Emery: The Question
Emo band Emery’s The Question rocks, and screams, and rocks some more. It’s not my favorite album but it’s not my least favorite—it has sort of grown on me over the last week. Their website informs me that they hope that the listener understands the love they wish to share (by listening to their album) but I found the album more confusing than any other I’ve reviewed. For those interested in the audio comparisons of the album, this one comes down somewhere short of the hardcore band Underoath, another faith-oriented band that is getting some series love from Best Buy and AP magazine, but I digress…
“So Cold I Could See My Breath� serves as a retrospective look at relationships. “All the suspense that we’ve created. And now it is wasted and we can’t change it. The beginning to the ending. I find myself remembering. How quickly lust can pretend it is love,� sings/screams Emery. Hey, sign up those questioning whether to sleep together or not for this free relationship seminar! Post-relationship, the band would like us to know that we can mistake lust for love, and commit more than we should—but who can recognize that in the middle of infatuation? This is an interesting first track, especially in light of the rest of the album.
As a loved one dies, Emery tries to preserve the memory of the relationship in “Returning the Smile You Have Had From the Start� but wants nothing to do with a past relationship in “Studying Politics.� Here the band sings about a pencil with erasers at both ends—I guess that means there’s no writing involved, just erasing? That’s pretty depressing, but no less than this: “You’d like to think that you’re the best part of me. But I confess there is nothing left of you here.� Not much of a send-off, but hey, at least he knows what he wants. Death occurs again in “Left With Alibis and Lying Eyes,� as Emery sings of murdering someone. What is the cause for fixation on death? The possibility remains that the deaths are figurative but the repetitive theme is worth noting.
In “Listening to Freddie Mercury,� Emery sings, “You’re a Christian tell the sinner friend repentance it’s your last chance. You believer: where’s your patience? Answer questions, put on faces. What about God? For you and me. All have fallen short.� WOW, so much for ambiguity. Here, we have a pretty clear criticism of Christians who condemn others and determine who is in and who is out. Jesus calls us to love one another, not condemn one another. Seems to me that the judgmental attitudes of many rubs the band the wrong way too. Everyone has ‘fallen short,’ and Emery wants some Christians to recognize their own shortcomings before they judge others. Later, the various fractures in relationships depicted include one man who stopped praying. “It’s all the same thing [the problems]. We are all the same people. With sinning hearts that make us equal…It is not our job to MAKE [Emery’s capitalization] anyone believe.� Enough said.
These mistakes serve as the subject to “The Weakest,� “In A Lose, Lose Situation,� and “In A Win, Win Situation,� where Emery takes ownership over other peoples’ problems. In a ‘brother’s keeper’ scenario, the band sings, “they’re drunk I poured the wine.� Later, the band says that the mistakes will continue, but that we have the opportunity to rise above them over and over again. So, the band wants ownership over their own actions that negatively impact others. That’s very admirable, but it also means that the band wants their actions to be above reproach. That’s a Christianity-based principle as well. And we do have the predicament where we keep making the same mistakes (because we’re human!) but thankfully, with our eyes on Christ, we have the opportunity to be forgiven for those mistakes.
So, maybe there is love in Emery after all. Not the kind of gushy love that we hear in pop radio. The kind of love that makes us responsible for each other and means that we might be more responsible for the actions of others than we first thought. That’s the kind of love that Jesus Himself taught. It just might be worth listening to, screams and all.
“So Cold I Could See My Breath� serves as a retrospective look at relationships. “All the suspense that we’ve created. And now it is wasted and we can’t change it. The beginning to the ending. I find myself remembering. How quickly lust can pretend it is love,� sings/screams Emery. Hey, sign up those questioning whether to sleep together or not for this free relationship seminar! Post-relationship, the band would like us to know that we can mistake lust for love, and commit more than we should—but who can recognize that in the middle of infatuation? This is an interesting first track, especially in light of the rest of the album.
As a loved one dies, Emery tries to preserve the memory of the relationship in “Returning the Smile You Have Had From the Start� but wants nothing to do with a past relationship in “Studying Politics.� Here the band sings about a pencil with erasers at both ends—I guess that means there’s no writing involved, just erasing? That’s pretty depressing, but no less than this: “You’d like to think that you’re the best part of me. But I confess there is nothing left of you here.� Not much of a send-off, but hey, at least he knows what he wants. Death occurs again in “Left With Alibis and Lying Eyes,� as Emery sings of murdering someone. What is the cause for fixation on death? The possibility remains that the deaths are figurative but the repetitive theme is worth noting.
In “Listening to Freddie Mercury,� Emery sings, “You’re a Christian tell the sinner friend repentance it’s your last chance. You believer: where’s your patience? Answer questions, put on faces. What about God? For you and me. All have fallen short.� WOW, so much for ambiguity. Here, we have a pretty clear criticism of Christians who condemn others and determine who is in and who is out. Jesus calls us to love one another, not condemn one another. Seems to me that the judgmental attitudes of many rubs the band the wrong way too. Everyone has ‘fallen short,’ and Emery wants some Christians to recognize their own shortcomings before they judge others. Later, the various fractures in relationships depicted include one man who stopped praying. “It’s all the same thing [the problems]. We are all the same people. With sinning hearts that make us equal…It is not our job to MAKE [Emery’s capitalization] anyone believe.� Enough said.
These mistakes serve as the subject to “The Weakest,� “In A Lose, Lose Situation,� and “In A Win, Win Situation,� where Emery takes ownership over other peoples’ problems. In a ‘brother’s keeper’ scenario, the band sings, “they’re drunk I poured the wine.� Later, the band says that the mistakes will continue, but that we have the opportunity to rise above them over and over again. So, the band wants ownership over their own actions that negatively impact others. That’s very admirable, but it also means that the band wants their actions to be above reproach. That’s a Christianity-based principle as well. And we do have the predicament where we keep making the same mistakes (because we’re human!) but thankfully, with our eyes on Christ, we have the opportunity to be forgiven for those mistakes.
So, maybe there is love in Emery after all. Not the kind of gushy love that we hear in pop radio. The kind of love that makes us responsible for each other and means that we might be more responsible for the actions of others than we first thought. That’s the kind of love that Jesus Himself taught. It just might be worth listening to, screams and all.
3 Comments:
yes i agree w/ with this blog for the most part as a christian (and as not, i guess if that makes sense?) i love emery...they're so awesome...this cd grew on me to, i didnt think id like, but i love it..its just more mature than weaksend but i love both cds..= )
Hey thanks for writing! I understand that you can agree with theology AND creative artistry/criticism or disagree with one but agree with the other. That's why it's so sweet when Christians produce good art!
I've alwyas viewed their harsh writing as satirical...they're pointing the problems and speedbumps that our generation faces and thru this satirical writing lighting a fire in it's Christian listeners' hearts in a "i really need to change" sort of way
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