Song title: “You’re A Common Deity”
Genre: Ska/Indie
Explanation: The song deals with the controversial ideas behind religion and how it affects a diverse group of people in America; specifically, the song questions different types of religion; the viewpoints of radical believers against the moderate, the agnostic, and the non-believers; and that religion has an incredible impact on the society. The song would include excerpts from different books of several religions. The softness of the indie sound will create a calm atmosphere, allowing for the ideas and thoughts to be addressed without showing spite towards any religion. The upbeat tempo of the song conveys a happier attitude towards the idea of religion and togetherness.
Song title: “SKINVISION”
Genre: Experimental Indie
Explanation: The song goes into the ordeals of people suffering from eating disorders and/or body dysmorhpic disorder. The lyrics will paint images of how someone suffering from BDD will see him or herself; also, they will include how the individual endures life outside the house. The lyrics will also capture the “disembodied voices” that come from the person suffering from BDD or eating disorders, as well as the voices that come from others who observe the victim. This will paint how a person suffering from these disorders feels on a daily basis, and how some may misinterpret or undermine the severity of the problems.
Song Title: “Break the Youth”
Genre: Rap/Freestyle
Explanation: The song discusses the many issues that involves the youth of today and violence. This songs span into cyber-bullying, bullying in general, school shootings, and children joining gangs. The lyrics will include stories of children who have dealt with these traumatizing events as well as the stories of children who have committed the acts. One part of the song will also paint a hypothetical story of a school shooting, of students being bullied, and young children in gangs.
Song Title: “Reflect”
Genre: Experimental/Ambient Wave/Downtempo
Explanation: This is a thought provoking song that deals with the idea of human cloning. The song doesn’t discuss the mechanics of cloning so much as the idea of whether clones will have the same thoughts, emotions, and morals of their human counterparts. In other words, the song questions the humanity of clones and whether they can truly be counted as actual beings with morals and dignity. Because human cloning has not occurred, the situations in the song are hypothetical, but it covers both grounds of whether they can be called “human”. The song will use many metaphors and images of mirrors.
Song Title: “In Regard to your Humanity”
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Explanation: This song has slight similarities to “Reflect”, however, it discusses human embryos and whether their use in embryonic stem cell research is justified. The lyrics question the moral status of embryos with some scientific research. The lyrics speak directly to the embryos rather than the people who argue against or for them.
An excerpt from the song “SKINVISION”
The perfection cuts hot and silky
against skin so cold and filthy, but
you hear those deafening lies that
speak so much truth to your eyes
that will not sympathize with you.
They will not empathize with you,
those people who drive cars, smoke
in bars, laugh until their cheekbones
scar with age. But it’s okay, because
you hide in your perfection induced
haze where no one remembers your
name.
These would be the lyrics to the one of the verses of the song, portraying the mind of someone who would suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. The video portrays several people (including a model, a body-builder, a regular student in school, an office executive, and a mother) walking through a world that is brightly colored and peaceful. The clothes the people are wearing are fresh and crisp, and everyone is going about their normal day. The only difference is that the people are wearing dark sunglasses, and through the lens, they see everything that makes them so unhappy; the atmosphere is bleak and hopeless through the sunglasses. They never take them off in the video.
Images Cited
burnt out Impurities. My hands are cold. 22 March 2009 [http://www.flickr.com/photos/27021814@N00/3311896019/].
Tamie Snow *Roxycraft*. More Hearts! 22 March 2009 [http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxycraft/3255711293/].
Image designed by Candice Russell.
