Music

Mood Music

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Here are a few albums that I find enjoyable in different circumstances.

Dirty_three_cinderDirty Three: Cinder

My take: A beautiful, mostly instrumetal (guitar-drums-violin) album.  Very mellow and relaxing. 

Usage: Good for reading late with candles lit and a beverage you want to sip.

Dusted says: "With a solid emotional through-line and a few sonic surprises, Cinder is a musical novella, whose narrative compels you to its last luxurious line."

Go_teamThe Go! Team: Thunder, Lightning, Strike

My take: Active and fun beats, hip-hoppish, often lined with cheerleader background vocals.  A thrill-ride of an album that induces foot-taping and head-bobbing throughout.  Check out my family video that includes two clips from the CD. 

Usage: When you feel like jumping on the bed or dancing in your underwear.

musicOMH.com says: "Effortlessly cool and implausibly inventive, Thunder Lightning Strike is that rare thing, an instant classic. Let The Go! Team become the new soundtrack to your lives."

TakkSigur Ros: Takk...

My take: Dream-inducing, magical, haunting, and enveloping songs.  Thoroughly blissful.  I can't stop playing it.

Usage: Close the door, put on high-quality headphones, turn it up slightly too loud, dim the lights nearly off, put your feet up, and head off to neverland.

musicOMH.com says: "Takk's songs are...epics of over seven minutes that generally take at least half of that to get going, and they evoke euphoria, delight and wonder."

Free music downloads; videos ("Glosoli" is incredible)

Challies Interviews Derek Webb

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Tim Challies has interviewed Derek Webb about his new CD, Mockingbird (which sounds very good), his thoughts on social justice, favorite books, and more.  Interview: Part 1 & Part 2.

From Part 1...

It's like once you come down the aisle responding to the call for salvation - you come down the aisle and you pray the prayer and as you're walking out they give you your little gift bag. And your little gift bag is all of your politics and sexuality and culture and art and all wrapped up, it's all been thought out for you. Just take your gift bag and you're going to be fine. And we just can't be people who are satisfied with that. That is completely oversimplifying issues that are very difficult and very detailed and are very nuanced. We must have a more meaningful discussion about these issues in the church because you simply cannot be as predictable as we have become as the Western church. You cannot be that predictable and follow Jesus. You cannot! Jesus was not predictable in his politics. I do think Jesus makes quite a few very political statements, but he was in no way predictable. There were moments where he might have looked very conservative as we might try to put our terms and categories on him today and look back, but there are also moments where he looked like a flaming liberal. There is nothing we can do about it. If your concern is in following Jesus and that is what you really want to do, as opposed to following some kind of subcultural caricature of a political idea, you're going to have to be willing to follow him back and forth and back and forth. You're going to have to be willing to have people, even in the church, call you a liberal, which can be very derogatory when used by these people. I think the more we align ourselves with political parties in the church the more it makes it impossible to follow Jesus.

From Part 2...

I think that one book that has been tremendously helpful to me is a book by this guy Steve Turner, it's called Imagine. Steve Turner's a guy who studied at L'Abri under Francis Schaeffer, and he wrote this book. It's probably the most thorough and biblical and liberating treatment of how a Christian might engage in the arts. It is one of those books that will take the roof off the house. I read it every couple of years just to remind myself of what's true because when it comes to the arts the church has really mixed up ideas about what the role of art is in culture and especially church culture. So that book really has blown my mind a number of times and I think that should be required reading for anybody.

Harry Potter Playlist

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Harry Potter, er, Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry on screen) has a 'celebrity playlist' up at iTunes.  I thought it would be interesting to see what he picked.  I liked the list, but I found a few of his explanations of the songs curious.  Notice the interesting mix of meanings.

FYI for non-iTunes users, they usually have the celebrity pick 10-15 songs and describe something about what they like about each song. 

"Gouge Away" (Track 7): "Biblical imagery, half whispered vocals and an incredible chorus..."

"Me Ves y Sufres" (Track 8): "An incredibly sad song. To me it sounds like it's about someone who, because of their own actions, has no hope of happiness."

"What I'm Looking For" (Track 9): "A song that seems to me, to be saying, 'Hey, there may not be a meaning to life. So let's all just enjoy living it.' A good attitude to have."

Cultural Exegesis: Hell Yeah

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I heard this song for the first time today.  It's beautiful and invigorating.  I wish I could provide the song for you to listen to. 

I figured it might make for interesting discussion on cultural exegesis.  The lyrics are easy to understand and they capture a certain segment of our culture very well.  I left the artist's name off on purpose, so don't give it away.  What generation is the artist/author?  What is the "gospel" to him?

"Hell Yeah"

If you're thinking that my life
is a hoot and a holler
from the start of the day
to the dark of the night
and that it's ringing like a bell
that you only wanna follow
gotta trust me when I say
I'm just trying to get it right

Still I think about myself
As a lucky old dreamer
And if you're asking me to tell
Is it worth what I paid?
You're going to hear me say:

Hell Yeah It Is
And I say it loud
I loved it all
and I'm not too proud
I freed my soul
Just let it fly

Hell Yeah this crazy life around me
It confuses and confounds me
But it's all the life I've got Until I die
Hell yeah It Is

If you're asking for my time
Isn't much left to give you
Been around a good long while
So I gotta say it fast
Time is all we'll ever need
But it's gotta have a meaning
You be careful how it's spent
cause it isn't going to last

I hear you wondering out loud
Are you ever going to make it
Will you ever work it out
Will you ever take a chance
and Just believe you can

Hell Yeah You Will
You're going to be okay
You might get lost
But then you'll find a way
Don't go alone
Can't be afraid

Hell Yeah this life is here and it's made for living
and loves a gift that's made for giving
you Give it all away and have it still
And Hell yeah you will

I've been living on a boat
with a lot of people staring
with my feet on shaky ground
and my head up in the sky
But it's where I want to be
It's a life that's made for caring
Gotta a song to pass the day
And a girl to share the night

So if they ask you when I'm gone
was it everything he wanted
And when he had to travel on
did he know he'd be missed?
You can tell them this:

Hell yeah he did
He saw it all
He walked the line
Never had to crawl
He cried a bit
But not for long Hell Yeah he found the life that he was after
Filled it up with love and laughter
Finally gotta it right and made it fit
Hell Yeah He Did
Hell Yeah He Did
Hell Yeah He Did

New Hymns

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I love the old hymns.  I love singing substance.  A number of folks are updating hymns and are doing a fantastic job.  Indelible Grace (RUF) is excellent and Sovereign Grace Ministries is doing some good stuff too.

Al Mohler points us to a great new hymn-writer, Keith Getty, who has written "Oh, To See The Dawn" ("The Power of the Cross") with Stuart Townend.  These two have also written "In Christ Alone," which is one of my favorite hymns, old or new.

I agree with Mohler, who writes...

Are we entering a great new era of hymnody? There are signs of hope, and we can see the emergence of new hymn writers and composers who combine the best of old and new, recovering the ancient form in a new age. Best of all, these hymns are rich in biblical truth and Gospel content.

David Gray: Ain't No Love

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David_grayI've barely even heard of David Gray before a couple of weeks ago, but I'm glad that I found him through his newest CD, Life in Slow Motion.  I'm impressed.  Several good songs, but one of my favorites is Ain't No Love, which is basically an atheistic ballad. 

I was playing it in the car on Monday for my wife to hear, and she asked why I would like and want to listen to a song that is atheistic.  My response was that it is a beautiful song with powerful and thoughtful lyrics.  As art, it's good.  But I also consider it essential to ministry to understand the worldview of those who don't know Christ.  And guys like Gray are writing and singing songs that express something deeper than the glazed over reality most of us admit to.  Though honest struggling, this song is a great place to discuss essential and eternal things.  Notice below especially the last verse, the hopelessness found there.

Here's a very good article on Gray that includes some thoughts on this song.  Colorful language in this excerpt...

Gray has crafted a song called Ain't No Love that really soars, where the denial of God implicit in the chorus line - "ain't no love that's guiding me" - becomes paradoxically uplifting. This is the essential tension at the heart of Gray's work, which has never been as simplistic as some critics imply. Gray deals with dark material, but his singalong melodicism and Celtic spirit imbue it with a rich and ultimately uplifting sense of humanity.

"This sort of mess of illusions that people are clinging to and all the bullshit that it spawns which we're supposed to imbibe without complaint, I find depressing," he says. "I think we'd have a far more constructive society if people were more honest about things. But that's my point of view and music is really an escape from that. You're creating a sort of refuge for yourself first and then for others second, so it's a place to celebrate."

"We've got our lives to live, so nothing's changed there. We've still got to get on with it. But hopefully you can take all the stuff that's whirling around your particular universe and turn it into something that is uplifting."

"I think there's a sense of relief when someone writes a song that you can really connect with."

"That someone else has said something you felt or you've tried to say - that is uplifting in itself, it doesn't matter how sad or bitter it is."

Ain't No Love
by David Gray

Maybe that it would do me good

If I believed there were a God
Out in the starry firmament
But as it is that’s just a lie
And I'm here eating up the boredom
On an island of cement
Give me your ecstasy I'll feel it
Open window and I'll steal it
Baby like it’s heaven sent

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

Some days I'm bursting at the seams
With all my half remembered dreams
And then it shoots me down again
I feel the dampness as it creeps
I hear you coughing in your sleep
Beneath a broken window pane
Tomorrow girl I'll buy you chips
A lollipop to stain your lips
And it’ll all be right as rain

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me
This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

No it ain’t no love guiding me
No it ain’t no love guiding me
No it ain’t no love guiding me

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me
This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

On winter trees the fruit of rain
Is hanging trembling in the branches
Like a thousand diamond buds
And waiting there in every pause
That old familiar fear that claws you
Tells you nothing ain’t no good
Then pulling back you see it all
Down here so laughable and small
Hardly a quiver in the dirt

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

Running Blind

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Running Blind
by Godsmack
Can't find the answers
I've been crawling on my knees
Looking for anything
To keep me from drowning
Promises have been turned to lies
Can't even be honest inside
Now I'm running backward
Watching my life wave me goodbye

Running blind
I'm running blind
Somebody help me see I'm running blind

Searching for nothing
Wondering if I'll change
I'm trying everything
But everything still stays the same
I thought if I showed you I could fly
Wouldn't need anyone by my side
Now I'm running backward
With broken wings I know I'll die

Running blind
I'm running blind
Somebody help me see I'm running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind

I can't find the answers
I've been crawling on my knees
Looking for anything
To keep me from drowning
I'm running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind
Running blind

Nickel Creek: Why Should the Fire Die?

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Nickel_creek_1_1Nickel Creek is brilliant.  Seriously. 

Nickel_creek_cdI have their first two CD's, which are fantastic.  Three years later they finally put out number 3, and I think it's their best.  These guys no longer fit clearly in a musical style, as if they ever really did.  The closest is bluegrass, but it doesn't take long to realize they blast any "country" or "bluegrass" stereotypes out of the water.  In my iTunes I classify them as "alternative bluegrass," and that's the best I can do.

Paste Magazine has a good article on them.  CMT has the Nickel Creek Studio 330 Sessions, which means they have four video clip interviews with the band and four live songs performed.  Fantastic introduction to Nickel Creek.

"When in Rome" is their first single.  Very good song.

Where can a dead man go
The question with an answer only dead men know
But I'm gonna bet they never really feel at home
If they spent a lifetime learning
How to live in Rome

"Jealous of the Moon" is by far my favorite.

Why don't you call me, I could save you
Together we'll find a God we can pray to
That'll take you by the hand

I hate to see a friend of mine
Laughing out loud
When she's crying inside
But you've got your pride

Starin' down the stars
Jealous of the moon
You wish you could fly
But you're stayin' where you are
There's nothin' you can do
If you're too scared to try

Copeland: In Motion

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One of my new favorite CD's is In Motion by Copeland.  Emo, sorta.  Rock, kinda.  Pop, a little bit.  Harmony laden, emotion provoking, gentle but not cheesy.  Brilliant vocals.  I love it.

Reviews:

PopMatters

The true power of In Motion -- and the primary reason it is so solid -- lies in Copeland's ability to drag the listener along the gauntlet of their emotions with them.

The Trades

It's tough to write a summary of an album like In Motion without sounding like they paid me to say it. But I absolutely love this album. ...It combines so many emotions into those songs; some may even be clichéd, but Copeland manages to put such a novel spin on them that they sound fresh and romantic. ...Many of the songs could be considered almost progressive indie. The guitars, when they appear on the album, are some of the best I've heard in a while. Aaron Marsh's voice is beyond underrated, and it's such a shame. He absolutely invigorates this album. In a sentence, you need to add Copeland's In Motion to your CD collection. I've been reviewing some awesome albums lately, but Copeland has managed to jump to the head of the pack. A well-deserved, and tough to achieve A+ for them.

Hollywood Jesus

Copeland’s In Motion wants to put its hands on love to hold it, define it, and put a name there for all to see.

AbsolutePunk

...those actively searching for a band that can stalk your veins like a ghost … will probably find one of their new favorite bands.

Teitur: Poetry and Aeroplanes

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I had a meeting at a nearby Borders yesterday and decided to see if they carried any Sufjan Stevens CD's.  His CD, Illinois, is fantastic.  But no luck on finding more Sufjan. 

While looking for his stuff I stumbled across a CD with a sticker on the front with a quote from JohnTeiter_cd Mayer.  The CD is "Poetry and Aeroplanes" by Teitur and the quote said, "It's unbelievable...the best record I've heard in a long time."  That was enough to get me to listen to some of the songs at Borders, and they were very good.  So I dropped $12.99 and got the CD.

TeiturWow!  Great CD.  Teitur is a Danish singer-songwriter and his music is sorta Paul Simon-ish.  Great melodies, acoustic, folk, poetic. Check out a video of a live performance of "Sleeping with the Lights On." and the CD at Amazon.

Here are the lyrics to another great song.

"You're the Ocean"

There’s too much sky, not enough blue
There’s too many questions to why I love you
There’s too many clouds, not enough sun
The rain must fall on everyone
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mine
You’re the ocean
There’s too much doubt and not enough dare
There’s too much decision everywhere
There’s too much talk and not enough time
Let’s close our eyes and not our minds
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mind
You look for leads, I follow clues
You love to win, I dare to lose
Mostly you’re a mind game in my head
You are earth, I am water
I can give you what you’re after
You can be the word…I can be the rhyme…
There’s really nothing you can do
You’re going where I’m going too
Stay beside me, stay beside me
I want you
I’m fire-you’re the ocean
I’m energy-you’re the rhythm
Love is somewhere in between
What you believe and what you dream
I’m just trying to make you mine
You’re the ocean

Sufjan: Terrifyingly Beautiful

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Sufjan_illinoisI cannot describe how terrifyingly beautiful Sufjan Stevens' song John Wayne Gacy, Jr. is. Jwg_clown_1 Gacy is the infamous Chicago serial killer. 

Pick up Sufjan's CD Illinois.  You won't be sorry.  And don't miss the last four lines of the song.

"John Wayne Gacy, Jr."

His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne's T-shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things
Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead
Twenty-seven people, even more
They were boys with their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God

Are you one of them?

He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all
He'd kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took of all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss
On the mouth

And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid

Robbie Seay Band

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RsbRe-release of Robbie Seay Band's "Better Days" is coming on August 16th.  Some of the most devotional and quietly passionate music I've experienced.

About the CD: "On one hand, the new album will include songs from the rsb indie better days such as 'we are free', 'eternal God', 'breathing air again', and 'you have stirred'. On the other hand, there will be brand new versions of 'better days'. 'faith of our fathers', and 'hallelujah God is near' produced by Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, the Wallflowers). In addition, there will be 4 new songs + enhanced video."

I highly recommend it.

Bright Eyes: Lua

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Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) does more than just sing on Leno about President Bush.  He also writes some gripping songs, including some powerful ones from his album "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning."

You can get "Lua" here as offered free from the Bright Eyes site.  Click to listen, or right click and "save as" to download it.

"Lua" by Conor Oberst

I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk
I keep waving at the taxis; they keep turning their lights off
But Julie knows a party at some actor’s west side loft
Supplies are endless in the evening; by the morning they’ll be gone.

When everything gets lonely I can be my own best friend
I get a coffee and the paper; have my own conversations
With the sidewalk and the pigeons and my window reflection
The mask I polish in the evening, by the morning looks like s**t.

I know you have a heavy heart; I can feel it when we kiss
So many men much stronger than me have thrown their backs out trying to lift it
But me I’m not a gamble you can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening, by the morning won’t exist.

You’re looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black
You just keep going to the bathroom always say you’ll be right back
Well it takes one to know one, kid, I think you’ve got it bad
But what’s so easy in the evening, by the morning is such a drag.

I’ve got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
If you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
We might die from medication, but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening, by the morning seems insane.

And I’m not sure what the trouble was that started all of this
The reasons all have run away but the feeling never did
It’s not something I would recommend, but it is one way to live
Cause what is simple in the moonlight, by the morning never is
What’s so simple in the moonlight, now is so complicated
What’s so simple in the moonlight, so simple in the moonlight
So simple in the moonlight

When the President Talks to God

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Bright_eyesBright Eyes (Conor Oberst) was on Leno in May.  The video of his performance is online and I encourage you to watch it.  It's called "When the President Talks to God." 

If you haven't heard or watched it, some of you are about to be seriously offended.  Others of you will be sympathetic to his views.  Still others will like what he says but not be happy with his approach.

Honestly, I couldn't care less to discuss the politics of his ideas.  I'd rather think and talk about how we listen (or not) to what he says.  I'd rather discuss what it means to hear what a person is really saying regardless of the rightness or wrongness of their views.

So watch the video.  The lyrics are available at the above link too (though you won't miss them on the video), and let me know what you think.

Broken

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I know this song isn't new, but I really love it and want you to hear it.  Amy Lee's vocals are always haunting and unique, and the harmony with Shaun Morgan is really well done.  Check out Seether and Amy Lee with "Broken."

Coldplay: X&Y

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Coldplay_cdI'm enjoying Coldplay's newest, "X&Y."  I think the sound is similar to "Rush of Blood..." and that is a fantastic CD.  It would have been nice to hear some real changes and growth musically, but I also had that fear that they would change in a disappointing way.  They haven't, and I know I will be listening to this CD for years to come.

I think this review from Relevant online is fair to both critique and praise the CD.

Denver & MHO

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Denver_cdCall me strange, but a couple in our church took my wife and me to see Denver and the Mile High Orchestra last night in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  The CD cover scanned at the side was signed to me by Denver.  Trust me, the only signed documents I'm really interested in are my paychecks.  But I thought it would be cool for the site. 

The group is Christian, had a 13 piece orchestra, and was a little wacko (in a good way).  But this wasn't a typical orchestra.  From the website...

In the five years since their inception, the group has traveled around the globe, performing at churches, conferences, festivals—even at the Olympics—taking their electrifying horn-driven sound to the masses. The big band sound of the 30’s and 40’s had long intrigued Denver, who had played the trumpet for 16 years , so he assembled a group of musicians—friends to reinvent the style for the modern age. "I grew up listening to hip-hop, rock and pop, to all those genres," says Denver, who is also the group's lead vocalist and music arranger. "So I wanted to take the best of today and the best of yesterday and mix 'em up."

Img_0462_600I wouldn't have gone to this concert in a million years if I had to buy the ticket and find the directions and drive there myself.  But I'm really glad our friends took us, and I would probably see them again.  Sometimes you listen to a CD and go, Uh, that's good, just not my style.  And then you see them in person, see an outstanding performance, experience remarkable creativity and tremendous talent, and say, Man, that's something different and interesting and special. 

I get it now.  I won't tell you to get their CD unless you are interested in swing/jazz/scat.  It's different stuff.  But if you get the chance to see them, it's definitely worth watching and maybe even listening to after you leave.

Img_0472_600Thought it would be fun to get my wife to cozy up to Denver.  Great pic.  Click it for a bigger version.  Get your hands off my wife bro.

By the way, you can go on their website and listen to some of their music for free.  Go for it.