Nuances of Art

Do we have to boycott an artist if they write and perform "dark" songs, but also have other more edifying songs?

I don't think so. We have to filter out bad from good, but it's often an injustice to totally avoid certain artists or works b/c they have a few blind spots. That would result in never being satisfied with a preacher, for instance! It also doesn't take into account common grace. "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas is a great exposition of Ecclesiastes. Tchaikovsky wrote great music, though probably a homosexual. Art shouldn't remain in a 100% no-negative zone if that means avoiding reflecting the reality of the fall and redemption. An example is Beethoven's ninth symphony. The last movement begins with great dissonance, but moves toward beauty and exaltation. Don't have to boycott it because it includes dissonance. But if the dissonance "wins" in the song, it's out of line. And dissonance doesn't necessarily mean an electric guitar sound jarring to the ear of the older generation. I mean musically off and unresolved. Another artistic example would be Edvard Munch's "The Scream." This can be as edifying as a sin-free Kinkade painting, even more so, without violating Phil 4:8ff.