Thursday, March 22, 2007

Got them higher calling blues

After a few weeks off I'm back with another installment of Got Them Higher Calling Blues.


In the spirit of this week's release of Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, I have Jesus Christ was an Only Child off 1997's Lonesome Crowded West, considered by many to be the penultimate MM record. Jesus Christ differs from previous songs posted in the sense it is neither a gospel or celebratory song. Those especially touchy might go so far to describe it as blasphemous, what with lyrics referencing Jesus along the lines of "should have killed that little fucker before he even had him," and Isaac Brock's atheistic views. The song fits into the album's greater themes, touching on the decay of institutions, whether deserved or mourned. Brock makes a point of marking the difference between Christ,a benevolent and loving God and His Father, the seemingly angry, often vengeful God of the Old Testament. The point being that we may all be better off with a little less leash.
Modest Mouse - Jesus Christ was an Only Child mp3


The Brian Jonestown Massacre offer Jesus off Their Satanic Majesties Second Request. Its a sprawling psychedelic burn laced in timely fashion with the refrain of "have mercy please Jesus." The song depicts a man who has lost all money and friends and turns to Jesus for comfort only to find that He is not necessarily willing to offer it.
Brian Jonestown Massacre - Jesus mp3

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Penultimate means next to last. Only "ultimate" in the sense that it is close to the end.

Pinball said...

and anonymous has officially got me. The author regrets his decision to use a word which he consistently misuses and always vows never to do so, only to conjure it up when dry on hyperbole. Anonymous gets a cookie (chocolate chip) and my readers get to mock me at will.