What are your favorite records?

Music is one thing I am passionate about. Especially music that deals with my faith in some way. These are albums I am deeply involved with for several reasons. They evoke deep feelings by the musicianship itself, and also make an incredible statement about the Christian faith in music. Christians and music is something I could write for hours about, and probably will, but for now, here are three or four of my favorite records.


1) Sufjan Stevens: Welcome to Michigan.
I don't think I can say enough about this album. Everytime I hear it, something grabs me inside. Sufjan has somehow captured some deep human truths and buried them in beautiful songs about people who live in michigan. This one took me a year to really delve into it, and not fall asleep during the latter half. But now that I'm in, I'm all the way in. Every song on it is like a good meal. It just feels so right.

2) Soul-Junk: 1957.
This is a record that every avant guard "forward thinking" musical person, does not want you to hear. This changed the way I see music, hip-hop, and christian art. While Sufjan Stevens captured humanity in beautiful musically creative ways, Soul-Junk takes beautiful things, and plays them backwards through synthesizers, drops a staggering, monsterous beat over top and them starts spitting things into a microphone. But instead of an hour of noise, Galaxalag and Slo-Ro, the two members that comprise Soul-Junk, create one the most memorable, strange, and catchy noise-hop albums ever. Music is found dead and stuffed into a closet here. But in its place is the most original thing ever made by any artist proclaiming to be followers of Christ. But few people will recognize the genius behind this record. Whenever I hear a christian say "We know the Creator of the universe, we should be the most creative people around! Christians need to take back art!" I can't help but think Soul-Junk has already done that. But the Church doesn't want to hear it. They just want sunday worship to sound bigger, dumber, and fatter, (or older, simpler, and dryer) while creativity dies of starvation out back by the dumpster.

3) Joy Electric: The White Songbook/ Hello Mannequin

Another "forward thinking" musician, Ronnie Martin proves himself over and over again as a synth pop master, and beautiful songwriter on The White Songbook, and Hello Mannequin. I cannot get past the worlds one man can create with synthesizers and vocals only. The White Songbook captures the brevity of man, the quest for recognition, and the dying hopes of forgotton people in an epic, sweeping album. By the time I actually heard the latter half of this cd, (it took me a while to get through the first half of the disc) I was floored. Over and over again Ronnie creates worlds within worlds, and draws you deeper into his music. Someday I hope the world gets past Joy Electric as being a novelty act, or "gay club music" and sees the artistry and hard work that Ronnie packs into every album. Awe inspiring musicianship is right here. Wake up.


This list will be continued later, but I'm curious... what are your favorite albums?

Danielson Famile Double White Vinyl LP

This is a reminder to myself to follow finish the danielson contest so that I can win the afforementioned Double Album. Oh sweet pickles I want that in a bad way. But I'm not going to talk about the contest in the rare event that another danielson fan reads this and trys to one up me. Yes I am that much of a horrible music snob. I said it, it feels good, and I'm not sorry.

Tronicles of Nordec

Hey everyone, the other day, Jeff Brice, Joel Dow, Brian Jackson, (Paul Scota sadly MIA) and myself were trying to come up with a band name, and well, we suck at this. We over think everything and nothing is "the right fit". So I'm opening this up to the four of you that read this to try and help us out. PLEASE come up with some sort of name, if you've heard our music or not, help us out or else, with Pete as my witness I swear I'll name our band The Tronicles of Nordec. So help me. Some names we're currently tossing around are: The Shining Epilogue, and Pass-a-fist. (just kidding on that last one haha)

help.

Its not the cheese, its whats behind the cheese. -Mike Lake

Heres what Pitchfork had to say about Snow Patrol's latest mix tape release: The Trip

"If you read Pitchfork last year and did all your homework, little of The Trip will strike you as an epiphany. The tracks are illuminative if rarely breathtaking, and will likely yield most listeners a discovery or two. Then again, we've all put together mixtapes: Does Lightbody really like Deerhoof, or does he just want the girl from Brit Lit to think he does?

(tom laughs alone in his living room) (readers stare, somewhat offended, annoyed that tom would waste a post with someone elses music snobbery, as if he wasn't bad enough)

I'm so sorry.

The Cat of Democracy Died the Day I was Born. And it dies still every minute I live

My mind is like an un-massaged muscle. It attracts the hands of every eager massuse, with oily anticipation. Your compliments gird me in pink, and parade me around the city.

I give, I give, I give.

Beleive Again. New LP's from Mae, Copeland



I was never terribly familiar with Copland except with that song "walking downtown" which is incredibly catchy, and just a good tune all around. Well they have a new one coming and you can hear the first 45 seconds of every song here. And wow. I wasn't immediately caught up in the songs, but as they went by, there was some very good stuff happening.

One of the songs sounded kind of beatles influenced... or maybe Queen... and then an accordian enters the room and i was really thrown off. (arent these guys supposed to be shoegazer emo?) And then a song came on which inspired this post. They began to do some things that reminded me of The Juliana Theory's Emotion is Dead. Remember that album?

Remember when the term emo didn't smack of sold out radio bands? Thats the kind of vein Copeland is touching on with this new release. Which is terribly exiting for me. After highschool, it seemed there would never be another the moon is down, or emotion is dead. Especially not with all the Taking Back Yellow Eat World Starting Promise Line Thursday bands doing their thing. Now thats not to say Copeland is going to save emotional music or anything. They kind of have a classic rock thing going on here as well that kind contrasts greatly with my indie-emo nostalgia, but nonetheless, I'm glad a band out there is pushing some nice tunes, reminescent of some of my favorites.

Speaking of my favorites. Mae has a new song up at purevolume. Its called "The Ocean" and it is lifechanging. So definitely check that song out and pick a few of their new cd's "the ever glow" when that comes out in a week or so. So they can get rich and sell out. Not that it's possible for Mae to sell out... seeing as they already sing in falsetto, and do acoustic versions of their songs... But you know what I mean.

Mae: www.purevolume.com/mae
Copeland: www.themilitiagroup.com

This is what the internet is for. Hamsters. Synths. MIDI.

I ran across this at Pitchfork today, in their track reveiws. I guess somebody hooked a bunch of hampsters up to a MIDI synth, and recorded them. I'm not sure how it did all this, but you can read all about it here, and even listen to it, which I am about to do...

Heres a joke poem I posted on Gina's blog:

I'm trying to be brave. But all my petals wither in the winter. And your such a youthful sapling. Will the spring forgive?

Say Yes! to Brutal Fight!

So if your into any sort of hard music, here are some great bands:

Brutal Fight: A great band off of Strikefirst Records (a division of Facedown) who really has a sick, tight sound worked out. Nothing new here, but undeniably evocative. In that "I'm going to turn into a bear" way.

Comback Kid: If you didn't know already that Comback Kid is the junk, you had better pick up "Turn it Around" and their new disc "Wake The Dead" and pretend you've always been down. Because this is olde time Hardcore, complete with gang yells, overwhelmingly positive messages, and nonstop blast beats.

Norma Jean: Or if dark, technical, abstract, whipping pole Metal is more your thing. Well you already knew Norma was the way to go for that.

Strongarm: One of the best early 90's Christian Hardcore bands. Their stuff is suprisingly refreshing to hear after all the psuedo-emo, dark, stab-core, "kill us till we're dead, oh God I want to be dead" bands that are everywhere.

Of Jake and of Tina... O Jacob wherefore art thou? And for wherehappance has Tina been?

I miss Jake and Tina. Its official. They need to come back. Or comment on my blog... or meet me in Michigan on april 1st and 2nd... or something... If you two are reading this, just know that I love you guys, and just know that everytime I open our new dishwasher and all the steam floats up into my face making little moisture droplets form on my forehead, I can still feel your warm hearts.

Goodnight you two.

Church Breakups and Make ups

So my church made up with me this past sunday. Last sunday it knew it alienated me with its loud "hey! hey! hey!" gang shouts, and its shouting, guest speaker, madman. (who still got some good points through) So this Sunday it goes ahead and sings some nice hymns to me, and really just did things in a very Tom Lake way... which I know shouldn't be the case every week (lest the non-Tom Lake church attendees feel alienated themselves) but I appreciated it nonetheless.

In short, we decided to stay together. Bethel, I love you and I'll see you next week.

-Tom xoxo