08 July 2017

Music Day - Beautiful Mystery

Here's a song I can almost guarantee you've never heard before. You hipster types, remember you heard it here first. You're welcome.

This man is one of the greatest songwriters (if not the greatest songwriter) ever to walk the face of the earth. He has forty-one years of professional experience -- this includes writing, playing, singing, touring, producing... the whole gamut. This is a guy who's been around the block a few times and lets his experience inform and deepen his songwriting. And we, the listeners, are richer for it.

Title: Beautiful Mystery
Artist: Terry Scott Taylor
Album: Bedroom Demos #3
Year: 2017
Label: Independently published on Patreon.
Only available on his Patreon page here.
If you like what you hear, please consider supporting his endeavours to make more music like this, right on his Patreon page. As a supporter myself, I can tell you that every penny you put to this is worth it.

Unfortunately, due to the rampant ageism (and the need to be 'safe and fun for the whole family' -- that is, 'no sarcasm or deep thought allowed') in the Christian music industry, Mr. Taylor and his work have been largely ignored. This is, at best, a crime against humanity. His observations and acknowledgement of the tension between art and society, faith and reason, the now and the not-yet are some of the most acute I have ever seen (and given my upbringing, church background, and post-secondary education, I've been exposed to more than your average number of theological tomes).

In this song, he explores this tension directly (cf. also his album (with his band Daniel Amos) Darn Floor - Big Bite). More specifically, he observes how people tend to try to fit Jesus into their own image of what they think He should be, how we tend to put God in a box far too small, how we try to tame the almighty God, the lion like Aslan.

When we could not grasp love this profound
We subdued it with a thorny crown
Whipped it into shape and nailed it down
Sealed the exit from the burial ground...

One last note: this song is actually a demo, recorded in his bedroom with nothing but an acoustic guitar, a MacBook, and a microphone. Yet it's deeper and more powerful than any of the tripe they're playing on hipster Spotify playlists. Its very simplicity allows the lyric to penetrate deeper.

Go take a listen. You might just enjoy it.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Your music tastes are eerily similar to mine. Your blog is in my bookmark list and I come back every once in a while to see what old classics you're writing about. It is great to see you as a patron for Terry Taylor. I'm right there with you. I immediately went to see if you also were aware of the new Mad at the World stuff coming out soon. Of course, you did. Exciting times!! I wonder what you're listening to in current music? I'm drawn to Lifehouse and Paper Route. Anyway, thought I'd drop you a line to say I appreciate your reviews and that you are not alone in your tastes.

Sarah-Kate said...

Thank you so much for visiting and for the encouraging comment. I'm glad you're able to enjoy my little slice of Internet.
As far as current music goes -- basically it consists of Terry Taylor's Patreon stuff. :-P I haven't yet found any 'modern' music/bands that I don't hate after about three listens.

Kayla Jorstad said...

Thanks for sharing this! I like finding musicians that put their personal life experiences into their work. Have you ever listened to John Mark McMillan?