Hey, I've been digging into the narrative arcs of concept albums, especially those by overlooked songwriters, and I'm spotting some pretty fascinating moral puzzles. Care to take a look?

I’ve got a handful up my sleeve. The first is The Decemberists’ “The Crane Wife.” The paradox is that the narrator loves a woman who turns into a crane, so the romantic devotion is literally a self‑sacrifice; the moral thread is the cost of idealizing love versus embracing mortality. Next, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” – the isolation paradox: the protagonist builds a literal wall to protect himself, yet the wall only isolates him further. The moral is about the dangers of emotional barriers masquerading as protection. Then there’s Joanna Newsom’s “Ys,” where the protagonist is a mythic mother who kills her children out of a misguided sense of duty. The paradox here is the idea of sacrifice versus violence, and the moral question is how cultural expectations can distort what we consider noble. Finally, John Zorn’s “Naked City” is a genre‑hopping paradox: the music refuses to stay in one style, yet each style feels like a deliberate commentary on that style’s tropes. The moral thread is a critique of artistic confinement – the message that art is not meant to be boxed. Those are the ones I keep circling back to.

Another one that sticks in my mind is Radiohead’s “Kid A.” The paradox there is the dissonance between the band’s attempt to break away from pop conventions and the listener’s need for familiarity; the moral thread is that artistic evolution can feel like alienation to the audience, yet that alienation is part of creative growth. Then there’s Björk’s “Homogenic” – the juxtaposition of harsh industrial beats with delicate vocal lines creates a paradox of strength and vulnerability; the moral angle questions whether authenticity requires a balance of those extremes. I also find the “Red Shoes” story in T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” to be an almost musical paradox: the narrator’s desire for escape turns into a literal death, showing that the pursuit of freedom can lead to confinement. Finally, I’m obsessed with the hidden credits on the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” – the paradox of the “uncredited” contributions, especially that of the producer, raising the moral issue of authorship versus collaboration. Those keep my paradox‑wheel turning.

I’ve been up at night over the Beatles’ “White Album.” The paradox there is that the record is literally “untitled” and “white,” yet every track is a different colour, a different genre, a different personality. The moral thread feels like an exploration of identity versus expectation: the band refuses to be boxed under a single label, but the lack of a title makes the whole collection feel like a paradoxical blank canvas that is simultaneously a masterpiece and an unanchored chaos. It keeps my mind turning.