It was the first day of Bible College. I was in the cafeteria emptying my tray of what was mostly brown food; Fried Chicken strips, french fries, macaroni and cheese and Fried peaches for dessert. Most of the kids knew each other from bible camps and conventions but I was the new kid from a different kind of church that had no built -in bible college friends. As the brown food slid off my tray into the trash can I spotted a kindred spirit, a girl with a Five Iron Frenzy shirt on.
Band shirts were special to me back then, they said so much about who you were. Her wearing that Five Iron shirt let me know that not only did we like the same kind of music but we probably had the same sense of humor. It was like we were in a secret club together. That girl is now my wife of 8 years and if it wasn't for our mutual love of Five Iron Frenzy (or FIF) and Christian Ska in general then we wouldn't have had those all-to-important first conversations that broke the ice of the most important relationship of our lives.
Their are a couple of different kinds of FIF songs; the sincere awe-inspiring worshipful songs, the Native American advocate ones, the love songs and the silly ones. I've always had an off-the-wall sense of humor and I always felt like if I could have hung out with FIF that we would have had a ton of fun together. They felt like brothers (and one sister!). They're people I thought I could relate to and have fun with.
The silly songs are great. The most well known of their silly songs is probably Phantom Mullet. My favorite is "You Probably Shouldn't Move Here". But the best one is probably Oh, Canada.
One thing about the silly songs is that they're not great to listen to all the time luckily FIF has a depth of music that gets better on repeated listen. It seems like there was about one song on each album dedicated to educating people on the plight of the Native Americans. Banner Year is one of my favorites as it's a touching song with a great chorus and it's also set in my home state of Oklahoma. The Memorial to Black Kettle is located in Cheyenne, OK.
Another recurring theme I identified with in FIF's music was Reese Roper's (the lead singer) struggle with romance. Songs like Ugly Day and Pre-Ex Girlfriend always hit close to home with me. Pre-Ex Girlfriend is up there with No Action by Elvis Costello as best album openers of all time.
Then there are the awe-inspiring worshipful songs. On Distant Shores is a very good example of this type of FIF song. The song that any self-respecting FIF fan would say here would have to be Every New Day. PLAY THIS SONG AT MY FUNERAL. It's in my top 5 of all time.
I could go on and on about one of the best bands of all time but I think that's a good stopping point. There are probably 50 more songs of theirs that are just as good as the ones listed here. You don't come across a band that special that often, I'm glad I got to live through it. Sadly, like all good things, the band broke up in the early part of this decade. I saw them many times live and got to lay hands on Reese and pray for him with my then fiance but I'll always regret not going to their final show in Denver, luckily they recorded that set and released it as a live album. You know a band is good when even the live albums are good.
Tomorrow we'll cover the best of The Orange County Supertones.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Ska Ska Ska
A curious fad happened in the Christian Rock scene in the mid to late nineties. A genre of music that saw little success in the secular world seemed (to me anyways) to dominate Christian Rock for a couple years. The genre is Ska. Ska is upbeat punkish music with a horn section. The way I see it there were 3 prominent Ska bands: Five Iron Frenzy, The OC Supertones, and The Insyderz.
Five Iron Frenzy or FIF was always the best. Their music stands the test of time more so than their contemporaries. The song that introduced me to them was Suckerpunch. FIF had the funniest lyrics and as I've mentioned before they brought my wife and me together.
The OC Supertones seemed to be more appealing to the masses. I'm not sure if they were more successful financially than FIF and The Insyderz but they always came across that way. The song that exemplifies them has to be Supertones Strike Back, a fun self-referential song. A girl at bible camp once comforted me in an e-mail after I told her that my great-grandma died by quoting the chorus to this song. It went something like this:
Me: Hey thanks for giving me your e-mail! Camp was fun but it was kinda bittersweet seeing as how my 79 year old great-grandmother died while I was at camp :(
Her: Camp was AWESOME! Don't worry about your Grandma just remember what the OC Supertones say "We want this whole band to be a big love letter
so we play the SKA and it makes you feel better
God's got love for us, so we got love for you"
Needless to say I didn't email her back, as desperate as I was.
The Insyderz didn't have as much "regular" songs that I liked. They were much better at turning modern praise and worship songs into Ska songs like they did on the 2 Skalleluia albums. I loved their version of the Keith Green Classic O Lord You're Beautiful.
I'll cover each one of those bands in detail over the next few days and finish off the series with a look at the far inferior secular Ska and the Christian swing movement that seemed to be an offshoot from the far better Ska genre. Stay tuned!
Five Iron Frenzy or FIF was always the best. Their music stands the test of time more so than their contemporaries. The song that introduced me to them was Suckerpunch. FIF had the funniest lyrics and as I've mentioned before they brought my wife and me together.
The OC Supertones seemed to be more appealing to the masses. I'm not sure if they were more successful financially than FIF and The Insyderz but they always came across that way. The song that exemplifies them has to be Supertones Strike Back, a fun self-referential song. A girl at bible camp once comforted me in an e-mail after I told her that my great-grandma died by quoting the chorus to this song. It went something like this:
Me: Hey thanks for giving me your e-mail! Camp was fun but it was kinda bittersweet seeing as how my 79 year old great-grandmother died while I was at camp :(
Her: Camp was AWESOME! Don't worry about your Grandma just remember what the OC Supertones say "We want this whole band to be a big love letter
so we play the SKA and it makes you feel better
God's got love for us, so we got love for you"
Needless to say I didn't email her back, as desperate as I was.
The Insyderz didn't have as much "regular" songs that I liked. They were much better at turning modern praise and worship songs into Ska songs like they did on the 2 Skalleluia albums. I loved their version of the Keith Green Classic O Lord You're Beautiful.
I'll cover each one of those bands in detail over the next few days and finish off the series with a look at the far inferior secular Ska and the Christian swing movement that seemed to be an offshoot from the far better Ska genre. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Harder to Believe Than Not to
This is one of my all-time favorite songs but I doubt too many people know about it or have ever heard it. I heard this song a couple times on the radio in the late 90s when I was in my teens and I identified with out so strongly. The lyrics really spoke to me at a time when I felt like being a Christian was a constant uphill struggle. The line where it says "But it gets so hard when they don't want to listen" summed up every attempt I had at witnessing to somebody in High School. The story behind the song comes from a quote by a famous author who was criticized by her contemporaries for being a Christian. Her response was It's harder to believe than not to.
This is actually a cover version, the original was recorder by Steve Taylor in 1990 or so. This song was part of a tribute CD to Steve Taylor. The original recording is not my style but I really like what Fleming and John did to it. I remember tuning my guitar down to C just to play along with this song over and over again.
Fleming and John had a string of good hits but none were ever as good as this one in my eyes. One of their hits, I'm Not Afraid, was all over secular radio and a tv show about a psychic who helped cops find killers and stuff and I remember Love Songs being the number 1 song on the local Christian station in 1996 or so. Fleming and John are a husband and wife duo. The husband actually produced the Sixpence None the Richer album that had Kiss Me on it, small world.
Tomorrow we'll start a multi-part study in mid-90s Christian Ska. Join us please?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Isabel's Birthday
One year ago today my Daughter Isabel Grace Wren was born and after a few minutes she died. The experience of losing a child has profoundly changed myself and my family for the better. I can honestly say that this year has been the best we've ever had. For probably the first time I think I'm walking in God's will for my life.
The grieving process has been a very unpredictable one for me. It seems that the intense waves of emotional grief have been brief and rare. I've spent months feeling numb but confident. A year later when I revisit the series of events that lead up to her death I have to fight back the regret. I feel it's dangerous to think of how it could have been different if one thing or another would have been different.
This year I went through a thing called the Chazown experience at church/work. It' a great set of curriculum that's designed to align your life with God's plan for you. The main premise being that everybody ends up somewhere but few end up there on purpose. The process for finding one's Chazown has you go through your past experiences, core values and spiritual gifts; where they intersect is your Chazown. After you find your Chazown you're supposed to plan the next part of your life. One of the questions in the books asks you what the next chapter of your life will be called, I put down "Having more kids, getting healthy, and becoming a pastor". Everything is going well on all fronts. I've lost 40 pounds and 2 pant sizes in just 3 months!
Today I'll share the song that I picked out for Isabel's funeral. It's called Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips. Listen to the lyrics. They've always been comforting to me.
The grieving process has been a very unpredictable one for me. It seems that the intense waves of emotional grief have been brief and rare. I've spent months feeling numb but confident. A year later when I revisit the series of events that lead up to her death I have to fight back the regret. I feel it's dangerous to think of how it could have been different if one thing or another would have been different.
This year I went through a thing called the Chazown experience at church/work. It' a great set of curriculum that's designed to align your life with God's plan for you. The main premise being that everybody ends up somewhere but few end up there on purpose. The process for finding one's Chazown has you go through your past experiences, core values and spiritual gifts; where they intersect is your Chazown. After you find your Chazown you're supposed to plan the next part of your life. One of the questions in the books asks you what the next chapter of your life will be called, I put down "Having more kids, getting healthy, and becoming a pastor". Everything is going well on all fronts. I've lost 40 pounds and 2 pant sizes in just 3 months!
Today I'll share the song that I picked out for Isabel's funeral. It's called Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips. Listen to the lyrics. They've always been comforting to me.
Friday, December 24, 2010
You Gotta Get Up!!!!
Five Iron Frenzy is one of the best bands ever. I could do a weeks worth of blogs about them, and I plan on doing that soon. This Christmas Eve I want to share with you my wife's favorite Christmas song ever from a band that truly connected with me when i was younger. This is a band that's partly responsible for my marriage. I'm not sure if my wife and I would have found each other so darn attractive without our mutual love of this band.
Next time I'll share a song near and dear to my heart by the band Fleming and John. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Bride - The divurgence from normal
New Years Eve, it must have been 1997 or so, I was the DJ for the Youth Group's party. I played a lot of the normal Christian Rock we all listened to. Towards the end of the night I slipped in some Bride. Nobody seemed to notice as everybody was heavily into the variety of Board and card games going on. As the night continued I wondered who was in charge of the countdown, it seemed like it was getting late. As some random Bride song was blaring from the chrome 80s era turntable cassette deck combo that had a sony discman with the cassette adapter plugged into it I happened to look down it my watch. It was 12:30. I didn't know what to do. I looked over at the youth leader Tony, he was very into an almost too violent game of spoons, he had no idea we missed the countdown. I then looked over at my best friend Josh, he was taking his turn at Monopoly. I didn't know what else to do So I just loudly said, "10!" and everybody just started counting down. Nobody ever knew any better.
If you were a teenager in the mid-90s listening to Christian Rock you had to listen to the holy trinity of Gospel Alternative Jars of Clay, who I covered yesterday, DC Talk, and The Newsboys. Sometimes I include Audio Adrenaline in that short list but trinity is better sounding that quadrinity. I was going along the same path as everyone else in the youth group until I started listening to late night Christian Radio.
I think there was a real sweet spot of edgier Christian music in that era right before the influence of bands like Limp Bizkit spoiled everything for me. Skillet's debut album was awesome with the hit single Gasoline was awesome. There were a few Metal bands struggling with the whole grunge thing floating around. You had Guardian, who's earlier stuff was typical hair metal, release a grunge song called bottle rocket (which I loved). There was Tourniquet, one of my favorite bands, whose early stuff was thrash metal that sounded like Megadeth, release an album of grungy rock called Crawl to China with one of my favorite songs as a mid teen. Then there was Bride.
Bride was a successful Christian Metal act in the 80s with a sound similar to Guns 'n Roses. By the time I first heard them they were trying out the whole grunge thing too. They're album the Jesus Experience is one of my favorites, it's even got scripture references in the lyric sheet! The first song that got me hooked on them was The Worm.
The part that hooked me wasn't the bass line, raspy vocals or catchy chorus it was the BGVs. I loved the harmonies in the chorus. I think I taped this song off of the radio and played it over and over again until I finally bought the CD, A CD I've owned 3 different times and bought again on eMusic.
On a trip to Dallas with the new youth group leader Tony, who was a mid-20s guy that was a great friend to us and son of the worship leader, I convinced everybody to let me pop in Bride. By this time my church friends knew that I had quirky music tastes, I'm surprised they let me listen to anything. The guys in the car didn't like The Worm but they went nuts for a song called I Love You.
We cranked this song all the way up and for a couple hours we head banged all the way to the Dawson McCallister Conference about broken families.
Tomorrow I'll cover another teenage classic, Fiver Iron Frenzy, a band my wife is not repulsed by.
If you were a teenager in the mid-90s listening to Christian Rock you had to listen to the holy trinity of Gospel Alternative Jars of Clay, who I covered yesterday, DC Talk, and The Newsboys. Sometimes I include Audio Adrenaline in that short list but trinity is better sounding that quadrinity. I was going along the same path as everyone else in the youth group until I started listening to late night Christian Radio.
I think there was a real sweet spot of edgier Christian music in that era right before the influence of bands like Limp Bizkit spoiled everything for me. Skillet's debut album was awesome with the hit single Gasoline was awesome. There were a few Metal bands struggling with the whole grunge thing floating around. You had Guardian, who's earlier stuff was typical hair metal, release a grunge song called bottle rocket (which I loved). There was Tourniquet, one of my favorite bands, whose early stuff was thrash metal that sounded like Megadeth, release an album of grungy rock called Crawl to China with one of my favorite songs as a mid teen. Then there was Bride.
Bride was a successful Christian Metal act in the 80s with a sound similar to Guns 'n Roses. By the time I first heard them they were trying out the whole grunge thing too. They're album the Jesus Experience is one of my favorites, it's even got scripture references in the lyric sheet! The first song that got me hooked on them was The Worm.
The part that hooked me wasn't the bass line, raspy vocals or catchy chorus it was the BGVs. I loved the harmonies in the chorus. I think I taped this song off of the radio and played it over and over again until I finally bought the CD, A CD I've owned 3 different times and bought again on eMusic.
On a trip to Dallas with the new youth group leader Tony, who was a mid-20s guy that was a great friend to us and son of the worship leader, I convinced everybody to let me pop in Bride. By this time my church friends knew that I had quirky music tastes, I'm surprised they let me listen to anything. The guys in the car didn't like The Worm but they went nuts for a song called I Love You.
We cranked this song all the way up and for a couple hours we head banged all the way to the Dawson McCallister Conference about broken families.
Tomorrow I'll cover another teenage classic, Fiver Iron Frenzy, a band my wife is not repulsed by.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Jars of Clay at age 15
Music meant a whole lot to me when I was in my mid-teens which is something most people would say. For me it was an escape, a release and sometimes an idol. It wasn't until I was 19 or so that I was convicted about how I ran to music, "Christian" music, when I was in pain or hurting and not to God. Jars of Clay's debut self-titled album was super-important to me at that tender young age.
The hit song Flood was everywhere in 1995. I hadn't fully committed to listening to only Christian music at the time so I heard it on the local pop radio stations a ton. I had been going to youthgroup at the local church for a while with my best friend and I was very excited when Melissa, our youth pastor, announced that we would be going to see Jars of Clay and the then unknown band Third Day at the state fair. I had their CD! This was going to be awesome. And it was.
We had terrible seats, worse than the nosebleed section, but I didn't care. I couldn't wait for the opening band to hurry up so that Jars of Clay and what I presumed would be a full orchestra would take the stage. I played viola in the orchestra at school, so I really identified with the strings on songs like Love Song for a Savior.
When Jars of Clay took the stage and played their first song of the evening the place went crazy. There was an honest to goodness mosh pit. A mosh pit at a soft rock show... I remember Vern Marks saying on the radio station the next night that a lot of people got hurt because there were a lot of little kids that didn't know how to mosh properly accidentally punching people and stuff.
Ultimately I was disappointed in the concert. There was no strings section! And halfway through the set they started playing what they called Coffee shop music which included an impression of a cappuccino machine and a rainmaker (I can't find any clips of a rainmaker online, hopefully that means that they've vanished into obscurity.)
After the show I made a decision to only listen to Christian music. I forced myself to listen to music I was unfamiliar with on the local christian rock station kokf 91fm (which has recently resurfaced as a streaming radio station). It took a few weeks of listening but I found favorite songs quickly. This was one of my early 91fm favorites.
Tomorrow I'll continue down this mid-90s Christian Retrospective with a look at the band Bride.
The hit song Flood was everywhere in 1995. I hadn't fully committed to listening to only Christian music at the time so I heard it on the local pop radio stations a ton. I had been going to youthgroup at the local church for a while with my best friend and I was very excited when Melissa, our youth pastor, announced that we would be going to see Jars of Clay and the then unknown band Third Day at the state fair. I had their CD! This was going to be awesome. And it was.
We had terrible seats, worse than the nosebleed section, but I didn't care. I couldn't wait for the opening band to hurry up so that Jars of Clay and what I presumed would be a full orchestra would take the stage. I played viola in the orchestra at school, so I really identified with the strings on songs like Love Song for a Savior.
When Jars of Clay took the stage and played their first song of the evening the place went crazy. There was an honest to goodness mosh pit. A mosh pit at a soft rock show... I remember Vern Marks saying on the radio station the next night that a lot of people got hurt because there were a lot of little kids that didn't know how to mosh properly accidentally punching people and stuff.
Ultimately I was disappointed in the concert. There was no strings section! And halfway through the set they started playing what they called Coffee shop music which included an impression of a cappuccino machine and a rainmaker (I can't find any clips of a rainmaker online, hopefully that means that they've vanished into obscurity.)
After the show I made a decision to only listen to Christian music. I forced myself to listen to music I was unfamiliar with on the local christian rock station kokf 91fm (which has recently resurfaced as a streaming radio station). It took a few weeks of listening but I found favorite songs quickly. This was one of my early 91fm favorites.
Tomorrow I'll continue down this mid-90s Christian Retrospective with a look at the band Bride.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Keith Green
I must have been 15 or so at the time. I was with my best friend and his family in their minivan on the way back from a family retreat in Missouri. A family retreat that my family didn't go to. I always wanted to be part of their family, they seemed so perfect and loving. My family had the love part but I found myself fleeing them to be with his family more and more as Dad's drinking got worse. I wanted the approval of my best friend's Dad so much. So, It meant the world to me when he gave me a blue cassette called No Compromise by Keith Green and said I reminded him of Keith. John and Susan, my friend's parents, said that my zeal and boldness were reminiscent of Keith Green's. They then told me of how Keith died in July of 1982, 6 months after I was born, in a plane wreck with his 2 oldest children. They were certain that had he lived he would still be making music and it would be less seventies sounding.
I couldn't wait to pop the tape in and find out what they thought of me. I instantly fell in love with the music, it was a breath of fresh air. They style of music reminded me of one of my favorite songs at the tim, Piano Man by Billy Joel. It was cheesy in places but it had a timeless and urgent feel to it. The first song I fell in love with was Dear John Letter (to the devil)
It's such an upbeat and funny song about how Keith turned his back on the devil and the ways of the world after he got saved. I remember laughing at the little asides that Keith says right before each chorus, "Is it soup yet? Awww no!"
All of the songs on No Compromise are classics in my eyes but after all of those years since first hearing the tape that John and Susan gave me I still find myself thinking about the convicting lyrics to the song To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice.
To Obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money, I want your life.
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon,
But you act like I'll never return.
Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet,
How you thrive on milk, but reject my meat,
And I can't help weeping of how it will be,
If you keep on ignoring my words.
Well you pray to prosper and succeed,
But your flesh is something I just can't feed.
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights,
Cause if you can't come to me every day,
Then don't bother coming at all.
Lah, lah,lah….
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice.
And I'm coming quickly, to give back to you,
According to what you have done,
According to what you have done,
According to what you have done.
I don't know how much I was like Keith Green 14 years or so ago but I identify with his none compromising attitude and un-failing devotion to God. His biography is amazing, I've read it a few times and each time I take something different from it. I think that if I hadn't been given that fateful cassette tape all of those years ago I wouldn't have mellowed out and became comfortable in my own skin as a christian.
I have a lot more to say about Keith Green, this will have to be somewhat of a regular feature. My next post will cover another classic: Jars of Clay's debut album.
I couldn't wait to pop the tape in and find out what they thought of me. I instantly fell in love with the music, it was a breath of fresh air. They style of music reminded me of one of my favorite songs at the tim, Piano Man by Billy Joel. It was cheesy in places but it had a timeless and urgent feel to it. The first song I fell in love with was Dear John Letter (to the devil)
It's such an upbeat and funny song about how Keith turned his back on the devil and the ways of the world after he got saved. I remember laughing at the little asides that Keith says right before each chorus, "Is it soup yet? Awww no!"
All of the songs on No Compromise are classics in my eyes but after all of those years since first hearing the tape that John and Susan gave me I still find myself thinking about the convicting lyrics to the song To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice.
To Obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money, I want your life.
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon,
But you act like I'll never return.
Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet,
How you thrive on milk, but reject my meat,
And I can't help weeping of how it will be,
If you keep on ignoring my words.
Well you pray to prosper and succeed,
But your flesh is something I just can't feed.
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights,
Cause if you can't come to me every day,
Then don't bother coming at all.
Lah, lah,lah….
To obey is better than sacrifice.
I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice.
And I'm coming quickly, to give back to you,
According to what you have done,
According to what you have done,
According to what you have done.
I don't know how much I was like Keith Green 14 years or so ago but I identify with his none compromising attitude and un-failing devotion to God. His biography is amazing, I've read it a few times and each time I take something different from it. I think that if I hadn't been given that fateful cassette tape all of those years ago I wouldn't have mellowed out and became comfortable in my own skin as a christian.
I have a lot more to say about Keith Green, this will have to be somewhat of a regular feature. My next post will cover another classic: Jars of Clay's debut album.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Songs that didn't make the cut.
I just finished up my top 25 songs of 2010. The first criteria for the top 25 was that I had to have first heard the song this year (Which made songs like Kodachrome eligible). I created an iTunes smart playlist that only included songs I added to my library this year. I then sorted the list by playcount and sifted through songs that I had first heard this year. However, I made a few strategic edits... These are the songs that for one reason or another I vetoed out of the top 25. They all have the credentials but not the special something a song needs to make it to the next level.
Unattainable by Little Joy
This would have been in the top 10 according to playcounts but I didn't feel like putting a song that I didn't really like anymore in my top songs of the year. This is from the Whip It soundtrack and the only thing I really like about it is how the opening line is sung.
Cotton Fields by Creedence Clearwater Revival
I genuinely love this song but I know the effect it has on people that don't care for this style of music and I felt I had included too many old songs on the list already. After being married for 8+ years I know many ways to annoy my wife one of the most effective is to either play, sing or hum this song. CCR has a very special place in my heart and this is one of my favorites by them and I didn't ever hear it until Pandora suggested it. Thanks again Pandora!
Never My Love by Har Mar Superstar
This song had the playcounts to justify it ending up in the top 25 but I only rated it 4 stars. Back in April or so I must have listened to nothing but the Whip It soundtrack, that's the only explanation for the proliferation of songs from that album ending up all over this list. This is an alright song but not top 25 worthy.
Let Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers
I didn't include this because even though I "discovered" this song this year I never liked it sincerely. I mainly would put this song on to make fun of in the car with my wife which explains all the playcounts.
Something in Common by Free Energy
This is a catchy song and I recommend it but I had the misfortune of forever associating it with the disturbing fan made video on youtube set to scenes of the movie Mysterious Skin. Nothing can turn me off from a song like Child Molestation (you can quote me on that).
These next few songs are favorites of mine but due to when they came out in the year or whatnot they just weren't listened to enough to show up on my list. I recommend all of these.
Uprising by Muse
I love Muse. Muse has about 5 songs that will be favorites of mine forever but this song, while better than most music out there, is not as good a Muse song as I'm used to. It's good but not as good as a Starlight or Knights of Cydonia in my opinion.
Fences by Phoenix
I can't stand the first 30 seconds or so of this song so I find myself hitting next a lot whenever this comes on. If I remember that it gets good and abstain from skipping it I'm always treated to a great tune from a great band.
Don't Haunt This Place by The Rural Alberta Advantage
This song is just a victim of circumstance. My iPod must not like this song or something, while not as good as the other song by them on the list (Frank, AB) it's still an excellent song. Drums are little busy for my taste but the main draw here are the vocals. I want this man to cover Neutral Milk Hotel songs immediately!
Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
This is one of the better songs from the album it shares a title with. If I did a top albums of 2010 this would be #1 but I don't really listen to music in that way anymore so it'd be a really short list. If you need something to listen to while taking a long walk or going on a road trip just pop this in and listen to it from beginning to end. Impossible Soul is another hit from this album but it clocks in at 25 minutes and it's not very suitable to casual listening.
Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes
The reason I liked this song so much in the beginning was ultimately the reason why I quit listening to it. It's just such an adorable song. The banter between the male and female vocalist gets a little too cute after repeated listening. It's a good tune for about 5 or 6 listens but you might want to never hear it again after that though.
One special thing I'll be doing in honor of the first anniversary of my daughter Isabel's death is posting the thought process behind picking music for my infant daughter's funeral. There were 5 or so worship songs and 2 very special songs that my wife and I picked. These songs were always very meaningful to me but this year they've taken on a whole different subtext that I really want to share. The anniversary is 12/27/2010 but I won't likely post on the day of.
That wraps it up for songs I fell in (and out) of love this year with. I'm going to start a few different lists over the next couple weeks or so. The next thing I want to write about will definitely be Keith Green, I'll talk about my 5 favorite songs of his and probably do the same for other obscure Christian musicians and bands that had a big effect on me like Poor Old Lu, Bride, Tourniquet, Five Iron Frenzy and more mainstream mid-90s christian rock pop like DC Talk, The Newsboys, Jars of Clay and Third Day. I want to get to a point where I'm reviewing stuff as it comes out so that the older stuff is more of a special feature and not the main thing. So, send me your recommendations by posting band names and songs or whatnot in the comments!
Unattainable by Little Joy
This would have been in the top 10 according to playcounts but I didn't feel like putting a song that I didn't really like anymore in my top songs of the year. This is from the Whip It soundtrack and the only thing I really like about it is how the opening line is sung.
Cotton Fields by Creedence Clearwater Revival
I genuinely love this song but I know the effect it has on people that don't care for this style of music and I felt I had included too many old songs on the list already. After being married for 8+ years I know many ways to annoy my wife one of the most effective is to either play, sing or hum this song. CCR has a very special place in my heart and this is one of my favorites by them and I didn't ever hear it until Pandora suggested it. Thanks again Pandora!
Never My Love by Har Mar Superstar
This song had the playcounts to justify it ending up in the top 25 but I only rated it 4 stars. Back in April or so I must have listened to nothing but the Whip It soundtrack, that's the only explanation for the proliferation of songs from that album ending up all over this list. This is an alright song but not top 25 worthy.
Let Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers
I didn't include this because even though I "discovered" this song this year I never liked it sincerely. I mainly would put this song on to make fun of in the car with my wife which explains all the playcounts.
Something in Common by Free Energy
This is a catchy song and I recommend it but I had the misfortune of forever associating it with the disturbing fan made video on youtube set to scenes of the movie Mysterious Skin. Nothing can turn me off from a song like Child Molestation (you can quote me on that).
These next few songs are favorites of mine but due to when they came out in the year or whatnot they just weren't listened to enough to show up on my list. I recommend all of these.
Uprising by Muse
I love Muse. Muse has about 5 songs that will be favorites of mine forever but this song, while better than most music out there, is not as good a Muse song as I'm used to. It's good but not as good as a Starlight or Knights of Cydonia in my opinion.
Fences by Phoenix
I can't stand the first 30 seconds or so of this song so I find myself hitting next a lot whenever this comes on. If I remember that it gets good and abstain from skipping it I'm always treated to a great tune from a great band.
Don't Haunt This Place by The Rural Alberta Advantage
This song is just a victim of circumstance. My iPod must not like this song or something, while not as good as the other song by them on the list (Frank, AB) it's still an excellent song. Drums are little busy for my taste but the main draw here are the vocals. I want this man to cover Neutral Milk Hotel songs immediately!
Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
This is one of the better songs from the album it shares a title with. If I did a top albums of 2010 this would be #1 but I don't really listen to music in that way anymore so it'd be a really short list. If you need something to listen to while taking a long walk or going on a road trip just pop this in and listen to it from beginning to end. Impossible Soul is another hit from this album but it clocks in at 25 minutes and it's not very suitable to casual listening.
Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes
The reason I liked this song so much in the beginning was ultimately the reason why I quit listening to it. It's just such an adorable song. The banter between the male and female vocalist gets a little too cute after repeated listening. It's a good tune for about 5 or 6 listens but you might want to never hear it again after that though.
One special thing I'll be doing in honor of the first anniversary of my daughter Isabel's death is posting the thought process behind picking music for my infant daughter's funeral. There were 5 or so worship songs and 2 very special songs that my wife and I picked. These songs were always very meaningful to me but this year they've taken on a whole different subtext that I really want to share. The anniversary is 12/27/2010 but I won't likely post on the day of.
That wraps it up for songs I fell in (and out) of love this year with. I'm going to start a few different lists over the next couple weeks or so. The next thing I want to write about will definitely be Keith Green, I'll talk about my 5 favorite songs of his and probably do the same for other obscure Christian musicians and bands that had a big effect on me like Poor Old Lu, Bride, Tourniquet, Five Iron Frenzy and more mainstream mid-90s christian rock pop like DC Talk, The Newsboys, Jars of Clay and Third Day. I want to get to a point where I'm reviewing stuff as it comes out so that the older stuff is more of a special feature and not the main thing. So, send me your recommendations by posting band names and songs or whatnot in the comments!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Top 25 songs of 2010 #1
1. Your Arms Around Me by Jens Lekman
I first heard this song in that movie Whip It. That movie doesn't crack my top 50 movies of the year, it was fun but not very good. The best thing about the movie though was the music. I got a lot of good songs from the soundtrack, it's a really good eclectic mix of punk, southern rock, and whatever you'd call this song (swedish indie pop?).
The way I calculated that this was my #1 song of the year was by taking into account that it was discovered by me this year (even though it's about 3 years old), that it was added to my iTunes library this year, and that it had the most plays of any other songs that were added this year. I can remember listening to this on the way to and from work a lot, it's a great song to blast (with the windows up). I love singing the chorus at the top of my lungs in my best Jens Lekman impression.
The lyrics are awesome. Jens really captures that moment of dizzying love you feel when you accidently cut of your finger because your lover sneaks up behind you while you're cutting up an avocado. I don't even know how many times that's happened to me but I'm guessing the maximum amount of times possible would be 10 or so.
I'm aware that I'm writing this a little tongue-in-cheek. Maybe that's because the list didn't really pan out the way I thought it would. This is a great song and I recommend it but I'm a little embarrassed something cooler and better wasn't #1. To more understand myself I'm going to end this countdown by posting my other #1's for as long as my iTunes library goes back.
2009's #1 was: Noticed by Mute Math
2008's #1 was: Tarantula by The Smashing Pumpkins
2007's #1 was: Robo by How I became the Bomb which I can't find a good video of but check out that song it's amazing, I'll include the #2 song from that year: O Valencia by The Decemberists.
2006's #1 was: Say it Ain't So by The Thrills which is not anywhere on youtube. But #2 that year was July July by The Decemberists.
2005's #1 was: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt1 by The Flaming Lips
2004's #1 was: Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse
This was fun. I love music, I love statistics and lists so this will have to continue somehow. This is now my music blog! Next up will be honorable mentions and the songs I didn't want in my top 25 of the year.
I first heard this song in that movie Whip It. That movie doesn't crack my top 50 movies of the year, it was fun but not very good. The best thing about the movie though was the music. I got a lot of good songs from the soundtrack, it's a really good eclectic mix of punk, southern rock, and whatever you'd call this song (swedish indie pop?).
The way I calculated that this was my #1 song of the year was by taking into account that it was discovered by me this year (even though it's about 3 years old), that it was added to my iTunes library this year, and that it had the most plays of any other songs that were added this year. I can remember listening to this on the way to and from work a lot, it's a great song to blast (with the windows up). I love singing the chorus at the top of my lungs in my best Jens Lekman impression.
The lyrics are awesome. Jens really captures that moment of dizzying love you feel when you accidently cut of your finger because your lover sneaks up behind you while you're cutting up an avocado. I don't even know how many times that's happened to me but I'm guessing the maximum amount of times possible would be 10 or so.
I'm aware that I'm writing this a little tongue-in-cheek. Maybe that's because the list didn't really pan out the way I thought it would. This is a great song and I recommend it but I'm a little embarrassed something cooler and better wasn't #1. To more understand myself I'm going to end this countdown by posting my other #1's for as long as my iTunes library goes back.
2009's #1 was: Noticed by Mute Math
2008's #1 was: Tarantula by The Smashing Pumpkins
2007's #1 was: Robo by How I became the Bomb which I can't find a good video of but check out that song it's amazing, I'll include the #2 song from that year: O Valencia by The Decemberists.
2006's #1 was: Say it Ain't So by The Thrills which is not anywhere on youtube. But #2 that year was July July by The Decemberists.
2005's #1 was: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt1 by The Flaming Lips
2004's #1 was: Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse
This was fun. I love music, I love statistics and lists so this will have to continue somehow. This is now my music blog! Next up will be honorable mentions and the songs I didn't want in my top 25 of the year.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Top 25 songs of 2010 the final countdown #2
2. Splash Woman by Random aka Mega Ran
I love how this song takes music from the Splash Woman stage in Mega Man 9 and makes a pretty good beat out of it. I'm not really a Mega Man fan, I could never beat a level of it when I was a kid, but I am a geek and this has got to be one of my favorite songs.
The story in the song is great. The premise of any Mega Man game is that you have several bosses with levels that match the theme of the boss. Splash Woman is a mermaid type robot and her level is a water motif. When you beat a boss in Mega Man you get to use their special power in the next level i.e, Splash Woman's laser trident water power thingee can be used against a fire guy or something. I love how the story of Mega Ran and Splash Woman's romance and fight ties into how the game works.
You can tell that Random really loves video games. So it must have been amazing when Capcom, the company that makes the Mega Man video games, offered him a liscensing deal and let him perform at their comic-con booth in 2007.
The song was recently featured in a segment of TNA wrestling but only because the Gentlemen's club the they were filming at was playing it in the background. I was unaware that strip clubs played nerdcore songs...
As a bonus, here's the original music from Mega Man 9 that the song samples.
Tommorrow is the last day of the countdown! The #1 song is from a Swedish indie pop artist residing in Australia that was featured on a soundtrack to a movie about roller derby...
I love how this song takes music from the Splash Woman stage in Mega Man 9 and makes a pretty good beat out of it. I'm not really a Mega Man fan, I could never beat a level of it when I was a kid, but I am a geek and this has got to be one of my favorite songs.
The story in the song is great. The premise of any Mega Man game is that you have several bosses with levels that match the theme of the boss. Splash Woman is a mermaid type robot and her level is a water motif. When you beat a boss in Mega Man you get to use their special power in the next level i.e, Splash Woman's laser trident water power thingee can be used against a fire guy or something. I love how the story of Mega Ran and Splash Woman's romance and fight ties into how the game works.
You can tell that Random really loves video games. So it must have been amazing when Capcom, the company that makes the Mega Man video games, offered him a liscensing deal and let him perform at their comic-con booth in 2007.
The song was recently featured in a segment of TNA wrestling but only because the Gentlemen's club the they were filming at was playing it in the background. I was unaware that strip clubs played nerdcore songs...
As a bonus, here's the original music from Mega Man 9 that the song samples.
Tommorrow is the last day of the countdown! The #1 song is from a Swedish indie pop artist residing in Australia that was featured on a soundtrack to a movie about roller derby...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Top 25 songs of 2010 the final countdown part 3
3. Freedom is Here by Hillsong United
This was definitely my favorite worship song of the year. The first time I heard it was at some staff event during a worship set. I couldn't figure out how to sing the "is here" part of the chorus. I kept singing "freeeedom asheere", I guess the way the guy who was leading worship made it hard to hear the "it" or I'm an idiot.
I've had so many great moments of worship with this song this year. I've always said substance over style and preference when it comes to worship music. The thought being that I should be able to worship at God's feet with any type of music, but it sure helps when the song is as catchy and awesome as this one.
One criticism I have with the Hillsong stuff is the live crowds in the background, I've never cared for live recordings that much but I think I've actually enjoyed this song more when it's performed masterfully by the worship leaders I work with. I especially remember when this was the first song played at the annual Family Reunion we have at lifechurch when all the employees get together. It was the first song of the worship set and the band had Joe Dingwall from Albany on lead vox, Stephen Cole from NW OKC on drums, Justin Cowell from Owasso on Bass, JT Murrell from South OKC on Keyboard and I'm forgetting who was lead guitar. If that was a slice of what corporate worship in heaven will be like then I can't wait to see what we have in store for us up there. It was so great being surrounded with all my colleagues during that special time of worship and the presence of GOD was THICK. It really made me thankful for everything GOD has given me.
Tomorrow's song is the oddball, the blacksheep if you weeeel of the list. It's about a video game I loved as a kid but could never beat a level of.
This was definitely my favorite worship song of the year. The first time I heard it was at some staff event during a worship set. I couldn't figure out how to sing the "is here" part of the chorus. I kept singing "freeeedom asheere", I guess the way the guy who was leading worship made it hard to hear the "it" or I'm an idiot.
I've had so many great moments of worship with this song this year. I've always said substance over style and preference when it comes to worship music. The thought being that I should be able to worship at God's feet with any type of music, but it sure helps when the song is as catchy and awesome as this one.
One criticism I have with the Hillsong stuff is the live crowds in the background, I've never cared for live recordings that much but I think I've actually enjoyed this song more when it's performed masterfully by the worship leaders I work with. I especially remember when this was the first song played at the annual Family Reunion we have at lifechurch when all the employees get together. It was the first song of the worship set and the band had Joe Dingwall from Albany on lead vox, Stephen Cole from NW OKC on drums, Justin Cowell from Owasso on Bass, JT Murrell from South OKC on Keyboard and I'm forgetting who was lead guitar. If that was a slice of what corporate worship in heaven will be like then I can't wait to see what we have in store for us up there. It was so great being surrounded with all my colleagues during that special time of worship and the presence of GOD was THICK. It really made me thankful for everything GOD has given me.
Tomorrow's song is the oddball, the blacksheep if you weeeel of the list. It's about a video game I loved as a kid but could never beat a level of.
Top 25 songs of 2010 the final countdown part 2
4. God With Us by Mercyme
There was a month or so this year where I was addicted to this song. This is another hit from the Delirious? playlist on pandora that I got so much mileage out of. The lyrics are just masterful. The opening line refers to Psalm 8 where the author praises God for his creation of the Earth and asks "who is man that you would be mindful of us?" or "How could the big awesome creator of everything care about stupid old me?". Psalm 8 is one of my favorites, I first fell in love with it through a cheesy 90s song called GOD by Rebecca St. James. I wore that tape out and was so sad when the actual tape inside the cassette broke. Psalm 8 is very interesting, in the 5th verse it says that he "made us a little below the angels" some translations say heavenly beings but the Hebrew word that the author is comparing us to is Elohim which is Hebrew for GOD.
I don't typically like Mercyme but they nailed this song. The note the lead singer hits when he sings "such a tiny offering" is just unreal. I guess the reason I've always been loathe to listen to Mercyme is because I was inundated with that I can only imagine song they had a few years ago. There are only a few songs that can make me cry, the last verse of Amazing Grace when it goes "When we've been there 10 thousand years...", Every New Day by Five Iron Frenzy, California Love by Tupac and Dr Dre and the aforementioned Mercyme song.. I typically shy away from those emotions and if I get lost in I Can Only Imagine it gets to me a little. I guess I've been avoiding writing about this, I want this to be fun but it's challenging writing about my avoidance of that song because it reminds me of a time I was running away from GOD.
Tomorrow takes us to #3 on this list which is by some God lovin' Aussies. Just kidding about the tupac thing ;)
There was a month or so this year where I was addicted to this song. This is another hit from the Delirious? playlist on pandora that I got so much mileage out of. The lyrics are just masterful. The opening line refers to Psalm 8 where the author praises God for his creation of the Earth and asks "who is man that you would be mindful of us?" or "How could the big awesome creator of everything care about stupid old me?". Psalm 8 is one of my favorites, I first fell in love with it through a cheesy 90s song called GOD by Rebecca St. James. I wore that tape out and was so sad when the actual tape inside the cassette broke. Psalm 8 is very interesting, in the 5th verse it says that he "made us a little below the angels" some translations say heavenly beings but the Hebrew word that the author is comparing us to is Elohim which is Hebrew for GOD.
I don't typically like Mercyme but they nailed this song. The note the lead singer hits when he sings "such a tiny offering" is just unreal. I guess the reason I've always been loathe to listen to Mercyme is because I was inundated with that I can only imagine song they had a few years ago. There are only a few songs that can make me cry, the last verse of Amazing Grace when it goes "When we've been there 10 thousand years...", Every New Day by Five Iron Frenzy, California Love by Tupac and Dr Dre and the aforementioned Mercyme song.. I typically shy away from those emotions and if I get lost in I Can Only Imagine it gets to me a little. I guess I've been avoiding writing about this, I want this to be fun but it's challenging writing about my avoidance of that song because it reminds me of a time I was running away from GOD.
Tomorrow takes us to #3 on this list which is by some God lovin' Aussies. Just kidding about the tupac thing ;)
Monday, December 13, 2010
Top 25 songs of 2010 the final countdown part 1
This week I'll be counting down songs 5 through 1. I'm changing the format up a little bit this week, I'm gonna slow it down a little bit and go one song at a time for the top 5. These songs were the highest rated and most played songs on my iTunes this year. These are all songs that I only found out about this year, in the case of this song I'm about 30 years late to the party.
5. Radio Radio by Elivs Costello
This is the second appearance of Elvis Costello in the top 25 (13. was No Action). I really love the album this song comes from, it's so catchy and energetic. I never really liked Elvis Costello until this year. I'm hoping to find more and more of his stuff that I like but some most of what I've heard has not been as good as the this song. This is a pretty famous song because of the controversy behind it. Apperently Elvis was booked as a replacement for the Sex Pistols on Saturday Night Live and had rehearsed a different song called Less Than Zero but when it came time to actually perform it he played a couple bars and yelled, "Stop, Stop!" and then said to the audience,"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here." and then he launched into Radio Radio. According to wikipedia there are 3 theories behind him doing that. One theory is that Less Than Zero is some sort of British protest song that is irrevelant to us yanks another reason could have been that he was protesting being controlled by his record label and being pressured into what song he would perform. Elvis later said in an interview that he was paying homage to something similar that Jimi Hendrix had done on a live BBC show. Needless to say he got banned from SNL until 1989. Later on he sabotaged the Beastie Boys while they were performing Sabotage on SNL and played a pretty cool version of Radio Radio.
I love the way he says anesthetize...
Tomorrow's song was stuck on repeat on my iPod for awhile and shares something with the Timbaland song from earlier in the countdown.
5. Radio Radio by Elivs Costello
This is the second appearance of Elvis Costello in the top 25 (13. was No Action). I really love the album this song comes from, it's so catchy and energetic. I never really liked Elvis Costello until this year. I'm hoping to find more and more of his stuff that I like but some most of what I've heard has not been as good as the this song. This is a pretty famous song because of the controversy behind it. Apperently Elvis was booked as a replacement for the Sex Pistols on Saturday Night Live and had rehearsed a different song called Less Than Zero but when it came time to actually perform it he played a couple bars and yelled, "Stop, Stop!" and then said to the audience,"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here." and then he launched into Radio Radio. According to wikipedia there are 3 theories behind him doing that. One theory is that Less Than Zero is some sort of British protest song that is irrevelant to us yanks another reason could have been that he was protesting being controlled by his record label and being pressured into what song he would perform. Elvis later said in an interview that he was paying homage to something similar that Jimi Hendrix had done on a live BBC show. Needless to say he got banned from SNL until 1989. Later on he sabotaged the Beastie Boys while they were performing Sabotage on SNL and played a pretty cool version of Radio Radio.
I love the way he says anesthetize...
Tomorrow's song was stuck on repeat on my iPod for awhile and shares something with the Timbaland song from earlier in the countdown.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Top 25 Songs of 2010 Part 4 10 - 6
We're counting down to the single digits today!!!!!!!!!! I don't use exclamation points in vain! I'm excited! These are songs 10 through 6 of my top 25 songs of 2010. These are songs that I found out about this year, not songs that came out this year.
After pontificating (big word score!) about secular and Christian music in my last blog post I wanted more songs that would show that contrast in philosophies but today I have 5 secular songs. The last five songs are chock full of Jesus though. I desire to be transparent with this countdown as it's as much a countdown as it is a snapshot of where I am spiritually. My opinion is that there are 3 types of music not just Christian and secular. There are songs that are fun, songs that exhort the body of Christ and songs that glorify God. Today's songs are all for fun.
10. Lost in the Supermarket by The Clash
I've always had a couple of favorite Clash songs. The local pop station KJ103 used to play Should I stay or Should I Go on a semi-regular basis and I think London Calling is one of the best songs of all time. I was surprised when I came across this song because it just doesn't sound like what I always thought was the punk sound. I'm pretty sure that this song's been on lots of commercials too.
9. If We Ever Meet Again by Timbaland (featuring Katy Perry)
Once I heard this song it just wouldn't get out of my head. Usually that's a bad thing but I think this song has a some charm to it. On the surface this is just a throw-away typical Timbaland-produced auto-tune infused pop song and that's really all it is and I like it in spite of that. What is up with the last 30 seconds of this song though... I edited that strange instrumental part out of it when I put it in my iTunes... Who needs that?
8. Kodachrome by Paul Simon
My Dad had oldies music going at a cookout in the summer and I was talking with my family about how I like a lot of the music that my parents grew up with which can be attributed to the cd club my parents joined in the 90s. They got roped into one of those get 10 cds for a penny scams in the Sunday paper and 6-8 weeks later a shipment of classic rock came in the mail. The albums I remember them getting were Bat at of Hell by Meatloaf, Bostons's debut album, Best of Styx, Best of Journey, Best of Pat Benetar, and an AC/DC album. I was like 14 or so at the time and had the only CD player in the house, so these were on constant rotation in my room. My love of classic rock took me to Paul Simon and when one of his songs came on the radio at the cookout I mentioned that I thought there were only like 3 or 4 Paul Simon songs that were good and those 3 or 4 are some of my favorite songs. My sister's boyfried, who is older, had me name of my favorite Paul Simon songs and when I didn't name Kodachrome he suggested I go home and download asap. It's been on constant rotation since, such a great song.
7. Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest
I have no cool story about how I found this song this year. It must have been some pandora list or something. I love the mellowness of this song. It's soooo relaxing.
6. Wheels by Cake
I listened to all of the Cake albums on a road trip this year. I came to Cake a little after the party (which seems to be a trend for me) and I had the top hits of theirs on my iPod and I somehow had missed this song. It's got what I would call the typical Cake sound with the fuzzy guitar and trumpet. The first cake song I fell in love with was Frank Sinatra. I used to run a theatre that while I was there had Christian Plays, Christian Stand up Comedy, and local Christian music. At some point a local dance troupe rented out the theater and I stuck around to watch it. There was a girl who did some kind of modern dance routine to the Frank Sinatra Cake song and aside from the awesome song choice I remember two things about her performance; she had angel wing tattoos on the FRONT of her shoulders and she didn't shave her pits. I asked her about the song after the show and went home and downloaded it and I've loved Cake ever since.
Tomorrow is the last day of the countdown with songs 5 through 1. 3 of them are bona fide Christian hits 2 of the christian tunes can be heard at any given church on a Sunday Morning, 1 of them is a video game inspired rap love song that's probably a nerdcore song and number one is from a certain roller derby movie soundtrack.
After pontificating (big word score!) about secular and Christian music in my last blog post I wanted more songs that would show that contrast in philosophies but today I have 5 secular songs. The last five songs are chock full of Jesus though. I desire to be transparent with this countdown as it's as much a countdown as it is a snapshot of where I am spiritually. My opinion is that there are 3 types of music not just Christian and secular. There are songs that are fun, songs that exhort the body of Christ and songs that glorify God. Today's songs are all for fun.
10. Lost in the Supermarket by The Clash
I've always had a couple of favorite Clash songs. The local pop station KJ103 used to play Should I stay or Should I Go on a semi-regular basis and I think London Calling is one of the best songs of all time. I was surprised when I came across this song because it just doesn't sound like what I always thought was the punk sound. I'm pretty sure that this song's been on lots of commercials too.
9. If We Ever Meet Again by Timbaland (featuring Katy Perry)
Once I heard this song it just wouldn't get out of my head. Usually that's a bad thing but I think this song has a some charm to it. On the surface this is just a throw-away typical Timbaland-produced auto-tune infused pop song and that's really all it is and I like it in spite of that. What is up with the last 30 seconds of this song though... I edited that strange instrumental part out of it when I put it in my iTunes... Who needs that?
8. Kodachrome by Paul Simon
My Dad had oldies music going at a cookout in the summer and I was talking with my family about how I like a lot of the music that my parents grew up with which can be attributed to the cd club my parents joined in the 90s. They got roped into one of those get 10 cds for a penny scams in the Sunday paper and 6-8 weeks later a shipment of classic rock came in the mail. The albums I remember them getting were Bat at of Hell by Meatloaf, Bostons's debut album, Best of Styx, Best of Journey, Best of Pat Benetar, and an AC/DC album. I was like 14 or so at the time and had the only CD player in the house, so these were on constant rotation in my room. My love of classic rock took me to Paul Simon and when one of his songs came on the radio at the cookout I mentioned that I thought there were only like 3 or 4 Paul Simon songs that were good and those 3 or 4 are some of my favorite songs. My sister's boyfried, who is older, had me name of my favorite Paul Simon songs and when I didn't name Kodachrome he suggested I go home and download asap. It's been on constant rotation since, such a great song.
7. Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest
I have no cool story about how I found this song this year. It must have been some pandora list or something. I love the mellowness of this song. It's soooo relaxing.
6. Wheels by Cake
I listened to all of the Cake albums on a road trip this year. I came to Cake a little after the party (which seems to be a trend for me) and I had the top hits of theirs on my iPod and I somehow had missed this song. It's got what I would call the typical Cake sound with the fuzzy guitar and trumpet. The first cake song I fell in love with was Frank Sinatra. I used to run a theatre that while I was there had Christian Plays, Christian Stand up Comedy, and local Christian music. At some point a local dance troupe rented out the theater and I stuck around to watch it. There was a girl who did some kind of modern dance routine to the Frank Sinatra Cake song and aside from the awesome song choice I remember two things about her performance; she had angel wing tattoos on the FRONT of her shoulders and she didn't shave her pits. I asked her about the song after the show and went home and downloaded it and I've loved Cake ever since.
Tomorrow is the last day of the countdown with songs 5 through 1. 3 of them are bona fide Christian hits 2 of the christian tunes can be heard at any given church on a Sunday Morning, 1 of them is a video game inspired rap love song that's probably a nerdcore song and number one is from a certain roller derby movie soundtrack.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Top 25 Songs of 2010 Part 3 15 - 11
About a year ago Craig Groeschel preached a message centered on what your "One Thing" was going to be for the upcoming year. This was an oppurtunity for many people to pick new year's resolution spirutual type things and I'm sure a lot of people did. My "one thing" was to start listening to more Christian music. I used to only listen to nothing but christian music back in the 90s and the early part of this decade. I think having my cds stolen really set me in a downward spiral. I amassed more cds but then lost them on a road trip somewhere. I listened to christian music in college because I was surrounded by it but after I got married and started working full time I just kind of started listening to whatever was on the radio. The last Christian cd I bought was a By the Tree album (which is funny because I've worked with Chuck Dennie the lead singer of that group for over a year now). I had a few starts and stops in the middle part of this decade but nothing ever took hold. So this year I tried listening to a lot more Christian music, pandora helped a lot and so did my work friends but I'm still not quite where I want to be. I wish there was some music blogs that have similiar taste in music to me that could tip me off to new Christian music since I don't listen to the radio anymore...
15. Dead Man (Carry Me) by Jars of Clay
All that build up was to introduce this song. The first honest to goodness "Christian" song on my top 25. Sufjan Stevens is very open about his Christian faith but a lot of people (Sufjan included) don't consider his music Christian. I heard this tune while listening to a Delrious? playlist and instantly fell in love with it. This song really reminds me of the mid-90s glory years of Christian Alternative when you had the holy trinity of DC Talk, The Newsboys and Jars of Clay pumping out radio single after radio single of catchy uplifting rock.
14. Ali In The Jungle by The Hours
This isn't what you would call a Christian song but it's got a better message than some of the stuff I've heard lately. This song was apparently in a Nike ad a year or two ago but I skip commercials on the TiVo so I missed it. This is a little controversial because in one version of the song the f-bomb is used when referring to Ludvig Van Beethoven's perseverance and how he went deaf and didn't give an "F". The embeded version replaced the f-bomb with the much friendlier but still slightly abrasive "Damn".
13. No Action by Elvis Costello
Wow, I listened to a ton of Pandora this year... This is another Pandora hit. I went through a phase where I was listening to a lot of Clash this year and Elvis Costello kept popping up on my playlist. Initially I would hit thumbs down or skip song but after hearing this song a few times I really came around. This opens up his classic album This Year's Model and is one of about 8 good songs on it. I guess I always hated his voice until recently which is probably attributed to his appearance in an Austin Powers movie.
12. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled ft. Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, &
T-Pain
This has got to be one of the most fun songs of the year. I have so many memories of blasting this in the Kia on the way to lunch with all my work friends and all of us raising our hands and "letting them stay there". I hadn't watched the video until just now and I thought about not including it since it has your typical booty shaking that is often found in similar videos but it's got some genuinely entertaining moments. T-pain singing into his phone which is displaying the "I am T-Pain" app is just gold. One line that always stuck out to me was when Snoop Dogg would say "We're like the YOUTH in the 80s" which never made sense to me until now. He's actually saying "We're like the U in the 80s" which is referring to Miami University which makes sense as he's holding a U jersey in the video during that line.
11. Here I Am Send Me by Delirious?
Best lyrics ever. I love the thought of wanting to experience God in the same way that people in the bible did. I also absolutely desire to be "sent" by God to wherever he needs me. This is just a great song about submitting to God's will for your life and experiencing God in a very real way. And guess where I found the song... that's right, the Delirious? playlist on pandora.
What a cool dichotomy of secular and Christian today was. I desire for next year's list to be 75% Christian but I have no problem sharing the non-Christian songs I love with you. My opinion is that some songs are just there for fun, some are there to exhort the people listening and the rest are there to glorify God. And if a song is good enough it can't help but glorify the Creator of all music, God.
Tomorow(ish) I'll be counting down songs 10 through 6. 3 of the songs came out before I was born, 1 of them is from a band named after a desert and only one was a probably played in an honest to goodnees club this year.
15. Dead Man (Carry Me) by Jars of Clay
All that build up was to introduce this song. The first honest to goodness "Christian" song on my top 25. Sufjan Stevens is very open about his Christian faith but a lot of people (Sufjan included) don't consider his music Christian. I heard this tune while listening to a Delrious? playlist and instantly fell in love with it. This song really reminds me of the mid-90s glory years of Christian Alternative when you had the holy trinity of DC Talk, The Newsboys and Jars of Clay pumping out radio single after radio single of catchy uplifting rock.
14. Ali In The Jungle by The Hours
This isn't what you would call a Christian song but it's got a better message than some of the stuff I've heard lately. This song was apparently in a Nike ad a year or two ago but I skip commercials on the TiVo so I missed it. This is a little controversial because in one version of the song the f-bomb is used when referring to Ludvig Van Beethoven's perseverance and how he went deaf and didn't give an "F". The embeded version replaced the f-bomb with the much friendlier but still slightly abrasive "Damn".
13. No Action by Elvis Costello
Wow, I listened to a ton of Pandora this year... This is another Pandora hit. I went through a phase where I was listening to a lot of Clash this year and Elvis Costello kept popping up on my playlist. Initially I would hit thumbs down or skip song but after hearing this song a few times I really came around. This opens up his classic album This Year's Model and is one of about 8 good songs on it. I guess I always hated his voice until recently which is probably attributed to his appearance in an Austin Powers movie.
12. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled ft. Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, &
T-Pain
This has got to be one of the most fun songs of the year. I have so many memories of blasting this in the Kia on the way to lunch with all my work friends and all of us raising our hands and "letting them stay there". I hadn't watched the video until just now and I thought about not including it since it has your typical booty shaking that is often found in similar videos but it's got some genuinely entertaining moments. T-pain singing into his phone which is displaying the "I am T-Pain" app is just gold. One line that always stuck out to me was when Snoop Dogg would say "We're like the YOUTH in the 80s" which never made sense to me until now. He's actually saying "We're like the U in the 80s" which is referring to Miami University which makes sense as he's holding a U jersey in the video during that line.
11. Here I Am Send Me by Delirious?
Best lyrics ever. I love the thought of wanting to experience God in the same way that people in the bible did. I also absolutely desire to be "sent" by God to wherever he needs me. This is just a great song about submitting to God's will for your life and experiencing God in a very real way. And guess where I found the song... that's right, the Delirious? playlist on pandora.
What a cool dichotomy of secular and Christian today was. I desire for next year's list to be 75% Christian but I have no problem sharing the non-Christian songs I love with you. My opinion is that some songs are just there for fun, some are there to exhort the people listening and the rest are there to glorify God. And if a song is good enough it can't help but glorify the Creator of all music, God.
Tomorow(ish) I'll be counting down songs 10 through 6. 3 of the songs came out before I was born, 1 of them is from a band named after a desert and only one was a probably played in an honest to goodnees club this year.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Top 25 Songs of 2010 Part 2 20-16
Today I'm continuing my top 25 songs of this year today with songs 20 through 16. I used my iTunes library to pick out these 25 songs by sorting through songs added to my computer after 1/1/2010 that had a star righting over 4 stars or greater with the highest playcounts. Some of these songs may be a year or 2 old but I'm only counting songs that were new to me this year. ON WITH THE COUNTDOWN!!!!!1
20. Power by Kanye West
I'm including the Saturday Night Live version because it's a little cleaner and it's how I first heard of this song. His performance and the visuals were just great. I think that's actually the coolest SNL performance ever since the last time he was on when he had the video wall behind him a couple of years ago. I love the song but I have no idea what's it about. I find myself repeating the first line over and over sometimes "I'm living in the 21st century..."
19. Crash Years by The New Pornographers
I've loved this band ever since I've had an iPod(6ish years or so). My first introduction to them was through A.C. Newman's solo album. I think I played Miracle Drug to death that year... Usually I find myself liking the male vocalist in this band more but this song has some of the best vocals I've heard all year. Also you gotta love the cello part.
18. Frank, AB by The Rural Alberta Advantage
I found this song on a Saddle Creek Sampler from Amazon and just fell in love with it. The vocals sound remarkably similar to Jeff Magnum of Neutral Milk Hotel fame. This is a great driving song and one of my wife's favorite songs of the year as well.
17. Bottled in Cork by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
First of all you have to watch the video. It is hillarious. One of my favorite comedians is Paul F. Tompkins and when I heard that he did a music video I had to see it. What a bonus it was that the song was just AMAZING! I love how this song has about 20 catchy parts which would be more than enough for most bands for a whole album. I haven't checked out Ted Leo's other stuff but he was on one of my favorite podcasts, Comedy Death Ray Radio, recently and he was just as funny as some of the other comedians.
16. Gimme Sympath by Metric
I have a feeling that I'll be listening to this song for many, many years to come. It has a timeless feel to it that should age like a fine wine. I think the namedrop of the Beatles and Rolling Stones helped me fall in love with this song but it stands on its own as a great example of a quality song that took me by suprise. I can't get my wife to like Metric (the band and measuring standard). I don't know why she doesn't like them, she always make me turn the song when the iPod shuffles over to any of their songs. Maybe she just doesn't like female vocalists as much as I do. Whatever she thinks it still one of my favorite songs of the year.
Tommorow we'll be covering songs 15 - 11. 2 of the songs are from Christian bands, 1 of them was featured heavily in a Nike ad and has the F-bomb in it, 1 of them is over 30 years old from somebody I never thought I would like and 1 of them makes me do hand movements while I'm driving. Be sure to check in tomorrow as the countdown gets down to the nitty gritty.
20. Power by Kanye West
I'm including the Saturday Night Live version because it's a little cleaner and it's how I first heard of this song. His performance and the visuals were just great. I think that's actually the coolest SNL performance ever since the last time he was on when he had the video wall behind him a couple of years ago. I love the song but I have no idea what's it about. I find myself repeating the first line over and over sometimes "I'm living in the 21st century..."
19. Crash Years by The New Pornographers
I've loved this band ever since I've had an iPod(6ish years or so). My first introduction to them was through A.C. Newman's solo album. I think I played Miracle Drug to death that year... Usually I find myself liking the male vocalist in this band more but this song has some of the best vocals I've heard all year. Also you gotta love the cello part.
18. Frank, AB by The Rural Alberta Advantage
I found this song on a Saddle Creek Sampler from Amazon and just fell in love with it. The vocals sound remarkably similar to Jeff Magnum of Neutral Milk Hotel fame. This is a great driving song and one of my wife's favorite songs of the year as well.
17. Bottled in Cork by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
First of all you have to watch the video. It is hillarious. One of my favorite comedians is Paul F. Tompkins and when I heard that he did a music video I had to see it. What a bonus it was that the song was just AMAZING! I love how this song has about 20 catchy parts which would be more than enough for most bands for a whole album. I haven't checked out Ted Leo's other stuff but he was on one of my favorite podcasts, Comedy Death Ray Radio, recently and he was just as funny as some of the other comedians.
16. Gimme Sympath by Metric
I have a feeling that I'll be listening to this song for many, many years to come. It has a timeless feel to it that should age like a fine wine. I think the namedrop of the Beatles and Rolling Stones helped me fall in love with this song but it stands on its own as a great example of a quality song that took me by suprise. I can't get my wife to like Metric (the band and measuring standard). I don't know why she doesn't like them, she always make me turn the song when the iPod shuffles over to any of their songs. Maybe she just doesn't like female vocalists as much as I do. Whatever she thinks it still one of my favorite songs of the year.
Tommorow we'll be covering songs 15 - 11. 2 of the songs are from Christian bands, 1 of them was featured heavily in a Nike ad and has the F-bomb in it, 1 of them is over 30 years old from somebody I never thought I would like and 1 of them makes me do hand movements while I'm driving. Be sure to check in tomorrow as the countdown gets down to the nitty gritty.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Top 25 Songs of 2010 Part 1 25-21
I love reading the year-end lists that pop up on all the cool blogs so I thought if they're that much fun reading they must be at least 17% more fun creating. So I've decided to share my top 25 songs of 2010. I compiled this list by going through the top rated and heavily played songs in my iTunes library from 1/1/2010 to the present. The release date for these songs is irrelevant as they're all new to me. What's interesting is that I learned about some of these songs from year-end lists from last year but they're that good. So maybe I can pass the (re)gift on to you with my favorite songs this year.
25. Front Row by Metric
I think I heard about this song through pandora on a 6 underground playlist. The similarity between Sneaker Pimps is definitely there but I just love the little hooks that this song has. There are at least 2 different parts that will get stuck in your head aside from the chorus which isn't always a given with any song.
24. All for Myself by Sufjan Stevens
I fell in love with Sufjan's music a few years ago when iTunes had his song Chicago as a free download of the day. His latest album is nothing like what I was used to. Gone is the laid back, quirky indie rock with a prominent banjo part and what replaced it is mind-bogglingly complex electronica. I hadn't listened to any of his latest album before seeing him Live in October but ever since then it's been on constant rotation and this is one of my favorite tracks from the Age of Adz.
23. Secrets by Onerepeblic
I've always kind of liked Onerepublic but this song just cemented them as a guaranteed good listen. I thought the cello part was some famous Bach cantina or something but it's actually composed by the band so props to them. Also I have a weekness (like most of America) for anything Timbaland produces.
22. I Walked by Sufjan Stevens
Here's another good song off of Age of Adz. Sufjan described it as Sade-esque at the concert I attended. I'm not sure if I'd describe it as that but it is a little more sensual than some of his other stuff.
21. Somewhere in the Between by Streetlight Manifesto
Thank you Grooveshark! This was recommended to me by using the Radio function on Grooveshark.com which is kind of like but not as good as Pandora's suggestions. I've always loved Ska, I don't know if I would have found my wife without our mutual appreciation for the band Five Iron Frenzy. So for me to find a somewhat newish ska song I like was a true revelation. I appreciate the meaning behind this song with it's "live life to the fullest" attitude. And I love the lines about idolizing the dead and idealizing the past because I think we all do those things all the time. Just remember the people that did great things in the past were people just like you and me who took the calling they had from God and put it into action. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:17 NLT) So get off your lazy butts and be great, it might help to blare this song in the car to pump you up though!
25. Front Row by Metric
I think I heard about this song through pandora on a 6 underground playlist. The similarity between Sneaker Pimps is definitely there but I just love the little hooks that this song has. There are at least 2 different parts that will get stuck in your head aside from the chorus which isn't always a given with any song.
24. All for Myself by Sufjan Stevens
I fell in love with Sufjan's music a few years ago when iTunes had his song Chicago as a free download of the day. His latest album is nothing like what I was used to. Gone is the laid back, quirky indie rock with a prominent banjo part and what replaced it is mind-bogglingly complex electronica. I hadn't listened to any of his latest album before seeing him Live in October but ever since then it's been on constant rotation and this is one of my favorite tracks from the Age of Adz.
23. Secrets by Onerepeblic
I've always kind of liked Onerepublic but this song just cemented them as a guaranteed good listen. I thought the cello part was some famous Bach cantina or something but it's actually composed by the band so props to them. Also I have a weekness (like most of America) for anything Timbaland produces.
22. I Walked by Sufjan Stevens
Here's another good song off of Age of Adz. Sufjan described it as Sade-esque at the concert I attended. I'm not sure if I'd describe it as that but it is a little more sensual than some of his other stuff.
21. Somewhere in the Between by Streetlight Manifesto
Thank you Grooveshark! This was recommended to me by using the Radio function on Grooveshark.com which is kind of like but not as good as Pandora's suggestions. I've always loved Ska, I don't know if I would have found my wife without our mutual appreciation for the band Five Iron Frenzy. So for me to find a somewhat newish ska song I like was a true revelation. I appreciate the meaning behind this song with it's "live life to the fullest" attitude. And I love the lines about idolizing the dead and idealizing the past because I think we all do those things all the time. Just remember the people that did great things in the past were people just like you and me who took the calling they had from God and put it into action. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:17 NLT) So get off your lazy butts and be great, it might help to blare this song in the car to pump you up though!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Every good and perfect gift!
Today we found out more information about Isabel's COD. Kim doesn't want me to go into too much detail but it wasn't a stroke. For a month I've felt so numb but now I have a greater sense of closure. I praise God for putting Sunny and Alice Thomas into our lives. We shared an evening with them and we were so blessed by their hospitality and wisdom. We both have kids with disabilities and it was so good to just compare notes and divine perspective.
This whole time I've been thinking from the perspective that God has to work around the accidents that occur in this world due to our sinful nature but however true that may be he is still 100% SOVEREIGN and ever present.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17
Emily, my first daughter, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. You may have struggles now but God is not finished with you yet! When we are in Heaven we will run and not stumble or grow tired. God has blessed me to be your Father.
Isabel, my second daughter, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. I held you as your light went out and bathed you in my tears. I never got to see what color your eyes were but I can't wait to meet you and find out. I love you so much it physically hurts me and though I miss you now I know that when our family is reunited all will be perfect.
Kimberly, my wife, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. In the past 9 years we've been through a lot. I've heard that some marriages don't make it after a child dies... As I write this it is 1:37am and I'm sitting next to you in bed while you gently snore. I'm hoping my weeping and typing doesn't wake you up. I want you to know that I'm more in love with you now than ever before. I am so proud of you. I've watched you mature into a strong woman of God and it makes me fall all over for you again just thinking about it. I know we're beat up right now but trust me, God has something great in store for us.
Lord Jesus, my savior, thank you for these gifts. I have more than I deserve; 2 beautiful children, a devoted wife, and you. Thank you for not being fickle. Thank you for your consistent Love. Thank you for not giving up on me.
That got a lot more emotional than I thought it would. I keep thinking what this might look like to somebody who doesn't have my perspective on things. Just know that my faith in God got me through all of this. It sounds cheesy but it's true. If I didn't have Jesus this post could have turned into a selfish sounding suicide letter. I just hope everybody can see how real God is through my experiences. Conventional wisdom would say that Kim and I would be on the verge of divorce with nothing left to live for. A real Faith in God is essential in life and in death. Don't you we all want something real?
This whole time I've been thinking from the perspective that God has to work around the accidents that occur in this world due to our sinful nature but however true that may be he is still 100% SOVEREIGN and ever present.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17
Emily, my first daughter, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. You may have struggles now but God is not finished with you yet! When we are in Heaven we will run and not stumble or grow tired. God has blessed me to be your Father.
Isabel, my second daughter, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. I held you as your light went out and bathed you in my tears. I never got to see what color your eyes were but I can't wait to meet you and find out. I love you so much it physically hurts me and though I miss you now I know that when our family is reunited all will be perfect.
Kimberly, my wife, you are a good and perfect gift from Heaven. In the past 9 years we've been through a lot. I've heard that some marriages don't make it after a child dies... As I write this it is 1:37am and I'm sitting next to you in bed while you gently snore. I'm hoping my weeping and typing doesn't wake you up. I want you to know that I'm more in love with you now than ever before. I am so proud of you. I've watched you mature into a strong woman of God and it makes me fall all over for you again just thinking about it. I know we're beat up right now but trust me, God has something great in store for us.
Lord Jesus, my savior, thank you for these gifts. I have more than I deserve; 2 beautiful children, a devoted wife, and you. Thank you for not being fickle. Thank you for your consistent Love. Thank you for not giving up on me.
That got a lot more emotional than I thought it would. I keep thinking what this might look like to somebody who doesn't have my perspective on things. Just know that my faith in God got me through all of this. It sounds cheesy but it's true. If I didn't have Jesus this post could have turned into a selfish sounding suicide letter. I just hope everybody can see how real God is through my experiences. Conventional wisdom would say that Kim and I would be on the verge of divorce with nothing left to live for. A real Faith in God is essential in life and in death. Don't you we all want something real?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Car History
God is the provider! I've always been blessed to have a car but I've had some junkers. I've been watching a lot of Top Gear lately and I just wanted to share my car chronology.
1979 Chevrolet Nova
When I was 14, in 1997, my Papa (grandfather) bought me my first car. It only had 18k miles but I didn't get around to driving it for 4 years. It was the typical Sunday grandma car and it had no options. It had an am pushbutton radio, no-air conditioning, and under powered straight 6 engine and a sweet tan paint job. I ruined this car, the transmission and engine blew out on the turnpike between Tulsa and OKC.
1997 Pontiac Sunfire 4 door
What a leap forward this car was for me. It made a terrible clicking noise that we could never figure out and by the time we sold it the starter had some sort of wiring problem that required you to hold down a homemade button while you turned the key over, a great anti-theft deterrent.
1994 Dodge Intrepid
I loved this car. When I was a child I remember thinking it was the coolest looking normal family car. I blew out the radiator one July 4th in Stillwater when I left the AC on while the car was idling and it was never the same after that. I always had to carry around jugs of water for when it overheated. To make things worse the front driver side door stopped closing one winter morning which required me to strap the front and back door together and slide over the passenger seat to get out. I also had to disconect the battery every time I left the car to prevent the battery from dieing because the dome light wouldn't go off since the door wasn't "shut". Actually I hated this car.
1991 Cadillac De Ville
This was my favorite car. It was kept in excellent condition and it was the most comfortable car to travel in. It was old but it had all of the options and a huge engine. Getting on the highway was so fun in this car, it accelerated so quickly. My brother-in-law blew out the tranny on the way home from Ponca City but that didn't phase me much because I just replaced the transmission and kept on loving it. Eventually it got old and quit running. The trunk also quit closing and I had to tie it shut with rope. We sold it to somebody who was able to fix all of the problems very cheaply and he's made it quite the pimp car, maybe literally.
1996 Pontiac Sunfire 2-door
I bought this car with the money I made selling my Magic: The Gathering Online collection. It was a fine car but it was only meant to be a temporary fix and my sister liked it a lot more and traded it for the worst car ever.
1997 Ford Taurus
Ugh. I hated the way it looked, it had ovals everywhere, but it was a 4 door car that was attainable. It had the engine of a 1996 Taurus my sister had wrecked and the rest was from a 1998 junkyard special. The problems were too many to list here. As I was driving it to the dealership to trade it in the power steering went out. It was time for a radical change.
2008 Kia Optima
This car has been perfect, save for the wonky sun visor. With this car I wanted to get away from all my previous trends. Looking over this list you'll find a lot of Domestic junkers so I went with something made anywhere but here and with an awesome warranty. I should check if the warranty covers the wonky sun visor...
This has been a good distraction from what I've been going through lately. Thanks for indulging me and share your car stories in the comments!
1979 Chevrolet Nova
When I was 14, in 1997, my Papa (grandfather) bought me my first car. It only had 18k miles but I didn't get around to driving it for 4 years. It was the typical Sunday grandma car and it had no options. It had an am pushbutton radio, no-air conditioning, and under powered straight 6 engine and a sweet tan paint job. I ruined this car, the transmission and engine blew out on the turnpike between Tulsa and OKC.
1997 Pontiac Sunfire 4 door
What a leap forward this car was for me. It made a terrible clicking noise that we could never figure out and by the time we sold it the starter had some sort of wiring problem that required you to hold down a homemade button while you turned the key over, a great anti-theft deterrent.
1994 Dodge Intrepid
I loved this car. When I was a child I remember thinking it was the coolest looking normal family car. I blew out the radiator one July 4th in Stillwater when I left the AC on while the car was idling and it was never the same after that. I always had to carry around jugs of water for when it overheated. To make things worse the front driver side door stopped closing one winter morning which required me to strap the front and back door together and slide over the passenger seat to get out. I also had to disconect the battery every time I left the car to prevent the battery from dieing because the dome light wouldn't go off since the door wasn't "shut". Actually I hated this car.
1991 Cadillac De Ville
This was my favorite car. It was kept in excellent condition and it was the most comfortable car to travel in. It was old but it had all of the options and a huge engine. Getting on the highway was so fun in this car, it accelerated so quickly. My brother-in-law blew out the tranny on the way home from Ponca City but that didn't phase me much because I just replaced the transmission and kept on loving it. Eventually it got old and quit running. The trunk also quit closing and I had to tie it shut with rope. We sold it to somebody who was able to fix all of the problems very cheaply and he's made it quite the pimp car, maybe literally.
1996 Pontiac Sunfire 2-door
I bought this car with the money I made selling my Magic: The Gathering Online collection. It was a fine car but it was only meant to be a temporary fix and my sister liked it a lot more and traded it for the worst car ever.
1997 Ford Taurus
Ugh. I hated the way it looked, it had ovals everywhere, but it was a 4 door car that was attainable. It had the engine of a 1996 Taurus my sister had wrecked and the rest was from a 1998 junkyard special. The problems were too many to list here. As I was driving it to the dealership to trade it in the power steering went out. It was time for a radical change.
2008 Kia Optima
This car has been perfect, save for the wonky sun visor. With this car I wanted to get away from all my previous trends. Looking over this list you'll find a lot of Domestic junkers so I went with something made anywhere but here and with an awesome warranty. I should check if the warranty covers the wonky sun visor...
This has been a good distraction from what I've been going through lately. Thanks for indulging me and share your car stories in the comments!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Legacy
After holding Isabel while she died I wondered if this is what God must feel like. He holds us while we live and struggle and eventually die and it all goes by so quick from an eternal perspective. One instant we’re there and the next we’re gone. What is your legacy? What is my Legacy? Isabel has forever changed our lives and will live on through her donation of her heart valves and heart tissue. What mark will you leave on this world?
"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath."
Psalm 39:4-5 NLT
"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath."
Psalm 39:4-5 NLT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)