Just so everyone knows...

...I hugged josh ritter twice last weekend.  I'm not talking about side hugs or even the "grab hands and bump chest kind of 'guy hug.'"  I am talking about real, full-frontal hugs.  His concert was amazing and we talked briefly about Colonel Mustard, medieval history, and the building of St. Petersburg after the show. Yeah, we are tight now.

new tunes

I have an album recommendation. The other day,  my friend Ryan handed me the Cd case for Beck's album Sea Change and told me that he thought I would like it. Well, I just about fell in love with it. I listened to it off and on for 24 hours and then handed it back to him so I could get my own copy.  This album is old news.  It was recorded and produced in 2002 (#5 on critics choice in 2002).  It was produced by the famous Nigel Godrich (Radiohead,  Paul McCartney, etc.) Still, I had never given it a listen.

Anybody that knows anything about Beck knows that he has many different styles.  This album is really laid back.  It is primarily an acoustic album with a certain degree of ambiance.  It is kind of a heavy album, deeply emotive and melodic. I'm convinced that one of the reasons it so deeply clicked with me is because of the last couple of overcast days and the rainy atmosphere. 

I'm recommending the album, but I want everyone who buys it on my recommendation to buy it and listen to it for the first time when it is either rainy, overcast, or at night.  It will strike a beautiful chord within you, I guarantee.  I don't know if an album has ever influenced me so much in only 3 days.

Catching up...again

Seems like whenever I get rolling on my blogging, some new life-changing event happens and I am compelled to take a respite.  I hope to post pretty regularly this semester.  The goal is 2-3 times a week.  Even this will be a challenge as I am planning a wedding, working twenty hours, and trying to be a (good) full time student.  I can't possibly put out all that I have been thinking in the last couple of months but here are some tidbits, music and books all thrown together:

I am engaged to be married on May 24, 2008 to the lovely Rebekah Banks.  Bekah is a constant reminder that God is gracious to undeserving sinners...even in giving them beautiful wives they don't deserve.

My music preferences have definitely shifted over to melody driven rock and indie music. Check out Aqualung, a british one-man-band that is really interesting.  He has an awesome voice and the music is just cool.  It is basically electronica with sparse piano bits and drum machines, but really rockin' guitars.  Also, for some reason, I have been drawn to Derek Webb's most recent album The Ringing Bell.  Although I wrote a pretty negative music review previously, the album has really grown on me. Check it out.

I am reading a couple of books.  Rachel Banks, my fiancee's sister, bought me Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley for Christmas.  It is basically a 500 pg history of the Christian church, starting with the teaching's of Jesus.  Its good so far...just  50 pages into it.  I'm also reading the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy.  It has a post apocalyptic setting and is pretty dark.  The author has been heralded as the "next Faulkner..."

I have also been flipping through a really sweet 1940 Episcopal Hymnal.  I bought it in an awesome used book store in St. Louis over Christmas break.  Its cool because it has all the words to the songs and a simple melody line written with each one.  All you have to do is plink out the simple melodies on the piano and you can sing some really obscure hymns.  

Additionally, I have been thinking tons about worship, both in theory and practically.  Hopefully more posts on that soon.

New Album from Iron and Wine

I like to get albums the day they come out. It makes me feel like a true fan and I enjoy the experience of purchasing the final product...a product that musician(s), which are presumably smart and talented at what they are doing, have poured hundreds of hours into writing, recording, producing, and marketing. And the album is the capstone of this experience. Then I get to decide whether I like it or not. That is beautiful.

As far as the new Iron & Wine album, I am impressed. I would disagree, if nothing else than with the verbage, with the rumors about it being more "full band", as this term conjures up in my mind the addition of electric guitar power chords and a trapset. Both are lacking or at least understated in this album. The music is more full however with additional percussive African instruments and a great deal of computer generated noises.

If you are a fan of past albums, I wouldn't worry too much about the style changes. There are plenty of similarities apparent. The songs still consist of Sam Beam's soft voice, lulling the listener with his poetry...usually harmonizing with himself in 2-3 parts. He still uses repetitive guitar riffs throughout the songs and harps upon his usual theme: natural imagery fused with sexual and religious references. Another similarity I discovered is that his best, or at least most accessible songs, are toward the latter end of the album. This is a feature of his previous full-length Our Endless Numbered Days as well.

One last nifty aspect of this album is the inside booklet. It folds out to be a fairly large poster of the front cover. This is Sam Beam's artwork and it might very well find a place on my wall. It remains to be seen whether this album will equal Our Endless Numbered Days in my affections.

my top 15

I have compiled a list of my top 15 favorite albums. I don't claim that these are the top 15 albums of all time or anything like that (You'll notice some obvious omissions; there is no Beatles, U2, etc.). Rather, these albums are chosen because they are meaningful to me. They are all very strong musically although some have become stylistically unappealing to me. But they are albums that were played in my car repeatedly and are almost completely memorized.

15. "Loud and Clear" by the O.C. Supertones: This album has brought many smiles to my face and reminds me strongly of high school Christianity. I remember rockin' out to these guys in my car with my best friend Josh. We would take turns singing some of the rap/hard ska lines. If you ever want to be in a heartfelt good mood, this is my recommendation.

14. "I'm Wide Awake, its Morning" by Bright Eyes. Conor Oberst's tremolo voice would rise and fill me with unfounded political passion. It is not the best music in the world, but very well written songs and a unique approach.

13. "Under the Table and Dreaming" by Dave Matthews Band. In my opinion, this is Dave at his best. Good songs sung to excellent music that crosses genre boundaries. This album reminds me of all the high school Mississippi guys who would sit around playing Dave. If you are a musician and you decide to move South, make sure you know some Dave songs because your skill as a guitar player is decided by how many DMB songs you can play (I only know one).

12. "40 Acres" by Caedmon's Call. This was an early high school discovery for me. I like it because it is pretty good music with strong theological content...that is unusual. I have found the songs to be encouraging, honest, and catchy.

11. "Our Endless Numbered Days" by Iron & Wine. Very good album. I highly recommend the second part of this album (songs 6-12) as late-night-drive-around music. Sam Beam is a true poet as well.

10. "Control" by Pedro the Lion. This album, introduced tag-team style by my friends Eric and Nathaniel, played in my car for the better half of second semester of my freshman year. It is an epic album about the effects of sin. Forming the backbone of this group was artist David Bazaan. I was asked to comment on this unique individual for an article in the Daily Nebraskan. Read here.

09. "Deceiver" by Chris Thile. This album showcases the experimental song-writing of the child prodigy mandolin player for the pop-bluegrass band Nickelcreek. Every song is worth listening to and Mr. Thile plays all the instruments on the album.

08. "Tell All Your Friends" by Taking Back Sunday. I can't tell you how many times I have listened to this album. Stylistically, I have somewhat moved on from them. But it was, in many ways, the music of my high school experience. Memories of summer and driving and myself and Bekah screaming the words at the top of our lungs flood my mind. You can't replace that. This album definitely belongs in my top 10.

07. "This side" by Nickelcreek. The best of Nickelcreek in my opinion. The album has well-written songs and some of the most infectious melodies I've ever heard. Also, it is very well produced.

06. "The Animal Years" by Josh Ritter. I bought this album less than a year ago and I am still scratching my head as to how it has made it to a very coveted #6 position on my chart. It might have something to do with the beauty and subtlety of the whole album. The songs are well-crafted and polished gems that catch the spirit of a songwriter who seems both intimately brilliant and simplistic.

05. "Makers" by Rocky Votolato. Also introduced by Nathaniel Thompson, Rocky Votolato is my songwriter soul mate. Never have a I heard a collection of songs that comes closer than this at describing what I think true, good songwriting actually is. I loved it the first time I listened to it. If you don't have it, go buy it.

04. "Parachutes" by Coldplay. Who could forget the song "Yellow." This is excellent rock and roll music and Coldplay's best. We all now know that they will never be the next U2, but they are still epic.

03. "O" by Damien Rice. This album is a close second to "makers" in the area of song-writer inspiration. The best "recorded at home" album that I know of, "O" never ceases to move me. It is intimate and off-the-cuff and sometimes tragic. This is a CD case staple.

02. "Grace" by Jeff Buckley. This album is pure genius. It features a pretty good recording for the time period. Buckley's guitar skills and voice have moved me to tears on more than one occasion, especially on "lover, you should have come over". A common tragedy was laid in store for this young genius: drugs, alchohol, and an untimely, stimulant induced death in a tributary of the Mississippi River. Were he still alive, God only knows what kind of music he would be producing now.

01. "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie. I just keep coming back to this one. It never gets old. It is excellent from the first sounds to the last. I usually can't bring myself to skip songs because they are all so good. I have been known to listen to this album 3-4 times in a row, letting it speak brilliance to me on road trips. One of the best features of this album is its flow. The way the songs are arranged reinforce themes as well as a pleasant musical journey. I didn't like it the first time I listened, nor the second. But somewhere along the line, I began to view this album as God's gift to me.

And there you have it. This was a hard post because I love so many albums. So I thought that I would merely list some that have also been very good in my experience.

Honorary Mention (no particular order)

"Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan
"The Swiss Army Romance" by Dashboard Confessional
"Music for the Morning After" by Pete Yorn
"You should be living" by Two Thirty-eight
"Thought of Her" by Andy Davis
"She Must and Shall Go Free" Derek Webb
"Room for Squares" by John Mayer
"They're only Chasing Safety" by Underoath
"Nevermind" by Nirvana
"Michigan" by Sufjan Stevens
"Pretend Your Alive" by Lovedrug

We are "relevant" again

Indelible grace is the group of musicians that started re-writing hymns in Nashville Tennessee. It started very small but, eventually, these songs became the standard worship music for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF).

Recently, Relevant magazine interviewed Igrace worship leader Matthew Smith about the new/old "trends" in worship music. You can read the interview here. Matthew Smith is a great example of the style of worship being promoted by Igrace. Plus, he's just a cool guy (I know because several of us RUFers took him out for steak and beer after one of his concerts). Reformed Christians, especially the younger ones, seem to be catching the eyes of Christian media. Last September, Christianity Today released the article Young, Restless, Reformed. Read here. Both of these highlight the movement of young people toward the old dead guys.

The interest seems to be growing. RUFs all over the country are growing and new ones are being established. The time between the releases of new Igrace albums is becoming shorter (the next one is due this fall). There is a growing need, as Smith points out in his interview, for authenticity in America's twentysomethings.

Our generation, as every generation before it, is somewhat reactionary against our parents conception of experiential Christianity. We have grown sick of the need to just "feel" and experience. We want to grow in knowledge of why we do what we do. Grow in our conviction that Christianity is not just a happy or successful place, nor is it a get out of hell free card. Rather, it is something that is real, tangible, earthy. God is at work within the world he created and his chief goal is not to make us happy. We are part of something bigger than us.

I know it will be a long time before we will hear Poor Sinner Dejected with Fear on "positive, encouraging KLOVE." But lets work for it. We need to address the needs of our generation, and the needs are great.

Not necessarily recommended

Nobody loves Derek Webb more than me. I'm a huge fan. But I must say that his latest album has been a bit disappointing for me. I admire him for constantly changing his style and bringing up issues that are not normally talked about in Christian circles. But this last album seems over the top. He switches to more electric guitars and heavier drums, which is a drastic change from his previous albums. He changes from a ballad approach ( on many songs) to a more abstract songwriting approach--a style that can be good but is not necessarily his strength.
There are a couple of redeeming aspects. The songs Savior on Capital Hill and This too shall be made right are interesting and thought provoking. The love songs to his wife, however loving and tender the effort, are mostly boring and unoriginal. I expected more.

Another recent experience of mine was reading Listening To The Beliefs Of Emerging Churches. While this was not necessarily a bad book, it did leave some things to be desired. It is a book that has 5 different emerging church pastors perspectives on theology. Each pastor wrote a chapter and each one wrote a response to everyone else's chapters. It is a good read if you already know a good bit about the pastors being discussed, but I would not recommend this book to someone trying to learn general information about the emerging church. For me, the book raised more questions than it answered.

These guys are good

I can't stand Lifeway Christian Store. It is one of the most commercially driven, useless stores in the U.S. But I had a gift card to Lifeway worth $18 and I knew it would be a waste to throw it away. So I went to there (I had to go twice because I couldn't find anything there that I wanted the first time...I mean nothing). The second time I went I decided I should just purchase some music. I bought David Crowder's new b-sides album, a mini-album-follow-up to his last release "A Collision." I also purchased "Redemption Songs" by Jars of Clay.

Redemtion Songs is a great album. It is a collection of old hymns sung to modern tunes, many of which are Indelible Grace (RUF). I have know about this cd for a while and I know that many of my friends own it. But I was listening to it for the first time the other day and I was struck by how good the music really was. I mean, Jars of Clay is a really good band. They do a great job with keeping the tunes of the hymns, while giving them elaborate intros and fresh rhythm structures.

I've always liked Jars. I saw them live when I was in high school and I remember being impressed. I loved them even more when I found out they were reformed and Presbyterian (PCA). I respect them spiritually and musically. I guess I just had forgotten their talent. Its a shame that a lot of people stopped listening to them after their "glory days" of Christian pop music in the late nineties.

I'm Changing...but reluctatantly

Right now, I am beginning to import my entire cd collection into itunes. It will be a long, boring process. For ten years or so I have been collecting music on cds. I estimate that I have nearly 200 full length (and store bought not burned) CDs in my collection. I am frustrated by the digital music movement that will soon make compact discs obsolete. There are two main reasons why I don't like digital music:

Reason 1: It causes the artists to make less money for their work. This is primarily because it is so much easier to burn and share music. Because it is so much easier to share, they have had to lower the price of songs so that people will be more likely to buy the music. It is frustrating to hear people's excuses for sharing/burning (especially Christians). People... pirating music is nothing less than STEALING. My favorite excuse is what I like to call the Robin Hood Excuse. This is when people say that they only burn music from artists who are really successful and who "don't need the money." This is no more appropriate than saying that it is OK to steal money from Bill Gates because he is successful at making it. Stealing is Stealing and there is no way around it.

Reason 2: I'm sad that I will soon not be able to buy cds for the mere pleasure of it. One of my favorite things to do is to drive to a store to buy a cd. I love to open up a cd (yes even with the frustrating plastic sticky stuff), look at the artwork inside, read the lyrics and place it into my cd player to listen to on the way home. Its a great experience. I also love that I have an entire album of a band's work. Its cool to see all of the songs that they include on an album and in what order they placed them.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with digital music in general. I will submit myself to the power of technology and start downloading (legally). Its just that I fell in love with music by means of the compact disk and I am sad to see it go.

Another look at CCM

I, like many of the people in my circles, have gagged on the sweet, money making sounds of contemporary Christian music. I get frustrated when I listen to a Christian station. I hear songs that are basically "I" centered and have little or no theological or otherwise Biblical content.

However, I have recently been drawn to what I consider to be a subgroup within CCM. I have a close friend who also serves the Church by leading worship and he recently showed me some incredible music written by popular worship leaders. There are, of course, bands that travel around and basically use our sub-Christian culture to generate profit. But there are also worship leaders that serve at local churches that produce good music. Some examples: David Crowder, Matt Redman, Travis Cottrell.

These guys are solid. I might not like everything that they produce and, stylistically, I might not always approve, but I can't really say that I always approve of Indelible Grace's style either. The main point is that these guys drive me to worship. They make me want to put my heart into leading people in worship. They show me that God is glorified when we work hard to make new arrangements and make our music sound excellent with skillful playing and good production. I'm not ready to say that I like CCM...but I do like worship leaders who are proactive and intentional about worship.

New blog explained...

So I have decided to start a new blog. This is mostly because I have way too many thoughts on God, music and general life activities to fit into my brain. I am trying to live intentionally about everything. Nothing is meaningless. My mind subjects all activity to its critical eye and sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy. My other blog is somewhat limited in its scope so I thought maybe starting this would help.

A note on the title of my blog:
The title for my blog comes from a Death Cab for Cutie song with the same name. There are several reasons why I chose this.

1. This is quite possibly my favorite song ever (one that also comes close is Jeff Buckley's Lover, you should have come over) It is my idea of what good song writing should be; therefore, it says a lot about me.

2. The title is suggestive of my name...Gray.

3. The title is suggestive of my mood. It resonates with my struggle with indifference and a search for a unique and colorful identity. And yet, there is hope. The song suggests that color is really "bursting at the seams from absorbing everything."

4. The song conveys reality about life. Life is concrete. There is "fact not fiction" in the world and even though it is hard sometimes (the song is about a break-up and is very sad), it is reality and we have to face it and talk about it.

Here are the lyrics:

"A Lack Of Color"

And when i see you
I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better
It picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around

If you feel discouraged
That there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover
It's really bursting at the seams
Absorbing everything
The spectrum's a to z

This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years
And all the girls in every girlie magazine
Can't make me feel any less alone
I'm reaching for the phone

To call at 7:03 and on your machine I slur a plea for you to come home
But i know it's too late
I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay [x3]

This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years