A Hostage and the Meaning of Life is an album by the rock band Brazil that deals with themes of technology, dehumanization, and frustration. Musically, it borrows from complex genres such as progressive rock and classical music, as well as the abrasive aesthetic of punk, and the ethereal guitar sounds of shoegazer pop. It was received warmly by many critics as a masterful debut album from a previously unknown band. The album's single “Escape” received a small amount of college radio play, and the video appeared in rotation in several regional and national music video programs.
The album takes its name from Asimov's Caliban trilogy, although has nothing to do with the story itself.
Read more about A Hostage And The Meaning Of Life: Concept, Recording, The Single, Reception, Track Listing, Lyrical References and Alleged Meanings, Credits
Famous quotes containing the words hostage, meaning and/or life:
“Neither dead nor alive, the hostage is suspended by an incalculable outcome. It is not his destiny that awaits for him, nor his own death, but anonymous chance, which can only seem to him something absolutely arbitrary.... He is in a state of radical emergency, of virtual extermination.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)
“A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)
“As an example of just how useless these philosophers are for any practice in life there is Socrates himself, the one and only wise man, according to the Delphic Oracle. Whenever he tried to do anything in public he had to break off amid general laughter. While he was philosophizing about clouds and ideas, measuring a fleas foot and marveling at a midges humming, he learned nothing about the affairs of ordinary life.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 14661536)