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Posts from the ‘Music’ Category

Nov 15

Less Than Perfect

One of the “joys” of driving around town with my kids has been my forced reacquaintance with top-40 radio. For some reason, my children don’t seem to appreciate listening to CBC Radio One, and it usually takes approximately thirty seconds of time in the car before we’re bouncing along down the highway to the latest offering from whatever band or artist is currently enjoying/milking their moment in the sun. It’s been remarkable to hear the many different ways in which the same four chords and the same two or three themes can be employed to produce an astonishing amount of truly abysmal music. Read more

Oct 22

1 Comment

Martyn Joseph: Chapters From Zion

Last night was a gift. Amidst the usual busyness of life and work and kids’ activities and meetings and appointments, a few friends and I stole away to see Welsh folk singer Martyn Joseph at a tiny house concert in a hamlet outside Medicine Hat, AB. I’d never heard of Martyn Joseph until my friend asked me if I wanted to go a few weeks ago, but since then he’s been getting pretty regular play through the headphones. He did not disappoint. Read more

Sep 29

15 Comments

They Still Haven’t Found What They’re Looking For

It is not at all uncommon to hear some variation of the story that 18-30 year olds are one of the most under-represented groups in the church today.  It seems that young adults are fleeing the church as soon as they leave high school, and only starting to trickle back once they have their own children, if they make their way back at all.  While some of the reasons for this are undoubtedly related to the general transience of this age demographic, it’s a worrying trend that has been and continues to be the subject of exhaustive analysis. Read more

Sep 14

10 Comments

The Nature of Greatness

I was at a meeting with some pastors and other leaders in our community today, and one of the things that was on the agenda before lunch was “worship.” And so, as we waited for our lunch to appear, a guitar was pulled out, and a few songs were sung around a board room table with great enthusiasm. One of the songs we sang was one that I gather is a fairly popular one in evangelical churches these days—Chris Tomlin’s “Our God.” Read more

Apr 10

3 Comments

Atheists Don’t Have No Songs

Just because it made me chuckle on this rainy Sunday afternoon…

(h/t to Waving or Drowning)

Feb 8

9 Comments

Kindness

I’ve posted enthusiastically about the work of Canadian singer/songwriter Steve Bell a number of times over the last few years (here and here, for example).  His music has long been a refuge for me, in many ways.  So today was a happy day as I was able to finally get my hands on his new album, Kindness.  I’ve just finished a first listen and it is fantastic, as usual, both musically and lyrically.  There are a number of contributors to this album (including the title track, written by none other than Brian McLaren), but overall the sound is delightfully familiar. Read more

Dec 2

7 Comments

Hallelujah!

A friend sent this to me yesterday and it made me smile. There is probably no shortage of insightful theological/cultural commentary that might be offered on this—something about the irony of the music that once graced the cathedrals of Europe being brought into our modern cathedrals of consumption and hedonism, about the subversiveness of importing the themes of this piece into a secular context, about the potential reorientation of our conceptions of what is important at Christmas etc, etc. Read more

Oct 9

2 Comments

The Love More Lovely Than the Rest

Fall is a beautiful time of year on Vancouver Island, but yesterday and today it’s been pounding rain, driving wind, and lots of time indoors. I’m usually the first person awake in our house and occasionally I will begin the day by throwing on the headphones and listening to the music of Canadian singer/songwriter Steve Bell. Steve has that rare gift of being able to combine fantastic music with lyrics that are deep and insightful and illuminating and life-giving. I remember a few years back when I had a part-time teaching gig at a college for one semester, I would listen to Steve Bell every day on my 45 minute commute. His music invariably did a very nervous and apprehensive soul good. Read more

Sep 3

23 Comments

Faith, Technology, and The Suburbs

A couple of loosely connected thought, links, and quotes for a Friday morning…

A few weeks ago, I came across an excellent new collaborative blog called Wondering Fair (a number of contributors are alumni from Regent College).  Interesting and engaging topics, good writing, nice accessible look and feel… definitely worth adding to your reader.  Due to my ongoing interest in how technology shapes us as human beings, I was particularly drawn to David Benson’s post on why he doesn’t own a mobile phone.  His summary hits the nail on the head, in my view: Read more

May 31

13 Comments

Respect the Right to Be Different

A few months ago the kids each came home from school with one of these lovely yellow T-shirts as a part of their school’s Anti-Bullying Day.”  Of course their cynical father’s mind instantly began to wander down all kinds of philosophical and theological rabbit-trails (the intellectual problems of pluralism, the political challenges of multiculturalism, etc), but on the less arcane level of how people actually treat those who think/look/act differently than them, I of course happily affirmed the T-shirt’s message! Read more

May 11

1 Comment

Everybody’s Hurting

A good friend of mine is in the habit of periodically sending me an envelope full of Starbucks/iTunes cards that he collects from week to week.  A couple of weeks ago Jakob Dylan’s “Everybody’s Hurting” came in the mail.  It is a haunting and beautiful song, both lyrically and musically.  It is rich in biblical imagery and speaks powerfully to the brokenness of our world and the profound longing of the human condition.  Some of the lines in this song truly take my breath away and have reduced me to tears (maybe I’m turning all mushy and sentimental in my old age).   Each line in this song could probably inspire a sermon!  I’ve had the rest of Women and Country in the headphones as I write this post and I can tell that this album is going to be getting regular play in the iPod for a long time. Read more

Mar 10

6 Comments

Kick the Bucket

Charlie Winston’s Hobo was released in Canada on Tuesday and has been getting regular (i.e., constant) play around the house ever since.  “Kick the Bucket” is among the more memorable songs on a terrific album. Read more

Feb 11

9 Comments

In Your Hands

I heard this song on the radio yesterday and I’ve been humming it ever since.  The artist is UK singer/songwriter Charlie Winston and the album is called Hobo (available in North America on March 9).  I’ve got the date marked on my calendar already! Read more

Jan 25

6 Comments

Oh, Happiness

For at least the last decade or so, I’ve been fairly sour on the contemporary Christian music thing.  The reasons for this are many and varied (and likely very predictable as well), but probably not worth getting into here.  Whether it is merited or not, I tend to view the whole American evangelical empire and all of the products it spawns with suspicion if not outright cynicism. Read more

Jan 12

1 Comment

To Become a See-er

One of the blogs I have come to deeply appreciate over the last little while is that of Winnipeg singer/songwriter Steve Bell.  Steve is an enormously talented human being whose music I have admired for some time and who I have gone to see in concert whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself (most recently, I saw him perform at Regent College last September).  I began following Steve’s blog last year and have discovered that his talents are many and diverse!  Not surprisingly—he is, after all, a songwriter—Steve has a way with words and his posts often leave me with much to ponder. Read more

Oct 29

3 Comments

BEAUTIFUL!

U2 050

(For a few more pictures and a bit more of the story, see here and here.)

Oct 26

12 Comments

Two More Days…

Can’t wait!

Jun 29

9 Comments

Laughing With

Thanks to Mike for highlighting Regina Spektor’s performance of “Laughing With” last Friday on The Late Show.  Great song, fascinating lyrics.  Amazing, the places where questions of theodicy will make an appearance… Read more

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