Archive for the ‘music’ Category

Music, Music, Music

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Posted 15 May 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, music, Poetry

When I have nothing better to post about I decide to post on albums that are getting lots of playtime. The time is such.

Eyes Open by Snow Patrol
I continue to find it surprising that I’m listening to this first album so much – surprising because I might label it more mainstream-pop-music-ish than anything else I typically listen too. Maybe it’s the melancholy that has been visiting me for quite sometime now. Maybe it’s the brit-pop-rock. Maybe it’s the foot tapping bass beat. Or just the way it sounds blasting in my VW. I have enjoyed the composition of this album – one song flowing into the next, telling the over dramatic story of love desired and love lost. With lines that shock my heart into worship, lines like “I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own”

Favorite Tracks: Chasing Cars, Open Your Eyes

The Ringing Bell by Derek Webb
Derek continues to stir up controversy and break the Christian Music mold with politically provocative songs like “A Savior On Capitol Hill”. “Come on D.C. if it be thy will, because we’ve never had a savior on capitol hill” The electric/rock feel of the CD is reminiscent of Mockingbird, with subtle breaks where he reverts to an almost early Caedmon’s guitar and vocals feel lamenting about love, grace and God. The album runs a thoughtful, lyricful packed 30 minutes, leaving me wishing for more. Well worth the money. If you have the graphic novel and would be willing to loan it out… I’d love you.

Favorite Tracks: I Don’t Want to Fight, This Too Shall Be Made Right
Bonus: check out www.noisetrade.com and www.squarepegalliance.com both Derek related projects.

Oh yeah and if you’re a Wilco fan, Go buy their new album right now. I’m holding off on reviewing it until I’ve listened through it a couple times.

Darkness

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Posted 14 Feb 2007 — by nick
Category Darkness, Jesus, Light, music, Spirituality

It’s cheesy and cliche to post song lyrics on your blog :

I wish I had what I needed
To be on my own
‘Cause I feel so defeated
And I’m feeling alone

And it all seems so helpless
And I have no plans
I’m a plane in the sunset
With nowhere to land

And all I see
It could never make me happy
And all my sand castles
Spend their time collapsing

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
And let that be enough

It’s my birthday tomorrow
No one here could know
I was born this Thursday
22 years ago

And I feel stuck
Watching history repeating
Yeah, who am I?
Just a kid who knows he’s needy

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
And let that be enough
~ Switchfoot “Let that Be Enough”

Such a simple, beautiful song, yet wonderfully true to what it feels like to be in the darkness of aloneness, wanting so badly to escape it. This is life more often than I would care to admit. I believe this to be a trait of a person who wants to follow Jesus – acknowledging I’m a kid who knows he’s needy and desiring so strongly to know that God loves me. Aloneness plagues us all, since the fall we’ve been desiring to be restored to God, to walk in-step with the living God.

All around me lay things falsely claiming they can make me happy. We’ve been down that road before, we’ve used that to try and kill the pain, to try and get out of the darkness. Jesus is the one true way out of the darkness.

Ah… Norah

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Posted 01 Feb 2007 — by nick
Category music

The lovely Norah Jones released a new album: Not Too Late a couple days ago. It should come as no surprise to know I pre-ordered it on iTunes about a month ago. iTunes tells me I’ve listened to the album 5 times from start to finish – with the 6th time beginning as I write this post. She sang me to sleep last night :).

There is something captivating about her voice, something beautiful, something alluring. This holds true in this album, however it does have a different feel than the previous two. I’m pleased with it, you should check it out!

Favorite Tracks: Wish I Could, Wake Me Up

Black Holes and Revelations

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Posted 01 Dec 2006 — by nick
Category music


In recent days I’ve been browsing the iTunes music store and sampling music recommended me over the last year or so. Somewhere along the way I decided to check out the new MUSE disc. My exposure to them has been rather recent beginning with Absolution about a year ago. I liked them alright but didn’t feel compelled to purchase the disc or explore much further. Having heard a couple tracks off the new disc (Black Holes and Revelations) – served up from their website – I decided it was worth a shot.

I sit now writing engulfed in the intoxicating swell of electronic beats, guitar rifts and slow-draw emo-esque vocals. It’d delightful.

Favorite tracks so far:
Starlight
Knights of Cydonia

Refreshing, Thoughtful, Beautiful

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Posted 02 Oct 2006 — by nick
Category music

A couple of my good friends suggested I checkout this new band they had discovered – the weepies. To be honest I thought they had said ‘the Wheaties‘ at first and questioned their taste in music. Wheaties is a wonderful cereal but would make a horrible band name – that is unless you’re a starving neo-punk rawk enthusiestic 14 year old waiting to make it big and finally move out of your mom’s garage and minivan. Turns out they had really been saying ‘weepies’ not ‘Wheaties‘. Given the name I half expected a reawakening of my screamo days – the like of dashboard, saves the day, juliana theory. My ears were delighted to find something all-together new and simple, yet wonderful. Their crisp, clear sound and unique vocals are soothing – often allowing me to spin the disc several times in a single day. I’d have to say my favorite track is ‘Gotta have you’ followed closely by ‘Nobody knows me at all.’ Check these guys out and pick up there CD on iTunes.

~nick

"Against the black they look so bright…"

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Posted 28 Aug 2006 — by nick
Category music, Spirituality

The low drown of computers hum around me as the calming, worshipful words stream from my laptop speakers as I sit in this tenebrous room.

and how could such a king
shine His light on me
and make everything beautiful
and I wanna shine
I wanna be light
I wanna tell you it’ll be alright
and I wanna shine and I wanna fly
just to tell you now
it’ll be alright, it’ll be alright
it’ll be alright.
~ David Crowder Band ‘Stars’ off of Illuminate

My soul resounds with these words, like a gong from a mallet. I wanna shine, I wanna be light mutters my heart. For a moment I sit and talk to my King – we sit, He and I, as I thank Him from walking with me through the past week, months, years. The race has begun, the warm up complete – we’ve settled into a comfortable pace. Now its time to relax and let the path rise up to my feet with each stride, focused on the goal, my King at my side.

The campus is flooded with people again, wading through the masses I’ve picked up a couple new friends. My new friends and I spent a lot of time doing the usual New Student Month things with Illini Life this weekend – the Fall Rally, our Adventure Race, SNG and Crash the Pastors.

In a few short days iTeams will start back up and I’ll be inviting my new friends to join our family.

This song my heart is tuned to – God’s song of life – there is something beautiful, pure, lovely about it. I’m reminded, His way is the best possible way to live. This is why I follow Jesus.

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