I plan to make this a semi-regular feature of my blog: things about my new town and church family that I love. And what better way to start with the fact that I don’t have to wear a tie when I preach.
I hate ties. I hate them in all their permutations. The greatest evidence of the dupe-ability of the human race is the PR guy who was able to convince people that this is a good idea despite the fact that it is akin to auto-asphyxiation.
Seriously, the most wide-spread form of torture today is a neck-tie. You should only wear a tie if you are going to a funeral, if you are getting married or you have been invited to the Hilary Clinton Inaugural Ball.
When I interviewed at Agape the elders told me not to mess with wearing a tie on Sunday morning. I was already in town, it was late on Saturday night and I didn’t have anything but a shirt and tie. I was only too happy to make a late night stop at Wal-Mart and buy a shirt.
I hate ties. Just hate them. I believe they are perpetuated because it is the closest thing that men can experience that relates to the female pain of childbirth.
When I was in Michigan I didn’t wear them preaching. In Waco, I had to despite the great risk of a tie being wrapped around the mike stand while preaching.
No more. Death to ties. I love that about my new church families.
It’s the first thing I did when I got on the computer this morning. The new Josh Ritter disk “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter” is now available. 19 songs if you buy it on itunes.
Here is the video for the first cut To The Dogs Or Whoever:
As if that isn’t enough The New Pornographers have a CD out today (their name comes from Jimmy Swaggart who once called music “the new pornography”). They were on Letterman last night. My one quibble with this video is that the cameraman did not realize the true heart of the band, Neko Case:
Wait, one more: Rilo Kiley. Three incredible performers in one day. Can’t beat it:
Since I get 90 downloads a month on eMusic I don’t buy a whole lot of music on iTunes. But when I heard this incredible debut album by former Tonic front-man Emerson Hart I had to have it.
The album is called “Cigarettes and Gasoline.” The title song deals with his father’s still unsolved murder when Emerson was a boy. The entire album is full of heart-felt emotional lyrics and some stellar arrangements.
Here is the debut single from the album “If You’re Gonna Leave.” Not the best sound quality but you can get the idea:
Here is the promotional video for the album where he talks about the tunes and you can get a better idea of the quality of the songs:
On Tuesday I will unveil my top 10 albums of 2007 (so far). On that list will be what is probably the most transcendent album of the year: Mavis Staples’ “We’ll Never Turn Back.”
It is a rocking, rollicking and yet heartfelt compendium of some of the most enduring songs to emerge from the Civil Rights Movement. With Ry Cooder’s guitar licks and production it brings the heart and emotion of those songs into the present age.
Watch this video of Mavis pounding out the classic song “Eyes On The Prize”
Here she is performing the same song on Leno where you can see Cooder performing along with her:
I love good “answer” songs. The battles between Lennon and McCartney post-Beatles are a classic example of that as is Lynryd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” a great example of an answer to Neil Young’s “Southern Man.” (Although I hate the former song, I love most anything Neil does.)
One of my favorite eMusic downloads of the month so far is Camera Obscura. If you like the twee pop of Belle and Sebastian then this is a tremendous companion. This is pop candy in it’s sweetest most indulgent form. Pick up “Let’s Get Out of the Country” and you won’t be disappointed.
What I didn’t realize when I first began listening was that the opening track “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” is an answer song to the great 1984 Lloyd Cole and the Commotions track “Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?”
Here is a snippet of the original Cole song:
Here is the Camera Obscura answer. And what a fun song it is (but no, Rachel Dratch is not the lead singer):
The great news is that not only is the Camera Obscura catalogue available on eMusic so is much of the later discography of Lloyd Cole.
If you are a fan of literate pop-rock then both of these artists are worth your while. Ah, because I like you here is another great cut from Belle and Sebastian:
I have 53 downloads left. Anyone have any suggestions?
And if anybody is looking for 25 free downloads on eMusic let me know.
I just realized I hadn’t done one of these posts in a long time. So here’s a swing across popular culture.
Books
There have been several offerings I’ve really enjoyed lately. Ones I give my seal of approval to are:
“Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court” by Jan Crawford Greenburg–This is a great tale of how the current Supreme Court came into being. It’s a cursory overview. It’s not indepth by any means but it does give a walking knowledge of the current court, it’s dynamics and the implications.
“Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation” by Barbara Brown Taylor–A tremendous book that re-examines the meanings of some of our lost language regarding sin, salvation, repentance and penance. It’s a short read but rich in its meaning and importance. I will give a more in-depth look at Christian Readers later today.
“The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War” by Dan Gilgoff–A fair and concise history of the religious right, this book leaves the conclusions to the reader. For a more detailed look visit here.
Television
30 Rock–The show began it’s freshman season somewhat unevenly. It also began battling Studio 60 as a show about the behind the scenes machinations of late night sketch shows. It has since found it’s feet and has become one of the two funniest shows on television. It’s a fight between this and The Office. Sadly, tonight is the season finale. Check it out. As many critics have pointed out it has the most jokes per minute of any show since Arrested Development.
Jericho–Just mindless entertainment. It’s my favorite Wednesday night show. CBS has offered up a character in Robert Hawkins to rival Jack Bauer. And with 24 being such a major disappointment this year it’s a void ripe to be filled. As Jericho and New Bern gravitate toward a major conflict the tension is being racheted up.
Music
Brandi Carlile’s The Story–This girl rocks. Just listen to that ferocious wail on “The Story” or “My Song” and you will know exactly what I’m talking about. At times tender, at times in your face. This is one of the best releases of the year so far.
The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife–I don’t understand a word of what they are talking about most of the time. As Colbert says they are “hyper-literate prog rock.” And they are a lot of fun to boot. The album title is from Japanese folk-lore. And just like their title the rest of their stuff plays off our obscure literary references. Tremendous.
Michael McDermott’s Noise From Words–Have I mentioned the best album of the year yet? Get it.
Movies
During the move our DVR got incredibly backed up so I haven’t been able to watch much in the way of film lately. Except for:
Shut Up and Sing–I loves me some Dixie Chicks. This is a great behind the scenes look over the last 4 years as they withstood the backlash from some event somewhere or something one of them said. I can’t remember what it was, though. It’s entertaining to say the least.
And to top it all off here is a video of one of the songs off of Michael’s new album. Such a tremendous tune of longing. There is one line that captures the depth of heartbreak here that I absolutely love. Can you guess which line it is?
I’m amazed that every week I meet my sermon deadlines. Each week I come up with 3-4 classes and sermons on time. It seems especially strange on weeks like this one when the sermon isn’t coming along as I would like it. That always happens after a vacation.
But, I digress. I’d like to recommend a couple of websites to you:
Mozy–I don’t brush after every meal. I don’t stretch after every run. And I don’t back up my hard-drive. I never have. That is, until now. I’ve often wondered what happens if your house catches on fire. Unless your backup hard drive is made out of that “black box” stuff, it’s going down in the fire, too. Right? Well, Mozy is a site that backs up your important files for you. You can back up to 2GB of files, music and photos for free. Your computer goes idle? Mozy backs you up. I’m paying 1.95 a month for 5GB of protection. So, I’m set, my photos are saved, my tunes are protected and the NSA has all my files in one nifty location. Check it out.
Daily Lit–This is so stinking cool. I read all of the time and there are a lot of classics that I just never have the time to get around to. This site emails you a five minute segment of whatever book you choose each day. I’m currently reading Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” Every morning I get the next installment. “Crime and Punishment” is next. You can read more, just click the link when you are through and they will send you the next installment immediately. Or you can let it come in those daily snippets. I’m loving it. They have a couple hundred public domain classics available.
Any Sites You Recommend?
Also, I am in love with Kasey Chamber’s voice. She is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite artists. Her new album, Carnival, came out Tuesday. Give it a spin. Or better, pick up her fabulous album “The Captain”
I was going to write something more substantive today but I’m stuck at home dealing with a shattered window. In the meantime, here is my list for the best albums released so far this year. All album release dates will be from the first 6 months of the year.
10. Hem–No Word From Tom: You will not find a more ethereal voice than that of Sally Ellyson. This album is a collection of outtakes and covers and display the sleepy Americana that would make the Cowboy Junkies proud.
9. Keane–Under the Iron Sea: Although nowhere near as strong as their debut and despite the fact that I don’t see the point in making keyboards sound like a guitar, this is still a strong outing. Call me crazy but I would rather hear these guys over Coldplay any day.
8. Derek Webb–Mockingbird: This is the one Christian album in the last 10 years that made me stop mourning the passing of Rich Mullins. This is a wake-up call for the church to be the in-breaking of the Kingdom. A welcome breath of fresh air in the derivative world of CCM.
7. Roseanne Cash–Black Cadillac: All the pain, anger and heartbreak of loss channeled into one poetic tour de force. This is an album that captures the the complexity of grief and managing relationships in a fallen world. This is an album that ranks up there with the best that anyone in her family has ever recorded.
6. Matt Nathanson–At the Point: This would be higher but I’m somewhat loathe to put a live album on this list. Yet Nathanson is one of the best and most-overlooked songwriters of this generation. Skip the dialogue and be wowed at the musicianship.
5. Neil Young–Living With War: This wins the award for the angriest album of the year. Young is no fan of the war in Iraq and it shows in these cutting and acerbic tunes that call for a regime change. He even offers up Obama and Colin Powell as possible successors.
4. Bruce Springsteen–We Shall Overcome: The fact that the Boss sits at number 4 is testament to how much great music has been churned out so far this year. I’ve long been a fan of folk music and Pete Seeger is one of my favorite voices of protest music. The melding of Rock’s Poet Laureate with Seeger’s tireless words of activism conspired to produce a disc that I’ll still be listening to when I’m Seeger’s age.
3. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris–All the Roadrunning: These seeming disparate voices collide to produce what is, arguably, the most beautiful record of the year. Recorded over seven years, this album is a travelogue of heartbreak, hope and redemption.
2. Josh Ritter–Animal Years: This 29 year old can write. There is no comparison to the genius, artistry and daring of this album. Any other year it might be #1. I defy you to listen to Girl in the War or Thin Blue Flame and not be moved by the realization that you are listening to greatness. This epic disc is his Blonde on Blonde. Proof that it’s great? My wife, who hates my music likes what she has heard. Buy it now.
1. Dixie Chicks–Taking the Long Way: Hate them all you want. But these Chicks rock. This album is, at turns, reflective and defiant. Their musicianship is unsurpassed. If you haven’t listened to them because of statements they made 3 years ago, you really need to reconsider. These are songs of family, of hope, of longing. It’s the best album of the year. So far.
Any thoughts? What has grabbed you halfway through aught-6?
If you have not set your Tivo’s for the greatest reality show on TV, then this is your friendly reminder: Rock Star: Supernova premieres tonight at 7 Central. Tonight’s show is 90 minutes and will be followed by another show tomorrow night.
Next week, Rock Star will settle into it’s Tuesday/Wednesday schedule.
If you love rock and roll, this is your show.
If you can’t stand the pop politics of American Idol, this is your show.
If you want great song selection and not some disco night, this is your show. Rock Star gets songs from artists that Idol could never get.
If you want contestants who can write their own songs…
You get the point.
This is must see TV. If you doubt that, take a listen to Switch, the latest album from INXS.
Even though Tommy Lee has not gotten the memo that he is 19 minutes into his amount of fame, this will still be great summer watching.
