Mod is Tired.

"I do wonder if people aren't just interested in music that has meaning...Because there's been an exhaustion through forms and genres, like rock and electronica, doing away with melodies, and I think maybe we're always interested in songs - folk songs, hymns, whatever. Patriotic songs with strong melodies. It's the basis of what I'm doing, just focusing on traditional songwriting.” ~Sufjan Stevens

Tradition. I feel like so often in America, we are trying to steer away from the old, the "torn and the tattered" that are essentially our roots. I certainly don't want to judge, but in a modern society that holds the overwhelming belief that new is better, it's hard not to accuse us of abandonment.

Sufjan's quote captures the essence of my observation. There seems to be an overload of high-tech, high-fashion, high-riding going on in modern society and we have become so absorbed to a point of physical and emotional exhaustion. It is too hard to keep up with the latest-ins. Through our efforts to revamp everything, we have lost those "melodies" that made us unique, from which our young and growing culture rang forth.

I spent some time in Europe this summer and I was both taken aback and deeply moved by the fact that within each city, both tradition and modern society lived in harmony. Yes, people walked the streets with iPods nestled in their ears, but surrounding them was nothing but breath-taking architecture, telling the timeless tales of each city's past. Furthermore, there was an air about the Europeans suggesting that within them, a certain pride for tradition was instilled, a pride that is deeply rooted in each of their hearts. It was so refreshing to see, and for that reason, I simply can't stay away...

DESTINATION FALL 2008: Prague. or Florence.