Best Albums of 2014

December 22, 2014 in Music

Nothing like end of the year music lists. Love reading them and making new discoveries and hearing good arguments about what's great. I love the process of relistening to many albums and making a list of my own. I've done this since 2006...

Previous Years -- My Best Albums

2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

I'm leaving minimal comments, but trying to give some hint at what I like. Bottom line for me is that it's really easy to click a link and listen to the samples to see if anything catches your ear. That's often how I discover great albums.

Please let me know in the comments your favorite albums of the year, your top 5, whatever you like!

Album 20-11

20. Swans - To Be Kind | I just LOVE what they do. Deserves recognition.

19. Ty Segall - Manipulator | Rocking retro music. Catchy catchy.

18. Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers | One my favorite songwriters right now.

17. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers | A band that rarely makes a mistake. Masters of the catchy. The best pop music in the world that doesn't make the radio.

16. Phantogram - Voices | Listened to more than most albums on this list because it's just so much stinkin' fun! Dance, dance revolution!

15. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness | Love the creativity behind the angst. An album worth meandering through again and again.

14. Alvvays - Alvvays | A hazy, dreamy daisy. A lot of fun. I put this on a lot. "Marry Me, Archie" is a favorite song this year.

13. Andrew Bird - Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of... | Got so much play late in the year. Might be the most accessible Andrew Bird album out there.

12. Champs - Down Like Gold | Not easy to get, but worth it. Gorgeous harmonies. Thoughtful lyrics.

11. FKA twigs - LP1 | A little over-produced, but a remarkable, powerfully delicate sound. Broke so many of my expectations.

Album 10-6

10. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There | Somber. Rarely fun. But so, so good. Beautifully written & emotionally performed. Sharon's body of work is outstanding, album after album.

9. Spoon - They Want My Soul | I've liked Spoon for some time, but I don't remember an album that called me back over and over. Some of the best indie rock being made.

8. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else | A fantastic album that I had listed lower and it kept saying to me, "I'm better than that." Yes. Yes you are. Punky, rock, and throttled. Turn it up and go.

7. Jack White - Lazaretto | Crank UP the title track. I listened when I first picked it up, stopped for a while, and now I listen to it more than ever. Evidence of a great album is that it won't let you stay away. One of White's best albums.

6. Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear | The remarkable song, "Chandelier," deserved some attention so I gave it some at CaPC. This is way bigger than one song. A remarkable selection of some of the best pop songs of the year by what I think is one of our better minds in the pop music world. She gets the mix of thoughtful lyrics, big hooks, and soaring sounds. The levels of honest are remarkable.

TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2014

5. Caribou - Our Love | The best amalgamation of music I can close my eyes and dive in to on my headphones as well as can serve as background for work or play. Everything Caribou does is gold and this is 24K.

4. Saintseneca - Dark Arc | I gave this one a review at CaPC because it demanded it. Read that review to find out why this is not only an enjoyable album, but redemptive. An album almost no one is talking about and that's a shame.

3. The War on Drugs - Lost In The Dream | This is one of the best reviewed albums of the year. I've seen 10 #1 listings so far. Could easily be higher. I struggle to even describe what this album is. It crosses some of my favorite kinds of music. Can I just ask you to check it out? Ok, thanks.

2. John Fullbright - Songs | This was a late year discovery for me and has had me entranced from the first listen. So. Many. Good. SONGS. Some of the best songwriting I've found. And the dude's like 25. This one can appeal to people who like troubadours, singer-songwriters, baritone, indie, even country, or americana.

1. Delta Spirit - Into the Wide | I expect to put up a more proper review of this album sometime. It's overdue, and this album and this band deserves more attention from the world. To me, this is simply one of the best bands playing. They are outstanding live. They know how to do quiet and thoughtful as well as really loud and thoughtful.

This is one heckuvan album, and it's beloved by members of my family who have very different tastes.

Jonathan Edwards | Advice to Young Converts

January 02, 2013 in Books, Quotes

I have a booklet that includes both Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions as well as his short Advice to Young Converts (see online & Amazon). Most of us think of Resolutions this time of year, but his Advice to Young Converts is a nice, quick read and reminder toward what the aim of our lives as disciples of Jesus should be. Here are a few of my favorite points. He explains his points further in the booklet and has a total of nineteen.

1. I would advise you to keep up as great a strife and earnestness in religion in all aspects of it, as you would do if you knew yourself to be in a state of nature and you were seeking conversion.

2. Don't slack off seeking, striving, and praying for the very same things that we exhort unconverted persons to strive for, and a degree of which you have had in conversion.

3. When you hear sermons, hear them for yourself...

6. Be always greatly humbled by your remaining sin, and never think that you lie low enough for it, but yet don't be at all discouraged or disheartened by it.

7. When you engage in the duty of prayer, come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, or attend any other duty of divine worship, come to Christ as Mary Magdalene did.

13. When you counsel and warn others, do it earnestly, affectionately, and thoroughly.

15. Under special difficulties, or when in great need of or great longings after any particular mercies for your self or others, set apart a day of secret fasting and prayer alone.

18. In all your course, walk with God and follow Christ as a little, poor, helpless child, taking hold of Christ's hand, keeping your eye on the mark of the wounds on his hands and side.

19. Pray much for the church of God and especially that he would carry on his glorious work that he has now begun. Be much in prayer for the ministers of Christ.

Best Albums of 2012

December 27, 2012 in Music

Time for my Best Albums of 2012 list. (Many of these are cheap right now. Many $5. Some even cheaper.) It's my seventh year doing a list like this, and it's a lot of fun for me to think harder about the music I enjoy. I like to make clear that I'm just one audiophile and I can't listen to everything out there. But I hope by offering my list you might discover some new music. Please let me know your favorite album(s) in the comments. Feel free to ask questions, even dispute my picks, but if you want to do so please be gracious.

Some words about this year's list. I've have tons of good albums from this year. There are a number of them that I've listened to and enjoyed and ended up outside my official list. So I'm adding a long list of honorable mentions because there are so many worth checking out. Don't discount them because they are only an honorable! I don't mention anything I don't like.

Also, encourage you to check out Metacritic's list of lists for 2012 music. It's always so helpful in music discovery.

See my Best Albums of2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

SPECIAL MENTION: Tnght: Tnght | Only 5 songs (normal song length), so not officially considered for my list. But it's well worth mentioning. I dig this a lot. Electronic, heavy bass, dark with moments of piercing light. A sonic feast. Thick.

ALBUMS 35-21

35. Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan | It doesn't get much more quirky & creative. This is some of the most unexplainable music in the world, and yet it's beloved by many.

34. Lilacs & Champagne: Lilacs & Champagne | It's a merger of, uh, things, and I like what emerged out of it.

33. American Gospel: Tall Tales Vol 1 | I found this back in May and blogged on it. I was intrigued by the name and then gripped by the music, though I hadn't read anything about the album until I stumbled upon it.

32. Daphni: Jiaolong | Head bopping. Bass thumping. Just go with it and have fun!

31. Pallbearer: Sorrow & Extinction | Slow, meticulous, dark metal. Doom. And wonderfully listenable. Well worth checking out even if metal isn't your genre.

30. Grizzly Bear: Shields | Tons of love for GB this year. Rightfully so. This is a great album. Just not as great as I thought it would be. Still shows up on my list as some of the best music around, but it doesn't demand my attention like several others.

29. Purity Ring: Shrines | A slow, grinding, synth heavy, danceable album. Wonderfully creepy.

28. Fort Atlantic: Fort Atlantic | One of the bands I think will appeal to many, yet I'm afraid it's been heard by too few. They tried to get your attention. It's very simple music for the most part. Folksy and mellow.

27. Fang Island: Major | This is anthemic rock goodness. We need fun albums that just fill our ears with heart-pounding beats and riffs. It can't be all serious all the time, though dreary and dark are components of some of my favorite music out there. With Major Fang Island tells us to crank it up and don't be afraid to fist-bump everyone you see.

26. Tame Impala: Lonerism | Getting tons of praise, and I really like it a lot. It's not anywhere near the best of the year for me, but it's full of wonder from beginning to end. I think I've said before, it sounds like something a young, end-stage-Beatles John Lennon would create, both vocally and musically, would he be alive today.

25. Aaron Embry: Tiny Prayers | Rustic. Folksy. Americana. Harmonica. This kind of music is too rare. Simple and satisfying, yet often surprising with little twists and turns. Try "When All Is Gone."

24. Vespers: The Fourth Wall | Few albums this year have been as enjoyable for the whole family. Listen, and you will be "Better Now." These guys can play and these girls can sing (and play). Decidedly Christian. Musically and vocally on par with the art of our day.

23. Sera Cahoone: Deer Creek Canyon | An alt-country style songstress, channeling the indie rock emotions of my #1 choice but in her own voice and style. An artist who is making great art.

22. The XX: Coexist | Understated. Quietly trippy. Understated. Mellow. Understated. Hushed. Understated. The sound of, uh, silence. Get it? Good.

21. Now, Now: Threads | Gloriously shoegazy. Probably the best trippy album of the year for me, though there are a few some might consider trippy ahead of this one. Very enjoyable.

ALBUMS 20-11

20. Polica: Give You The Ghost | You can't escape the electronic thread that permeates this music and the vocals. Yet, it's compelling and rewarding. If you think auto-tune is only for hack artists who can't sing, Polica put the hand on the other shoe. It works and it's been a good listen for months now.

19. Brandi Carlile: Bear Creek | The most overlooked artist of our time. She's one of the great voices in music today. She's a great songwriter. Add the twins and Brandi's almost in a class of her own. This is music that should be everywhere and is gratifying both in the first listen and twentieth. (I dare you to not love this: "That Wasn't Me")

18. Bhi Bhiman: Bhiman | Haven't heard anything like Bhiman's voice. Few singers voices seem as necessary to the music, as the key instrument. "Guttersnipe" is so welcoming and wonderful, and yet it's sad.

17. J.D. McPherson: Signs & Signifiers | Throwback sound. Throwback style. Throwback fun. I challenge you to enjoy another song as much as "North Side Gal." Tap your foot already! Go ahead. Fill that empty pack of Lucky Strikes with gum and wrap it up in your white tshirt sleeve and grab a gal and head for the dance floor.

16. Mumford & Sons: Babel | Some are haters. Some are snobs. Some hear the same formula as before. I hear you. I felt the same when it came out. After joining the M&S bandwagon a few months before most Americans knew they existed, I prejudged this album as retread tired (get it?). But I kept listening, mostly because my wife couldn't stop listening. What I hear are songs that sound great blasting in our house and singing along. I've listened too many times to not have this in my list somewhere. One of the best songs and videos of the year: "Lover of the Light." M&S lack the genius of the albums before it, and some of the albums after it on this list, but what they do they do better than anyone doing it.

15. Damien Jurado: Maraqopa | From brilliant songwriting to his musical toolbox, this guy makes great music. Never has an album of Jurado's taken me on such an art-driven adventure. It feels aged and wise. One of the great male songwriters on this year's list.

14. Propaganda: Excellent | It's free, so you have no excuse. To support the artist buy it or give to Humble Beast. No song has provoked me as much as "Precious Puritans." But I'm probably not surprising anyone. But the whole album is a joy to listen to and enjoy, to be provoked by.

13. Wickerbird: The Crow Mother | This is far from a perfect recording (quality of recording). It's a little poppy and scratchy. But this lo-fi album is a treasure with its rich, dreamy acoustic songs. Indie lullabies. And it deserves recognition and reward. Beautiful.

12. The Menzingers: On The Impossible Past | A bit Green Day. A bit Titus Andronicus. A bit Flogging Molly. A bit The Hold Steady. A rocking, punky, anthemic, crank it up album. Yelling was never so compelling. And don't let the idea of "yelling" scare you away. Try it. I think you'll like it.

11. Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! | Four songs. Two at around 6:30 long and two at about 20 minutes long. Oh dear. Oh my. It rocks. It growls. It swells. It made a hard push at the end for my top 10 and made it.

TOP 10

Stott

10. Andy Stott: Luxury Problems | Versatile. I can crank it up. I can slow down and be entranced by the layers and layers of sound. I can study to it. Often I can groove to it. An excellent, creative wonder that rewards the listener. And it may even just haunt you.

Woods

9. Woods: Bend Beyond | Elliott Smith-ish, which is to say it's really good. Inviting. Subtle. Melodic. A great mix of songwriting and creative instrumentation. Whenever I've started this album I've been thankful I did and I'm always sorry to turn it out. Can't say that about many albums, including some amazing ones.

Swans

8. Swans: The Seer | Well reviewed, and a wowzer of an album. It's the musical equivalent to grinding an axe and, to trying endlessly to pull deep roots from dry ground while feeling the dirt collect in the sweaty crevases on your skin, to scribbling illegibly with a knife sharpened carpenters pencil onto knotty wood. Stop reading already and get this album!

Lumineers

7. The Lumineers: The Lumineers | Rollicking. Romp. Voice-centered. High highs, mellow lows, endearing middles. Everybody seems to love "Ho Hey," and why don't you? You should. It will win you over. But my heart belongs to "Slow It Down."

Hawley

6. Richard Hawley: Standing at the Sky's Edge | I'm on a Harley cutting through thick fog in slow motion. I'm waking up in a log cabin and think I hear something ominous outside in the dark. I'm pulling apart a knife wound to see how deep it goes. Smooth vocals & heavy sounds. Moody.

Lost trees

5. Lost in the Trees: A Church That Fits Our Needs | Their 2010 album was #19 for me. Written in light of the suicide of his mother, frontman Ari Picker has put together a masterpiece. It's both ear-tingling good as well as thoughtful. It's moody. It's sometimes angelic and sweeping and swooping. Tragic. Hopeful. Considering the subject and substance, this is a gorgeous and rewarding album.

Jwhite

4. Jack White: Blunderbuss | This is the album that I think he cannot match. I don't think anything he will do won't seem like a disappointment. I REALLY hope I'm wrong, and I might be. But to have his body of work and then produce this masterpiece rock album? Wow. Crank it.

Mitchell

3. Anais Mitchell: Young Man In America | A favorite since its release in February, this album holds up as one of the best albums of the year. I even considered it for #1 just in the last week, and feel bad it isn't there. Wonderfully frontierish. It's American americana flavored with America. It's folksy, earthy music. True to its name. Anais' sweetheart of a voice is gorgeous. But she is also motherly, wise, above the story. And it's storytelling richness.

Alt j

2. Alt-J: An Awesome Wave | Winner of the Mercury Prize (best British album), and deservedly so. Quirky, but not unapproachable. Almost surprisingly approachable. An audible spectacle. Creativity run amok and then harnessed (mostly). This was the biggest #1 contender, but just couldn't out Etten. This was difficult to put second.

Etten

1. Sharon Van Etten: Tramp | A brutal but beautiful album. Honest woundedness. Owning mistakes. A diary set to indie rock, harmonic moans of realness. Sonic emotional tension. Soaring sadness. Songwriting excellence. This album isn't easy. But it's great, great, great. If it sounds so sad, why listen? Because it's true.

$5 Albums | December 2012

December 02, 2012 in Music

Another month, another list of $5 albums from Amazon. Some really good ones. Here are my recommendations as well as a link to the rest.

Sera Cahoone: Deer Creek Canyon
Now, Now: Threads
Grimes: Visions
Broken Bells: Broken Bells
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Civil Twilight: Holy Weather
Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope | A truly great album
Bruce Springsteen: The Rising
Mark Eitzel: Don't Be A Stranger
M. Ward: A Wasteland Companion
AC Newman: Shut Down The Streets
The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory
The Strokes: Is This It
Menomena: Moms
Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks
See all 100 $5 albums for December

The Reader Speaks | Best Albums of 2012

November 26, 2012 in Music

Working over the next few weeks on my Best Albums of 2012 list. Here is my list from last year with links to all previous years. Most of my readers don't post lists of their best albums of the year, so I'm wondering what your "Best Of" list would look like. Let us know what you liked in 2012. Put them in order, list them without rank, or just share that *one* that you wish everyone would hear.

Some Lists | Best Albums of 2011

December 05, 2011 in Music

Some year-end lists of the best albums of 2011 are coming out. Some are right up my alley and some challenge, uh, my alley. Best of lists aren't only good to compare your own favorites, but to discover albums you may not have found otherwise. I'm already listening to a couple of albums I would have ignored if not for showing up on a respected list. Check some of these out (several compiled by the excellent Stereogum).

Paste | Top 50
Uncut | Top 50
Mojo | Top 50
Q | Top 50
Stereogum | Top 50
Filter | Top 10
Chicago Tribune | Greg Kot Top 20
Metacritic | 2011 Music Critic Top 10 Lists - a collection of all top lists, and using those rankings to give weight to overall best of 2011 list

T4A | Featured Bloggers - Everything

October 24, 2011 in Conferences, Family, Gospel, Missional, Quotes, Theology

Here's my best shot at creating one post with links to everything from Together for Adoption featured bloggers. Not every blogger wrote on everything or was present for every main session. I expect more posts are still coming with reflections on T4A in the days to come. I know I have some unfinished posts on some talks and a handful of other reflections to share. If you see things I've missed, let me know. FYI: I know other bloggers/twitterers said a lot at T4A, but I'm focusing on the "featured bloggers." If you want to put a link to other helpful posts in the comments from non-featured bloggers, that would be a great addition to the list.

Check out tweets still coming out from #t4aCon attenders and others RTing good quotes. Also go back in the Twitter accounts (listed below) for a ton of great quotes. That may be the best way to get direct quotes, while the posts often contain interaction on the quotes and topics.

BLOGGERS - Name [link to Twitter account] (abbreviation)

MAIN SESSIONS

Darrin Patrick | Session 1 - The Church & Social Justice

AA | JG | SM | Z | LN | DP | JR | BT

Tullian Tchividjian | Session 2 - Surprised by Adoption

AA | SM | Z | LN | DP | JR | BT

Dan Cruver | Session 3 - Adoption & The God Who Cares

MLA | AA | Z | LN | DP | BT

Bryan Loritts | Session 4 - The Church as the Theater of Transracial Adoption

AA | JG | Z | DP | JR

Jeff Vanderstelt | Session 5 - Gospel-Motivation for Missional Living

AA | JG | LN | DP | JR

Tim Chester | Session 6 - Relaxing in Trinitarian Love

AA | DP

PRE-CONFERENCE & BREAKOUTS

A Mom at Rest by Dr. Donna Thoennes || DB | JG | DP
Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story by Tim Chester || AA: Sessions 1, 2, 3 | JR: Sessions 1, 2, 3
Attachment & Family Growth by Mark & Kristen Howerton || JG: Pt 1 | Pt 2
Gospel-Centered Parenting by Tim Chester || DP | BT
Trans-Racial Adoption by Vermon Pierre || DP
Missional Living & Orphan Care by Jason Kovacs || JR
Grief In Infertility || MLA

MISC & POST-CONFERENCE

MLA: "Together for Adoption National Conference" | "Seven Thoughts On Together For Adoption"
AA: "Heart for Adoption: Stephen Miller's Story" | "The Trinity & Adoption: A Quick Chat With Tim Chester" |
DB: "My Plans/His Plans" | "Worship Within The Circle of Bloggers" | "One Minute To Share Their Ministries" | "Seeing Change" | "Book Giveaway To End the Endless Pile" | "Project Hopeful"
SM: "T4A Songs" | "Chicks 4 Orphans"
ZN: "A Heart for Adoption" | "God's Care for Orphans Through the Hatian Church"
DP: "10 x 100=1000 for Orphans" | "A Challenge Now That You Are Home" | "Pre-Conference for Adoptive Mamas"
NP: "Adoption Changes Families" | "Home-Based Orphan Care" | "But What Can I Do?" | "Goodbye & More to Give Away"
JR: "A Heart for Adoption (Video Story)" | Surge Intensive (non T4A event, but it's with Tim Chester)