New worship music discovery

I enjoy reading Andy Whitman's blog Razing the Bar. http://andywhitman.blogspot.com/   In addition to his blog he contributes to Paste and Christianity Today.  A recent blog post introduced me to a band called Aradhna.  Great, intricate, worshipful music sung in Hindi and English.   Check it out.  http://aradhnamusic.storenvy.com/products/19286-namaste-sate-2011

Best of 2009 Music List

These are songs from albums that provided my greatest listening pleasure in 2009.       

Nomo – Better Than That (EP) – Discontinued – an 8-minute instrumental from a group that hails from one of my favorite Midwest towns, Ann Arbor, MI.  Great groove.  Great song to drive to.  Could be a track for a 60’s spy show.

The Dodos – Time to Die – Fables – essentially two guys from San Francisco.  This from Wikipedia - “They … blend Long's training in West African Ewe drumming and Kroeber's experience in metal bands to create music in which "drumming could be a center role and help bring out the syncopated rhythms coming out of the acoustic guitar."  There you have it.

Azita – How Will You? – Things Gone Wrong – edgy, artsy rocker based in Chicago.  Cool piano work and laid back feel.

These next songs are from musicians from or near Africa.  Most of them came through Chicago in 2009 and I was fortunate to see a few.

Blick Bassy – Leman – Niela – was not able to catch his shows when he came through in the summer, but sampled his stuff and liked the vibe and energy.  He’s from Cameroon.   I really love this one.   

Lura – Eclipse – Quebrod Nem Djosa – she (from Cape Verde) and Chiwoniso (see below) were on the same bill in a June show outdoors at the Pritzker Pavilion Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.  If you visit us in the summer I’ll take you down there – beautiful venue and great sound.  Lura's music provided a neat background while having a picnic dinner with friends Steve and Trina.  The last two songs were stunning – this was one of them.  She is fully engaged; the song brings out her range and ability as a singer, and the horns and back-up singers sound are reminiscent of Van Morrison.

Tinariwen – Imidiwan: Companions – Lulla – a group with roots in Algeria and Libya and a remarkable story.  Saw them at the end of February 2009.  They were striking in their robes and guitars, and provided a mesmerizing groove.  Steeped in the guitar work of their own African heroes but also Hendrix, Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Carlos Santana, and Dire Straits.     

Chiwoniso – Rebel Woman – Matsotsi – she was on the same bill as Lura (above) but missed her flight from England, so I did not get to see her perform.  From Zimbabwe, she plays an instrument called the mbira.  I like most of the songs from the CD, with this one my favorite.  Let the rhythm sweep you away.  It is about a working class man who needs to leave home and find work for his family, able to return to see them only once a month, lamenting his plight.

Moody and atmospheric…..

Over the Rhine – Good Dog, Bad Dog – Everyman’s Daughter – a favorite band of friend Len, who manages to include one of their songs on most of his annual ‘Best of’ lists.  I saw them live just before Christmas.  Karen Bergquist’s voice is among my favorite female voices.  This is an excellent album among a number of excellent ones they’ve put out in a 20-year career.

Florence and the Machine – Lungs – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) – I follow a blog from Andy Whitman, who writes for Paste Magazine among others.  This was on his Top 10 list of 2009.  Besides a few songs (does she really think that a ‘Kiss with a Fist’ is better than none and threatening to drink herself to death (Hurricane Drunk’) after a breakup the best way to go? – maybe she’s being tongue-in-cheek), it is compelling stuff.  She seems a bit of a drama queen, but in a good way.

The Receiver – Length of Arms – Visitor – I was listening to this one day and my wife Sally asked me who it was. I said it was a couple of brooding guys from Columbus, Ohio.  She said “How can they be brooding if they’re from Columbus, Ohio?” which I thought was pretty funny.  This song and CD keeps getting better with repeated listens.

Imogen Heap – Ellipse – Canvas – I really like half of this CD, with some standouts like this one.  Cool British accent, gorgeous haunting cello, other-worldly.

Songs that moved me from followers of Christ:

Enter the Worship Circle – Fourth Circle – Trouble Won’t Go – a gathering of seven young musicians who make their albums like this - “No overdubs, no studio retakes…we just hit record and start worshiping!  Inspired mostly by the Psalms.  They try their hand at folk, bluegrass, and other styles.  This one is bluesy. 

Aaron Strumpel – Elephants – Fifty One – It’s spring, “at the time kings go off to war.”  Instead, the king takes a walk on his roof, sees a woman bathing, is captivated, calls for her, and takes her – because he can.  She becomes pregnant.  She is the wife of a noble warrior.  The king schemes two different ways to get the warrior to come home and sleep with his wife to cover his crime, but the warrior feels compelled to stay with his men.  Desperate, the king then schemes to expose the warrior on the front line of the battle so he will be killed and out of the way.  This transpires.  Coast is clear, the king thinks.  A prophet visits and tells him a story about a rich man and a poor man, about the rich man taking the only lamb the poor man had and feeding it to a traveler, instead of giving up one of his own.  The king becomes indignant at the injustice, and says the man who did this deserves to die.  The prophet looks at him squarely, and says, “You are that man!”  Psalm 51 records David’s prayer of deep remorse and confession to the Lord that he loves.  Imagine him weeping and falling to his knees.  Strumpel does something wonderful with this – piano, a barely audible acoustic guitar, half way through a melancholy violin and shimmering sheet of metal.  His vocals are jarring, but keep in mind what the king has just done, how wretched he feels, how much he wants the Lord to restore his connection and presence and joy.  The Lord does restore him, but not before allowing his child to walk through a very deep valley.  Strumpel’s whole album is a sometimes strange but fascinating take on a number of Psalms.

Sara Groves – Fireflies and Songs – Twice as Good – had only limited exposure to her music before attending a fundraising dinner for International Justice Mission (a wonderful ministry to get behind if looking for one) where she was musical guest.  I was struck by her self-effacing manner, good humor, and heart. 

Josh Garrels – Lost Animals – Rainbow – I don’t find this CD as strong as his previous ones.  But he does some cool things with the lyrics and instrumentation on this song.  Looking at his blog and at the personal and professional choices he is making to remain independent, he remains one to watch (and listen to).

Aaron Strumpel – Elephants – After – my favorite recent book is N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope, largely about the Jesus’ resurrection and its meaning.  With his Son’s resurrection, God began his new creation and it continues. One day all will be put right.  This song, at 1 minute 9 seconds, brings my imagination there.  

Mike's Annual "Best of": the best of the year in music

In the early months of each new year I sort through the albums I listened to in the year just ended and select the ones that provided the most listening pleasure.  I then pick one song from each album and gather the songs together onto a CD, representing my "Best of" collection for that year.  I also write a description of each song and why it landed on the CD.  These lists, going back the last several years, are provided in the blog.  Though I like many types of music, I am primarily drawn to the very wide genre of independent and alternative. 


I hope to have the Best of 2010 finished and posted by the middle of 2011.  Reader comments on the songs and anything associated with your own process of searching and finding great music are welcome.