Sunday CD Project

You will have noticed a lack of album reviews of late. This is not because I have stopped buying CDs! On the contrary, it is because evidently the suppliers seem unable to keep up. Anyway, two parcels arrived today, and one a couple of days ago, so here is a review to whet your appetite for Sunday, when I will have listened to another and will review that.

TV On The Radio - Young Liars

Bought on the assumption that it was an album, this is actually the debut EP from the New York-based indie rockers. After an intensely frantic opening track that took me by surprise somewhat, it settles down for tracks 2 to 4. The title track is my personal favourite song, but the whole record is rather lovely, and frankly, any EP with a gospel-style a'capella hidden track is worth a listen in my book.

Perhaps a little overpriced for an EP, but a record worth partaking of.

More to follow

J.R.

Simon Peter; what a lad!

Simon Peter has often been one of those characters in the Bible I've had a dig at. He's the mastermind behind such hilarious concepts as:

'Hey Jesus, you're glowing and there are two dead prophets with you; should I build you some tents?' [paraphrased from Mark 9, which is honestly one of my favourite passages in the Bible - not just for Peter being a muppet but generally as well]

There are a few other places where Peter made some more severe blunders than just saying something totally daft:

Moments after having one of the Bible's biggest moments, in which Jesus asks him "Who do you say that I am?" to which Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" [Matthew 16:13-19], Peter promises Jesus that he won't let Jesus be betrayed and die, to which Jesus famously replies "Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling-block to me . . . " [Matthew 16:21-23]

After Jesus had told the disciples that it was time for him to die, a band of men come to capture Jesus, and Peter, after three years of listening to Jesus' teachings, decides to cut a man's ear off. I think it's fair to assume that he was probably aiming for the guy's head and was just a bit lousy with a sword. [Luke 22:47-53]

Later the same night, after promising Jesus that he'll stay by his side, he tells three different people that he's never even met Jesus, to save his own skin. [John 13:31-38 & 18:15-18,25-17]

There are other examples, but I think you get the picture. Peter was far from perfect.

Of course, later on he becomes a major leader in the early Church, and does a good job of it too. Now, I thought this was something he gradually grew into as he went into the world after Jesus returned to the Father. But yesterday I read this in Acts 2:

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Wow. Where did Peter learn that stuff and why haven't we seen him use that knowledge before?! I think the answer is in the context of that passage, and that is that it is Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has just made His first grand appearance, and the followers of Jesus are all getting whacked. Most are speaking in tongues, but I think Peter received the more appropriate gift of not being a muppet any more!

I guess the point I'm trying to get to (in a REALLY roundabout way) is that God uses all of us, regardless of intelligence, qualifications, and whether we are pragmatic theologians or just really keen muppets.

Thanks, Peter! You've set a perfect benchmark for us.

J.R.

A new STOP THE TRAFFIK video

I was just thinking the other day that it's about time STOP THE TRAFFIK released a new video. Apparently a company called Sparks Productions thought the same thing, as this video was released today.

It's pretty dark, as can be expected, but far less disturbing than the one set in the secondary school that came out a few years back.

Sorry there hasn't been a Sunday CD recently. There have been some issues with delivery of parcels. I'm hoping something will arrive by Friday so I can review it for Sunday. There are some new releases either just out or to be released imminently, so that's something to look forward to.

J.R.

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 . . . ?