![Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music by [Sylvan, Robin]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51cHU-rlElL._SY346_.jpg)
Review
"Taking us on a journey from West Africa to San Francisco, Robin Sylvan reminds us that being moved by the music means much more than simply understanding the lyrics. From rock to rap, disco to heavy metal, Sylvan takes the whole music experience seriously, exploring how its very performance―and its subsequent affect on the audience―touches the entirety of what makes us human, in what can only be considered a religious experience of sound, beat, dance, ritual, and world view. . . . Will challenge your presumptions about the significance of music in general, these genres in particular, and the way we understand religion to work in the lives of ordinary people." ―, -Eric Michael Mazur,coeditor of God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture
Book Description
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork using interviews and participant observation, Sylvan examines such subcultures as the Deadheads, raves and their participants, metalheads, and Hip Hop culture. Based on these case studies, he offers a comprehensive theoretical framework in which to study music and popular culture.
