Sunday CD Project

I've decided the review of a CD will also go up on a Sunday (it makes more sense that way). Here's this week's:

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

The new record from the Oregon-based five-piece is about as far from 2009's The Hazards Of Love as it could possibly be while clearly having been written and performed by the same people. The folk rock-opera is so two years ago! Instead, The King Is Dead has now taken the title of 'most country album I own'. It's VERY country, from numerous harmonica solos to pedal-steel guitars. And it's good. My first listen left me a little . . . disappointed is too strong a word, but not as excited as I was hoping to be. However, I have recently learnt to give albums another try (Arcade Fire's The Suburbs is a prime example of this), and this record - although not on the same level as Hazards or 2005's Picaresque - is definitely worth a listen.

J.R.

Sunday CD Project

The first of two this week, as this one was bought for last week but didn't arrive until Monday, and I had an exam so . . . bleh, here's a review:

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

I heard these guys a while back but didn't really click with them. Now however, on the tail-end of my instrumental, soundscapey post-rock phase, they were a greeted with welcome arms. It actually took my three listens to get to the end of this record because it kept sending me to sleep - the first time for considerably longer than I had intended.

Sound-wise, they are comparable with Mogwai, but with less of the manic loud sections that Mogwai are occasionally prone to.

Providing the university delivery service don't fail me, the next SCDP entry will be the new Decemberists record. I'm excited!

~J.R.

Shape of the Church

The following is a re-blog from my sister Tori who is currently living in Madrid. Not much to say on top of her little question at the end:

"Whilst reading my church planting manual, I found this case study which I thought was really interesting...

Juan trusted Christ at a Billy Graham crusade meeting in New York City at the age of 18. Counseled for ten minutes about his new-found faith, he was encouraged to find a Bible-believing church. He visited several and settled into an independant Baptist congregation in the Bronx. Juan observed a number of things that were important to this group of Christians:

- Churches own buildings, even though just store fronts; people sit on benches in rows; they come nicely dressed; they are greeted by ushers who hand them bulletins to read.

- Churches have hymnals available for everyone; there books have both words and music, whether the people can read music or not; there's an organ (seldom played), a piano and a small choir

- Churches have two gatherings called "Services" on Sunday, the morning one being preceded by a Sunday school. There's a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights. The Sunday services begin with singing led by a song leader and then include announcements, pastoral prayer and a sermon by the pastor.

- The pastor is a seminary graduate who did not belong to this congregation before going to school. He was called by the congregation mainly to preach to them. He also visits the sick and calls on church members.

- Members are asked to attend all the meetings faithfully. After they have done this for some time, they are given Sunday school classes to teach if they have been baptized.

Juan grew spiritually, developed friends and became involved in the whole program of the church. Since he had speaking abilities, Juan was often used as a supply preacher. Five years later he felt called to start a church himself. Though he was a teacher in the public school system, Juan left his job and did some graduate work in a seminary. After a few more years as a co-pastor in his home church, Juan started his own church.

While I read that I just kept asking myself "I wonder if this is how Jesus imagined his church..."

What do you think?"

~J.R.

Top Albums of 2010

Seeing as the Sunday CD Project has gone to pot over the Christmas period, what with bank holidays left, right and centre, I thought a good music-related post would be some of my top albums of the last 12 months. In no particular order (unless otherwise stated):

How To Destroy Angels - How To Destroy Angels

Debut EP from Trent Reznor's first outing since Nine Inch Nails went on hiatus. His wife sings but all the cool NIN synth noises are still there. On the whole, a lot more mellow than NIN, but still probably just as dark. Maybe darker. My initial reaction, if I remember correctly, was along the lines of Portishead doing industrial-influenced dubstep. Looking back, that might not be that accurate, but ah well. Worth a listen.

Moneytree - The Great Indoors, Part III

The long-awaited third and final part of the Great Indoors trilogy, and after several lineup changes and consequent changes in sound, the Southampton four-piece have had quite a journey to this point. That's not to say they've disappointed, because honestly, this EP is flipping brilliant!

The Beaux Hardts - Leisure (Deluxe Re-Issue)

The Wade-Brown brothers really knew how to make noise in the days before Dave was with Thomas Tantrum and Rob lived in Barcelona, and I was SO happy that this album got re-released (as I missed it the first time round, and was stuck with 5 or 6 demos for nostalgia's sake). The re-issue comes in hand-made packaging, and as well as the 8-track 'original' disc, there's a second CD with 17 demos and rarities. These box sets are only available on www.sotones.co.uk and I believe there are only 50 copies (I have number 1) so if you're quick you might get one. If you don't, it's on Spotify too!

Fang Island - Fang Island

Tightly-arranged guitar-based indie-rock-pop (but not in the lame way) from New Jersey. I have no idea what their songs are about, not because their lyrics are indecipherable, but because listening to this album makes me dance too much to listen to the words. Instant down-day cure; go buy!

65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway

Something of a change in direction from the intensely inaccessible (but still dead cool) post-rock of their previous album, this is basically a dance album with some clear post-rock influences. I'm pretty sure I've listened to it in the region of 20 times. Best album of the year for me.

Ben Folds & Nick Hornby - Lonely Avenue

Music by Ben Folds, words by writer Nick Hornby. If you didn't know the lyrics weren't Folds', you wouldn't guess it. It's another reliably good release from the Nashville resident, but dare I say it a little too 'safe' . . . ? I didn't mean that summary to sound as scathing as it does; it is still a pretty sweet album! Plus, he's coming to London in February: YAY!

That's about all I can remember for now, so that'll have to do.

~J.R.

EDIT: I just remembered two more that I haven't bought yet!

Gungor - Beautiful Things and John Mark McMillan - The Medicine

I've put these two together because I link them quite closely: I discovered them both within a few days of each other, and both a quite folk-/blues-driven albums with similar lyrical styles and themes. I believe I have posted about The Medicine before, including a short video about one of the songs . . . ?