05 November 2011

Leah's Musical Revue: Codes and Keys

    Yes, I meant to write "revue" rather than "review", because in the ideal world of my mind, this is not a post, but rather a segment that has its own little circus-type theme song and is "light theatrical entertainment", as the dictionary definition of "revue" demands. If I write another one, it will be "Leah's Musical Reveille", and it will be a wake up call. Metaphorically or literally? You won't know until it happens. 
    Anyway, while the title might be light and cheery, the subject matter isn't exactly: I'm talking about Death Cab For Cutie's...most recent album (I can't actually call it their new album since it's been out for quite some time). I'm not exactly at the cutting edged forefront of modern music, so it takes me a while to get to these things, so bear with me. I will admit, I do like Death Cab, once I got past its silly name and learned to embrace the emo-ness of most of its music. But all of that being said, this band has a horrifically skewed worldview-- but, to their credit, they don't hide it at all.
     In their new album, Codes and Keys, they (I always get confused here; are bands "it"s or "they"s?) state over and over again their predominant belief-- that love is more important than anything and is the only really true thing in this world. It's the same idea they put forth in Into the Dark, a song about two people in the afterlife:" No blinding lights / no tunnels to gates of white / just our hands clasped so tight / waiting for the hint of a spark," If heaven and hell decide / that they both are satisfied / illuminate the "no"s on their vacancy signs/ if there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark".
     This view becomes even more clear as the song continues, as it explores the religious background of the singer: "In Catholic school, / as vicious as Roman rule, / I had my knuckles bruised,/ by a lady in black / I held my tongue / as she told me, 'Listen, son / fear is the heart of love'/ So I never went back."
    I know, I just quoted a lot of the song. I could have shortened it, but that would have messed up the rhyme scheme and I just couldn't bear to do that. And besides, it's important-- you really see where they're coming from here: religion= if not downright evil, at least misused and unnecessary, love= the only ultimate, transcendent reality.
    And that's the same thing that's displayed through Codes and Keys, and it sometimes comes out explicitly: especially in St. Peter's Cathedral (...when our hearts stop ticking, / This is the end and there's nothing past this) and most clearly in Unobstructed Views (There's no eye in the sky, / just our love / No unobstructed view, no perfect truth, / just our love), and I'm pretty sure you can see it in Portable Television, but honestly, I can't make heads or tails of that song. Now, that's a pretty bleak portrait of the world(and also, I'm pretty certain, contextually incorrect, "no unobstructed view" = double negative = obstructed view).
     What's the big problem with it? Well, I don't know if you've read your gossip magazines lately or stopped by Yahoo News on your way to checking all those important emails you have, but Ben Gibbard (the lead singer for Death Cab For Cutie) is splitting up with his wife of 2+ years, actress Zooey Deschanel. So if you carry out Gibbard's viewpoint to its full extent-- and remember, "there's no eye / in the sky / just our love"-- if his love doesn't last, then what is there worth living for?
    Of course, Gibbard isn't going to find the answer pursuing other romantic relationships. And he's not going to find it in the Catholic church or St. Peter's Cathedral. The only place it can be found is in the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but I think Gibbard has been vaccinated against anything he perceives as "religion" (not, of course, that God couldn't change his heart!). But in the meantime, it's interesting-- and saddening-- to see someone with such a skewed worldview "waiting for the hint of a spark".

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