Top 5 Albums of the Year.

I think everyone knows that I really like listening to music. On such a musical quest, certain albums pop out at me more than others and there are some that I simply cannot stop listening to. Thus, in all my musical nerdiness, I present to you my top five albums of 2008.

5. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie
To be honest, Transatlanticism deserves another chance while Plans never completely sold me. On the other hand, Bixby Canyon Bridge off Narrow Stairs slowly lulls the listener in before I will Possess your Heart captures the full attention of the listener. Death Cab finally shows on this track that they are quite strong instrumentally (an impression I had never gotten from them before) with a four minute instrumental piece before Ben Gibbard comes in vocally.
Songs: Cath..., Long Division, Grapevine Fires (my personal favorite)

4. Volume One - She & Him
Already possessing a strong acting career (see Elf and Yes Man among others), Zooey Deschanel turns to the music scene with the help of indie phenom M. Ward (hence She & Him). Simply put, I cannot get enough of the album these two have pieced together. Deschanel's incredible vocals alongside M. Ward's wonderful instrumentation make for quite the album. And while the album is quite upbeat instrumentally, some of the lyrics are quite the opposite (i.e. Change is Hard). Nowhere is this contrast between an upbeat song with heavy lyrics more evident than in their music video for Why do you let me stay here? As a side note, I recommend trying to leave their website. So informative yet clever.
Songs: Sweet Darlin', Take it Back, Black Hole

3. Seventh Tree - Goldfrapp
A truly good artist will show that their music cannot just fit one label. They will diversify their music as they stretch their musical limits. Goldfrapp has done just that in going from the electronically astounding Supernature to a more stripped down, acoustic album in Seventh Tree. The opening track, Clowns, displays the strange beauty of Allison Goldfrapp's voice among acoustic guitar picking. There is no one single track, such as Supernature's Ooh La La that can carry the whole album, but a medley of wonderful tracks creating a fantastic flow to a new sound from the Goldfrapp duo.
Songs: Clowns, A & E, Eat Yourself

2. This is the Life - Amy MacDonald
Since randomly purchasing This is the Life at the end of the summer, I have been continuously coming back to this album. Amy MacDonald's Scottish voice carries an album of fantastic, fun songs. At the same time, her lyrics are powerful, most of them criticizing a life of power and riches that remains unfulfilled. On the song Footballer's Wife (my personal favorite on the album) Amy sings "oh i don't believe in the selling of your glories before you leave this life there's so much more to see, i don't believe this is how the world should be." While in itself a rather lame music video, go watch This is the Life just to catch the drift of what is Amy MacDonald.
Songs: Mr. Rock & Roll, This is the Life, Footballer's Wife

1. Fire Songs - The Watson Twins
Hands down the best album of the year. Before this album, Chandra and Leigh Watson's main appearance was on Rabbit Fur Coat, the first signs of Jenny Lewis's break with Rilo Kiley. While Rabbit Fur Coat was a strong album, it was truly Jenny Lewis's project. On Fire Songs, The Watson Twins finally get a crack at showing the world what they're made of. And boy do they do that. The harmonies are simply incredible, the instrumentation quite catchy (try getting How am I to be? out of your head), and the lyrics very well-written. Everyone should seriously put this album in and just play it several times through.
Songs: Lady Love Me, Just Like Heaven (a cover of the Cure), Map to Where You are, Bar Woman Blues

Raw Country and the Discovery of Sera Cahoone

So lately, thanks largely to Sam, I have been into what I like to call "raw" country. To me, raw country is 1) NOT the pure pop country crap that is on the radio. Just as when raw rock takes the form of pop rock (a.k.a. James Blunt, Daniel Powter etc.) and makes you want to plug your ears for life, raw country takes a turn for the worse in the forms of pop country. So lately I've been into two "raw" country artists--Kathleen Edwards and Lucinda Williams. For one, you get the pure, beautiful instrumentation of electric guitars, organs, harmonicas, etc. meshing together to form one beautiful noise. At the same time, you get artists with beautiful voices who write powerful, and I mean uncomfortably powerful songs. If you want the perfect example of this, try listening to Alicia Ross by Kathleen Edwards. Written from the perspective of a young girl in Canada who is murdered by her neighbor, the song gives me chills every time I listen to it.

Recently, however, thanks to last.fm, I discovered Sera Cahoone and simply cannot get enough. Sera used to be the drummer for Band of Horses among other indie bands. On the two CD's she has out (one self-titled, the other called Only as the Day is Long), Sera delivers old-fashioned country at its finest. The album I have (Only as the Day is Long) is heavy with pedal-steal, acoustic guitar, and banjo arrangements (I love, love, love the sound of the pedal-steal). The songs, while quite simple, are incredible. "Happy When I'm Gone" gets me up and dancing around before I realize that the lyrics aren't that "happy." Other highlights include the title track, "Baker Lane," and "Runnin' Your Way. I highly recommend checking her out (as well as Kathleen and Lucinda).

By the way, Sam and I will be seeing Kathleen in February in Detroit and it will be amazing!

Without you i've been burnin love

you're the one that i've been calling for.

After a period of five years, in which many fans may have wondered if she had actually gone down with the ship, Dido recently released her third studio album, "Safe Trip Home." Shortly after the phenomenal album that was "No Angel," Dido recorded a rather disappointing album, "Life is for Rent." After the amazingly catchy first track (white flag), the CD took a turn downhill from which it never recovered.

Starting with "Don't Believe in Love," an extremely catchy track with a smoothe baseline (yes, you know it's smoothe when it has an e on the end), "Safe Trip Home" threatens to follow the same path as it's predecessor. However, after a couple listens, one cannot help but note the ridiculous improvements Dido has made in her own musicianship. In her five years off, Dido has dedicated herself to learning how to play multiple instruments and how to play them well. As her website says,

Dido had inadvertently set the tone for Safe Trip Home, a record whose smouldering, soulful songs were to eventually feature her playing guitar, piano, bells and the trusty old recorder she'd toured Europe with as a prodigious pupil of London's Guildhall School of Music. She's even responsible for some of the album's drums (most notably on the sumptuously melancholy Quiet Times).

As a whole, this yields an album that is much more instrument-driven than electronically-driven. Simply amazing songs include the, slow, introspective ballad "Look no Further," the fun, quirky "Us 2 little gods," and the incredible bluesy song "Burnin Love" which features Citizen Cope. Burnin Love is the song that I have simply not been able to get out of my head (just ask Sam, I've sung it to him multiple times).

Finally, musicians can only gain so much appreciation through their music. True artist appreciation comes from what they do beyond their music. That is why I simply love her website. On it, there is a music tour section you can go on in which you see videos made from different countries. The videos are rather thought-provoking and allow users to comment. For example, her video for "Us 2 little gods" is about people in Rio so poor their lives revolve around landfills. I strongly encourage you to check out her website.

Ada hold onto yourself by the sleeves...

...I think everything counts a little more than we think.

On occasion you may listen to music and immediately discard it because something is a bit odd. Most probably that something is too different for your taste of music. Such a tragedy almost happened to me when first hearing the music of the national. However, I have grown to love them and their music and especially the song that the line above (Ada hold onto yourself by the sleeves I think everything counts a little more than we think) refers to: Ada off their cd Boxer.

This line simply will not leave my head. In its entirety, the song is about two estranged lovers from the perspective of the male (Matt Berninger) with one of the tag lines being "Ada don't talk about reasons why you don't want to talk about reasons why you don't wanna talk." In the context of a relationship then, I love the line I think everything counts a little more than it seems.

Broadening our scope to include all types of relationships, not just ones with romantic interest, this line has so much significance. What is the significance of even our smallest action or comment towards someone else? Friendships can be formed or broken on mere words. Yet so many times we only think about ourselves so we don't think about others. What if we intentionally though about what could come out of a lot of our mere day-to-day interactions? What if even the smallest relationships "count a little more than we think?" What if we use chances that we normally squander by dwelling in mere small talk with someone else to get to know more about that person-what they feel, who they are as opposed to their favorite band (but hey, it may be the national)? I just love this line and, as it is quite a vague and open statement, I think it lends itself to a lot of interpretation.

I Don't Blame You

It's quite possible that you're not obsessed with Cat Power. It's equally probably that she's not your favorite musician and that you don't really know her history. However, she is my all-time favorite for her minimalistic style and surrealistically powerful music. Initially, she got bashed as an artist and why you may ask? Because she had tremendous stage fright and would face nights where she simply couldn't play. Well, luckily she didn't give up and now she's the tremendous musician that she is today. Nonetheless, I read the lyrics to "I Don't Blame You" for the first time tonight and I love it. Not only does it express her feelings about her fans through a third person view, but it's also a humble reminder to concert goers not to abuse their artist by expecting something. If you truly love an artist, you'll respect them for who he or she is, not just the songs you have on constant repeat on your ipod (or zoon if you're one of those people).

I Don't Blame You by Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall)

Last time I saw you, you were on stage
Your hair was wild, your eyes were red
You were in a rage
You were swinging your guitar around.
Cause they wanted to hear that sound
That you didn’t want to play.
I don’t blame you.

I don’t blame you.

Been around the world, in many situations
Been inside many heads in different positions
But you never wanted them that way.
What a cruel price you thought that you had to pay.
And that for all that shit on stage.

But it never made sense to them anyway,
Could you imagine when they turned their backs
They were only scratching their heads.
Cause you simply deserve the best.
And I don’t blame you

They said you were the best,
But then they were only kids
Then you would recall the deadly houses you grew up in
Just because they knew your name,
Doesn’t mean they know from where you came
What a sad trick you thought that you had to play.
But I don’t blame you

They never owned it
And you never owed it to them anyway.

I don’t blame you.

If only to say this to you now...

...Ryan Adams has released another fantastic album. If you have yet to do so, I strongly encourage you to check out (and then buy) Ryan Adams and the Cardinals new album, Cardinology.

With heartfelt lyrics (some of them being the title of this blog), Ryan Adams takes love to a whole new level on Go Easy. With a phenomenal baseline and fantastic guitar rift on Fix It, Ryan Adams threatens to melt your face off. With the rock-like quality of Magick, Ryan gets you tapping your feet until they hurt. With phenomenal background vocals from his band, Ryan reaches a gospel-esque quality on Let Us Down Easy.

Basically, this is one of the best CD's to come out in a while and I encourage y'all to at least listen to it. Perhaps you'll even be tempted to buy it.

So turn the radio up, so turn the radio up loud and get down, let your body move, let your body sway, listen to the music babe, it's magick, it's magick.

Brooke Waggoner

Brooke Waggoner New Album from Paper Beats Rock on Vimeo.

Brooke Waggoner's new CD comes out September 9, I will be patiently peeing my pants until then. If you've never heard her, go check out her simply amazing EP. Go to her website to download the whole thing for free!

serving others...

something with which I have been challenged recently is to serve others. more specifically, the less fortunate. after reading only the gospel of Luke, I wonder how Christians can ignore this constant calling of Christ. throughout Luke, Jesus tells parables and teachings about the less fortunate, stressing how they will be first in the kingdom of God. He then urges His followers to make them first now, here on earth. One example of such a teaching is his teaching on choosing the lowest chair so that you may move up when called upon rather than choosing the highest chair and not just being forced to move to the next best one, but being forced to move all the way to the bottom as was the custom. (see Jeff Manion's sermon from this past Sunday, entitled the Chair Game for the cultural connotations of this teaching).

then i stop wondering. i look at myself and realize that i don't want to respond to this teaching of Jesus because it is HIGHLY uncomfortable. and that's nowadays. back in Jesus' time, 15% or so of the people were of the upper class and the rest were of the lower class. the comfort level division was MUCH HIGHER than the comfort level division between middle class me and the poor (no middle class in Jesus' time). but i've been constantly challenged to start serving uncomfortably. to start living generously. this comes from the Bible, my sociology class, and three books I have read recently (Surprised by Hope, the Living Church, and the Irresistible Revolution). In Surprised by Hope, the author, N. T. Wright says socioeconomic differences are the worst problem in society right now, worse than sexual immorality.

That being the case, I can't ignore it anymore. I can't be comfortable serving just those of the middle class, I have to reach out. So I'm starting small. I'm going to start serving meals twice a week at a ministry for the less fortunate in the Grand Rapids area. I've been praying about it for a while, and I feel as though this is the first step in which the Lord is leading me. Who knows what will happen, but I'm excited to follow the Lord's calling. I don't know if anyone reads this yet as I just got a blog, but, if you do, I mean for this post to be a challenge to you and to myself. I also mean for it to be a way in which you can pray for me. thanks.

The Ice is Getting Thinner

In thinking about what to title my blog, I chose the title of the final track on Death Cab for Cutie's most recent album, entitled "Narrow Stairs." Honestly, it is a fantastic album to which I simply cannot stop listening.

One of my complaints regarding Death Cab for Cutie was that their instrumentation is often simplistic, yet fails to go anywhere. With the first two songs of their new CD, they showed that this is not the case. They end Bixby Cannon Bridge on a highly instrumental note, mixing many sounds that resemble some of the sounds of another band, Wilco. The second song, their new single (I Will Possess Your Heart) gives way to singing after about four minutes of being purely instrumental. The lyrics are catchy and the song is simply fantastic. Other notable songs on the album include Cath..., a song about a woman who marries for money, Grapevine Fires, a song about the end of the world, and Your New Twin Sized Bed. The line "You looked so defeated lying there in your new twin sized bed" simply will not leave your heard.

Initially, I disliked the end of the CD, as I felt it ended weaker than it began, which I never like. However, I have come to change my opinion. As a physics major, the song Long Division is sheer genius. "Then they carried on like long division because it was clear with every page that they were further away from a solution..." simply fantastic. And finally the concluding track, "The Ice is Getting Thinner," which is simply fantastic.

What I most love about Death Cab, however, is the brutal yet simple honesty of their lyrics. They do not shy away from difficult topics (see What Sarah Said off Plans for an example) and can tend to have a bleaker outlook on life. This is certainly true on their new CD (see the pessimistic messages of Grapevine Fires, The Ice is Getting Thinner, and Cath... for example). In the Ice is Getting Thinner, the opening lines are these:

We're not the same, dear, as we used to be.
The seasons have changed and so have we.
There was little we could say, and even less we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you.

On one hand, I love the message of this song because it is true that in many relationships, not just in the context of dating, we lose touch, we change. And I have recently been challenged to be more real with my relationships, to not just be superficial, but to develop genuine, caring relationship. By doing this, hopefully I can prevent the ice from getting thinner beneath my friends and I. In this way, I want to be real on this blog, but I want to be even more genuine in dealing with each and everyone of you in person as there is only so much that can be said on the internet.

death cab for cutie