Music

Christmas Music Worth Your Time

The following may not quite enable the musical equivalent of a monastic flight from the forced saccharine madness that blares from too many speakers in public places, but each album will help create spaces of Christian contemplation and reflection during the Christmas season.

Springsteen, Belonging, and Religion in Blinded by the Light

To be sure, Springsteenism is an ambiguous religiosity. Springsteen, as Roops pronounces, “knows everything you’ve ever felt … and he can describe it better for you.” His music allows one to see the depth and profundity in ordinary life — to see even father-son conflict as “something as old as time,” as Manzoor says, and to respond with empathy. Springsteen himself is a role model of uncommon decency.

Rewarding, Not Easy, Listening

The Majesty of the Flesh and Mother of God are punctuated with lyrics rooted in Bozeman’s Orthodox faith, which makes his lyrical voice distinct in America’s musical scene.