossums.
I think the best way to express my qualification is in the words of Under the Radar, a radio program that just voted Josh's album one of the eleven best of 2011, and bills itself as "a weekly syndicated radio program of the best music from Christians." With those two words, "from Christians" they undo a whole lot of dualist nonsense bound up in the words "Christian music."
While I'd probably still take issue with them in that I don't feel that where an artist comes from is as important as where he or she goes, I think it's cool they're picking their in-house favorites based on artistry, rather than just whether or not an artist toes the party line. "Christian" music (as as a separate music industry) still sucks tank; but there are musicians who refer to themselves as Christians and nonetheless make music that sucketh not.
In addition to being fans of Josh, the Under the Radar people also like "The Civil Wars" and "Over the Rhine." They're awesome too, so you have my permission to go check them out. And while I'm at it, you also have my permission to check out the music of my exceptionally hairy and beautiful friend Christopher John, who is more awesome than ten opossums.
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