Home
Subscribe
About
Us
Features
News
Album
Reviews
Movies
Concert
Reviews
Top
10
Resources
Contact
Us
|
|
Adam
Up, Parodudes.
Artist: Apologetix
Label: Indie
The lead track on Adam
Up makes the claim that, “We're in a Parody Band,” and they make the
same claim on their website calling themselves the Christian Weird Al Yankovic.
But the key to a good parody is humor at the expense of the one being parodied.
This is something that Yankovic understands, and Aplogetix apparently does
not.
Or could they have other
motives for insisting that they are a Parody Band? It may have to do with
the fair use provisions in American copy right law that has exceptions
for parodies. (see
10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained )
Or could it be that calling
what they do a parody is a way of dealing with conservative church culture.
I can imagine it goes something like this,
Deacon Smith: “’why do you
use the music of that foul mouthed Emiem?”
Aplogetix: “Sure, we're
using Eminem's music and style, but we're not endorsing him, we're doing
a parody of him.”
Deacon Smith: “Oh well then,
that's ok, please continue.”
While Apologetix's fails
as parody, they do a fine job creating accessible Christian music by reusing
the folk music of our time, a practice that has a long and honorable tradition
in the Church. Apologetix does a remarkable job of imitating a wide variety
of music from the Proclaimers to Ozzy Ozbourne. Their intimation of the
B-52's Fred Schneider on "Meshack" is nothing short of amazing.
This disc won't appeal to
fans of the Choir or VoL; it's not an original work of sublime artistic
creativity. But it will appeal to fans of Top 40 radio of the last 30 years,
who are also looking for an overt Christian message in every song. My wife
and eleven-year-old daughter have had this disk in heavy rotation in our
car. I had to reclaim it from my daughter's CD case to write this review.
And I'll admit my inner-evangelical was shaking his booty to "Get Found
Tonight," Apologetix's take on the 70's hit "Get Down Tonight."
Dave King 3/29/2004
|