Best New Underwater Trends of 2009...

Ok, not really. That would be ridiculous, though possibly hilarious. I did think, however, that I would give a go at listing my favorite albums of 2009 (of the ones I have listened to, of course). Without further ado, my top 10, counting down:

10. Wilco (the Album) - Wilco
Notable songs include One Wing, Bull Black Nova, and Wilco (the Song)

9. Two Suns - Bat for Lashes
Notable songs include Daniel, Siren Song, and Traveling Woman
Also, Daniel may be the best song of the year--check it out here

8. Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack - Karen O and the Kids
Notable songs include All is Love, Rumpus, and Heads Up

7. It's Blitz! - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Notable songs include Hysteric, Runaway, and Zero
*For my less attentive readers, both 7 and 8 acknowledge the huge splash Karen O (and her band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) have made on the music scene this year.

6. Sainthood - Tegan and Sara
Notable songs include Hell, The Cure, and The Ocean

5. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists
This album is a concept album--listen to the whole thing many times through.

4. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case
Notable songs include This Tornado Loves You, I'm and Animal, and Magpie to the Morning

3. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers
Notable songs include I and Love and You, Laundry Room, and Tin Man

2. Wait for Me - Moby
Notable songs include Shot in the Back of the Head, Mistake, and Jltf 1

1. Ordinary Riches - Company of Thieves
Notable songs include In Passing, Under the Umbrella, The Fire Song, and Quiet on the Front
I debated putting this album in the top spot, but I am a sucker for bands with incredible debut albums. And this album is incredible. Genevieve's voice is ridiculously good and the guitar is phenomenal. Trample people at Best Buy, rush to amazon mp3, or pay an obscene amount at Barnes & Noble--I don't care how you do it, just get this album.

"When we're older and full of cancer...

...it doesn't matter now, come on get happy. 'cause nothing lasts forever...but I will always love you." -Neko Case, Don't Forget Me

While the introduction to this post has nothing whatsoever to do with the further content of the post, it acts as a shout out to the marvelous Neko Case and the song Don't Forget Me off her year-topping album, Middle Cyclone.

Anyways, I've been recently thinking about the importance of worship through corporate song. Rather than go into a long-winded monologue on the subject, I thought I would provide y'all with three quotes to chew on:

"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God...Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" -Psalm 84:2,4 ESV

"The duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned, why we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections." -Jonathan Edwards

"Some of us are afraid of getting too emotional when we sing. But the problem isn't emotions. It's emotionalism. Emotionalism pursues feelings as ends in themselves. It's wanting to feel something with no regard for how that feeling is produced or its ultimate purpose. Emotionalism can also assume that heightened feelings are the infallible sign that God is present. They're not. The emotions that singing is meant to evoke are responses to the truths we're singing about God--his glory, his greatness, and his goodness. Vibrant singing enables us to connect truth about God seamlessly, with passion, so that we can combine doctrine and devotion, edification and expression, mind and heart." -Bob Kauflin

Oh deary me, have the lights gone out?

Wow, it's seemed like forever since I've opened blospot.com, let alone posted an actual, real, live blog. So what do you have to say for yourself, Nathan? Something so profound I will start drooling as I read this? Something so drastic that even drama needs to be renamed? Or a post about your an electropop artist you are currently thoroughly digging (digging being slang for "enjoying the music of...")?

Well, I find myself at a loss for drama and at an unease with the drool of others. As such, I will write to y'all (y'all being the slang word typically associated with Southerners meaning you all--hey look, mom, I combined two words) about electropop. Electropop is, again, a slang word which in my book means something along the lines of combining electronic sounds (synths, drum kits, funky noises, etc.) with pop music. Often times, such combinations result in dreadfully hoky songs that don't merit a listen. However, some songs are solid gold, such as the vintage hit "Here (in your arms)" by hellogoodbye (yes, hellogoodbye--does anyone even remember them?).

Typically, I avoid electropop at all costs, yearning for more "real" and "pure" music. Yet when a friend introduced me to Lights (a wonderful female artist from Canada that I think is younger than me...wow, I'm aged), I took a few listens and ended up purchasing the album on amazon. And since then, I have been sucked into the music of Lights. Rare gems, such as Quiet, Savior, and the Last Thing on Your Mind remind me that electropop can still have pizzazz (has that word ever been using in a cool way, ever?). While ranting on and on about lights would be about as much good as me telling you what to eat for lunch tomorrow, I think you should check her out yourself on her myspace (look, I combined two more words to form the word belonging to the internet social website that everyone forgot existed).

With all this slang and craziness, all I have left to say is: electropop the night away, my friends. or, at least give it a listen after you have seen new moon 17 times.

You go easy little doves; i'll be fine

i need no money, i need no one to understand, but i need your love...

There is always something magical about meeting one of your favorite artists. That is, when such favorite artist is actually nice and fits a good chunk of if not all of your mental image of how such a person would act. Well, this past week, before seeing Brooke Waggoner perform at a rather small venue (Grace College), I was able to meet her and chat for several minutes. I felt like a giddy nerdy fan who has to restrain himself crossing into the dreaded territory of obnoxious fan.

But meeting Brooke also just put a stronger mental image behind the person so invested in her absolutely gorgeous music. While Brooke has to be (yes Sam Haist, this is objective, not subjective) one of the best musicians at coming up with piano and string(ed?) arrangements, she has some songs that just grab you instantly. For example, Hush If you Must may be my favorite song ever made (which can be found on her website, www.brookewaggonermusic.com). She also has a CD coming out on October 6 (digitally), which I cannot wait for and has such an instantaneously catchy song, called Go Easy Little Doves, I'll be Fine (also found on her website). She simply belts it vocally on that song. But more than just a few songs, Brooke is able to put together simply beautiful CD's, which grow on you over time until the whole thing does something in your soul. Anyways, please, please, please check her out and I hope you are not disappointed!

Bat for Lashes and the Divine Order

As the quirky title suggests, this blog post will be about two things. The first, is issues concerns a musical artist I recently discovered, while the second thing discussing my musings on the divine order of the Bible. Completely unrelated topics, but, hey, this can be a "choose your own adventure" type of blog.

First, after hearing several pretty good reviews, I recently purchased the album "Two Suns" by Bat for Lashes. Looking at the album cover, I expected something experimental and trippy similar to a female version of antony and the johnsons, though natasha kahn (the lead singer of bat for lashes) is probably not nearly as messed up as antony. But I have thoroughly enjoyed natasha kahn and her band's album for several reasons. First, natasha's voice is simply mesmerizing. While on parts of the record it can sound almost gothic, on songs such as daniel (my personal favorite), her vocal chords warm for a beautiful pop song. Second, many times she reminds me of cat power, my favorite female vocalists. Songs like "moon and moon" and "traveling woman" have a minimalist instrumentation and vocal overlay sounding a lot like cat power. Third, her lyrics are incredible, though often dark. Like the hold steady, natasha creates a character (pearl) that carries throughout the album. In the song siren song, pearl is introduced, citing her willingness to love despite her wickedness. The song pearl's dream then carries through a vision of pearl's. Finally, as the album has an overarching theme of love and loss (and of broken relationships), pearl ultimately dies in the big sleep. I would recommend listening to her music on her website as well as reading this excellent article from spin magazine.

Second, something I've been thinking of a lot recently is the divine order of the Bible. The Bible is first meant to be read objectively and then subjectively. Too many times we read the Bible looking to feel a certain way about some issue or another, but that is not the case. Granted, the Bible creates feelings through being objective, but these feelings are a result of objective facts and statements. You may be saying, "nathan, you're going in circles, not making any sense" and perhaps the following quote by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones will help: "most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself." What if each and every day, despite feeling happy or sad or depressed or bubbly, we allowed the power of the cross and the wonderful nature of grace to dominate our lives??? Everything changes. I probably haven't painted a very clear picture, but I encourage you all to read "The Cross Centered Life" by C. J. Mahaney. It's a small, 86 page book, but Mahaney is a man truly humbled and broken by what Jesus did on the cross and what we did as sinners to put him there. The chapter out of which most of my ideas come is chapter 5.

That's all for now. Just some of my pondering.

Church and Ed Stetzer = Awesome.

So I just finished reading Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer. It was one of the most detailed books I've ever read, but is a wonderful, God-inspired resource for church planters everywhere (as well as those who care about church planting). Ed lays out many of the details behind planting a church as well as Biblical qualifications for leaders and whatnot. But most importantly, a church should reach people in culture while being Biblically sound. In addition, church planters should rely most heavily on Jesus and the gospel as the power behind their church.

However, one of the things which the Lord laid on my heart while reading this book is the necessity of evangelism in every Christian's life (particularly evangelism through developing relationships). The Great Commission has always made me uncomfortable and I think this is why: evangelism is the hardest practice for me to put in my life as a Christian. What I mean to say is that while I can humbly come before God in prayer and serve through actions and whatnot, it's so hard for me to seek out building relationships with others (particularly non-Christians) that eventually lead to evangelism (and do NOT end there). But this is something that is essential for church planting. As Ed Stetzer puts it, "it's easier to start a church by drawing Christians from other churches than to win new disciples from the community." But church plants should be seeking to draw most of their members from new converts. So interesting, yet so scripturally relevant. Anyways, I know I barely scratched the surface, but those are just my (initial) thoughts.

Psalm 127:1 - Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Best Albums of 2009 (Thus Far)

This, in many ways, is a good blog to look back on at the end of the year to compare the wonderful albums yet to be released with the fantastic albums already released this year. So I've thought of my top four so far this year and will now present them from 4 to 1.

4. It's Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's - a completely revamped sound, but a change for the better. noteworthy tracks include hysteric and runaway.

3. Middle Cylone by Neko Case - Case has finally developed into a stand-alone artist, with a fantastic smattering of fanciful, imaginative songs. noteworthy tracks include fever, magpie to the morning, prison girls, and pretty much the whole album.

2. Hazards of Love by the Decemberists - as a concept album, this album tells a story, but takes a while to grow on you. by far their most ambitious project yet to date, I would also declare it their best. As a concept album, there really are no stand-alone tracks.

1. Wait for Me by Moby - possibly his best since Play (so in about 10 years). A beautiful mix of instrumental tracks as well as those with vocals, wait for me bleeds themes of mortality and loss. Noteworthy tracks include Shot in the back of the head, Mistake, and Jltf.

P. S. I know Sam might yell at me for not putting Wilco (the album) on here. And while it's a good album, I don't (personally) think it's among the best so far this year.

An interesting quote on Rob Bell

...that I think may offend some. though i think it's quite insightful (for all y'all who don't live in or near Grand Rapids, this may not be that applicable) and true.

"I think there is (ironically) a peculiar cultural reason that helps to explain Bell's remarkable "success": he is located in Grand Rapids. The city is populated by large numbers of Dutch Reformed believers who have been well catechized and indoctrinated, but who were brought up in churches that increasingly feel old-fashioned and culturally dated. When such Christians are exposed to Bell, not only do they feel and enjoy the pulse of something contemporary, they are inclined to read their strong Christian assumptions into what he is doing. The see his "Nooma" video on forgiveness, say, and read in a lot of Christian assumptions, making the video quite a powerful tool. But if a biblically-illiterate New Yorker were seeing the same clip, I doubt that he or she would find much in it that is distinctively Christian. In other words, as Bell has progressed, he has provided less and less material that is distinctively gospel-shaped, or even Christian. I suspect he would be neither popular nor effective in either Seattle or New York. The irony, then, is that in allegedly reaching out to a new generation of non-Christians, in the Grand Rapids environment a fair bit of his success can be credited to the fact that he is in reality reaching out to substantial numbers of disgruntled (former) conservatives who are (unknowingly) bringing a lot of their Christian baggage with them."
-D. A. Carson (in an e-mail to Mark Driscoll). That is quite well-said.

Moby: to what do I owe this honor?

So, as some may recall, Moby used to be my favorite musical artist. I was as crazy about Moby as a porker on a harley is crazy for a Mickey-Dees double cheeseburger. Or, perhaps more appealing and more accurate, as crazy about Moby as a hawk is about cottage cheese. Or, to avoid the food analogies, as emo kids are about tight pants.

However, due to his super-opinionated nature and the fact that last night wore off after a while as a semi-forgettable album, I kind of gave up on Moby. Replacing the whole in my heart for Moby were artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Cat Power, and most recently Amanda Palmer (whose twitter posts are hilarious). However, both Paste Magazine and npr labeled Moby's newest, Wait for Me, as his best in 10 years (since Play). And a good friend told me that he completely agrees. So I'm giving it a shot--especially since it was only $3.99 on Amazon. Maybe for some of you (such as those who made the paper mache head of moby for me), your hope in my love for Moby will be restored.

On another note, I'm reading Mark Driscoll's most recent, entitled Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions. I highly recommend it. In answering nine popular questions his "web viewers" had, Driscoll is both Biblical and inspiring. He can write on such topics as Birth Control and Humor in sermons that most Christians don't even think about (but should). And he writes in such a clear, concise, and most-importantly Biblically-inspired manner. So pick yourselves up a copy and start reading it!

Excuses, Half-Truths, and Fortified Wine

Summer comes and along with that arrival is my launch into the twitter world. I could spend hours on twitter...but alas, that would be a waste of my time and probably sinful in all the other things I would be avoiding. But, hey, if Amanda Palmer can twitter so much and still find time to blog, then anyone can.

Recently, I finished the book "Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate" by Jerry Bridges. The book begins by approaching the magnitude of sin, something that is so often left out in today's society. However, we must also realize that just as much as the cross was done by us and by our sins, it was also done for us. So there is this beautiful balance between acknowledging our sin and embracing Christ as our mediator. (Lots of this terminology regarding the cross comes from C. J. Mahaney books and sermons). Jerry Bridges then launches into respectable sins, those sins we so often lose sight of in the big picture sins (abortion, homosexuality, etc.). But just as real, and just as grave in that they separate us from God, are sins like anger, envy, judgmentalism, ungodliness (the root of all sin), pride, etc. If God is allowed to work through the book, it is a humbling experience. I encourage all Christians everywhere to read the book as it is simply phenomenal.

In Nathan's music world, tomorrow I will be seeing the Hold Steady in downtown Chicago with Sam. The Hold Steady confronts the drug, alcohol, sex, and religious scenes head on, singing of stories of hopelessness and helplessness. But instead of leaving it at that, the Hold Steady sings of redemption (such as in my favorite song of theirs, How a Resurrection Really Feels). And they write some of the best lyrics (period). Check this excerpt out from How a Resurrection Really Feels:

her parents named her halleluiah, the kids all called her holly. if she scared you then she's sorry. she's been stranded at these parties. these parties they start lovely but they get druggy and they get ugly and they get bloody. the priest just kinda laughed. the deacon caught a draft. she crashed into the easter mass with her hair done up in broken glass. she was limping left on broken heels. when she said father can i tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?

Lost Coastlines: discovering Okkervil River

Recently, I have (after quite a prolonged period of time), dived (head-first) into the music of Okkervil River. As the number of listens increase, so does my affection for the band. Much like the Decemberists, Okkervil River is a band not afraid of using multi-syllable words in run-on sentences. Much like the Hold Steady (and the Decemberists), Okkervil River tells the story of specific characters in their songs (for example, "Starry Stairs," my favorite of the Stand Ins, is a sequel to "Savannah Smiles" off The Stage Names, both of which eulogize actress Shannon "Savannah" Wilsey).

Musically, Okkervil River never ceases to impress. The theme that seems to run through most of their songs is a wonderful use of horns. On "A Girl in Port," off Stage Names, OR does a terrific job of blending horns with the slow croon of pedal steel alongside Will Sheff's vocals. On "Savannah Smiles," OR slows the pace as Will Sheff expresses a slow ballad, revealing his fatherly tenderness. "On Lost Coastlines" (the first full song off Stand Ins), the band picks it up, wonderfully blending banjo and guitar as they tell of their tumultuous times as a band. In fact, you can get Lost Coastlines for free here. So to all you out there, I recommend (as the summer dawns upon us) you pick up Stage Names first and, then, (if not at the same time) obtain a copy of the Stand Ins. Stage Names, while criticizing pop glory and the limelight, gives way to its sequel, Stand Ins, which highlights those working behind the scene to make pop stars what they are. My favorite songs (if you're one of those "song" people) are "Lost Coastlines," "Starry Stairs," "A Girl in Port," and "You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man." Finally, for you fans of the Arcade Fire out there, please, please, please check out this band. While the Arcade Fire tries to be "epic" and fails, Okkervil River succeeds in almost every area the Arcade Fire fails.

Flying with Amanda Palmer in an Aeroplane over the Sea

It's always refreshing when a musical artist is actually working for art. In other words, instead of singing about the next boyfriend or girlfriend to be dumped or the fact that love just isn't working out, an artist puts his or her soul into a lasting work of genius. A work that makes you shiver in the spine or just simply start to cry. A work that leaves you with a lot to think about. A work that leaves you disturbed. But, most importantly, a work that is ultimately redemptive.

Amanda Palmer is (simply put) one of these artists. After embarking on an incredible solo project with the help of Ben Folds (Who Killed Amanda Palmer) as well as touring the record, Amanda returned to her former high school (Lexington High School) to work with the play/musical director there, Steve Bogart, on a musical adaptation of Neutral Milk Hotel's CD In an Aeroplane Over the Sea. An album I often ignored, In an Aeroplane deals heavily with Jeff Magnum's (the lead singer's) pondering on the Diary of Anne Frank. The musical (entitled With the Needle that Sings in Her Heart--a line from the song, Two Headed Boy) is basically the story of Anne Frank and deals with many of the harsh realities of the Holocaust, but ultimately holds out hope and redemptive themes. Although I have not seen it, I look forward to purchasing the DVD version as it is simply one of the most interesting, thought-provoking musicals I have ever heard of.

To read more:
a highlight of the story from npr
a sweet article on the musical/play

Heart-carved tree trunk, Yankee bayonet

A sweetheart left behind
Far from the hills of the sea-swelled Carolinas
That's where my true love lies.

None write stories the was Colin Meloy and his buddies do it. Whether it be the messed up family dynamics of a man in love with the daughter of a mob boss (O Valencia), a shipwrecked sailor finding the heartless man who murdered his mother (The Mariner's Revenge Song), or the love song between a woman and her lover, taken down as a casualty of war (Yankee Bayonet--whic is partially quote above), the Decemberists write some of the most imaginative stories and, consequently, lyrics.

So what happens when Colin cannot fit a full story in one song (even a nearly 10 minute song)? He writes a 17-track album (Hazards of Love) that covers one fleshed-out story. As Paste Magazine says, "Hazards, the Decemberists Capitol follow-up [to Crane Wife] is both the most daring and logical leap of the band's career." The saga includes guest voices, such as Shara Worden of my Brightest Diamond, to cover the four main characters (William, Margaret, the Rake, and the Queen). As the album builds, pivotal songs include The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid (where Shona, as the Queen, enters to debate with William, sung by Colin), Annan Water (where William begs for the water to calm so he can pursue his lover, Margaret), and The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned). I encourage everyone to procure a copy as Hazards of Love, next to Neko Case's Middle Cyclone is arguably the best album of 2009 thus far. In addition, to follow along with the story, the Decemberists have made the cd jacket available for free digitally on their website.

A word from my good friend (if only) Tullian Tchividjian

In his (quite good) book "Unfashionable," Tullian Tchividjian talks about the unity that Christians should be developing among each other, basing his arguments heavily on Ephesians 4:1-7. He talks about having traditional versus contemporary worship services and he makes this really interesting point I never thought about:

"I understand the good intentions behind these seemingly harmless efforts, but they evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel. We're not only feeding toxic tribalism; we're also saying the gospel can't successfully bring these two different groups together. It's a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God's gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an unintentional admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated.

Building the church on stylistic preferences or age appeal (whether old or young) is just as contrary to the reconciling effect of the gospel as building it on class, race, or gender distinctions. In a recent interview, J.I. Packer said, 'If worship styles are so fixed that what's being offered fits the expectations, the hopes, even the prejudices or any of these groups as opposed to the others, I don't believe the worship style glorifies God.'"

wow. quite interesting, though (I think) profoundly true.

It's Blitz! and Full Moons

Every full moon, an artist changes their style completely and releases an album that catches you by complete surprise. Goldfrapp did this when they went from the tense electronic music of Supernature to the melodic, yet magnificent Seventh Tree. Dido also did this with incredible success when she ditched electronic sounds for pure instruments and more minor key music on Safe Trip Home. For more information on Safe Trip Home, see my earlier blogs (and, yes, just as Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls sings of referencing your own songs within songs, I am referencing my own blog within my blog posts). Although I am not sure to what full moon the Yeah Yeah Yeahs responded, their newest album, It's Blitz! is a drastic change of style.

At first, I was shocked that Karen O. would so recklessly abandon her emotional, and at times semi-screaming rock music and encourage (legendary) guitarist Nick Zinner to lay down his guitar and pick up the synthesizers (which did have their glory days, such as on the album Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen). What results, however, is an album just as raw with emotion and diverse in songs as both Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones. Much akin to Ray LaMontagne's newest album, It's Blitz! starts with songs (in this case two--Zero and Heads will Roll) that are quite upbeat and prepare you to dance your way through the album. However, the album quickly settles down with Soft Shock and pretty much remains on a mellow, chill-out mood. Karen O's desires to just bellow reveal themselves on the fifth track, the Dull Life. My personal favorite on the album is Runaway, an emotional saga about the inability to make love stay (a popular theme of the book Still Life with Woodpecker--again, see a previous blog entry). The song also maintains a steady build until it just explodes with goodness.

Overall, everyone should check out It's Blitz! It won't give you the same feel as playing Maps on guitar hero or listening to Show Your Bones will give you, but it is still a most excellent place to start (or resume) listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Lincoln, Nebraska

For all those of you who have the same upcoming spring break that I do (or a later one), I thought I'd grant you all a suggestion of three cd's you should listen to on you're time off. Consider it a spring break gift!!!!
First off, if you're just relaxing and what some soothing, but incredible Jazz, listen to Bare Bones by Madeleine Peyroux. This CD just came out a couple weeks ago and is her first full-length album free of any covers.
Second, if you want some folk rock, check out Neko Case's newest Middle Cyclone. While you're at her website, watch the music video for Maybe Sparrow. It's beautiful.
Finally, if you want the best rock 'n' roll you have ever heard (I know it's a bold, unprovable statement, but I'll make it anyways), listen to Magic by Bruce Springsteen.

Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, thanks to his "Hangin' out on E Street" promotion, an artist will put up a video every week of him or her covering a Bruce Song and then talking about how Bruce has inspired him or her. This week, it's my boy Josh Ritter with a fabulous cover of "The River." Bruce has so many songs with overly powerful lyrics, singing about the dark parts of life, but always leaving shreds of hope. The River and Nebraska are two of the most powerful (in my opinion. But, watch the videos here and please, please, please read the lyrics to "The River" here.

Princess Leigh-Cheri & the Outlaw, Bernard Wrangler

Frustrated with itunes as I merely opened it to listen to a sermon I missed by Jeff Manion and instead have to wait for it to download endless updates, I find myself here, reflecting. Taking up a recommendation by a friend of mine to read "Still Life with the Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins, I wasn't sure what to think at first. An overly cynical, but fantastic writer Robbins took a little while to get used to. The story is most literally "a sort of love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes." I'm not going to explain the story to you--read it if you want--but that is the best description I can give. There's a quote in the end that I particularly liked, about the two main characters (and lovers) Princess Leigh-Cheri and the outlaw, Bernard Wrangler. It reads:

"But having acquired a taste for solitude, each of them spent days separate and alone, Leigh-Cheri in the attic, Bernard in the pantry. Funny how we think of romance as always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense. Alone, the world offers itself freely to us. To be unmasked, it has no choice."

It's a powerful quote, especially with the surrounding context. Just to think how busy we try to make our lives when sometimes solitude is a great way to understand the world and even more so God. On an unrelated note, the book also deals wonderfully with the idea of objects and how animate objects (people) can form such intricate relationships with them. It's quite interesting. And, the book will have you wondering, "what did ever happen to the golden ball?"

I love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes

Since this is my first blog entry of March, I must say "Welcome, spring." After coming from the snowy Boston, Grand Rapids, normally a harbor of crappy weather, feels so splendidly nice. On a related note, I entered a Newbury Comics shop in Boston, expecting to be disappointed with the large amount of stocked comics and little amount of anything I'm actually interested in. Instead, I found a huge selection of new and used CD's and was in the shop for nearly 45 minutes.

As if an already dull story couldn't sound anymore less interesting, I left with Neko Case's new album and Blitzen Trapper's newest album in hand. Owning Fox Confessor and Blacklisted, I was never a huge fan of Neko Case. In fact, I listened to those albums a few times after I saw her in concert and then not again. However, after only a few listens, Middle Cyclone (Neko's aformentioned newest) has thoroughly enticed me. While her voice is not what draws me in, her clever melodies and fantastic lyric writing make the song incredible. The most notable songs are Prison Girls, Fever, and Middle Cyclone. The least notable song in my opinion is Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth, a cover that Neko should have turned her back on. In addition, the last track is a thirty minute sound session of the crickets around her Vermont farm. I don't know whether it was an attempt to be artsy, but it is completely uninteresting. However, there are still 13 other tracks that will thoroughly entice you.

Flying in the face of science...or crashing...

"Like you, I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard Amanda Palmer had been killed. Like you, I know no more than that...It became a national obsession. "Who killed Amanda Palmer?" bubblegum cards were traded and traded again in schoolyards across America."

To put into words the phenomenon that is the music of Amanda Palmer (shown in the image to the right) is truly difficult. As one of the most complex artists I have ever stumbled upon, the music of Amanda Palmer is truly an art. Amanda Palmer, of the Dresden Dolls and of whom I have never heard of before a couple days ago, released a solo CD, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, in late 2008.

To begin, Amanda Palmer writes phenomenal lyrics. The opening track, "Astronaut: A Short History of Nearly Nothing," deals with the difficulty of a person to hold on to their distant lover. As she sings with her extremely powerful voice (think of Tori Amos plus Regina Spektor plus a small portion of Rufus Wainwright come together), she sings "is it enough to have some love / small enough to slip inside a book / small enough to cover with your hand." At the same time, the song deals with the significant others of those who died in the Challenger crash.

The first couple times the chorus is sung, it reads:

but you are, my love, the astronaut
flying in the face of science
i will gladly stay an afterthought
just bring back some nice reminders

until it changes to...

YES you are, my love, the astronaut
crashing in the name of science
just my luck they found your upper half
it’s a very nice reminder

Another ear-catching song, Leeds United deals with the necessity of love in a culture so driven by cheap-thrills and glitzy entertainment. As the title of the CD would suggest, an overarching theme of the album is the triviality of death in American culture. On the hauntingly powerful Guitar Hero, Amanda Palmer contrasts video games with the war in Iraq. In the eyes of a video gamer now at the front, Amanda eerily sings "how do you get them to turn this thing off? / this isn't at all like the ones back at home / just shut your eyes and flip the cassette." To truly understand the complexity of the lyrics, I recommend checking out Amanda's website as it includes videos and pictures pertaining to each song. Be warned: Amanda is a bit eccentric, you could say a bit...gothic.

In addition to incredible, though bone-chilling lyrics, the musical production amazing. The CD was produced by Ben Folds and he plays simply tremendous piano on many of the songs (Thank goodness for this CD, it's been a long time since he's done anything good in the music world). While Leeds United jumps out at you for its powerful horn section and the guitar mastery of East Bay Ray smashes Guitar Hero home, the true power of Amanda's voice comes on slower, piano-driven songs such as Ampersand and the Point of it all.

I could go on and on about the artistic incredibleness of this album and the website associated with it. At the same time, you should go listen to it. And, of course, I would love to sit down and talk with Amanda as a Christian perspective of the world shatters the fatalistic resignation so much of her lyrics express.

What is a revolutionary without love?

Perhaps one of the most unnoticed actors, but also easily one of my favorites, Benicio del Toro (21 Grams, Snatch, the Usual Suspects) stars in a movie about the life and work of Che Guevara. The 4 plus hour movie will air in the United States in two parts (as none of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films made it to that length). One can watch the trailer here.

Admittedly, I fall in the category of "not knowing very much about Che Guevara" aside from seeing people (many of whom probably fall in the same category) wear t-shirts bearing his image religiously across the United States. And from an article in The Washington Times that one can access here (I think if you're on the facebook-imported version of my blog, the links may not work), it appears that the movie softens the image of Che in various places. Thus, I would encourage all to see the movie (I haven't yet, but really really want to) and then to do a bit of research on their own.

Final word: Benicio del Toro is the man.

Things that I really like right now....

Take a look if you want--this is kind of random.

TV on the Radio. They are an incredibly fresh band and write amazing lyrics. The song that really grabs me is DLZ, especially the first two stanzas. They read:

Congratulations on the mess you made of things;
On trying to reconstruct the air and all that brings.
And oxidation is the compromise you own
But this is beginning to feel like the dog wants her bones
saved

You force your fire then you falsify your deeds
Your methods dot the disconnect from all your creeds
And fortune strives to fill the vacuum that it feeds
But this is beginning to feel like the dog's lost her lead

Super harsh, but super raw. The song is obviously about hypocrisy, specifically in America, but I think they leave the lyrics the way they are for open interpretation.

Charles H. Spurgeon. I just started reading his devotional book, Morning & Evening, last night. Typically I do not like the short devotionals on one verse of scripture, but I really like what I've been reading--maybe it's just Spurgeon or more likely God (highly more likely).

The Watson Twins blog. Also fresh. And outright hilarious.

Finally, the Blind Boys of Alabama concert was incredible. Gospel concerts always are, but especially with such legends.

Brandon Flowers, Elton John.

Well my friends, I never expected to be using Brandon Flowers' name right along side that of Elton John--much less with respect to Christmas. Nonetheless, Brandon Flowers (the lead singer of the uber fun band, the Killers) released a Christmas single in which he sings with Elton John and Neil Tennant. I don't know why it took me so long to discover this--the killers for three years running have released a Christmas single, but I am super glad I did discover this.

So y'all better go check out the song "Joseph, better you than me" by the Killers, Elton John, and Neil Tennant.

Please excuse my musical nerdiness, sir

So, first things first, the Watson Twins are hilarious. I'm sorry, but I died of laughter reading their most recent blog (found at http://thewatsontwins.blogspot.com/). You should all check it out.

Second, the Watson Twins have an EP coming in February!!!!! They're first EP had its moments, but they were few. Their debut album, however, rocked my socks off. That being said, I'm super stoked for the EP.

oh bed of steel, be my winding wheel

Sometimes you stumble across just the right thing you need to hear for the situation you're in. Today, that happened to me in reading "The Cross of Christ" by John R. W. Stott (who looks extraordinarily similar to Bilbo Baggins). Here's what I read, perhaps it will help you too:

"If our peace-making is to be modeled on our heavenly Father's, however, we will conclude at once that it is quite different from appeasement. For the peace that God secures is never cheap peace, but always costly. He is indeed the world's preeminent peacemaker, but when he determined on reconciliation with us, his "enemies" who had rebelled against him, he "made peace" through the blood of Christ's cross (Col 1:20). To reconcile himself to us, and us to himself, and Jews, Gentiles and other hostile groups to each other, cost him nothing less than the painful shame of the cross. We have no right to expect, therefore, that we will be able to engage in conciliation work at no cost to ourselves, whether our involvement in the dispute is as the offending or offended party, or as a third party anxious to help enemies to become friends again.

What form might the cost take? Often it will begin with sustained, painstaking listening to both sides, the distress of witnessing the mutual bitterness and recriminations, the struggle to sympathize with each position, and the effort to understand the misunderstandings that have caused the communication breakdown. Honest listening may uncover unsuspected faults, which will in their turn necessitate their acknowledgment without resorting to face-saving subterfuges. If we are ourselves to blame, there will be the humiliation of apologizing, the deeper humiliation of making restitution where this is possible, and the deepest humiliation of all, which is to confess that the deep wounds we have caused will take time to heal and cannot light-heartedly be forgotten. If, on the other hand, the wrong has not been done by us, then we may have to bear the embarrassment of reproving or rebuking the other person, and thereby risk forfeiting his or her friendship. Although the followers of Jesus never have the right to refuse forgiveness, let alone to take revenge, we are not permitted to cheapen forgiveness by offering it prematurely when there has been no repentance. "If your brother sins," Jesus said, "rebuke him," and only then "if he repents, forgive him" (Lk 17:3)."

-From "The Cross of Christ" by John Stott (a book I highly recommend reading)