Vicious Theology

New Blog Address

2011-04-06T23:17:00.001-05:00

If you're reading this, please visit my spot on tumblr. I'm gonna try that instead of blogger.

http://erjeong.tumblr.com/

Beach House - Nashville 2010

2010-04-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

Beach House
Mercy Lounge
Nashville, TN
2010 04 28

Top 20 CDs - #20-17

2010-04-27T21:18:00.004-05:00

Because my term papers are not writing themselves and writing this is better than writing nothing at all.

I've already done my top 10 so #11-20 might not sound that interesting but I'll still tell you about them.

20 - Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World
October 15, 2000
Almost 10 years ago, I stood in line to what would be my first show ever at hicago's Fireside Bowl. The Line Up?
Death Cab For Cuttie, Pedro the Lion, Jebediah and Jimmy Eat World. All for about $7

I was not a Jimmy Eat World fan before this show (and in all honestly I'm not a huge fan now) but I had to buy Bleed American when it came out the following year. It played non-stop and I was pretty upset when my college paper reviewed the album as "a constant, almost ignorable nose like that of a refrigerator buzz." Bullshit! This album was amazing and though its novelty has worn off me, I still enjoy it. I can't believe it's been almost 10 years.

19 - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down by Noah and the Whale
You've heard that one song "Fun, Fun, FUUUUN" If not, go listen to it, you'll love it. You'll end up singing along to the whole CD.

18 - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
"I listen to everything except hip hop or country. But I do listen to Wilco, I like them" I do listen to Hip Hop and some country. And I still like Wilco. This is by far the album that got me hooked and a classic.

17 - Dig Your Own Hole by the Chemical Brothers
[Bass line] Back on one of those other block rockin' BEATS [Bass line] 'nough Said!

Wait for the guitar coming in at around 2:26

[The blue shirt looks like it's a Relient K shirt?]

USA Bible Translataion

2010-03-04T13:16:00.004-06:00

Mark 8:34 "...take up your cross and follow me"

USA interpretation: "...take up your cross and eat it."
280 salvific calories!

The Gospel According to Mr. Potato Head

2010-02-23T19:29:00.004-06:00

This is how I study for my exams:

True Religion: Worshiping the Indie Rock God

2010-01-25T00:10:00.005-06:00

I am not particularly fond of Christian worship songs. To me most seem rather bland and generic.

Just like bad, cheesy love lyrics are hidden by expensive over-production in commercial pop songs so are bad, cheesy love lyrics in many worship songs hidden under the disguise of music for God/the Lord/etc.

This is a list of some good, favorite songs of mine which I find worshipful. And, no, I'm not talking about the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" pretending that I'm hoping to hold Jesus' hand.

You can download the songs here.

Always Love
Artist: Nada Surf
Album: the Weight Is A Gift
It's not difficult to see why I would choose this one song.
To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me
Always love hate will get you every time

Conventional Wisdom
Artist: Built to Spill
Album: You In Reverse
We like to think that we are unable to truly know God yet, we try to define everything about God in very detailed ways. We try to create a standard; truly, there is none.
Some things you can't explain
Like why we're all embracing conventional wisdom
In a world that's just so unconventional

Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Artist: the Smiths
Album: Louder than Bombs
Morissey assumes the role of David in what sounds just like a lament Psalm.
So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time

Caught by the River
Artist: Doves
Album: the Last Broadcast
A song of hope about giving up what hurts us. It can take on many meaning but for me is about giving up attachments to the material and temporal.
Give it all away
Give it all away now
Don't let it come apart
Don't want to see you come apart

Allah, Allah, Allah
Artist: mewithoutYou
Album: It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
The album this song is from is influenced by teachings of Sufi mystic Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
In everywhere we look
In everyone we meet
In every blade of grass
Allah, Allah, Allah!

Dead Flag Blues

2010-01-17T00:48:00.002-06:00

the car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel
and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides
and a dark wind blows

the government is corrupt
and we're on so many drugs
with the radio on and the curtains drawn

we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine
and the machine is bleeding to death

the sun has fallen down
and the billboards are all leering
and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles

it went like this:

the buildings tumbled in on themselves
mothers clutching babies picked through the rubble
and pulled out their hair

the skyline was beautiful on fire
all twisted metal stretching upwards
everything washed in a thin orange haze

i said: "kiss me, you're beautiful -
these are truly the last days"

you grabbed my hand and we fell into it
like a daydream or a fever

we woke up one morning and fell a little further down -
for sure it's the valley of death

i open up my wallet
and it's full of blood

Rant: Boring Machines Disturb Sleep

2009-11-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

I have developed a sense of paranoia since realizing that my sleeping patterns are disturbed by machines.

Things that wake me up at night:
-music from iPod
-miss-set alarm
-glow from computer screen
-revving engines
-sirens
-sound from the ceiling fan
-subtle, constant, monotonous sound from my record player as the needle skips the groove

But never woken up by:
-birds
-dogs
-rain
-thunder
-wind tapping on my window

No wonder there is no God. The sound of anything made by God has been muffled by the battery-draining, electricity-consuming, man-made sounds.

Eli's Top Ten Albums - No. 003, 002 and 001

2009-11-20T11:39:00.000-06:00

Rounding up my list of top 10 Albums:

003. F#A#∞ by Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Probably the first post-rock/avant-garde/instrumental band that I got into.

002. Americana by Staflyer 59
I remember going up to the tent SF59 was playing at Cornerstone 2000. I left after a few minutes because I found them boring. Little did I know that they would eventually become one of my favorite bands. The first SF59 song I heard was off Americana (The Translator), the first full length I bought was Americana for $5 from Tooth and Nail's mail order catalog (yep, mail order, not internet)

001. Faithful Anchor by Unwed Sailor
BEST ALBUM EVER! Otherwise it would not be number one of my top 10. I heard the buzz about Unwed Sailor but all I could get was one song I downloaded through my dial-up connection. My brother and I drove from Chicago to Grand Rapids, MI once for an all day concert event. Unwed Sailor was not playing but another band was selling their CD. I fell in love ever since.

Top 10 CDs: Number 006, 005, 004

2009-11-18T19:37:00.000-06:00

006. Ok Computer by Radiohead
It wasn't until after high school that I started listening to Radiohead so I didn't get OK Computer until later in 2000 after Kid A had been released. It immediately became one of my favorite records. There is also a great cover of the entire album by a String Quartet: Strung Out On OK Computer

005. The Man Who by Travis
It is very unusual for me to remember the exact time or moment I heard any one particular song. I do remember quite vividly listening to Travis' "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" one day as I sat on my blue '88 Nissan Sentra while I waited for my Aunt and cousin to come out of the Supercuts in Chicago's northwest side. I think I was going through girl issues at the time but quite frankly I can't remember exactly who or what. It was my first semester of college and I had started listening to music other than R&B/HipHop or Classic Rock which took most of the four years I spent in high school.

I can't tell exactly what drew me into this song but I immediately went to Best Buy and purchased the record. It quickly became one of my favorite records (and still remains up to now.) It is also the gateway record to my usual indie pop and Glasgow music (pseudo)fascinations.

004. Rock Action by Mogwai
Another band from Glasgow. Blend of metal, indie, some electronic and every now and them some very haunting vocals.

Eli's Top Ten Albums - No. 009, 008 and 007

2009-11-14T20:46:00.000-06:00

009. London Calling by the Clash - For a while, the only Clash album I had.

008. Antics by Interpol - I first heard Interpol shortly after Turn on the Bright Lights came out. I then saw them live and fell in love with their music.

007. Self titled release by Cush - I had a chance to see Cush perform live with the original line-up including Mike Knott on vocals. I passed that up because I didn't know who they were at the time and I regret it. I did see them live but with a different singer.

Eli's Top Ten Albums - No. 010: The Dust of Retreat

2009-11-13T23:19:00.000-06:00

Number 10: The Dust of Retreat by Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
I had heard Skeleton Key from one of my Paste Magazine Sampler CDs but it wasn't I listened to them on XM Radio XMU 43 that I really paid attention to them. I bought their CD and have seen them live a couple of times. They have been on heavy rotation for the past few years.

Phoney Beatlemania

2009-11-08T00:38:00.001-06:00

Because it came up in conversation today and I do not feel like sleep or study at the moment.

And yes, I'm aware I left out a bunch of great songs. It's quite hard to come up with my Beatles top 10 song list but here is my attempt. Some of these songs might fluctuate in and out of the list but for the most part they are definitely my top songs.

In no particular order:

From Abbey Road
Here Comes the Sun

From Help!
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
I've Just Seen A Face

From Let It Be
Across the Universe
Let It Be

From Rubber Soul
Norwegian Wood
Michelle

From the White Album
Dear Prudence
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Blackbird

Other favorites:

Favorite songs by a solo Beatles' member:
Imagine - Lenon
My Sweet Lord - Harrison
Give Me Love - Harrison

Favorite Covers
Pear Jam's cover of You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Joe Cocker's amazing cover of With a Little Help From My Friends
And of course, the movie Across the Universe is great.

(Interesting) Fact:
My daughter (IF 01. If I do have children and 02. If I do obtain exclusive naming rights) will be named Prudence Michelle. Of course after Beatles songs.

the Beatles are 10th on my most played artists according to last.fm
http://www.last.fm/user/erjeong

And for some fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OALGSvv7EBM

Capitalist Evangelism

2009-11-06T10:43:00.000-06:00

One of the problems with Christianity is that it has abandoned almost all sense of mission. Instead, it has been replaced with a marketing campaign. They put up billboards and call it evangelism.

I found these while reading the latest print issue of Sojourners. (Sojourners was not endorsing the product, just merely presenting it.) A company called Disciple Shades is offering "the first and only Christian-based line of sunglasses inscribed with an inspirational biblical verse."

Is nothing sacred?

Random Variation

2009-11-06T02:41:00.000-06:00

"...though in random variation there are orderly patterns, patterns are not always meaningful. And as important as it is to recognize the meaning when it is there, it is equally important not to extract meaning when it is not there."
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

There is absolutely no intention behind the name "Vicious Theology" other than the fact that I liked the sound of it.

I did google the term to make sure was unused by other. The first instance of it that found was in the 1982 Resolution of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International were they describe Liberation Theology as Vicious Theology.

It is too early in my development to be considered a liberation theologian but I tend to lean in that general direction. In which case the description of "Vicious Theology" very well suits me.

Let's see how this develops.