Arcade Fire>Wake Up

After a year's break - I appear to have come up for air again and climbed back onto my blog (this is my second post in a 2 weeks!). Having a spare 20 minutes I cast my eye over my previous work and on the whole still stand by most of it. Great to read a couple of comments that had sneaked through my radar over the last year. Also, realised that during my silence, I've been listening to more inspirational music than ever, so plenty to share.

Perhaps my personal discovery of the year is Arcade Fire. I enjoyed a corporate worship experience with them back in December at London's O2 venue. The last two gigs I saw at the O2 featured Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen - two mighty singer-songwriters who will forever be legends. But as good as it was to spend time in their company it was even better to watch a band in their prime and at the top of their game. It was remarkable how they turned such a huge arena into an intimate setting. Simply stunning.

Now I've come late to Arcade Fire. Just don't know how I missed them. However, what's great about discovering a band onto their third album is that instantly you have a decent amount of music to get into. For me, their first album - Funeral - is the best. Their 'anthem' appears to be the song 'Wake Up' from that album. It seems to sum up the general feel of so much of their music. In a recent interview in the Guardian - lead singer Win Butler, brought up in a Mormon household says:

"I had a somewhat religious upbringing," he says. "Not strict, but it was there and I'm kind of thankful for that. If you grow up just watching MTV, that's its own form of religion and it's not even based on happiness or communal responsibility. I mean, try to construct a worldview out of that."

Project that onto the lyrics of 'Wake Up' and the song starts to make sense. Watch what you fill your soul with - fill it with nothing or meaningless rubbish and you're lost. WAKE UP before it's too late! It's a prophetic call to the present Western generation. I defy you to listen to this and not be moved.

U2>Miss Sarajevo

On the whole I've given U2 short thrift on this blog - I'm not really sure why because I've always been a big fan. I suspect it's because for the last couple of years I've found Bono's earnestness just a little too much. However, prompted today by my wife's departure for 8 days to Bosnia on an interfaith trip I checked out a song I've loved for a long time - Miss Sarajevo (The Passengers, 1995).

As I watched the video of the song - as below - it all came back to me. I remember being glued to the TV news during the war watching with grim fascination the pictures of the ordinary people of Sarajevo literally having to sprint for cover on the way to work to avoid the bullets around them. It was the weirdest of things seeing normality and war going on side by side. And U2 capture the sense of this paradox in the song magnificently (read about the song here). And as the beauty contestants hold up the sign saying 'don't let them kill us' the futility and pointlessness of it all becomes so stark.

I love the lyrics, too with their echo of Ecclesiastes. Until today I hadn't seen a translation of Pavarotti's part. Here it is:

You say that the river
finds the way to the sea
and like the river
you will come to me
beyond the borders
and the dry lands
You say that like a river
like a river...
the love will come
the love...
And i don't know how to pray anymore
and in love i don't know how to hope anymore
and for that love i don't know how to wait anymore

Powerful stuff, eh? And so, perhaps you'd like to spare a prayer for the people of Bosnia who have with such dignity begun to rebuild their country and my own 'Miss Sarajevo' who is there today.

Radiohead>No Surprises

There was a time when I was convinced that Radiohead was the greatest band on earth. Now I would review that considerably - they're good, but short of a truly inspired critique, I will simply state that I find them a bit depressing! However, I find very little to criticize about my favourite song of theirs - 'No Surprises' (OK Computer, 1997). It's a masterpiece.

Let me tell you why this song is so great! Firstly, it's got one of the most sublime guitar riffs in rock. Secondly, Thom Yorke's voice is so sullen and tired that it captures the mood magnificently. Thirdly and most importantly, it's a song to inspire a revolution. Some songs are written with uprising in mind and they put it all out there in clear and obvious ways - think the Clash's 'London Calling' or the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy in the UK' for example. Having listened to and enjoyed those songs on many occasions I can safely say that by the time they reach their raucous final bars the anger and angst inside me has all but dried up. I have always preferred the subtle, however. 'No Suprises' contains three minutes and forty-eight seconds of such irony and monotony that by the end you're ready to get up and go and do something rebellious to prove Radiohead wrong - that you're ready for a life that breaks the mould and really will bring down the government.

And so perhaps I'm back to Alinsky again. Recently, I've become convinced that those who seek to follow Jesus can never be satisfied with just doing good things and at the same time maintaining the status quo. That in it's own way is like embracing a world of 'no suprises'. That's a case of cheap grace. Costly grace involves a deeper work where risk and revolution have their place - where the injustices of our communities and neighbourhoods are challenged to their core. Listen to 'No Suprises' and you'll hear what I mean but don't blame me when it stirs you up.

Bob Dylan>LIfe is Hard

Bob Dylan appears to like ironic titles for his more recent albums. Take his previous release, Modern Times (2006), for example - clearly nothing modern about it since it's a collection of songs (mostly great songs!) based on structures and themes of times gone by. So what should we make of Together Through Life his latest effort? Well, not be taken in by the title that's for sure. I've been somewhat puzzled by a number of reviews that have suggested that Dylan is 'enjoying' himself on this album - I can only surmise that they've forgotten to listen to the lyrics and more importantly his voice. For me, Dylan's voice is usually the key to his albums and on this record it's ragged, scarred and suffering. And that's the image of 'togetherness' that Dylan is projecting through these songs - basically a 'togetherness' that is lost, betrayed and hewn with violence on a personal, spiritual and communal level.

According to his Bobness the inspiration for the album came from the track 'Life is Hard', a song he was recording for a movie soundtrack. The rest of the album followed in a rush, clinging to the coat-tails of this song. It's a terribly sad song that brings tears to my eyes as it weaves a tale about the loss of friendship and love and the resulting emptiness of life. Now, I have absolutely no evidence for what I'm about to write and yes it is a song for a movie, but I cannot help but project Bob Dylan into this song. The fact that this theme is picked up time again across the whole album I believe that Dylan is singing about his own spiritual loss - a dark night of the soul if you like.

Should I be worried for Dylan, then, when I hear this song? Perhaps, but then it's not the last word. A couple more songs to write about later...

The lyrics:
The evening winds are still I've lost the way and will
Can’t tell you where they went I just know what they meant
I’m always on my guard admitting life is hard
Without you near me

The friend you used to be, so near and dear to me
You slipped so far away, where did we go astray
I passed the old school yard, admitting life is hard
Without you near me

Ever since the day, the day you went away
I felt that emptiness so wide
I don’t know what's wrong or right
I just know I need strength to fight, strength to fight that world outside

Since we've been out of touch I haven't felt that much
From day to barren day my heart stays locked away
I walk the boulevard, admitting life is hard
Without you near me

The Sun is sinking low I guess it's time to go
I feel a chilly breeze In place of memories
My dreams are locked and barred admitting life is hard
Without you near me
hummmm
Without you near me

Listen here:

Tom Waits>In the Neighbourhood

I first discovered the joy of Tom Waits amazingly scary voice about 10 years ago. A friend of mine used Gavin Bryars 'Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me yet' (featuring Waits) in a church service. After that I realised that it would be a complete travisty on my part if I were to ignore more music featuring a man who sang like that. It took me a few years to follow it up and I was re-acquainted with Waits after Bob Dylan played the magnificent 'On the Nickel' on his theme-time radio hour. Now that is a stunning song - just the earthiness of it and when his voice gets going it ties you up inside.

A year later I bought my first Waits' album - Swordfishtrombones (1983). The stand out track for me on this album apart from the blackly amusing 'Frank's Wild Years' is 'In the Neighbourhood'. As someone who hails from The Salvation Army the backing interested me because it wouldn't be out of place in a traditional worship meeting. Also, the trials and tribulations of the neighbourhood in the song sound like something that the SA would aspire to work in. Weirdly the next track and title track of the album actually mentions the Salvation Army - that's another one to add to my playlist. I don't know what it is about this song but the sadness of the neighbourhood and the brass sound produce a bleak yet strangely uplifting experience. It made me wonder whether we could introduce images from our neighbourhood into the songs we sing at church. It would certainly bring some reality to what is generally too heavenly for any earthly good. Perhaps I need to give it a go.

Bruce Springsteen>The River

I know it's The Boss again, but last night provided a good reason for including this song. In our family we like a whole range of music but I've taken it on myself ever since my children were born to make sure that they have ample opportunity to listen to quality music. It sounds snobbish but in my opinion it's just as important as making sure your kids read decent books or eat good food. Because of my particular musical tastes it wouldn't be unusual in our household to hear Henry (aged 6) singing Bob Dylan's 'Mr Tambourine Man' or The Beatles' 'Help'. In fact you can view the evidence here...

Well, last night was a real highlight for me. I was putting Penny, aged 5, to bed and as I was kissing her goodnight she asked if I could sing her a goodnight song. 'Ok - which one do you want?' I asked. She replied, 'Baa Baa Black Sheep I think... actually, no can I have 'The River'?' And so there I was, with a smirk on my face, singing Springsteen's 'The River' (The River, 1980) to her and imagine my surprise when she joined in. I was aware she knew the song but I didn't realise she knew the words, too. And she did know them - almost every one - and she sung them with gusto! And at that moment there couldn't have been a prouder father.

On reflection it struck me that our Father up there is probably just as chuffed when we 'sing' the songs he likes. I don't mean the predictable, repetitive ones from a songbook but the songs we 'sing' with our lives that just bring a smirk to his face.

Bruce Springsteen>The Ghost of Tom Joad

Since I seem to be on a run of 'dark' songs I thought I'd make it a trilogy. Also, rj has been in touch and I've taken a look at his great blog: 'Love Comes To Town' and he seems like a big Springsteen fan. Finally they were giving away a book of the 'greatest lyricists' in the newspaper this week - Springsteen was one of the featured artists and it reminded of just how good a song-writer he is. All in all, it's time for one of my all time favourite songs: 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' (The Ghost of Tom Joad, 1995)

Now there are lots of great things about this track. Firstly, I like the stripped down sound and the way his voice starts off so quietly. You're forced to hit the volume button and then by the time the chorus kicks in it's pretty loud but by then you don't care because you're just being carried away by it. The harmonica is also good and it's pretty easy to play, I tried it recently! (and I'm no musician). The lyrics though are what really makes this an intersting song.

You don't need to be a literary buff to know that Tom Joad features in Steinbeck's brilliant novel about the Great Depression 'The Grapes of Wrath'. I devoured this novel as an 18 year old in about 2 days but can't remember that much detail now! And here we have Springsteen talking about the ghost of the depression still haunting the world today. Poverty, unemployment, homelessness, violence - it's all there in this song and it's all there in the 'new world order'. There's a strong sense of false hope offered by the Church in both the novel and the song (also the video linked below). Despite this Tom Joad is a kind of 'Christlike' figure in the song - he can be found in the struggle, in the pain and in the injustice. Here we have echoes of Matthew 25 - for me the institution of the sacrament of service. And so when we participate in the struggle we'll find Jesus already there. Read the passage, and listen to the song here - Springsteen's got it spot on.

The Rolling Stones>Sympathy for the Devil

I love The Rolling Stones for the stuff they did in the '60s and very early '70s. Unlike Bob Dylan, for example, they just haven't been able to mark every passing decade with some classic material. They're legends of course as the recent Scorsese movie, 'Shine a Light', no doubt proves but for me the '60s and early '70s is when they peaked.

The infamous 'Sympathy for the Devil' appeared on the excellent album Beggars Banquet (1968). It caused a furore at the time when The Stones became associated with Satan worship because of this and other dark allusions in their songs. The Stones, not particularly known for their lyrics, really excelled in this one. Events throughout history starting with the crucifixion are named one after the other as 'Lucifer' narrates his role in some of the world's worst attrocities. The samba-style musical backing is brilliant and Keith Richards' guitar solo could just be my favourite of all time. Jagger's vocal performance is also striking.

So what of the Devil? Well, Jagger and Richards have claimed this is more about the 'dark side of mankind' than about a Satan figure - a kind of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde kind of scenario. Of course it's true that much of the hell we find on earth is created by humankind itself. However, in 2002 Richards became more explicit: "Sympathy is quite an uplifting song. It's just a matter of looking the Devil in the face. He's there all the time. I've had very close contact with Lucifer - I've met him several times. Evil - people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn't rear its ugly head. Sympathy for the Devil is just as appropriate now, with 9/11. There it is again, big time. When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil. It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II. And confusion is not the ally of peace and love. You want to think the world is perfect. Everybody gets sucked into that. And as America has found out to its dismay, you can't hide. You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can. Sympathy for the Devil is a song that says, Don't forget him. If you confront him, then he's out of a job."

Preach it Keith - Make of that what you will...

Coldplay>The Scientist

And so we're into week 5 of Lent already. This song brings back a lot of memories from when I first heard it, after buying it on the day A Rush of Blood to the Head (2001) was released. We were new parents, getting no sleep and struggling with how to look after this baby that had invaded our lives. We both commented on the chorus of the song at the time, and that before we had children people told us it wasn't easy in those early days, but blimey we didn't expect it to be as hard as it was!

The other thought I had then about this song is in the verse that says:
'I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart'

I remember relating this to my understanding of God. I've spent so much time thinking about Him, trying to puzzle Him out, analysing and dissecting everything I know or can read about Him. And yet, above it all it's my heart that somehow seems to know best. And yes it's also true - being a follower of Jesus is not easy. In fact it's bloody hard, just as Jesus promised it would be! Fortunately, we can always go back to the start.

PS I like the video, too - although it's a bit grim! And why does he just leave his girlfriend lying there...?

Velvet Underground>I'm Set Free

The Velvet Underground are one of those bands that have a very distinctive sound - even if you've never heard the song before you know it's them almost immediately. Personally I prefer their more mellow songs (although they do some cracking upbeat ones, too) and the album The Velvet Underground (1969) has plenty of them - 'Pale Blue Eyes', 'Jesus' and 'I'm Set Free'.

'I'm Set Free' is a very good song. It's probably about drugs as are so many of The Velvet's songs ('Heroin' in my opinion is the best song about drugs ever written). However, like 'Jesus' there is plenty of spirituality about this song. Who for example is the 'prince of stories'? And there's biblical imagery throughout.

So why did it make my Lent playlist? Well, traditionally Lent is associated with the rigours of fasting and discipline. These things whilst associated with keeping particular rules are endured to bring freedom for the soul. In my own experience freedom rarely comes without a cost. And if we can only perservere through the pain barrier there is a prize worth it all at the end.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Having been tagged by my brother-in-law and most avid reader, I felt it my duty to keep it going so in the true style of Arvo Part I'll 'festina lente'. (Find out more about tagging on his blog: Views From a Coffehouse).

The rules of the tag are:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five other people.

Well the nearest book, sitting on the desk right next to me is '1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die' - now you know where the material for this blog comes from! Page 123 has no writing on it all, but a photo in true 1967 hippy style of The Jimi Hendrix Experience pictured with two topless ladies. It's linked with a review of Jimi's incredible debut album, Are You Experienced? In fact as I look down the track listing there are so many great tracks there: 'Foxy Lady', 'Red House', 'Love or Confusion', 'Fire'. Anyway from the fifth sentence onwards:

'All are slices of rock history that are underminished in their power to excite and transport. The frenetic 'Manic Depression' elevates the depths of despair, as does 'I Don't Live today', both presaging Jimi's comet-like trajectory. Extended tour de force 'Third Stone from the sun' features distorted vocals and pyschedelic jangling.'

And if you want more you're just going to have to get the album yourself but it is a classic and was added to my collection when as a 15 year old I rifled through my Dad's LPs. A taster below...

Now who on earth am I gonna tag?

Bob Dylan>Ballad of a Thin man

Ok, so it's Bob again - but I'm the one who makes the rules here - and he's the only one who can bring the kind of catharsis I need right now. There's something I just have to get off my chest and although I nearly went with 'Idiot Wind' I decided to opt for something a little more cerebral - thus 'Ballad of a Thin Man' (1965, Highway 61 Revisited).

In Scorsese's No Direction Home, you get amazing footage of the violent reaction to Dylan when he goes electric (see clip below) - the boos and jeers at his gigs, the constant probing and inane questions from the press and ultimately the questioning of his motives for simply doing what he does best - which is write and sing songs. Dylan's response is magnificent as he just raises the bar time and again despite the animosity. He ploughs on relentlessly and eventually everyone caught up.

The truth is, his critics in '65 just don't get 'it' - they don't understand what he's singing about, the changing world that he represents and thus the chorus: 'Something is happening here but you don't know what it is, do you Mr Jones.' And yet during this period his records sold faster than ever, his concerts sold out. Why? Because they knew the world was changing and they needed to be part of it - but they couldn't reconcile it with where they were at.

And so for me, this is the point we are at with church and mission today. Something is happening - David Bosch calls it a paradigm shift. Something new is happening - and so many people with influence don't 'get it'. Something new is happening - and for whatever reason I am a part of it - and I refuse to be dragged down by the 'booing' from the sidelines, the questioning of my motives for what I do and the criticisms of the Mr Jones' out there. I'm simply going to take a leaf out of Bob's book - I gonna turn the volume up and continue exactly where I'm heading. And I know when I need it, I always have a live version of a Ballad of a Thin Man to put in the stereo and give me catharsis!

Coldplay>Yellow

I've been avoiding Coldplay since this blog began. Like U2, I felt a bit snobbish towards them - it all seemed too obvious when it comes to songs with a spiritual edge. Still, I love both Coldplay and U2 and enjoy listening to pretty much everything they've written (although X&Y (2005) is ultimately very disappointing compared with the first two albums).

The first time I heard Coldplay was on Virgin Radio whilst driving around South Wales on work duty. As soon as 'Yellow' finished I couldn't wait to find out who wrote it. Within a day of hearing it I bought the album Parachutes (2000). The whole album is pretty good, but 'Yellow' is simply a masterly track. It just sounds like a worship song to me - in parts the lyrics work as song from God to Man, and conversely, it works the other way, too.

Not long after the song had become a hit, I travelled to Frankfurt to a huge gathering of Christians. A speaker there, who was talking about the song, suggested that the colour 'yellow' in the Old Testament represented 'faith'. I've never been able to find any scholarly support for this theory, but it sounds like a good effort. Either way, the song never fails to make me think of Jesus, his sacrifice and the loving Father who sent him.

The Killers>All The Things I Have Done

Of all the bands around at the moment, The Killers stand out from the crowd. This became plainly evident to me whilst watching the otherwise dull Live 8 concert in 2005 (good cause of course, but hijacked from the real Make Poverty Campaign and the music got in the way of the issues as well as being decidely mediocre). I'd never even heard a Killers' song before they took to the stage that day. They sang 'All The Things I Have Done' and I was smitten.

Actually, Hot Fuss (2004) is a great album. The best song, 'All The Things I Have Done' has everything - a catchy riff, enigmatic lyrics, a building thumping vibe and to top it off a gospel choir half-way through. The UK video to accompany the track is apparently shot in Brick Lane just down the road from me, so even more resonance for those of us living in East London.

I particularly like the line 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier'. I'm not sure why. I suppose it's just slightly left-field and in my case not true (in The Salvation Army sense). But the song runs deep - there are many themes there and it can be read as a plea for God's help in the midst of a troubled life. Whatever the writer intends it's a gospel song of sorts - at least that's how I hear it!

Nick Cave>The Mercy Seat

There's no doubt that Nick Cave causes great problems for Christians looking for fellow journeyman in the world of music. On the one hand he promises so much: his lyrics are laden with biblical references and gospel-style songs - many of his songs could comfortably accompany the now obligatory powerpoint presentation mid-service. On the flip side there are few artists who write with such venom and at times such foul-mouthed lyrics. The more conservative Christians tend to write him off as an ally of the enemy. Interestingly, his secular fans are equally troubled by him - they take issue with the religious tones of his music. The more conservative among them suggest his lyrics are simply ironic. Both views are decidedly flawed - neither life nor faith is ever that black and white.

His song 'The Mercy Seat' (Tender Prey, 1988) is a perfect example of the enigma that Nick Cave is. He clearly knows his Bible (he went to church as a child growing up in Australia), and he clearly knows what it is to live the rock 'n' roll lifestyle (drugs and sex also feature heavily in his music). But what a song it is - Johnny Cash did a great cover version (American III, 2000) - and those in The Salvation Army will be interested by the title. Take a look at the lyrics here... The song tells the story of a man about to be executed by the electric chair. The "Mercy Seat" refers both to the throne of God in the heavens, which the man feels he will soon visit, and to the electric chair.

The live versions of this song are far more powerful than the album version and I just love the clip below. For me, there is worship in Nick Cave's music. Worship because it is the real Nick Cave featured throughout, not some kind of pseduo-holy version but the whole Nick Cave, unadulterated, with his dark side and his demons yet to be cast out, but ultimately a man who uses his music to tell God how he feels.

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The Strokes>On the Other Side

When I need a real lift few bands are better to listen to than The Strokes. Almost every track from their first album Is this It? (2001) is a cracker. Most of them I suspect glorify a lifestyle closer to that of Sodom and Gomorrah than John Calvin's Geneva or the Taliban's Kabul but boy do they get your foot tapping!

On my first hearing of The Strokes all I could hear was The Velvet Underground but the New Yorker's third album First Impressions of Earth (2005) moves things on a little. My favourite track has to be 'On the Other Side'. The lilt of the song sounds a bit like a cheesy American 19th century hymn but when it's set to the lyrics it just blows you away. If Jeremiah was to have a favourite song I reckon it'd be this one - the protaganist shares his agony of judging everything and everyone and getting tired of it.

Bruce Springsteen>Thunder Road

Sometimes it's the spirit of a song rather than the lyrics that sets my spiritual pulse racing. The Boss' 'Thunder Road' (1975), from the album Born to Run, is in this mould (not that the lyrics aren't fantastic, because they clearly are). It was my friend Pete who reminded me recently of what a great song this is. There are other songs that have the same effect if I'm in the right mood: Doves 'Pounding' is another good example (and is surely modelled on 'Thunder Road'), and pretty much anything by The Strokes.

Bruce Springsteen has travelled with me for years. I remember being gathered around the record player with my Dad and Brother for a first listen of Tunnel of Love (1987). The brilliant Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) formed the soundtrack to my paper-round in the school holidays. And as for 'Streets of Philadelphia' - can there be a more perfect 3 minute pop song?

'Thunder Road', though, like much of Springsteen's work, just screams out the desire to go somewhere else, to do something more, to break free. This is hope for the ordinary person on the street. The track builds, until Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo just lifts you to a higher plain. This in my opinion would make a great funeral song!