So I’ve got a bit of an ambitious undertaking that I have been formulating over the course of the last couple weeks. I beat the main story in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain just in time for the release of Metal Gear Online, and have been sketching out the beginnings of a review. However, I don’t just want to review The Phantom Pain: I want to do the retrospective to top all retrospectives and write up a comprehensive series review. Obviously this could take months to do (and that’s assuming that I do manage to make it through), so I’ll have to make up my mind on whether to write it all and then release or to put it out in chunks as I finish them. I’ll have more details soon as I get the project underway, so stay tuned!

Anyway, kicking off the playlist this week, we have “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum. I chose this song for little reason other than because I really like it. It’s extremely catchy and goes to show that people will listen to gospel music if you make it sound awesome (ahem, take a hint from that Casting Crowns). I also find it really interesting that it is seen as a really big gospel hit, and I can imagine that there are some people would say that it’s a “sign of the times” that songs like this don’t become radio hits anymore. However, this song is not really all that it appears to be – theologically, it’s kind of heretical at times when Greenbaum declares that he’s “Never been a sinner I never sinned”. This is in part due to the fact that Greenbaum was essentially making fun of how shitty gospel music is (and also explains why the lyrics are so simple).

Next up, we have “Get Back” by David Unger. Of all DUM’s “parody” songs, “Get Back” is definitely my favourite. For one thing, it has an amazing music video (of the kid torturing the bad guys in Home Alone). As soon as it begins you’re hooked, as the music is very catchy (is that a keyboard in guitar mode…?) and David Unger has a really great voice.