7. Ticked!

 BACKGROUND:

Christian parody rock band is a very niche genre for a band. Therefore, in order to reach out to as many people as possible, ApologetiX needed to expand on the genres they parodied. Up to that point, the band parodied classic rock because its members grew up on classic rock. ApologetiX would find their new niche soon. The band themselves more and more performing in front of youth groups. It only made sense to reach the young minds with the gospel using the music they heard on the radio. ApologetiX feared, however, that even classic rock would come across as old to teenagers. Therefore, the band decided to expand their repertoire to both classic and modern rock. ApologetiX did not make this change hapharzardly, though. The band did their research to find modern rock songs the felt closest to the classic rock songs they were use to. ApologetiX made another change as well. Up to this point, most, if not all, ApologetiX parodies simply retold Bible stories. Now, ApologetiX spoofs taught the Christian response to the issues in the world. By doing so, they kept with the attitude of the popular modern rock of the day, like grunge.

TITLE:

The title Ticked! ultimately confirms ApologetiX's attitudes towards the current events discussed in this album. The band is outraged that the world has fallen away from the way the Lord has taught to handle these topics. Ticked! also has secondary meaning. Time is ticking away until the end of the world, and the world may be running out of time to handle these subjects as God intended. The double entendre works. Unfortunately, the title on the album cover is only a slightly larger font than the rest of the album cover, so the title is easy to lose. The album cover is a mock-up of a Rolling Stones magazine cover, except they call it Rolling Clone, which, ironically, is the biggest font. I almost wish they would have kept that as the title of the album instead.

CRITIQUE:

As I have said about 2 other ApologetiX albums, Ticked! is a time capsule of sorts. All 21 tracks on the album are of 90's rock, more specifically, from 1991 to 1996. Looking back in hindsight, this setlist aged pretty well. All 21 of these tracks I hear regularly on the radio to this day, even if I have turn to 90's radio to hear them. ApologetiX had an ear for good, long-lasting music, and they picked the right songs to parody. Since ApologetiX is a Christian parody rock band, and all these songs are 90's rock, most, if not all, fall under the genre of modern rock, which consists of the subgenres of alternative rock, grunge rock and punk rock. On one hand, this kills genre variety. As a child of the 90's, I would have appreciated some pop, like Backstreet Boys or NSYNC. On the other hand, this setlist definitely rocks, full of hard rocking songs. Even the songs that slow down and are quieter still have that distinct rock sound. While the genre does not have diversity, the original artists have diversity. Ticked! has 18 original artists represented on it. As one of the earliest ApologetiX albums, Ticked! still has the problem of putting an original artist multiple times on the album with different spoofed songs. Nirvana has 2 parodies, Pearl Jam has 2 spoofs, and Presidents of the United States is represented twice. One song per artist per album is enough; save the other(s) for the next album.  While the album does not have the best diversity in music decade or music genre, it has some solid unity which ties the whole album together.

As mentioned above, Ticked! makes the shift from retelling Bible stories to teaching Christian theology. Indeed, a majority of these parodies teach the appropriate Christian theology. More specifically to this album, the Christian theology here addresses current events and hot topics. "Come Out and Pray" (parody of the "Come Out and Play" by The Offspring) addresses separation of church and state. "A Lie" (parody of "Alive" by Pearl Jam) stands against evolution and stands for creation. "Preachers" (parody of "Peaches" by Presidents of the United States) calls out fake televangelists. "Heaven Isn't Like That" (parody of "Shine" by Collective Soul) teaches what is heaven really is like and how to really get there, as opposed to society, which just says to be a good person. "Young As You Are" (parody of "Come As You Are" by Nirvana) speaks out against suicide, highlighting the suicide of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. "Casket Place" (parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day) seems to cover all the other hot button topics not covered in any of the other songs. Even "InYerFace Love Song" (parody of "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots I would put in this category because it upfront teaches that everybody needs to accept Jesus or perish, which the world doesn't like to hear. For the band's first time singing theological teachings instead of merely retelling Bible stories, the band does a pretty good job. All of these topics are biblically defended and teach orthodox theology.

If you still prefer your Christian parodies retelling Bible stories instead of teaching theology, Ticked! still has some of that. "Plump" (parody of "Lump" by Presidents of the United States) retells the story of Ehud fighting King Eglon in Judges 2. "Naomi Gonna Be with Ruth" (parody of "Only Wanna Be with You" by Hootie & the Blowfish) retells the whole book of Esther. These are all top tier Bible story songs, just as expect from ApologetiX.

"Come Out and Pray" (parody of the "Come Out and Play" by The Offspring) suffices as the opening track to this album. While the spoof ultimately sings about the separation of church and state, it also blames separation of church for murder, teenage pregnancy and suicide, as well as other topics covered in this album. This sets the tone for the rest of album on what to expect. For most of the album, expect ApologetiX to put their heart into defending their biblical approach to these topics. I would prefer, however, the second track "All ApologetiX" (parody of "All Apologies" by Nirvana) as the opening track. The parody would not have only introduced the album, it would have introduced the band. In a way, it fits the attitude of Ticked! because it addresses anyone who has issues with ApologetiX being a Christian parody band. In the words of the song itself, "But if our songs get someone to meet the Son, is it wrong?" That's the end goal, and that should be the most important. In his journal, lyricist and lead singer J. Jackson writes that "All ApologetiX was like a theme song for Ticked!, and I could totally see that. If Ticked! had to put "Come Out and Pray" at the opening track, then the closing track should have been "Casket Place" (parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day), for just like "Come Out and Pray," it covers all the topics left out of Ticked! (Quick side note about "Casket Place": I kind of understand why ApologetiX redid this parody for I Know You Are, but What Am I?, for the original had issues which would have been current for the 90's but not for 2017. The remake for I Know You Are, but What Am I? updates the issues to the 2010s, but it makes me wonder if we'll need another update in 20 years.)

FAVORITE SONG: "Shepherd's Paradise" (parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio)

"Shepherd's Paradise" (parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio) is ApologetiX's first attempt at rap. Not bad for a first attempt. J. Jackson can easily stay on beat. I will admit that the backup singers are not the best, by J.'s wrapping makes that easy to ignore. More importantly is how much ApologetiX redeems this song. The original "Gangsta's Paradise" paints a bleak picture of what a man must do to survive in the ghettos, even if it means resulting in crime and sin. "Shepherd's Paradise paints a whole different picture. Based off of Psalm 23, J. explains that Christians are assuredly well kept being in Christ, like sheep out to pasture. Based off of John 10, J. expounds further that Christians have this assurance of security in Jesus Christ because Jesus himself is the good shepherd. Both the original and the parody start off with the line "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," but only the ApologetiX spoof captures a biblically accurate picture of what that means. That's true redemption.

FINAL VERDICT: 7th.

For ApologetiX's first attempt at modern rock, it's not bad. As a matter of fact, I would say it's good. ApologetiX can parody modern rock just as well as classic rock. For the ApologetiX's first attempt more at teaching theology than retelling Bible story, also a job well done. ApologetiX defends their views with the Bible, and you can tell their heart is behind it. Just like their classic rocks albums might scare away enthusiasts of modern rock, this modern rock album may scare away lovers of classic rock. The two balance out, especially in light of Jesus Christ Morningstar coming out soon. This album increases ApologetiX's repertoire, which will prepare in the near future for better albums, which will have a smoother mix of musical decades, musical genres, original artists and teachings.