The Classic Crime

Probably the best way to describe the new album from The Classic Crime, The Silver Cord, is to look at the similarities between it and a mid 90’s teen movie/sitcom/after school special. You know, the kind where an insecure, average, yet affable boy in a desperate attempt to get the attention of popular girl tries to do all the right things, yet figures out in the end that being himself works the best.

On first listen, everything seems to be working. They seem to be doing everything right,­ everything you’d expect a band like them to do: the monster guitars that are sometimes a bit math-y, the pounding drums, the powerful, yet emotionally dramatic vocals. The band (i.e. our Joe Everyman hero) does all the right things, yet something isn’t quite right. While the instrumentation remains interesting, the often-predictable melodies rise and fall as expected. With a few exceptions like the somewhat catchy “Gravedigger,” there are very few moments that are memorable.

The first song, “Just A Man,” laments about personal struggles while evoking a sound not too far from My Chemical Romance. The recurring theme of inner turmoil and personal battles continues in “God and Drugs” and “Medisin” where they toil with drug and alcohol abuse. Whether this is autobiographical or just first-person perspective writing, they do a great job of being wide open about real struggles and problems that many Christians face, yet are too embarrassed to address.

Lyrically, the record is extremely visual. Showing is better than telling and singer Matt MacDonald carefully balances the literal with the weaving of lyrical imagery as in the song “Abracadavers.” He also shows honesty by delving into areas not usually taboo within Christian circles.

The song “Everything” is an obvious gem, an incredibly well-written and poignant song that uses sexual desire as a metaphor for a hunger for God. Many artists have cleverly written songs that could ambiguously be about God or a girl, but they are usually written in a safe way. The lines “Throw caution to the wind / And suck your sweet poison / Your body’s everything” and other sexually charged lines instantly grab attention. While some people
might think it inappropriate, we should all be reminded that God created sex and to use it as an analogy of how we should hunger for God is a wonderful and extremely creative metaphor. What’s ironic is that this double-meaning formula is meant to draw people in, and then reveal the hidden meaning, thus making the song appealing to a larger audience, not the other way around.

This approach would probably turn a lot of Christians off immediately because of the innuendo ­ even though it shouldn’t. And the fact that this very catchy song was pushed towards the end of the record is the final proof that this band (our teen heart-throb) is focusing on the wrong things. Instead of doing all the things that is expected of a band by the scene (the girl), they do their best when being themselves and finding something fresh and innovative.

The guys in Classic Crime are definitely on the cutting edge of what’s going on in the “scene.” But with that territory, there is one caveat. Here’s how it works in the world of latest-and-greatest trends among young people:

1. A style or sound is cool.
2. Everyone in the scene imitates that sound, which quickly dilutes the novelty.
3. A new band adds a slight twist on that style which starts the whole process over again.

This constant evolution is the lifeblood of the scene. If a band like the Classic Crime wants to continue to exist in this capacity, they need to innovate. They can’t just keep making the same record that everyone else is making.

Moral of the story? Write something fresh and different; oh, and say no to drugs.

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