Every time I think the major labels can't get any dumber, they somehow manage to throw me a curve ball and do something amazingly stupid. This time, Universal stepped up to the plate to astound and amaze me -- by making Be Your Own Pet remove three songs off their new album, Get Awkward. Why? Because they were "too violent."

No, really.

In a recent interview, Jemina Pearl revealed:

When I found out that the songs were going to get taken off, I was just like, 'Is there anybody I can talk to?'It's like, I don't even really know who these people are. There's no one you can talk to to try to argue your case. Other than that, Universal has been great. But I guess that's just what happens when you decide to have something to do with a major label. They're going to be scared of anything that's not completely cookie cutter."

And while I can respect that the band understands it has something to do with being on a major label, it's a really great cautionary tale. Want to release music that you want to release? Don't sign to a major label, because thet make a lot of really bad decisions. And they leave the fans in an awkward situation.

I actually really like Be Your Own Pet. They're a fun band, with a debut album that was fun, poppy, and energetic. So here's the question -- knowing the album is not the one the band really wanted to release, and the label censored it -- should a fan buy it? It works on two levels: don't buy it, you're punishing the band, in a sense. Buy it, though, and you're telling the label it's okay for them to censor bands and force them to release albums that aren't up to their artistic intentions or standards. Interesting connundrum, on some level, no?

Jemina went on to add:

I also feel like it's a good thing to have an outlet. Like, maybe I would be a very violent person if I didn't have the chance to sing about what I want to sing about and express things I want and it's definitely helped me from being a destructive person in my life. And I think tons of people relate to that, so it's kind of frustrating that they want to censor me or whatever.

Which brings me to my next point: maybe a lot of people would be very violent without outlets. What those outlets are can vary from person to person -- some people might listen to music with violent lyrics and sing along. Others might play those big, bad video games. And even others might watch horror movies. Because most people are intelligent enough to differentiate between reality and fiction, these outlets are probably healthy ways for people to express feelings that they'd otherwise bottle up. It's just a theory, but that's the sort of person I am. I love horror movies, but I don't run around slaying people. I love a few bands that are "violent," but sometimes, that suits my mood and screaming along makes me feel better. I think people need outlets. Why sanitize the world and try to make everyone listen to the same things and express themselves in the same ways?

I'd love to have a copy of the three songs, or at least, a copy of the lyrics, to see what the songs were about and why the label felt they had to be removed. Maybe the band will find a way to release these songs on their own, or somehow, they will magically "leak" on to the Internet. Without that information, I realize I made a somewhat ill-advised rant... but that said, I'm one of the biggest supporters of freedom of speech you'll find.