The Divine Comedy>Absent Friends

One of my favourite bands of the last decade has to be The Divine Comedy. Standing somewhere in the line between The Smiths and Pulp, they are a band with their tongue firmly in their cheek. Well, when I say 'band' basically I mean the work of Neil Hannon - who is just a great songwriter. If you've never heard one of their songs, then think again because if you've seen the great comedy Father Ted and remember the theme tune - that was written by The Divine Comedy.

Not long ago in a small group meeting at our church we all shared a song that helped us to connect with God. It was my friend Nick who played this particular track: 'Absent Friends' (Absent Friends, 2004). I can't actually remember what he said it did for him - but for me the lyrics are clever, quirky and somehow moving. Each verse tells a real-life tale which evokes a cheerfulness that belies the tragedy lurking beneath. There's a feeling of loss about it - an acknowledgement that we miss those who've been and gone. Those who've made us happy amidst the cruelties that life also throws us. So listen to this song and lift a glass to absent friends and thank God for each of them.

Nick Cave&Kylie>Death is not the end

I must admit the inclusion of this song in my Lent playlist is a slightly underhand way of sneaking a Bob Dylan song in through the back door. However, from the perspective of standing on the brink of Holy Week, I can think of few songs that lyrically hit the mark like this one.

'Death is not the end' (Murder Ballads, 1996) also brings together a kind of supergroup - Bob Dylan song, reworked by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with guest performances by Kylie Minogue, P J Harvey and Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues). Not a bad line up, then. But really it's all about the words - my favourite section being the middle eight:
'For the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation
Up in dark and empty skies'

And how this song resonates with all the events leading up to the crucifixtion of Jesus is remarkable. Everything looks so bleak and yet, 'Death is not the End' - a timely reminder for those of us who this week may have been forced to consider death a little more than usual.