Music

Matthew Smith: "I Have Seen The Lord"

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Love the new Matthew Smith song, "I Have Seen The Lord," from his new album Watch the Rising Day. You can get the album for a Reformissionary discount, and download it immediately (not released for a couple of weeks yet). Go get Watch The Rising Day and listen to "I Have Seen The Lord" below...

Let worldly minds the world pursue, what are its charms to me?
Once I admired its trifles too, but grace has set me free
Its pleasures now no longer please, no more content afford
Far from my heart be joys like these now I have seen the Lord

As by the light of opening day the stars are all concealed
So earthly pleasures fade away when Jesus is revealed
Creatures no more divide my choice, I bid you all depart
His name and love and gracious Word have fixed my roving heart

Music Monday 8.2.10

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    Matt Stevens - acoustic/experimental/minimalist (MySpace)

    Matthew Smith - Pre-orders at http://matthewsmith.bandcamp.com. All pre-orders receive an immediate     full download of the record. The entire record is streaming for free there as well.

        Discount codes for Reformissionary readers (expires August 23rd)...

       steve = 25% off the Deluxe Edition CD + Download
steveLP = 10% off the Limited Edition Vinyl + Download

        Download versions of Matthew's two previous, excellent full-length albums (All I Owe & The Road         Sessions Collection) are on sale for $6.99, also at http://matthewsmith.bandcamp.com.

Caribou's great album, Swim (only $5.99), includes "Sun." Here's the video. It's weird.

1,000 $5 Albums for August

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Amazon's 1,000 albums for $5 through August. Many outstanding albums. Unless otherwise noted, X/100 scores are from MetaCritic. If 80/100 or better, considered "universal acclaim." 70/100 and above usually good chance at being solid, in my experience. If you want some specific direction as to your tastes or to stretch your tastes, comment below or email.

Jazz

Classical 

Things You Might Like, But Won't Admit

Music Monday 7.26.10

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Before you go stream Lost In The Trees (above), you might want to check out this video. Nice introduction to a band I'm suddenly VERY interested in. "Walk Around The Lake"...

If you haven't seen the new Avett Brothers official video for "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" (from I and Love and You) you are missing out. Thoughtful, artistic...

Music Monday 7.19.10

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Music please

The National play "Bloodbuzz Ohio" live. You should pick up their album, High Violet, is really great and only $6.99.

I've watched this (G20 flavored) video for Broken Social Scene's "Meet Me In The Basement" several times. Love it. Images, images, video, images. Check out BSS's new album, Forgiveness Rock Record.

Music Review - Miranda Dodson: Change A Thing

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Miranda Dodson is an Austin, TX singer/songwriter. I know of her music because she is the sister-in-law of Jonathan Dodson, pastor/planter of Austin City Life Church. I almost turned down the chance of getting a review copy of Change A Thing because I didn't want to risk not liking what Jonathan pointed me to. But I took a chance. And here we go.

I like a lot of music of various sorts. Plenty of it is by people with so-so voices. A lot of the best music out there is by singers that are pretty good but not great. I rarely hear a new album or artist and say, "Dude, that chick can sing!" This is one of those albums and one of those artists. But she also sets that voice in place and works the message. She doesn't show off. It's a tool. 

Miranda's voice is really interesting. She has power, range and control. It can sound full and rich. It can also sizzle a bit. In an email to her I said her voice has a "fizzy edge" to it. Something like Nelly Furtado's voice at times. She can also turn the fizz up for one song (like "Too Late") and fill her voice out a bit in another (like "Fly"). I hear some of my favorite sirens like Neko Case and Jenny Lewis too. No question about Patty Griffin as well, as you can see from Miranda's great cover of "Up To The Mountain."

Miranda writes her own stuff, but the songs aren't overly lyrical or streams of consciousness. So while I hear hints of Joanna Newsom in her voice, I find nothing of her vast storytelling. This isn't wordy. This isn't really story. This is snapshot. As I hear it, it's life meets God and captured in a moment. And the argument is brief, to the point. Someone like Newsom adds a million brush strokes. Dodson is taking pictures and tweaking how we feel about them through adding some musical black and white tones, or upping the saturation, or cropping in to less-noticed detail.

Track list & brief comment

Too Late - (video, video2) - Love it. Catchy, but not in typical ways. When the chorus soars a bit, I'm riding it.
Slow Motion - (video) - Slower song. Lovely. Thoughtful. Country flavored. Singing in boots & a hat as lovers cling to one another on beer-splattered hardwood.
Home - My favorite song, by far. I still haven't figured out exactly why yet. I think it might be how it starts acoustic & quiet and lets loose a bit at the chorus. I LOVE the chorus.

change isn’t gonna change a thing;
sold our souls a long time ago
tryin’ to get back, tryin’ to get back

where do we come from, and where
will we go from here where, along this road, did we lose our souls?

Sitting In Limbo - A Jimmy Cliff cover. Fun. Hammocks. Sweet tea. Still saying something.
Stone - Yikes. Slows down and hits you between the eyes. *Marriage.Not.Working.*
Prodigal - (video) - Great song. Wide appeal. Catchy, toe-tapping.

This lump in my throat grows larger and larger
It’s my pride, I know, and it’s getting harder,
I must have swallowed…I will wallow

It seems as though I’ve reached my destination,
no need to make your reservation
The seats are taken, save for one at the bottom

King - "This is no kingdom." Immediately appealing and enjoyable.
I Will Be Free - Love the Brandi Carlile flavor I hear in this one. Positive. Driving. Moving. Hopeful.
Fly - One of the most interesting tracks on the album. Structure harder to discern for me. Interesting sounds, strings. The melody follows the flight of the butterfly in the song. Beautiful.

you carry the rainbow on your wings,
you dance so I can hear your wings
you carry me like you carry thieves,
you carry hope like the Prince of Peace

Never Be The Same - Short. Contemplative. Simple. Not simplistic. 

I highly recommend and have been thoroughly enjoying Change A Thing. I hope you'll pick it up. 

Buy Miranda Dodson: Change A Thing

Music Monday 7.12.10

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Here's "Windstorm" from the new School of Seven Bells album Disconnect From Desire (link to stream above). Dig it. (Song only...)

Everything awesome about the Avett Brothers is found in this live Bonnaroo video: Gentle strums, soaring harmonies, gradual building melodies and a rocking out screamy ending. BOOM! "Laundry Room"...

Judging An Album By Its Cover

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Discovering good music is fun. I like to find music in a variety of ways, but it's nothing earth shattering. For the most part I read reviews and have trusted sources and sites.

But I've noticed something recently that isn't always true, but pert near. If you can appreciate an album cover as good art, you are more likely to enjoy the album as good art.

With this idea in mind I went over to check out the recently released albums at Amazon MP3. A screen cap of 5 are below. Which albums are going to be artistic? Which will "say something?" And which are more likely to tickle your ears for a minute maybe and then dissolve as something forgettable?

AMP3 Covers

I've checked out all five. The first is a soundtrack and isn't quite the same category as it uses movie art and the album is a score. The next three are pics of the artists in various forms. Juvenile is there to look tough-ish. Enrique Iglesias is there to look good for chicks and I guess Cascada is there to look good for men, though odds are it's chicks who will listen to her. Notice you get four faces (and some body on the fourth). But the album on the right is different.

5113nHzhFzL._SL500_AA280_ I haven't heard of Kathryn Williams or her album, The Quickening, until a few minutes ago. Her cover art caught my eye. The colors are odd, old, aged. There's both structure (lines and shapes) and busyness (clutter). I want to see what the bits and pieces are. Looking more closely we see it's a doll house. It seems worn, cheap, and as far as dolls are concerned, empty. What does that mean? The first albums try to convey something quick and seductive. "He's tough," or "She's hot." The final one is trying to tell me something. Trying to get beyond the heat of the moment and talk about something real, lasting, important. The first few tell me everything, which isn't that much. The last one only gives me the doorway for what I hope will be much more. I want to go there. If I try to be succinct, the first few appeal to "lust" (of one sort or another) and the last is about "life." 

After listening to samples from each of them learn that my impressions are correct. William's lyrics and music is artistic, rich, thought-provoking. The rest are nothing special. 

Looking into this album there's another interesting fact. This album was released in February in the UK. Check out the original cover. I don't feel at all weirded out being a dude and buying the album above. The doll house is odd enough that it doesn't seem girlish. But the original cover found through the link seems more like a real, modern day doll house. Less likely to pick up that album. Funny how it works, but that's my reaction.

Judging an album by it's cover doesn't always work, of course. But for the most part as a means of music discovery, I've been pretty pleased whenever I judge an album by its cover.

Music Monday 7.5.10

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Tokyo Police Club: Champ is a thoroughly enjoyable album. Solid fun. Here they are on Letterman with "Wait Up"...

CAUTION: If you can't handle songs with four letter words, move along. If you can, you need to watch Titus Andronicus with "Four Score and Seven." This sucker is long, starts with a whimper and eventually rocks out. It's from their great album, The Monitor. Follow along with the lyrics. Excerpt...

Because these humans treat humans like humans treat hogs,
They get used up, carved up, and fried in a pan.
But I wasn’t born to die like a dog, I was born to die just like a man.
I was born to die just like a man!

It’s still us against them, and they’re winning.

Yeah, I know. You read to the end to see if there's another helping of Avett Brothers. There is. Shhh shh shh. No need to say it. I love you too. And this wonderful song is just for you - "Ten Thousand Words" from the album I and Love and You.

$5 Albums for July

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A new list of great $5 albums for July. TONS of Reformissionary Recommended albums below. If you are looking for a particular kind of music, I'm happy to help. Comment below. Check out all 100 $5 albums at Amazon MP3.

Music Monday 6.28.10

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Arcade Fire: The Suburbs is out on August 3rd. Very excited. Through their new album, Arcade Fire sheds some light on the experience that is particular to suburbia. Remember "Wake Up!" from their great Funeral album (only $6.99)? I was reminded last week of this Austin City Limits video...

The Arcade Fire - Wake Up (Live on Austin City Limits) - Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Here's Delta Spirit's video for one of their best songs, "Bushwick Blues." Their new album, History From Below, is outstanding.

Delta Spirit "Bushwick Blues" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Music Monday 6.21.10

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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart has a new video for "Say No To Love." Such a charming, young band. I very much enjoy their self-titled album. Buy "Say No To Love."

My family LOVES the video from Diane Birch for "Valentino" (from Bible Belt, $7.99). So fun! Don't miss the making-of video. Outstanding.

Music Monday 6.14.10

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One of my favorite new albums is Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett ($5 right now!). I highly recommend it, including the great song "Arkansas." The video is quite interesting...

The Gaslight Anthem plays "The Backseat" at Bonnaroo. It's from their excellent album, The '59 Sound. Their new album, American Slang, is out tomorrow. Both albums are $7.99. Crank it up!

Music Monday 6.7.2010

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Mumford & Sons video for Roll Away Your Stone. You need their album, Sigh No More (only $7.99). It's really wonderful. I'm so glad that bands like this exist...

Broken Bells (album only $7.99) + Christina Hendricks (Joan from Mad Men) = Great video. Enjoy!

$5 Albums for June

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As always, Amazon offers some great $5 albums this month. The ones I recommend you check out are below. Check out all 100 $5 albums for June.

Music Review - Coram Deo Church: Doxology

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Coram Deo Church has added it's name to the growing list of churches and artists who love the richness of older hymns and long to make them more accessible to our culture: Indelible Grace, Red Mountain Church, Page CXVI, Sojourn, and so on. This one is getting a lot of play for us and it should be a staple in your house and church. It's beautiful. From the website...

Our hope as we send this out is that the beauty of the music and the truths of the gospel, that are the lyrics of this album, might be a conduit of God’s grace resulting in worship of Him. This was the driving purpose behind the making of this album. Hymns are powerful for many reasons, two of which are: their theological depth resulting in rich gospel meditation, and their ability to unite people across all ages, demographics, denominations, and musical styles (this is especially true in the past 5 years). In light of this, we believe Doxology has the potential to have great influence for the gospel here in Omaha and God’s kingdom at large.

Doxology includes several of my absolute favorite hymns. Here's the track list...

  1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
  2. All Creatures
  3. I Boast No More
  4. Holy, Holy, Holy
  5. Doxology
  6. Great is Thy Faithfulness
  7. Be Thou My Vision
  8. It Is Well With My Soul
  9. How Great Thou Art
  10. Come Thou Fount
  11. <empty track, sorta>
  12. This Darkness

I very much enjoy the instrument and sound choices in these songs. "All Creatures" includes and autoharp and ends in a blast of power. You need to hear it. "Holy, Holy, Holy" starts simple and carefully climbs through organ, violins and a trumpet. Beautiful. "Great is Thy Faithfulness" has a growing ambient quality through vocals. "Doxology" is mostly arranged vocal harmony through some verses you may not have heard before. The use of drums and violin on "Be Thou My Vision" adds the Irish flavor to this ancient Irish poem. The djembe & guitar on "It Is Well With My Soul" offers a unique sound to this very traditional hymn. "How Great Thou Art"...well...you need to hear this one. The first half almost bare & solemn. The second half breaks out for the words "When Christ shall come..." with something of a hoedown. Ok, maybe not a hoedown. But Kendal Haug does play the harmonica. I'm not sure how they got away with not playing a banjo on this one! 

The only original is "This Darkness," written by Bob Thune, Jared Strock and Kendal Haug. I'll just let the lyrics draw you in to a song for difficult times...

To you I cry for help
But you are silent still
You block my prayer, you shut me out
My soul is weary

How long this darkness
How long my grief
How long your anger
Remember me...

As with others with hymn updates, Coram Deo adds not only music/arrangement tweaks, but also a few lyrical ones like simple choruses and repeated lines. I'll not go into detail, but I'll say they keep them simple. These songs aren't radically different than what you know, but different enough to be like hearing it new again. It's a good mix of the tradition we treasure and creative arts we love.

I'm looking forward to where Coram Deo goes next. While this first offering may be mostly well-known worship staples, they are thoughtfully recreated and will be a great blessing for personal and gathered worship. We use this CD in our home and have been playing it before and after Sunday worship and we plan on using several of these arrangements in our worship time. Highly recommended.

Coram Deo has provided a hymnbook for Doxology with lyrics & chords. More info at Coram Deo website.

Music Monday 5.24.10

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If you haven't seen them, I have three good quality videos from the Willy Porter concert in Woodstock last week. Great stuff! "Fear Only Fear" | "Digging In The Dirt" Peter Gabriel cover | "Colored Lights"

Josh Ritter brings Joe Pug on stage to play "Speak Plainly, Diana" (via)...