Music Monday | Stretch Yourself

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Blind music I love to find new, unique, or renewed sounds in new music: Bon Iver's bearded outdoorsman falsetto, Beirut's use of traditional instruments and foreign sounds, Antony & The Johnsons's trembling vocals, Animal Collective's layers and layers of electronic music, and Andrew Bird's lyrical torsion. Sometimes there are new sounds that just don't work for me, and other times they draw me in and stretch me in a new direction. Even when they don't work, I think it's good for us to be stretched. It keeps us from mere consumption and towards understanding it as art.

Let's be honest, some of you just love everything from U2 but don't realize you are stuck in a moment and can't get out of it. Time for something new. Here are two places to stretch.

1. Daniel Knox. The haunting vocals will stay with you in "Ghostsong." If you like it, grab his free Daytrotter session and buy his album, Evryman for Himself.

2. tUnE-yArDs. I don't really know what to say about this, but the critics are crazy about it. The new album from tUnE-yArDs: W H O K I L L is only $5 right now. If listening to this doesn't stretch you a bit, you may have deeper issues.

Albums I'm Enjoying

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I've had a crazy-busy summer and haven't done enough talking about some of the great music I've been finding. Here are two albums I'm loving and don't want you to miss...

I'm very much enjoying the full-length debut album from Washed Out: Within and Without. It's chillwave 80's sounds. It's sleepy bedroom pop music, perfect for lazy, hot summer evenings. To me it's also great background music during work or reading.

I can't believe the 18 song album, Love & War & the Sea In Between, from Josh Garrels is FREE. Dude, it's FREE. And I'm listening to it a lot. Wowwy, it's really good. And did I say that it's FREE? It's not good because it's good for something that FREE. After hearing it I'd happily pay $10 for this album. You need to run, not walk, and download this gem. And check out Josh's other albums: Over Oceans | Jacaranda | Lost Animals.

Beirut: Gulag Orkestar is $5

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My first listen through Beirut's May 2006 album Gulag Orkestar was in June of 2006. Joe Thorn and I were driving our way toward Greensboro, North Carolina for the Southern Baptist Convention and I HAD to make a stop by ear X-tacy in Louisville, Kentucky for some CDs. I found Gulag and 7 others from my list. I think we listened to all of them on the way, but Beirut stuck out for both of us. It was such a different sound, international flavor, unexpected instrumentation. Both of us were blown away by it. We want to recommend it to you. So go get it for $5 and tell us what you think. When you love it, go pick up Lon Gisland EP, The Flying Club Cup, and March of the Zapotec. All are outstanding, and the flavors beautifully change a bit along the way. New album, The Rip Tide, due out August 30.

$5 Albums for July 2011

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Some outstanding albums for $5 for July. Go grab some!

Tim Keller | "Wisdom and Sabbath Rest"

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From Tim Keller's article, "Wisdom and Sabbath Rest," which is adapted from a 2007 leadership training session talk at Redeemer.

The purpose of Sabbath is not simply to rejuvenate yourself in order to do more production, nor is it the pursuit of pleasure. The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through his help, and the freedom you have in the gospel—the freedom from slavery toany material object or human expectation. The Sabbath is a sign of the hope that we have in the world to come.

Revival: Hansen, Keller, DeMoss

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Collin Hansen interviews Tim Keller and Nancy Leigh DeMoss on revival. Great conversation. So many things I could quote, but here's one of my favorite quotes by Keller (35 seconds in)...

In the last 20 or 30 years, because the society's changed and because we are finding it harder to reach people, there's been an enormous amount of intellectual and emotional energy given to: How are we reaching these people? And we've actually, I think, put all of our energy into that and it seems to have sucked a lot of the air out of the room. So people just aren't, they're more concerned with: How are we going to reach people who are so hard to reach? When I think Dr. Lloyd-Jones in his lectures on revival has actually said that you need revival more in a time like that, because what the world doesn't see is a beautiful church. A church with people filled with the Spirit, people who the Gospel's changed their lives and are loving one another. And honestly the best way to reach people is to show them something gorgeous here. And we shouldn't be too worried about all the various kinds of new strategies we're supposed use. So I actually feel like the strategies for evangelism, and, you know, I'm an evangelist, and I still feel like it's taken a lot of the emphasis away from asking God to revive our churches. (emphasis mine)

HT: Jared

John Corapi | The Black SheepDog

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If you haven't heard, John Corapi, one of the most popular Catholic Priests out there and one of the compelling preachers influencing Catholics and Protestants, has not only been suspended as a Priest because of some accusations, but has now decided to leave the priesthood on his own. I make no judgment as to the truth of the accusations, but Protestants need to keep up with things like this as we have many Catholics around us who love Corapi.

There's lots of info out there, but in his own words it's "The Black SheepDog"...

Tim Keller: Dispersed Ministry

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From Dr. Keller's latest blog post "Lloyd-Jones on the Practice of Real Preaching"...

I would argue that in a post-Christian culture, preaching will not be effective in the gathered assembly if Christians are not also highly effective in their scattered state. In our times, people will be indifferent or hostile to the idea of attending church services without positive contact with Christians living out their lives in love and service. Therefore the incarnational "dispersed" ministry of the church is extremely vital and necessary.

Frank Turner | "I Still Believe"

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Frank Turner's new album, England Keep My Bones, is getting a lot of play on my iPod. I posted his atheist hymn of sorts, "Glory Hallelujah," last week. Here's the video for "I Still Believe." Frank writes some interesting songs worth hearing. Plus, it's just great music. Check out a few snips of lyrics...

Now who'da thought / that after all / something as simple as rock'n'roll would save us all

And I still believe / in the need / for guitars and drums and desperate poetry

And I still believe / that everyone / can find a song for every time they've lost and every time they've won / So just remember folks we're not just saving lives, we're saving souls, and we're having fun