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.