Reformissionary

Shearwater | Animal Joy Is Out!

I can't hide my animal joy! Yes, Shearwater: Animal Joy is out today and only $5.99! Go get you some!

Music Monday | Bon Iver "Accepts" Grammy

One of the most awkward, poignant acceptance speeches I've ever seen given by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). Art, baby! Pick up For Emma, Forever Ago and Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Some of the best music out there.

Bon Iver Wins Best New Artist

Music Monday | The Grammys 2012

I watched The Grammys last night. Yeah, the entire thing. Didn't plan to or expect to. Honestly, I didn't want to. But somehow I did. I think it was the opening set with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and a fantastic number from Bruno Mars that kinda hooked me. Plus my wife was begging to see Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney, and that was way into the night.

I enjoyed it, generally. Foo Fighters sounded annoyingly pitchy (& I like them), Chris Brown was mostly a bore, Nicki Minaj was trying to be creative and provocative, but ended up trying too hard & failing. Otherwise, I enjoyed the Best New Artist win by Bon Iver and the awkward "acceptance" speech (also winning Best Alt Music Album). The brief version of "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars was some of the best music played all night and they pulled in a couple of Grammys.

Adele was wonderful, and post-surgery victorious with a powerful performance and arms loaded with awards. Colplay + Rihanna was a match made in purgatory (as was Tony Bennett & Carrie Underwood), but Coldplay's anthemic "Paradise" was excellent and my kids loved it (buy the song for $0.59 if you don't want the entire Mylo Xyloto). Mumford & Sons went home empty-handed, but you don't have to: Sigh No More is only $3.99 today. The Beach Boys big tribute thingy with Levine & Foster the People? Meh. 

There was a bunch of other stuff too, but I'm not doing a big recap. Just wanted to share a few thoughts on what they want us to believe is "music's biggest night." It was bigger and better than usual, but still, most the best stuff out there isn't on pop radio or at The Grammys. But it's still worth talking about.

Bon Iver Plays "Perth" With The Roots on Fallon

Oh dear, this is good. Bon Iver plays "Perth" with The Roots. Gorgeous. For haters of the abuse of autotune (like me), this is how you take someone with a really good voice and use autotune to tweak the feel of a voice/song for the art of it, rather than to use it to make people think you are a better singer than you are. This is also how you take the already-awesome of a song and make it more awesome...play with The Roots. After watching, go buy Bon Iver, Bon Iver. I'm not sure how you can resist!

Alabama Shakes on Conan with "Hold On"

Alabama Shakes play "Hold On" on Conan. Buy the song.

Sharon Van Etten: Tramp

Sharon Van Etten's excellent new album, Tramp, is out today. I've been waiting for this day for months. Her previous album, Epic, had me hooked. If you want to try out Tramp first, it's still streaming free at the moment.

Music Monday | Bon Iver Plays SNL

Bon Iver played SNL. If you don't have their second album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, it's one of my best of 2011. And their debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, is amazing.

Music Monday 2.6.12: Streaming Albums

Three new albums are streaming free before their release, and well worth a listen...

• Shearwater: Animal Joy | One of my favorite bands in the world
• Sharon Van Etten: Tramp | One of my most anticipated albums of 2012
• Brooklyn Rider: Seven Steps | Strings baby, strings

$5 Albums for February 2012

Here are the $5 albums for February I recommend you check out. Check out all 100 and let me know what you like that I missed.

• Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett
• LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver
• Volcano Choir: Unmap
• My Morning Jacket: Circuital
• St. Vincent: Strange Mercy
• Flogging Molly: Within A Mile Of Home
• Hospitality: Hospitality
• Bonobo: Black Sands
• Frank Sinatra: Romance: Songs From The Heart
• Dean Martin: Amore
• Gayngs: Relayted
• The Decemberists: Hazards of Love
• We Were Promised Jetpacks: In The Pit Of The Stomach
• White Rabbits: It's Frightening
• This Will Destroy You: Tunnel Blanket
• The Magnetic Fields: Holiday
• Tennis: Cape Dory
• Massive Attack: Mezzanine
• The Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck
• Betty Wright & The Roots: The Movie
• Young the Giant: Young the Giant
• She & Him: Volume One
• Boys II Men: Twenty | It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

Soma School: Aaron Spiro

Many of you know that I've been gone for a week at Soma School in Tacoma, Washington. I'm probably going to have several posts coming to share my experiences, what I learned, resources, etc. Never experienced anything like it. I wanted to start with a few resources from Aaron Spiro, the worship leader at Soma Communities. He served us well and serves Tacoma well.

Name Your Price (or FREE!)

• The Story: Volume 1
• Soma Communities Advent

Other Albums

• Cure
• Elephant Song
• Love

If you need more than just my recommendation, watch this..."

Joseph Arthur | Redemption City FREE

Joseph Arthur had my #2 album of 2006, Nuclear Daydream. His new double album is out and it's FREE. Download Redemption City.

Avett Brothers | "One Too Many Mornings" Dylan Cover

The Avett Brothers visit Fallon to cover Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings." Excellent as always!

Stephen Miller: God & Sinner Reconcile

I get excited thinking about the direction some are taking with worship music. While there's a glut of stuff out there that all sounds the same to me and that I just can't listen to, there's a new breed of creative, biblical/theological worship guys at solid churches who are changing the game. I want to do what I can to encourage the creation of new, good worship music. Some of the music I've pointed to before includes Sojourn, Bifrost Arts, Aaron Ivey, Joe Day, Page CXVI, and others. Today I want to introduce you to someone who may be new to you.

Stephen Miller, worship leader at The Journey church in St. Louis, has a new worship album out today: God & Sinner Reconcile. I've been enjoying it for a couple of weeks. It's entered the rotation of music for personal worship as well as what we listen to on Sunday morning as a family before gathering with the church. I've also shared it with our worship leaders. I hope many of my readers will check it out and pick it up.

Check out Stephen Miller's website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. Then grab a copy of God & Sinner Reconcile. It's only $6.99!

New Music 1.16.12

Stereogum's 50 most anticipated albums of 2012

STREAMING

• Kathleen Edwards: Voyageur (I like it, out tomorrow)
• Rodrigo y Gabriela: Area 52
• Craig Finn: Clear Heart Full Eyes (The Hold Steady frontman)

FREE

• Jonti: Sine & Moon - I dig it

Lisa Hannigan: Passenger

Lisa Hannigan: Passenger is $3.99 today. Includes a duet with Ray LaMontagne.

Chairlift: "Ghost Tonight"

Just wonderful...

New Avett Brothers Album Almost Done

"We're right at the finish line," singer-guitarist Seth Avett says of his band's seventh album. "It's just the formalities now." The folk-rock crew recorded more than 20 tunes in Asheville, North Carolina, last year for the follow-up to 2009's breakthrough album, I and Love and You, once again working with producer Rick Rubin.

Read the rest at Rolling Stone. And while you are thinking Avett, Emotionalism and Four Thieves Gone are both $5 right now.

The Poison Tree, Best Album of 2011, FREE!

It's time to give away some copies of The Poison Tree's self-titled debut album, which I named my best album of 2011. From my Best Albums of 2011 post...

Lovely & subtly massive. Cinematic. Baritone vocals. Literary. Charming. Moody. Introspective. Wistful. Barely wet city streets. Black and white. Hands-in-pockets. Collar pulled tight. Good penmanship, elegant words, antique fountain pen on an antique journal on an antique table in a sparsely decorated and lonely room. Life...experienced. Calmly dramatic. This album is almost completely and shamefully neglected. It's a rarely reviewed 2011 masterpiece. It's not #1 because it's neglected. It's #1 because it's gorgeous and brilliant.

You can download it for $4.99 today, and I very much encourage you to buy it. But I also want to give away a physcial CD to three of my readers (thanks to Steve Salett, The Poison Tree, for being so gracious as to provide copies to give away).

Here's how you enter to win (U.S. residents only)...

STEP 1: Copy & share the following without the quote marks on Twitter (if you aren't on Twitter, use Facebook, or do BOTH!): "Win @stevekmccoy's #1 2011 album, The Poison Tree. RT this & comment at Reformissionary to enter! http://bit.ly/zqn9TY "

STEP 2: Leave a comment below (so I can verify you did step 1). Include your full name and real email address (kept private) so I can contact the winners. In your comment, guess how many writing divices (pens, pencils, markers) & other utensils are in the two coffee mugs on my desk. It's a number between 1-100. I'll buy a free download of The Poison Tree to the first person to guess it exactly (if not a winner of a CD).

I will randomly choose 3 winners in the late afternoon/early evening on Friday (6th).

Dirty Three for $4.99

Dirty Three is some of my very favorite, go-to music for reading and concentration-based study. It's beautiful and different: violin, guitar, and drums. It's like a post-rock classical style, but you have to hear it to understand. So cool. A bunch of albums are $4.99...

• Dirty Three
• Whatever You Love, You Are
• Cinder
• Horse Stories
• Ocean Songs

Over the Rhine for $4.99

Several Over the Rhine albums are $4.99. If you don't know OtR, you should.

• Good Dog Bad Dog
• The Long Surrender
• Ohio
• Drunkard's Prayer
• The Trumpet Child
• Films for Radio
• Discount Fireworks: A Collection
• Christmas Album: Snow Angels

TONS of Good & Cheap Music 12.24.11

Amazon is having a massive sale on MP3 albums. All are $5 or cheaper. Nearly all of my Best Albums of 2011 & honorable mentions are super-cheap! And there are many more great albums for sale beyond my list. Check these out!

NEW = Recently found & added to the original list

From my Best Albums of 2011 list...

• #1 - The Poison Tree: The Poison Tree | $4.99
• #2 - PJ Harvey: Let England Shake | $5
• #4 - Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver | $4.99
• #5 - Josh Garrels: Love & War & The Sea In Between | FREE
• #6 - The Field: Looping State of Mind | $4.99
• #7 - Wye Oak: Civilian | $5
• #8 - Low: C'mon | $5
• #9 - The Decemberists: The King Is Dead | $3.99
• #11 - Dawes: Nothing Is Wrong | $4.99
• #12 - James Blake: James Blake | $3.99
• #13 - The Antlers: Burst Apart | $4.99
• #14 - Beirut: The Rip Tide | $4.99
• #15 - The Roots: Undun | $3.99
• #17 - The Horrors: Skying | $5
• #18 - Middle Brother: Middle Brother | $5
• #19 - Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues | $5
• #20 - The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar | $3.99
• #21 - Glasser: Ring | $4.99
• #22 - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Belong | $4.99
• #23 - Wilco: The Whole Love | $2.99
• #24 - Ha Ha Tonka: Death of a Decade | $5
• #25 - Dolorean: The Unfazed | $4.99
• #26 - The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient | $5
• #27 - Crystal Castles: (II) | $4.99
• #28 - Ryan Adams: Ashes & Fire | $4.99
• #29 - Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care | $4.99
• #30 - My Morning Jacket: Circuital | $4.99
• #31 - Washed Out: Within or Without | $5
• #32 - Okkervil River: I Am Very Far | $5
• #33 - Real Estate: Days | $3.99
• #34 - Cults: Cults | $5
• #35 - Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost | $5

Honorable mentions...

• Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation | $4.99
• Gillian Welch: The Harrow & The Harvest | $4.99
• Smith Westerns: Dye It Blonde | $4.99
• Radiohead: The King of Limbs | $4.99
• Atlas Sound: Parallax | $4.99
• Other Lives: Tamer Animals | $4.99
• Sepalcure: Sepalcure | $4.99

 Other recommended albums for $5 and under...

• Five Avett Brothers albums - NEW
• Eight Over the Rhine albums | All $4.99 - NEW
• Five Dirty Three albums | all $4.99 - NEW
• Four Tet: Fabriclife 59 & DJ-Kicks | Both $4.99 - NEW
• Delta Spirit: History From Below (my #4 of 2010) & Ode To Sunshine | $4.99
• The National: High Violet (my #2 of 2010) & The Boxer & Alligator | $4.99
• Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago & Rook | $4.99
• Doug Burr: O Ye Devastator (my #6 of 2010) & On Prominade | $4.99 
• David Ford: Songs for the Road | $4.99 (my #4 of 2008)
• The Antlers: Hospice | $4.99 (my #1 of 2009)
• Arcade Fire: The Suburbs | $5 (my #3 of 2010) & Funeral & Neon Bible | $4.99 - NEW
  
• Titus Andronicus: The Monitor | $4.99 (my #5 of 2010)
• Radiohead: Kid A & | $4.99 - NEW
• The Roots: How I Got Over | $4.99 - NEW
• M83: Saturdays = Youth | $4.99 - NEW
• The Black Keys: The Big Come Up & Thickfreakness & Rubber Factory | $4.99 - NEW
• Radiohead: I Might Be Wrong & Amnesiac & OK Computer & Pablo Honey & The Bends & Tkol Rmx 1234567 & Hail to the Thief & | $4.99 - NEW
• Explosions in the Sky: The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place & Those Who Tell The Truth & All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone & How Strange, Innocence | $4.99
• Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend & Contra | $4.99 - NEW
• Brandi Carlile: Live at Benaroya Hall | $5
• St. Vincent: Strange Mercy | $4.99 - NEW
• Cut Copy: Zonoscope | $5
• The Head & The Heart: The Head & The Heart | $5
• Tom Waits: Bad As Me | $2.99 & Mule Variations | $5
• Feist: Metals | $4.99 - NEW
• Lecrae: Rebel | $4.99 - NEW
• Jay-Z: Watch the Throne | $4.99 - NEW
• Joe Pug: Messenger | $5
• Apparat: The Devil's Walk | $5
• Tron: Legacy - NEW
• Russian Circles: Empros | $5
  
• Blind Pilot: We Are The Tide | $4.99 - NEW
• Sleigh Bells: Treats | $5
• David Bazan: Strange Negotiations | $5
• Animal Collective: Feels | $4.99
• Tune-Yards: W H O K I L L | $5
• Metric: Fantasies & Live It Out & Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? | $4.99 - NEW
• Future Islands: On The Water | $4.99 - NEW
• The Decemberists: The Crane Wife & Picaresque &  & | $4.99 - NEW
• Death Cab for Cutie: Codes & Keys | $5 & Transatlanticism | $4.99 - NEW
• U2: The Joshua Tree | $4.99 - NEW
• James Vincent McMorrow: Early In The Morning | $5
• Surfer Blood: Astro Coast | $5
• Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction | $4.99 - NEW
• Destroyer: Kaputt | $5
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes | $5
• The Cave Singers: No Witch | $5
• Apex Manor: The Year of Magical Drinking | $5
• Flogging Molly: Speed of Darkness & Swagger | $5
• Elbow: Build a Rocket Boys! | $5
• Once Soundtrack | $5
• Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More | $4.99
• Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for my Halo | $5
• Florence + The Machine: Ceremonials | $3.99
• The Civil Wars: Barton Hollow | $4.99
• The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound | $5
• Givers: In Light | $5
• Yuck: Yuck | $5
• Telekinesis: 12 Desperate Straight Lines | $5
• Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | $5
• Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool | $5
• John Coltrane: Blue Train | $5
• Theolonious Monk: Genius of Modern Music, Vol 1 | $5
• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Moanin' | $5

Avett Brothers MP3 Album Sale

Get music from one of the best bands in the world for cheap right now...

• Emotionalism | $5
• Four Thieves Gone | $5
• Country Was | $4.99
• Mignonette | $4.99
• Live, Vol 2 | $4.99

Sojourn | A Child Is Born

I'm a huge Sojourn Music fan because I like their music and the rich content of their songs. More than that, I love their music because I love their focus on the Gospel as a church. They are friends and one of my favorite churches around.

I've given a couple of listens to Sojourn Community Church's new Christmas album, A Child Is Born. My word for this album would be "challenging." It's challenging to your ears as it's anything but a typical Christmas album. It's not even close. Their version of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is "punk-rock inspired," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is poppy, as is "Silent Night." Some of the more subdued and lovely moments on the album are from lesser known lyrics retooled. I love the voices that are now very familiar to me: Brooks Ritter, Jamie Barnes, Megan Shaffer & others. They are always a joy to hear again on new projects. The cover design is lovely and simple.

In many ways, this isn't supposed to be an easy album to hear. From Sojourn's website...

There’s a place for joy, a necessary and central place for celebration, but that joy and celebration has it’s most weight when seen in the context of the suffering and longing from which it emerges. So Christmas music at Sojourn has always had a dark edge, a sense of tension and angst, which points us to the darkness of our own hearts that longs for the light of Christ.

For me, A Child Is Born is an odd album. Taking the familiar and making it unfamiliar. Taking songs typically wrapped in seasonal sounds and re-wrapping them in something unseasonal and unusual. It may not be an easy album for you to like, though I've heard from many who are liking it a lot! Sojourn takes some serious risks in genre and style that will shake your Christmas world. But you will have to be the judge if this darker, grittier version of Christmas is something that will be in your rotation year by year. If nothing else, Sojourn for me has earned a listen as they continue to make music in service of the Church that is out of the ordinary.

Buy A Child is Born: Amazon or for $5 at Grouptune

Also check out: Over the Grave | The Water & The Blood

Best Albums of 2011

Time for my Best Albums of 2011 list. I don't listen to everything out there (who has the time? or money?), but I listen to a lot. I hope my list will help you discover some new music. I'll give comment to the higher picks and I'm happy to discuss any of the albums, why I liked them, why some albums are not on my list, etc. Please list your favorite album(s) in the comments. Love to hear'em.

See my Best Albums of 2010|2009|2008|2007|2006

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Atlas Sound: Parallax | The Black Keys: El Camino | The Low Anthem: Smart Flesh | Other Lives: Tamer Animals |  Panda Bear: Tomboy | Radiohead: The King Of Limbs | Sepalcure: Sepalcure | Smith Westerns: Dye It Blonde | Gillian Welch: The Harrow & The Harvest | Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation

ARGUMENTATIVE

tUnE-yArDs: W H O K I L L | As creative as it gets, but not as good of a listen as some say. When I listen, it stretches me but leaves me somehow unsatisfied. I want to both celebrate this accomplishment and punch it in the face.  

ALBUMS 35-21

35. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost

34. Cults: Cults

33. Real Estate: Days

32. Okkervil River: I Am Very Far

31. Washed Out: Within or Without

30. My Morning Jacket: Circuital

29. Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

28. Ryan Adams: Ashes & Fire

27. Crystal Castles: (II)

26. War On Drugs: Slave Ambient

25. Dolorean: The Unfazed

24. Ha Ha Tonka: Death of a Decade

23. Wilco: The Whole Love

22. The Pains of Being Pure In Heart: Belong

21. Glasser: Ring

ALBUMS 20-11

20. Joy Formidable: The Big Roar | Running through thorn bushes at full speed.

19. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues | Dancing through willow branches in slow motion.

18. Middle Brother: Middle Brother | Love these three guys. Love what they created. But I still like what they do separately better than collectively. That said, it's a great album.

17. The Horrors: Skying | Eerie flight. Bending notes. Worthy of both their name and the album's name.

16. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins: Diamond Mine | Fragile Scottish lullabies. Delicate & delightful. Pipe smoking. Peat beneath my feet.

15. The Roots: Undun | Concept album well conceived. Arrived late, but deserves much attention. Looking forward to more listens.

14. Beirut: The Rip Tide | Not sure they can make a bad record. Distant world flavor. Horntastic. Seasoning for a bland day. 

13. The Antlers: Burst Apart | Please keep making music! They are doing amazing things, first through Hospice and now with Burst Apart. A wonderful follow-up to a crazy-good album.

12. James Blake: James Blake | Audio playground. A sonic dance. Ear candy...that's good for you. A blend of a powerful voice and eclectic editing and creative processing. It continues to grow on me.

11. Dawes: Nothing Is Wrong | Opening song, "Time Spent in Los Angeles," is one of my favorite songs of the year. I think I once listened to it 5 times in a row. Songwriting excellence. Lyric-driven rock'n'roll. 

TOP 10

10. Decemberists: The King Is Dead | Their best-ever album. So many good songs. Thoroughly enjoyable. Completely accessible, yet it's well-crafted art and deserving of high praise. "Bear your neighbors' burden within reason." Singable. If you are weirded out by indie music, let this album invite you in.

9. Frank Turner: England Keep My Bones | Passionate. Straight-forward = says what he means. Atheistic worship songs, but don't let that discourage you. Redemptive themes throughout. It's incredibly informative, enjoyable, and artistic. Loud, but acoustically controlled loud. Sing-along with beer in hand. Punk sensibilities. Masterful. At times it's old-school Avettastic screamishness.

8. Low: C'mon | Some of the most memorable lyrics of the year are here. Some because of word choice, and some because of how they are presented. The critical calling out of "all you guys out there tryin’ to act like Al Green, y'all are weak." "I'm nothing but heart" repeated for 6 minutes in a slow, heavy, glorious swell. "Try to sleep" and "don't look at the camera" on the opening track captured by a wonderful, memorable melody. As a whole this album is a slow crawl... beautiful, often delicately heavy, and always unsettlingly moody. A haunting album that won't leave you alone.

7. Wye Oak: Civilian | Moaning. Longing. Power on the edge of letting go. Back-n-forth between cleanly crafted & fuzzy heaviness. Dark. Haunted. A sense that something isn't quite right in the world. Uneasy. Wonderfully disjointed at times. What you create after a disturbing dream brings you to your knees.

6. The Field: Looping State of Mind | It is looping, ambient soundscapes. Perfect for work, reading, etc. Or, and maybe more important, it's perfect for putting the headphones on, laying down, turning it up, and riding along. These steady slow builds and gradual descents are a joy to navigate. And beyond mere ambient sounds without structure, that can be a pleasure as well, these tracks are guided by heavy beats and basslines. So while the music soars, it also stomps, stomps, stomps along. 

5. Josh Garrels: Love & War & The Sea In Between | Listened to this album more than most. Poetic. Rhythmic. Completely Christ-haunted and distinctly Christian, yet some of the best music of the year Christian or otherwise. I can't believe how little buzz I've seen about this album. It's really wonderful. And it's 100% FREE, which means everyone should be checking out and loving this album. And then you'll want to check out Josh's other albums.

4. Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver | I wanted to rate this lower simply because I loved For Emma, Forever Ago so much. I need objectivity! Stupid me. While losing the romance of discovery of Justin Vernon's falsetto and magical soundscapes that came with For Emma, this album establishes his genius as a lasting force. I ranted last year on Twitter that Vernon should stop making side projects and stick to Bon Iver. My goodness. He did.

3. M83: Hurry Up We're Dreaming | I enjoyed M83's 2008 album, Saturdays = Youth, though I seem to remember finding it late. I was interested when I hear a new album was coming. I didn't know I should be this interested. It adds more soar, more lift, more joy to 80's shoegaze. It also adds more epic views of despair. It really is a masterpiece that I, so far, haven't been able to stop listening to. The first five songs alone are worth the price of the album. I wish John Hughes was around to hear this.

2. PJ Harvey: Let England Shake | A remarkable album. Disturbing. Poignant. WWI, war-time, yet universal at all times to the war-torn everywhere. Quirky. Odd. Rare. PJ's voice is a perfect kind of shrill (if there is such a thing) for these creative arrangements. On deck during a colossal battle, the siren of the ocean sings beyond view through the storm & cannons. The guts of dead soldiers are clearly in view.

1. The Poison Tree: The Poison Tree | Lovely & subtly massive. Cinematic. Baritone vocals. Literary. Charming. Moody. Introspective. Wistful. Barely wet city streets. Black and white. Hands-in-pockets. Collar pulled tight. Good penmanship, elegant words, antique fountain pen on an antique journal on an antique table in a sparsely decorated and lonely room. Life...experienced. Calmly dramatic. This album is almost completely and shamefully neglected. It's a rarely reviewed 2011 masterpiece. It's not #1 because it's neglected. It's #1 because it's gorgeous and brilliant. Please buy it...and be moved.

Cheap Albums 12.19.11

A handful of really good, cheap albums right now. All $3.99 unless listed otherwise.

• Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost
• The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar
• Cut/Copy: Zonoscope
• James Blake: James Blake
• The Roots: Undun
• Real Estate: Days
• Coldplay: Parachutes & A Rush of Blood to the Head ($2.99 each)
  
• Death Cab for Cutie: Codes & Keys
• $5 Albums for December

James Blake Covers Joni Mitchell | "A Case of You"

This is the best thing you will watch/listen to today. Just wonderful. James Blake's self-titled 2011 album is only $3.99. You can get "A Case of You" on Blake's Enough Thunder EP.

Matisyahu Minus Beard

Read Matisyahu's reasons for shaving his beard & dropping his "Chassidic reggae superstar" look...

This morning I posted a photo of myself on Twitter.

No more Chassidic reggae superstar.

Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.

Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.

- Matisyahu

(via)

Joy Ending & Joy Eternal

On Saturday I had the privilege to speak to a mausoleum full of people who lost and buried loved ones last year at McHenry County Memorial Park. An employee of the cemetery is a family friend, which opened the opportunity to preach for about 20 minutes from the first two Beatitudes. 

I wanted to share with you some free music from The Joy Eternal: A Sweet & Bitter Providence (download below) which I found to be very encouraging during my prep week for this event. John Piper readings are featured in these songs, and he says this about the music...

Big truth and beautiful sounds are a powerful combination. The Joy Eternal has touched me both ways. One of my biblical sieves for what is real is the apostolic word 'sorrowful yet always rejoicing.' I hear that in these songs, and they ring true. Beautifully true. May God give them wings.

Also check out The Joy Eternal on Facebook | Twitter

Cut Copy | Zonoscope

Cut/Copy's 2011 album, Zonoscope, is $3.99.
Solid reviews: Pitchfork 86/100. Paste 82/100.

The National with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver

The National and guest, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver singing "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks." Song is off The National's outstanding 2010 album, High Violet.

Shearwater | "Breaking the Yearlings"

Shearwater is one of my favorite bands. I first discovered them because frontman, Jonathan Meiburg, played with Okkervil River. Post-Okkervil Meiburg & Shearwater are now a force of their own. Their last three full-length albums, the Island Arc trilogy, are wonderful: Golden Archipelago, Rook, and Palo Santo. Their new album, Animal Joy, drops on Valentine's Day. More at their new label, Sub Pop.

Check out "Breaking the Yearlings" and the new sound of Shearwater...

Austin Stone Live

After attending the first Verge Conference at The Austin Stone, I became a fan of Aaron Ivey (@AaronIvey) and his album, Between the Beauty & Chaos. It's one of the most played worship albums on my iPod and in my house. Then at the recent Together for Adoption Conference in Phoenix I met (several times... inside joke) Jimmy McNeal (@JimmyMcSings), who should have a worship album releasing next year. Loved the times of corporate worship led by Jimmy and the songs he brought.

So when I heard a new Austin Stone Live album was on the way, featuring Aaron & Jimmy, I was excited to hear it. Today I've been streaming the recording of their live concert from last night. It includes some songs from T4A Conference, and I'm really enjoying it. Watch it here. Buy it at iTunes.

Ryan Adams | "Lucky Now"

"Lucky Now" from Ryan Adams' new album, Ashes & Fire. Lyrics below.

I don’t remember were we wild and young?
All that faded into memory
I feel like somebody I don’t know
Are we really who we used to be?
Am I really who I was?

The lights will draw you in
And the dark will bring you down
And the night will break your heart
But only if you’re lucky now

Waiting outside while you find your keys
Like bags of trash in the blackening snow
City of neon and toes that freeze
We’ve got nothing and nowhere to go
We’ve got nothing and nowhere

And the lights will draw you in
And the dark will take you down
And the night will break your heart
But only if you’re lucky now

And if the lights draw you in
And the dark can take you down
And love will mend your heart
But only if you’re lucky now

I don’t remember were we wild and young?
All that’s faded into memory
I feel like somebody I don't know
Are we really who we used to be?
Am I really who I was?

Some Lists | Best Albums of 2011

Some year-end lists of the best albums of 2011 are coming out. Some are right up my alley and some challenge, uh, my alley. Best of lists aren't only good to compare your own favorites, but to discover albums you may not have found otherwise. I'm already listening to a couple of albums I would have ignored if not for showing up on a respected list. Check some of these out (several compiled by the excellent Stereogum).

• Paste | Top 50
• Uncut | Top 50
• Mojo | Top 50
• Q | Top 50
• Stereogum | Top 50
• Filter | Top 10
• Chicago Tribune | Greg Kot Top 20
• Metacritic | 2011 Music Critic Top 10 Lists - a collection of all top lists, and using those rankings to give weight to overall best of 2011 list

$5 Albums for December 2011

Some great $5 albums at Amazon for December. At least a couple will end up on my best of 2011. Go check out some great music, especially my favorites below...

• Wye Oak: Civilian
• Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation
• Radiohead: Kid A
• Jonsi: Go
• The Roots: How I Got Over
• Tune-Yards: W H O K I L L
• Iron & Wine: The Shepherd's Dog
• The Civil Wars: Barton Hollow
• Ha Ha Tonka: Death of a Decade
• John Hiatt: Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns
• Crystal Castles: (II)
• Slave Ambient: The War On Drugs
• M. Ward: Post-War
• Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
• Telekinesis: 12 Desperate Straight Lines
• Florence + The Machine: Lungs
• She & Him: Volume 2
• Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
• Ray LaMontagne: Till the Sun Turns Black
• R.E.M.: Green
• Bruce Springsteen: Greatest Hits
• Check out all 100 $5 albums for December and tell me which albums I should check out that didn't make my list

Cyber Monday Music Deals

A few great albums for $4.99 today...

• Bon Iver: Bon Iver
• Wilco: The Whole Love
• The Decemberists: The King Is Dead

Other $4.99 albums still on sale from Black Friday deals...

• Feist: Metals
• Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
• Kate Bush: 50 Words for Snow
• Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto

Black Friday Music for $4.99

A few good albums on sale today for $4.99...

• Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More
• Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues
• Led Zeppelin: IV
• Foo Fighters: Wasting Light

M83 On Fallon With "Midnight City"

M83 has one of my favorite albums of the year, Hurry Up We're Dreaming. Actually it's a double album. My iPod asks me for a little diversity and I'm reluctant, because I love this album and I love it loud. I think you will too.

If you aren't convinced, please watch them play Fallon with their great song "Midnight City." Turn up the volume. The lyrics are below the video if you want to follow along. Lyric of note, "The city is my church." What does this song teach us about the culture? 

"Midnight City" Lyrics

Waiting in the car
Waiting for a ride
At night the city grows
Look at the horizon glow

Waiting in the car
Waiting for a ride in the dark
Drinking in the lights
Following the neon signs

Waiting for a word
Looking at the milky skyline
The city is my church
It wraps me in its blinding twilight

Waiting in the car
Waiting for a ride in the dark

$4.99 Albums | Amazon Black Friday (NOW)

Amazon is selling a handful of albums for $4.99 this week (for Black Friday). Here are the ones they've marked down so far. More to come. Enjoy!

• St. Vincent: Strange Mercy
• Best Coast: Crazy For You
• Ryan Adams: Ashes & Fire
• Atlas Sound: Parallax
• Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
  
• Washed Out: Within & Without
• Tom Waits: Bad As Me
• Betty Wright & The Roots: The Movie
• Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto
• Gavin DeGraw: Sweeter
• Alison Krauss & Union Station: Paper Airplane

Tiny Desk Concert | Joe Henry

Joe Henry plays a Tiny Desk Concert. Four songs from this highly respected artist & producer. Check out his newest album, Reverie.

Austin City Life: Glow EP

Austin City Life church in, uh, Austin, has a new four song EP out: Glow. Stream it at Bandcamp.  couple of years ago I shared my thoughts on their first EP, One. Vocals are from Miranda Dodson (I really like here album, Change A Thing).

I've only listened through it twice. Two quick notes. I really dig the opener "Beautiful Love." Sounds like they blend some southern flavor to a hint of the vocal dancing of Eisley or Joanna Newsom. It's a lovely track. They close with a tweaked version of "Be Thou My Vision." Miranda dominates here, yet sings it delicately. They add a chorus (or a bridge?) that I believe will add a layer of understanding for those who get a bit lost in the wording of the original hymn. 

Glow is well worth checking out. Share your thoughts below. Would love to hear what you think.

Calexico: Selections from Road Atlas 1998-2011

Calexico makes good music. Consistently. I've never seen them live, but would like to. One of the benefits of seeing them live is that they have produced tour-only albums along the way.

But now you can pick them all up without seeing them on tour. Calexico: Selection from Road Atlas 1998-2011 is the compilation of 8 self-released tour albums. Amazon has it for $8.99 right now (17 tracks, including one exclusive to Amazon). But don't take my word for it. Stream it free in full at Paste.

Mumford & Sons | New Song: "Ghosts That We Knew"

This is the kind of music Mumford & Sons writes, and it's the reason people can't wait for them to make more music...

DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, The Better

DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, The Better is $3.99 today!

David Lynch: Crazy Clown Time

Crazy Clown Time from director David Lynch, who also was a part of the Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse project, Dark Night of the Soul. This may be one of the most interesting albums of the year. His soundscapes are dark and weighty. Stream it free today and buy it tomorrow. It is filling my home office and shaking my house right now. This dude knows how to create a mood. Read what others are saying...

NPR Music says, "Lynch's first solo album finds him meandering through a series of dark dreams and visceral meditations on modern life and society."

NME gives it an 8/10 and says, "It’s weird, unsettling, in thrall to ’50s Americana and constructed with the same meticulous craft and obsessive compulsion you’d expect from Lynch."

Consequence of Sound says, "Crazy Clown Time plays out in many of the same ways that the filmmaker’s visual projects do. There are splinters of a narrative, floating in the middle of a heavy sea of dark images; old, bluesy, noir structure pushed through a postmodern, eerie filter. Lynch makes darkly familiar art, pieces that sound familiar, though the subconscious knows that they ultimately shouldn’t, and that carries over to his music."

The Black Keys | "Lonely Boy"

Pretty much everything from The Black Keys is awesome, including this new video for "Lonely Boy." That's right. As you watch it, remember how awesome I said it is. It's awesome. Their new album, El Camino, comes out on the 6th of December. Their 2003 album, Thickfreakness, is $5 this month.

4 Christmas Albums I Love

Talking Christmas albums on Twitter today, so in preparation for the day after Thanksgiving (the appropriate time to start listening to Christmas music) here are 4 Christmas albums I recommend that focus on Jesus/incarnation and not just the cultural holiday (though I love some cultural albums too). Let me know your faves. Mine are in no particular order...

• Salvation is Created by Bifrost Arts
• Behold the Lamb of God - Andrew Peterson
• Advent Songs by Sojourn Music
• Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens

100 Christmas Albums for $5 Each

Amazon has listed 100 Christmas albums for $5 a piece. This includes Burl Ives, Sara Groves, Mannheim Steamroller, Michael W. Smith, She & Him, Elvis, & Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits (Vince Guaraldi Trio).

Pick up some new stuff for Christmas, and go check out all 100.

$5 Albums for November 2011

Here are some great $5 albums for November.

• The Black Keys: Thickfreakness
• Givers: In Light
• Radiohead: The Bends
• Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
• AA Bondy: Believers
• Smith Westerns: Dye It Blonde
• The Horrors: Skying
• Wild Flag: Wild Flag
• Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head
• Wye Oak: The Knot
• Guster: Easy Wonderful
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes 
• Destroyer: Kaputt
• Everclear: Ten Years Gone The Best of Everclear '94-'04
• Lissie: Catching A Tiger
• The Gourds: Old Mad Joy
• John Coltrane: The Ultimate Blue Train
• Steve Earle: I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
• Gorillaz: Demon Days
• The Rosebuds: Loud Planes Fly Low
• She & Him: A Very She & Him Christmas
• Tron Legacy Soundtrack
• Aerosmith: Big Ones
• The Beastie Boys: Solid Gold Hits
• The Beach Boys: The Greatest Hits Vol 1
• Footloose Soundtrack (Original, not remake)
• Check out all 100 $5 albums for November

Music Monday | The Horrors

It's Halloween, so you need The Horrors. Primary Colours (2009) was my introduction to the band. They just released Skying a couple of months ago to very good reviews. Here's "I Can See Through You" on Jools...