The first song I’m considering using for my podcast is Sheep by Mt Joy. They are an indie rock band whose music is known for its soft groove, ambient guitars, and folk-like vocals. Sheep, released in 2017, has that same calm, atmospheric sound they’re recognized for, however, the lyrics are much heavier. The disposition between the lyrics and music is very dramatic; it’s quite clear that they are addressing a violent social issue, but it’s artistically portrayed in a song that sounds beautiful and you can sing along to. The vocal delivery sounds just as smooth and clear as their message, and you can hear the passion in the singer’s voice. Overall, this song addresses the violent incidents that happened in Baltimore and the death of Freddie Gray. It also emphasizes how the rest of the public needs to come together and advocate for this to stop happening. I want to use this for the podcast because it has a strong and beautiful politically-charged message. I’ve always been a big Mt Joy fan and would love to research more and become a part of this conversation that they are starting. However, they are a relatively new band, so they have a limited amount of interviews and content to pull from on the internet. On the other hand, they already created a music video, and being that they are new and already producing eye-opening content protesting for social change has quickly created enough buzz in the music industry for me to be able to find enough information to do this project.
Another song I could possibly use is Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, released in 2006. This punk rock song has all the typical elements of this genre; it has prominent and aggressive electric guitars and a fast pace tempo driven by the intensity of the drumming. The sound energizes the listener and has an angry, urgent tone to it. The lyrics tell a story where the singer is calling out someone for acting aggressively towards a woman. At times you sympathize with the woman in the song, and at other points, the artist is screaming the lyrics and capturing the aggression he has with how upset it makes him. The intensity of Face Down mirrors the intensity of how serious the issue of domestic abuse is. This song addresses this social issue and tells it from the perspective of an outsider in the situation, narrating the woman’s perspective as well as calling out the abuser. I want to possibly use this for my podcast because I haven’t heard many songs that address domestic abuse. It’s an issue that not only impacts many people, but it’s also one that most people suffer from in secret; I would like to have the opportunity to dive more into this topic because it deserves to have more light shed on it. My only concern is that there is limited media coverage on this song. There’s a music video that acts out the song and is deeply powerful, but not an extensive amount of interviews of the artist’s thoughts and position on the song.
February 1, 2020 at 10:34 am
Jennifer,
These are two very good choices for your podcast, though of the two I’d lean toward “Sheep,” mostly because I think the video will provide you with more nuance for your discussion (though that may be some bias talking because it is shot in Austin, my old stomping ground :-). The video was hard to find, as it seems to be off of YouTube, for some reason. I found it on FB. It also has themes of the was we are consuming news, and I like the pinata metaphor throughout.
But, either would be okay. Up to you!
Bill