2009 Album of the Year

2009 has come to a close, which means that it is time to announce my album of the year? And the winner is...

Anchor & Braille - Felt. I wrote a review on it earlier in the year, so I wont take too much time telling you about it again. You should know, however, that the more I listen to it, the better it gets. I was critical of some parts in my review, but the amazingly crafted music has overcome these small shortcomings. If you haven't check out this album yet, you should do so now.

I also want to give a runner up for the year: David Crowder Band - Church Music. This guy never fails to put out amazing music, and this album is a true masterpiece. Check out a review at Jesusfreakhideout.com or buy it on Amazon.

$1 CDs!

I was browsing The Militia Group's website today and I noticed that they had a $1 CD sale. The Militia Group was Copeland's record label for every CD they have released before "You Are My Sunshine". This means that several Copeland CDs including "Eat, Sleep, Repeat", "In Motion", "Dressed Up And In Line", and "Know Nothing Stays The Same EP" are available for only $1!!! This is a really good deal when you consider that "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" made #2 on my Top 10 Albums of All Time. Here's the link:

The Milita Group Store

Edit: Shortly after making this post yesterday I was saddened to learned that Copeland has announced that they are breaking up. Details here.

Album Review: Anchor & Braille - Felt

It only takes a quick look back into the archives of this blog to see that I've been waiting in eager anticipation for the release of Anchor & Braille's debut album "Felt" for a while. While the album was released early this month I quickly discovered that none of the local stores carried it. My order from Amazon finally arrived yesterday. So, here is my review in two sections:

The Music
Perhaps it is because I am used to hearing rough cut versions of songs like Mary Agnosia on Purevolume and MySpace, but the album as a whole strikes me as being a little to polished. I appreciate the rawness and emotion of the songs, but I feel like some of this may have been lost in the album. The fact that Aaron Marsh produced the album is clear throughout. In most cases this is a good thing, especially if you are a fan of Copeland latest project You Are My Sunshine. There are a few instances, however, where the style of Marsh seems to be forced onto Anchor & Braille's music. One such case is the addition of brass in the bridge for "Sleep. When we die." It isn't bad, per say, but it seems unnecessary. In the end, however, these shortcomings are relatively minor and the album as whole shines of musical brilliance. The songs are simple yet captivating, lulling you to sleep, yet you do not want to for fear that you will miss out on the experience of simply listening.

The Lyric Booklet
When I first opened up the lyric book I was a bit confused. I wasn't sure if I was reading lyrics or not. As it turns out, not. Instead of putting the lyrics beneath each song title, Christian has chosen to include a few paragraphs which give deeper meaning to the song. In some cases he tells why he wrote the song, other times his words follow the lyrics very closely. It is amazing to see how these words can bring new depth and meaning to the songs.

In the end this is a great album. I'm sure it will be one of my favourites for many years to come. Certainly I was a little dissapointed in a few tracks and perhaps it didn't quite live up to the hype I had created for it in my own mind, but it is still an extremely enjoyable listen. Don't take my word for it, though - give it a listen yourself!

More Reviews
AbsolutePunk.net
The Album Project

Buy the album on Amazon.com

Summer Series: #7 - A Family Matter?

In Exodus 3 Moses marries Zipporah, a Midianite woman. In Exodus 18 we see Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and the priest of Midian, offering Moses some valuable advice. In Numbers 10:29-32 Moses asks his Midianite brother-in-law to come with the Israelites as a guide. As far as I am able to tell Moses had a very good relationship with his Midianite family. Imagine, then, how difficult is would have been for Moses to hear these words from God:

"Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."
(Numbers 31:2)

Moses heeds God's word and commands the Israelites to fight the Midianites and to kill every one of them. Imagine the pain that this must have brought Moses and his family. I wonder if this passage can shed any light on the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple."

Summer Series: #6 - Moses and Leadership

What would it be like to lead over a million people through the desert? I'm guessing it wouldn't be very easy. Yet, this is what God had Moses do. A recent TV mini-series The Ten Commandments did a good job of portraying how hard this would be. Moses finds himself asking God, time and time again, what he is being punished for. Perhaps this is punishment murdering the Egyptian? The Bible also gives us insight into how Moses was feeling. Numbers 11:10-15 gives an account of Moses asking the Lord why he had to bear this burden. Verses 14 & 15 portray his struggle particularly well:

"I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now..."

God's response is to select 70 of Israel's elders to help carry the burden. This teaches us an important principle of leadership: We do not need to bear the burden alone. We should turn to trustworthy people for the wisdom and strength that we need to lead.

That sounds good in principle, but then I remember Exodus 18. In this story Moses had already appointed judges in an attempt to make his load lighter. Yet, that didn't seem to prevent the problem in Numbers 11 from happening. As I look ahead, I also see that the problem doesn't necessarily seem to get any better after the appointing of the 70 elders. Anyone have any thoughts on why this might be the case?

Anchor & Braille - Felt Released

Anchor & Braille's new album Felt is out today! A full review should be coming soon.

Summer Series: #5 - Family

As I read through the Pentateuch I am continuously struck by the way I see God's care for the less fortunate. The laws of the Old Covenant aren't just pointless rules. They were created to give us a taste of God's Shalom, the way things were intended to be. Leviticus 25 is full of examples of God's concern for social justice. What really stood out for me, though, is the responsibility of family:

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. -Leviticus 25:25

While society as a whole is charged to care for the poor, it is the family in particular that bears this responsibility. The word "some" in this verse makes me ask some questions. If a family member loses all of their property than it makes sense that I should help them out; but if they lose only part of it, it appears that God still expects me to step in and help out. What implications, if any, does this have for us today?