Stargazing in Winter

New Sufjan Stevens Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:14:00 +0000

I was not one of the fortunate few to score tickets to the Sufjan Stevens show at the 400 Bar tonight. If any readers made it in, I'd love to hear a review.

For the rest of us, Stevens debuted a few new songs at a show in Ithaca recently. Here are some great You Tube videos of three of those songs:

"There's Too Much Love"

"Age of Adz"

"Impossible Souls"

I'm eagerly anticipating a new proper LP from Sufjan. It's been four years since his last one! These and other new songs make me salivate to hear studio recordings of them. Hopefully soon.

No Longer Fly-over Country

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:34:00 +0000

It's an interesting time to be a Minnesota sports fan. The last months have been anything but dull around here. The media usually doesn't have much to say regarding the sports teams of the Twin Cities other than "I wonder whether great player X will end up in New York or Boston next year". Now it seems that Minnesota is spending time in the headlines of each major sport, each for different reasons and with plenty of controversy. Consider:

The Minnesota Twins finally secured permission and land to build a new open air stadium last year. Construction on Target Field has been going on all year as the Twins play their last season in the outdated and boring Metrodome. The season itself feels like a big build up to next year with the squad going up and down all summer. However, Joe Mauer is once again vying for the batting title and the Twins are now poised to make a late run in their division. Will the owners actually spend some of the money they're getting from the new stadium (and tax-payers by proxy) to improve the team for the inaugural outdoor season or will they continue to scrimp and keep as much as they can? Big questions for this year and next are still unanswered.

Speaking of new stadiums, theUniversity of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football team will be played this fall in a brand new, on campus stadium of their own. TCF Bank Stadium replaces the already mentioned Metrodome as the place to see Gopher football. With a classic look and plenty of seats, fans will no doubt flock to it. Of course, controversy is here too as U of M officials decided to outlaw liquor sales within the stadium, prompting many alumni season ticket holders to complain. Plus, the use of state funds to underwrite the construction rubs some the wrong way. In any case, outdoor football is something folks around here have been aching for since Met Stadium was razed.

Though I don't follow the Minnesota Wild very closely, they've also had a crazy year. After a lackluster season last year, the owners fired the GM and Coach Lemaire left for greener pastures. Coupled with Marion Gaborik finally admitting he didn't like playing here, the Wild have drastically changed their look and course. Now with a new staff and new players, they look to make another playoff run to soothe the State of Hockey.

Of course, the Minnesota Timberwolves have had a tough stretch of fortune dating back to the conclusion of their deep playoff run in '03-'04 season: firing a few coaches, trading away Kevin Garnett, watching Garnett promptly win it all with the Boston Celtics, finally axing Kevin McHale etc. It's been one thing after another and something had to be done. The team finally admitted defeat and decide to start fresh with new blood. They hired a new GM named David Kahn who immediately made his presence known by dismissing McHale and trading Mike Miller and Randy Foye for a high draft pick. Kahn then used that pick to draft Spanish presumed-phenom Ricky Rubio, who inexplicably fell to #5 in the draft. Kahn then took another talented point guard with pick #6 (Jonny Flynn), causing every draft analyst to furiously scratch his head. Since then, a flurry of trades has left the team in an almost unrecognizable state and Rubio is still in Spain. Kahn swears he wants both Flynn and Rubio on the roster, but is having trouble working out a deal with Rubio's old team. In the midst of all this roster chaos, Kahn hired long-time Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis as his new head coach. A very splashy choice since Rambis was the presumed heir to Phil Jackson's team. Really, the Wolves have nowhere to go but up, so this will be a very intriguing season. Flynn has looked very good in his summer league play and Rubio is still a question mark, therefore the point guard spot will be a huge talking point this season.

Finally, the Minnesota Vikings have seized headlines by finally luring Brett Favre out of his perennial retirement. After months of speculation, Favre said he was staying retired. Then, once training camp was over, Brad Childress called again and gave Brett one more chance to join him. This time, Favre's magic 8-ball gave him the OK and he signed on the dotted line. The Vikings were already a favorite to make a good run this year, so naturally this development spawned a media circus the likes of which hadn't been seen around here in years. The rivalry between the Vikings and Packers has now reached a previously unknown level. We're now subjected to news stories about what Favre's wife was buying at the Kohl's in Eden Prairie this week.

Beneath the hype is the singular question: can a 40-year-old Brett Favre still succeed in this league? This is what's bother me most. We all watched early last season as Favre gunned his Jets team into a great position to make the playoffs and then gunned them right out again late in the year. His arm basically fell apart was was reconstructed in the off season. My fear is that this is where we're headed again. However, our team this year is more talented than the Jets were last year and the coaching staff appears to have learned from the Jets fiasco by placing Favre on a pitch count to save his arm for the late season. With all the questions that are still unanswered, one thing is certain: the TV ratings for the two Packers/Vikings games will be off the charts. The Twin Cities will become the center of the sports universe. For better or worse remains to be seen.

Baby's First Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:41:00 +0000

It was exciting when I learned that our baby is now able to hear us from inside the womb! Becky and I have been trying to talk more to the baby so that he/she can learn our voices a little before he/she is born. It's also time to start playing some music for the baby! I've been meaning to make a mix CD for the baby to listen to for awhile now. Yesterday I finally got the chance to sit down and do it!

I wanted to give the baby some music that wouldn't be too loud or aggressive sounding. I also wanted the mix to be a journey of sorts for the baby to listen to. I wanted to start with some "waking up" songs to get the baby's attention. Then, progress through the set and finally end with some songs to help the baby fall back to sleep. I wanted the songs to tell the baby how much we love him/her and also how much God loves him/her. I also wanted to highlight some bands that I think are worthy of our baby's attention when he/she gets older - some classics and some smaller bands that Becky and I really like.

So here's the tracklisting for the baby's first mix!

1. Welcome - Waterdeep

2. Wake Up, Baby - Waterdeep

3. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

4. You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder

5. Baptize My Mind - Jon Foreman

6. Go Tell It On the Mountain - Simon & Garfunkel

7. The Friendly Beasts - Sufjan Stevens

8. In My Life - The Beatles

9. Love Song for a Savior - Jars of Clay

10. Northern Sky - Nick Drake

11. Easy Baby - Waterdeep

12. Blackbird - The Beatles

13. Vito's Ordination Song - Sufjan Stevens

14. My Aurora - Rocket Science

15. She Lost Feeling in the Ends of Her Fingers - Linford Detweiler

16. Blue in Green - Miles Davis

17. Samskeyti - Sigur Ros

18. The World Out My Window - Aristotle's Lantern

Hopefully the baby will enjoy this hour long mix before and after birth. I'm sure I'll be crafting a few more too. Baby's got to learn what good music sounds like!

More Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:42:00 +0000

I've added a number of new photographs to my Photos of the Moment album and thought I'd embed a new slideshow to feature them more prominently.

You can view this and other albums on my Picasa web-album by clicking the link in the sidebar.

The Life and Legacy of Nick Drake

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:29:00 +0000

I was standing in line at the AMC Rosedale theater last week waiting to see the new Pixar film "Up" when I heard something shocking over the PA system. AMC's lobby soundtrack was advertising a brand new band and billing them as "being compared to singer-songwriter Nick Drake". As the nothing-like-Nick-Drake, Xeroxed acoustic emo band played their song I thought about this: Nick Drake was just name dropped over the lobby PA system of a 14 screen movie theater in 2009. I felt like this was the perfect time to give a little history on one of my favorite musicians of all time and why my experience was so surreal. Who was Nick Drake?

Nick Drake was born in 1948. His parents were living in Burma at the time for his father's job. In 1952, the family moved back to England and settled in a village called Tanworth-in-Arden and a house called Far Leys. I love how things in England are named. As a youth, Nick was a great student, an accomplished athlete and a staple of his school's choir. Both Nick's mother and sister were musical as well and early recordings exist of the family playing music together. In his late teens, Nick began to develop a love of music - learning the clarinet, saxophone and piano. Soon a friend taught him some guitar chords and his fascination with the instrument was kindled. His friends remember him and a joyful person, though shy and introverted.

After school, Nick took a year off and traveled with his friends around Europe. It was during this time that he began writing songs and devising his own guitar techniques. It was also during this time that he began to smoke marijuana. This was 1966 and marijuana was a huge part of the youth culture at that time, however this habit became something that Nick struggled with the rest of his life.

Nick enrolled at Cambridge in 1967 to study English. He was now writing many songs and playing them for his friends and at folk gatherings. It was at one of these gatherings in 1968 that a member of the folk powerhouse "Fairport Convention" heard him play and asked Nick if he could get him in touch with a record executive. Nick accepted the invitation and was soon signed to a deal with Island Records.

Nick set to work crafting his first album while studying at Cambridge in late 1968. By July, he was ready to head into the studio to record it. Joe Boyd, the producer, envisioned Nick's songs backed by a 15 piece studio orchestra, but Nick didn't like how they sounded. He asked if one of his Cambridge friends could arrange the backing instruments instead. Though Nick was a shy and soft-spoken person, he had a clear vision for what he wanted his songs to sound like on tape. This perfectionism and scheduling conflicts caused the sessions to last almost a full year. Finally, Five Leaves Left was released in September of 1969. The album garnered a number of good reviews, but did not sell very well.

Island Records encouraged Nick to get out and play some live shows and sell his music, but Nick's personality and artistry were not suited for the stage. There are accounts of Nick playing at coffee houses and not completing his set because people were talking instead of listening. Nick simply was not comfortable performing his songs in front of people. Unfortunately, this made it difficult to build a fan base to buy his records.

Nick's style of guitar playing was and is totally unique. He started out playing blues standards and progressed into intricate finger picking and alternate tunings, devising cluster chords of the guitar to create impressionistic arrangements. Nick's vocals are also instantly recognizable. His hushed tones evoke misty spring mornings or crisp autumn afternoons. He also often breaks from typical vocal convention by drawing out consonant notes instead of vowel notes. "River Mannnn" instead of "River Maaaaan". While these things may seem trite, they were very unique in Drake's day. Plus, Nick constructed these hallmarks solely on his own without instruction. Nick was truly a musical prodigy.

In late 1969, Nick dropped out of Cambridge to pursue his music full time. He moved to London and kicked around while writing songs for his second album. He went back into the studio in early 1970 and began laying down what would become Bryter Layter. The sessions went slowly again and the album wasn't released until November of 1970. Nick's producer was present for the sessions and encouraged Nick that this would be the album that really sold well and brought him recognition and praise. However, upon release, the album again sold poorly in spite of a large number of good reviews. Nick told his producer that he wanted his next album to be just him and his guitar, nothing else.

At this point in his life, Nick began to settle into a deep depression. He stopped playing gigs completely and moved back to his parents' house in Tanworth-in-Arden. His friends and family noticed that his shyness and introversion had become something much darker and arranged for Nick to see a psychiatrist. Nick was prescribed anti-depressants, but they seemed to have only minimal effects. He remained at his parents home for a year. His parents would later say that he would stay up all night played guitar and singing in his room and then sleep most of the next day.

After a year, an executive at Island Records lent Nick his villa in Spain in an attempt to help him overcome his depression (though the company did not want or expect another album from Nick). Nick stayed there for a time and appeared somewhat rejuvenated upon his return. He informed his producer that he was ready to record his third album.

He arrived at the studio in October of 1971 late a night and began recording. When he was finished, the producer asked what Nick would like to keep from the session. Nick said "All of it." He came back the next night for another session and declared that the album was complete. With only one overdub and two nights of recording, Pink Moon is a huge departure from Nick's first two albums. Later that week, Nick arrived at the Island Records offices with the master tapes in hand. He sat in the press officer's office in silence for about 30 minutes before muttering that he should be going. He dropped the tapes off at the receptionist's desk and left. Pink Moon sold fewer copies than either of his first two records, but again gained some positive reviews.

Nick again retreated to Tanworth-in-Arden and considered his next move. He was evidently convinced that he would gain no success as a musician and began considering other careers. Depression weighed heavily on his shoulders, however, and the anti-depressants were a continual part of his life. He would borrow his parents' car, drive until he ran out of gas and then call home for a ride. He would visit friends, but hardly say a word and then leave again. He went through periods of neglecting hygiene and his friends would note his change in appearance. In 1972, Nick was checked into the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. It was becoming clear that Nick's depression and mental illness were spiraling out of control.

In February of 1974, Nick seemed to be experiencing a period of diminished symptoms. He contacted Island Records and stated that he was ready to record a fourth album. The ensuing recording sessions were difficult. Producer John Wood was quoted as saying that Nick's new songs were angry and bitter. Nick's appearance and demeanor had changed and he could not play guitar and sing at the same time anymore. Nick also told the producers that they had told him he was talented, but he wasn't because he had nothing to show for it. Four tracks were laid down in a one day session and Nick's spirits seemed to rise after that. These four tracks were the last that Nick ever recorded.

In November of 1974 Nick was still living at Far Leys with his family. It was the morning of November 25th that his mother decided to check on him in his room. She entered to find his body sprawled over his bed. Nick had overdosed on his anti-depressant medication and died in the night. There was no suicide note and it is still unknown if his death was accidental or deliberate. His family maintains that the fall of 1974 had been a time of relief for Nick and that he seemed happier than he had in the last three years. They maintain that his death was accidental. Accidental or not, Nick was obviously a very tortured person in his later years. He was buried in a cemetery in Tanworth-in-Arden. His tombstone bears a lyric from the closing track of Pink Moon: Now we rise / And we are everywhere.

Ironically, his music began to find a much larger audience in the 1980's. Popular musicians began citing Nick's music as their inspiration and a demand for his music grew. Island Records released a collection of non-album recordings and realized that an improbable fanbase was springing up around Nick Drake. In 1999, British paper The Guardian named Bryter Layter the #1 Alternative album ever! And in 2000, Nick Drake's music was heard by more people than ever when "Pink Moon" was featured in a Volkswagon commercial. Soon, more compilation albums were being released and Nick's music was being heard in more films and soundtracks. The recognition and acclaim that Nick never saw in life was everywhere thanks to word of mouth and the power of the Internet.

It's a tragedy that a talent a great as Nick Drake's was never fully appreciated, that a life of promise was crushed by depression and mental illness. Drake's mother was quoted as saying that Nick was "born with a skin too few", meaning he was an incredibly sensitive person and found it difficult to function in a harsh world. I've often wondered if Nick would have had a longer artistic career had he been born 30-40 years later. With modern musical technology, anyone can record an album in their bedroom, distribute it online and gain a large audience and acclaim. But the fact remains, Nick's depression was deeper than simple lack of fame. Nick had a troubled soul and found no relief in this life. What he really needed was something to heal that troubled soul, he needed to find Christ. Sadly, it seems that did not happen. Even so, Nick left us many beautiful songs that depict the joys and struggles of living this temporary life. From the brightness of "Northern Sky" to the contemplation of "River Man" to the darkness of "Pink Moon", Nick drew an arc through his music and his life that may look eerily familiar to many listeners. And that is why his artistry is now gaining the delayed admiration it enjoys today. There was and still is no one like Nick Drake.

UPDATE: I was surprised and flattered today to find that Joe Boyd (one of Nick's producers) had left a comment here. I thought I'd add it to the post as he provides some sharper focus to the story and some personal insight. Thanks for your comment, Mr. Boyd!

It's always good to read about people appreciating Nick Drake's music and recordings. The timeline is mostly accurate, but there are a few errors/omissions. As the producer who signed him to Island Records, I shared Nick's vision of recording with strings and arrangements. Nick didn't mention Robert Kirby, his friend at Cambridge, until after we had recorded one session, which we both agreed was not good enough. I immediately agreed to work with Robert Kirby when Nick suggested him.

Nick and I agreed he would tour after the release of the first album - Island Records did not interfere much in Nick's affairs.

Pink Moon was recorded immediately after the release of Bryter Later. Island Records was not informed or consulted. I had moved to the US, so Nick contacted engineer John Wood, and he produced Pink Moon. The period in Spain came after Pink Moon.

The "last sessions" grew out of a meeting I had with Nick in early 1974. He was in bad shape and I felt recording might be a good kind of therapy.

Joe Boyd

Concert Review - Flight of the Conchords

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:14:00 +0000

My wife and I have been fans of New Zealand folk-parody band Flight of the Conchords since season one of their HBO series. When they announced a show at the Orpheum Theater last year, I tried valiantly to purchase tickets online right when sales opened. Unfortunately, the show sold out in a matter of minutes and I was left out in the cold. This time around, I was more fortunate (thanks to a band pre-sale). I was able to purchase a pair of tickets and surprise my wife with them on Valetine’s Day. As we watched the second (and final) season of their show wrap up, our excitement levels for the show kept climbing. Last Sunday, the day had finally arrived.

This time around the band booked Northrop Auditorium on the U of M campus instead of the Orpheum (though it might have had something to do with the fact that Leonard Cohen was playing there that night). We arrived early enough to park and scurry through the campus tunnels to the auditorium. After the obligatory stop at the merch table, we found our seats and settled in. The first thing I noticed about the stage was two large screens on either side. I also noted large manned cameras flanking the seating area. Since a large part of the Conchords’ appeal are their facial expressions and characterization, I was happy to know that we’d be able to easily see them from anywhere in the auditorium.

As we chatted and people-watched, waiting for 7:30pm to arrive, we were suddenly treated to a very loud alarm sound reminiscent of a car alarm. Like most people, we were not sure if this was a fire alarm or part of the show. Soon police officers entered and began examining the stage area with flashlights. People from the front began filing out and we knew that it was indeed an alarm. However, the ushers were still seating people and no one seemed to think it was a real fire. The alarm was soon silenced, only to start up again and repeat the on/off pattern for about 20 minutes. Finally, the alarm was fixed and the show began.

The performance began with the stand up observational comedy of Eugene Mirman, who actually plays a small recurring role on the HBO series. He opened by informing us that the alarm was a false one and thanking us for staying and not burning to death. His routine was actually quite hilarious (with the exception of his take on religion) and the audience was very much on board with his dry humor. But really, anything other than a loud alarm would have been universally praised.

Finally, Eugene introduced the main event and the lights went down. When they came back up, the stage was occupied by two men in cardboard robot costumes. Instead of opening the set with the expected “The Humans Are Dead”, they chose instead the 2nd season hit “Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor”. From there Bret Clement and Jemaine McKenzie free-wheeled through a good mix of familiar favorites and newer songs. In between, they engaged in straight faced absurd banter and traded barbs with the talkative audience. Bret complained that an unnamed band member had been 15 minutes late for practice earlier that week, though he himself was also late that day. And actually they had walked to practice together.

While the dry wit that both Bret and Jemaine exude is amazingly funny, I was also repeatedly impressed with their musicianship. On TV you can never be sure if what you see is real, but these two have some serious chops. From guitars to synths to drum kits, Bret and Jemaine were in top form. They were joined on most songs by a friend from New Zealand named Nigel on the cello, who helped give their tunes some bass. I was particularly happy to hear them perform the song “Carol Brown”, a tune in which Jemaine recounts the circumstances under which all his ex-girlfriends left him. And of course, ending the main set with a cello-only rendition of “Sugalumps” was absolutely inspired. Bret and Jemaine let Nigel carry the tune musically while they preened and posed at the front of the stage, to the delight (and discomfort?) of those in the front rows. I’ve never seen so many camera phones aimed a one man’s crotch before (and I hope I never do again). When the band exited the stage to a standing ovation (punctuated by a communal “whooop” imitating the hated fire alarm), it was clear that an encore was in play. Sure enough, the band returned clad in skimpy, outrageous glam-rock attire for the song “Demon Woman”.

As we filed out, I thought about how this band doesn’t need an absurdly funny HBO series to stay in the spotlight. Their dry charisma, whip-smart song writing and genuine musical talent should keep their star rising and shining for a long time. And if it doesn’t, they could always go back to shepherding.

Setlist:
1. "Too Many Dicks On The Dance Floor"
2. "Hurt Feelings"
3. "The Ballad of Stana"
4. "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
5. "Jenny"
6. "Business Time"
7. "Mutha’uckas"
8. "Crying"
9. "Bus Driver's Song"
10. "Think About It"
11. "Carol Brown"
12. "Albi The Racist Dragon"
13. "We’re Both In Love With A Sexy Lady"
14. "Sugalumps"
15. "Demon Woman"

I've been listening to a lot of new m...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:29:00 +0000

I've been listening to a lot of new music lately and there is a lot of good stuff out there right now. I thought I'd give a quick rundown of some of my new favorites.

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Natasha Khan's trippy, ethereal poetry takes another step forward on her sophomore album. The song "Daniel" has been getting a lot of attention, and it's well-deserved.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South

Conor's extended break from his Bright Eyes persona continues, but with much better results than his last outing. This disc features better songs and more of a band feel that was missing from his last. Great driving music.

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing

I haven't really liked this band up until now. This album is a drastic stylistic departure for them, turning to a more hard-edged sound. I absolutely LOVE the song "I've Got Friends" that's been playing a lot on The Current lately.

Metric - Fantasies

Metric has been around for awhile, but I've been late the party. This new disc is a fun synth-pop romp that pulls you in quickly. The opener, "Help, I'm Alive", is impossible to ignore.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

More stylistic change. The YYYs have always been known for their punky guitar riffs and the unmistakable vocals of Karen O. This album finds them relying more on dance beats and synth washes. It actually fits them really well, making this disc a fun listen.

St. Vincent - Actor

Annie Clark's last album was delightful in its experimentation. Her 2nd collection of songs picks up where she last left off, but with an air of even more confidence. Her talent is fast becoming undeniable.

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Comparisons to the Smashing Pumpkins will not die, but this band has a talent all their own. This disc hasn't grabbed me quite like their first one did, but their style is on full display in this strong release.

What albums have captured your attention so far this year?

New Music

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:08:00 +0000

This Tuesday, I highly recommend you pick up this album (or get it here on iTunes right now):

You won't be disappointed. Early contender of album of the year.

Light Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Last week I read decided to use my digital camera do try my hand at light painting. Light painting involves opening the camera's shutter for an extended period of time and using various lights to "paint" on the exposure. In order to do this, you must have a very dark room to shoot in and a tripod to keep the camera still to capture the light. I thought it would be tricky, but it turned out to be really easy and really fun! Becky even joined in for some shots. If you have a camera that allows you to manipulate the shutter speed (in my case, my camera has a "night sky" mode and I can use that to set the shutter speed for up to 60 seconds), I suggest you give light painting a try!

Here's a sampling of some of our paintings:

Don Miller on Apple Ads and the Sinful Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Don Miller wrote a great little post about how advertising affects people by playing on their insecurities. I highly recommend you check it out!

Don Miller's Blog

Overlooked Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:19:00 +0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been the hottest team in the NBA since January 1st. They have reeled off a 10-3 record and beaten top-tier teams such as Phoenix and New Orleans. Kevin McHale is winning back a portion of his reputation through consistent rotation and solid play-calling. The Wolves seem poised to make a run at a playoff spot. So in light of all of this, why does the league seem intent on overlooking this team for All-Star Weekend??

Kevin Love

A big reason that the Wolves have had a good run in '09 is the play of rookie Kevin Love. Love has turned into a beast of a rebounder. In fact, when he's on the floor, he gets 21.3 of the rebounds. That's good enough for 2nd on the all time rookie list - evidence here. He been turning into a sneaky good scorer too - putting up a number of double doubles in the last month. Yet, the assistant coaches of the NBA decided not to include him in the Rookie/Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend! Love is understandably upset over his exclusion , but hopefully he can use the snub as motivation to shine the rest of the season and push the team into playoff contention.

Al Jefferson

The cornerstone of this Wolves team is Forward/Center Al Jefferson. This season, Jefferson is averaging 22.7 points/game and 10.5 rebounds/game. Only 11 players are averaging a double double at this point. Jefferson scored 39 points earlier this week in an overtime win over the Bulls. This week also brought the news that he had been snubbed for inclusion in the NBA All-Star game. The starters for the game are voted on by fans and Jefferson didn't make the cut. The reserves are voted on by the coaches, who should have been aware of the huge season Al is having. Many have pointed out that team success plays a role in whether a player makes it to the All-Star team and that's why Al missed out. But how can those people not be aware of the 10-3 record the Wolves have jumped to in 2009?? This team is on a serious upswing and Jefferson is the backbone of the effort. He deserves to be in the game over David West of New Orleans and probably over Shaq (who skips the second game of back-to-backs now!).

The next couple months will be exciting ones for the Wolves. I'll be at the Target Center tonight to cheer on the Wolves as the battle the Lakers. I'm looking for Love and Jefferson (along with a resurgent Randy Foye) to take out their All-Star frustration on Kobe and the Lakers. This could be a big statement win tonight.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:55:00 +0000

I came across some amazing pictures of the inauguration last week on this site. The one below is probably my favorite.

Four Chord Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:51:00 +0000

This video is pretty great!

Top 25 Albums of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:00:00 +0000

It has become a tradition for music-lovers and bloggers to compile a list of their favorite albums of the year. Last year, I foolishly devoted way too much time to a list of my top 50 albums. I decided this year to limit myself to 25, making the task much less burdensome and much more enjoyable. So here they are, my top albums of 2008!

25. My Brightest Diamond - A Thousand Shark's Teeth
Shara Worden actually recorded this album concurrently with her debut "Bring Me the Workhorse". This set of songs is decidedly more subtle and melancholy. A string quartet provides the backdrop for Shara's guitar flourishes while the focal point is Shara's incredible, operatic voice. I hope we see lots more from Ms. Worden in the future.

Key Tracks: To Pluto's Moon, The Brightest Diamond

24. Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia
Icelandic neo-classical composer Johann Johannsson has captured my attention with each of his albums. His newest release is meant to examine the story behind Fordlandia, a parcel of land in Brazil that Henry Ford bought in the 1920's to produce rubber for his cars. The music is as fascinating as the story it is based upon.

Key Tracks: the album as a whole

23. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant EP
Not many bands can boast a debut album that was met with as much universal praise as Fleet Foxes (except maybe a couple that are higher on this list). From the opening strains of "White Winter Hymnal", listeners realize that this band has some real talent. Harmonies like these are a rare find in the world of indie music. The band seems to effortlessly amble through their songs with genuine enjoyment. Folk music this good should be universally praised.

Key Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Heard Them Stirring

22. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
When will Elbow find the audience it deserves?! This UK band has been cranking out phenomenal albums every couple years since 2001 and has been snatching up awards along the way. Still, it seems that no one has heard of them here in the US. This album showcases their sprawling sound and knack for lyrical wit. Listen to "Grounds for Divorce" and you'll understand why people need to start paying attention.

Key Tracks: Grounds for Divorce, The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver

21. Bloc Party - Intimacy
Bloc Party rush-released this album after the demos leaked to the internet. This album finds the band infusing their trademark punk-ish sound with electronica and club beats. The result is quite good and this album has been a great one for driving home from a long day at work.

Key Tracks: Mercury, Ion Square

20. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Don't let the cover art fool you, this album is actually quite good. MMJ is a veteran band by now and you just get the feeling that they are building to something monumental. This album shows some signs, but probably isn't their "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". They are obviously a band that is willing to try anything and they don't care about critics (how else do you explain "Highly Suspicious"?). While the album doesn't feel as cohesive as their previous ones, they sure have raised the stakes and left us to wonder "What's next?"

Key Tracks: Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2, I'm Amazed

19. Lykke Li - Youth Novels
This is an album that totally came out of nowhere for me. Lykke is 22 years old and already putting together some great electro-pop music. She hails from the still-hot Swedish music scene, but she's got a sound all her own. Part soul, part club, her songs bounce along and listeners will find it hard to stop tapping their feet.

Key Tracks: I'm Good. I'm Gone., Dance, Dance, Dance.

18. The Fireman - Electric Arguments
The Fireman ceased to be anonymous this year. With this, their third release, the experimental duo acknowledged the identities many had already discovered: they are Paul McCartney and producer Youth. This revelation pushed this album onto the UK charts and showed the world McCartney's secret love of electronic music. The album sounds a little like a David Bowie record, sort of crazy. But Paul's voice and his song-writing are unmistakable. Is this what the Beatles would be doing today if they'd survived?

Key Tracks: Sing the Changes, Is This Love?

17. Beck - Modern Guilt
Which Beck is your favorite? This album is produced by Danger Mouse and features a Beck who is more songwriter than free-form beat singer. He's still having a lot of fun with his material, but he's noticeably subdued when compared to his last album. Personally, I prefer this more deliberate style over his other noodlings. He strikes a balance between Sea Change and Guero/The Information. And a perfect one.

Key Tracks: Chemtrails, Walls

16. The Welcome Wagon - Welcome to the Welcome Wagon
Another debut album makes the list! The Welcome Wagon are Vito and Monique Aiuto. Vito is a church-planter and a pastor who happens to be good friends with Sufjan Stevens. The couple having collaborated with Sufjan in the past on his Christmas EP series, but now the song-writing duties are theirs alone. Sufjan produced the album and helped with the arrangements and his influence is all over this disc. What's really great, though, is the songs themselves. They are all about Jesus and what he means to the Aiutos. It's beautiful.

Key Tracks: He Never Said a Mumblin' Word, But For You Who Fear My Name

15. Waterdeep - Pink & Blue
New music from my favorite Christian band of all time! This is actually a double EP set from Don and Lori Chaffer (one for each of them), who assembled a group of friends and family to help put these songs together. They refer to this as a party album and that's what it is! The songs are big and fun and the album comes complete with an activity book to work on while you listen. Waterdeep has been somewhat dormant for some time, so any new music is cause for a party!

Key Tracks: Accidents Happen, I Rolled Into New Year's Eve

14. Portishead - Third
Not heard from since 1999, Portishead quietly re-entered the music scene this year with a new album. It was worth the wait. Their first two LPs have gained a cult following and inspired many indie bands to attempt to replicate their trippy sound. Leave it to the original artists to present perfection. This album features a band still on top of its game and showing no signs of rust. Hopefully we won't have to wait ten years for a fourth helping.

Key Tracks: Silence, The Rip

13. Jon Foreman - The Seasons EPs
As the lead singer for Switchfoot, Jon Foreman has gained quite the following. In the midst of all his pop success, Jon decided to record a series of EPs featuring songs that don't fall into the Switchfoot sound. What he released was four EPs themed after the four seasons. Each disc has its own unique feel and style, the common thread being Jon's voice and distinct songwriting. The songs are also more overtly spiritual than Switchfoot's recent output. Good, good stuff.

Key Tracks: White as Snow, Baptize My Mind

12. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
I remember when I first heard these guys last year. I had discovered their show on HBO and become a huge fan. Soon they were YouTube sensations and selling out shows at the Orpheum Theater in an hour. This is their first proper LP and features songs that were part of the TV show. The bands strength is in their dry humor and real musical talent. Their star looks like it's still rising too - the second season of their show debuts next month. Which means new music and new fans. Go Kiwis!

Key Tracks: Ladies of the World, Business Time

11. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Death Cab's musical strength is in painting a musical picture of a moment in time. Their best songs are the ones that transport the listener into the moment and cause him/her to feel what Ben Gibbard felt. Ben's creative songwriting makes that possible. This album has a measure of darkness to it, just like Plans before it. However, it also has some weak turns of phrase that don't measure up ("You can do better than me | but I can't do better than you"). I just don't think they can match the greatness of Transatlanticism. But they probably don't need to.

Key Tracks: Long Division, Cath...

10. Anathallo - Canopy Glow
This year, Anathallo had the daunting task of trying to record a follow-up to a truly great album (2006's "Floating World"). They did the smart thing and didn't attempt to recreate their previous album, opting instead to take a slightly different course. These songs are more compact and more traditionally structured. The instrumentation is still elaborate and the lyrics evocative. I do miss their more experimental side though.

Key Tracks: Northern Lights, Noni's Field

9. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend put a face on the blog-band phenomenon. Before they had even recorded their debut, they were heralded as the best new band. However, they got so popular so fast that the backlash was equally quick. Before their album was out, they had been built up and torn down again. Beneath the hype, however, was a fresh and fun sound. I saw these guys lives and I worry that they won't be able to sustain their popularity past this album. But hey, it was fun while it lasted!

Key Tracks: M79, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

8. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
It's been three years since M83 released a proper LP. In that period, the band underwent some lineup changes and is now essentially a solo project of Anthony Gonzalez. The immense electronic sounds that he (and his collaborators) produce are often overwhelming. He is heavily influenced by the shoe-gazing bands of the 80's and swirls his guitars and synths over his heavily reverbed vocals. The result is beautiful and often dance-able. I gave this album some serious rotation this year.

Key Tracks: Kim & Jessie, Midnight Souls Still Remain

7. Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow
In 2007, Hammock gave a live performance of new music to open an art exhibit by Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson (lead singer of Sigur Ros) and Alex Somers. The performance was so well received that the band decided to record the piece live in studio, giving it an intimate feel. As the band says, "There are no intrusions. No beats. No lyrics. Nothing to break the spell or jar the listener out of the moment." The ambient music is lovely and perfect for reading or meditating. This CD rarely leaves its position next to my bed.

Key Tracks: the album as a whole.

6. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
TVotR really upped their game this year. Dear Science is light years ahead of their last album and has cemented the band as one of the best bands out there. Everything about this album is big: big ideas, big arrangements, big tracklist. The album is put together like a vinyl LP - side A ends with the gentle Family Tree and side B muscles in with protest song Red Dress. The album is bursting with diversity and you're never quite sure where it will take you next. One thing's for sure though, it's a great ride.

Key Tracks: Family Tree, Halfway Home

5. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
I remember hearing this band's first EP back in 2007 and thinking they had a lot of talent, but not a lot of money. The production values where poor and the EP suffered for it. The sound that RRR is going for demands good production or a live concert experience. This disc captures the instrumentation perfectly. The strings are mixed well and the band's energetic stage style translates well. I also saw this band live this year and was really impressed by them. With the press they are getting with this album, we should be hearing more from them in the future.

Key Tracks: Ghost Under Rocks, Dying is Fine

4. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All of His Friends
I found "X & Y" to be a huge letdown. Coldplay had distilled their sound down into a formulaic mess and added synths to cover their tracks. On this album, they did what they had to: they went big and scored big. The main difference on this album is probably the production talent of Brian Eno. From the first track, he imposes his will on the sound and pushes Coldplay to be something more. This album is huge, the soundscapes are epic. They even have a song with no piano or guitars - just drums and strings. Sure, Chris Martin's lyrics seem to be trite at times, but that's really the only complaint to be made. Plus, they went a little conceptual on us by beginning the album with "Life in Technicolor" and ending it with "Death and All His Friends", which I think is cool.

Key Tracks: Lovers in Japan, Viva la Vida

3. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornados)
It's so cool that we have a local band that is not only gaining fame worldwide, but deserving of it too! Cloud Cult just keeps churning out great records and performing amazing concerts. Band leader Craig Minowa is the glue that keeps everything together. He provides the vision for the collective to rally around. On this album, they just keep rolling with their signature brand of electro-infused indie rock. There have been rumblings that this will be the last Cloud Cult album, but Minowa has yet to definitively comment on that. If that turns out to be true, then I can't think of a better way to end the journey than with closing tracks "I Love You All". But I really hope they soldier on.

Key Tracks: No One Said It Would Be Easy, I Love You All

2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Though it was released independently in 2007, this album gained a real audience when it was given a label release in February. Soon, Justin Vernon's angst-ridden songs were tugging the heart-strings of music fans all over the place. The strange journey from a secluded cabin in Wisconsin to the top ten lists of music critics has not compromised the appeal of the music itself. Each listen to this album reveals more intricacies. Vernon has crafted a sound all his own and is now saddled with the unenviable task of following it up with more. But I get the feeling this album will become a cult classic either way.

Key Tracks: Skinny Love, The Wolves (Act I and II)

1. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Sigur Rós has been busy these last couple of years. They did a world tour, they filmed a music/documentary film about Iceland and their free countryside concert tour, they recorded a double EP of acoustic and rare tracks and they recorded this album. It's clear that after all the busyness and intensity they have endured, they wanted to cut loose a little bit on this LP and surprise their audience. Right out of the gate, they shatter expectations with the song Gobbledigook - which sounds like an Animal Collective/hippie song. Track two continues the carefree joy of the album before they settle in for more subdued and orchestral fare (including a song featuring a full orchestra and choir that was recorded live in one take!). They even close the album with a song sung in English! All in all, this is an amazing album. One that I have listened to more than any other this year.

Key Tracks: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur, Ára bátur

So there you have it! My top 25. There were a number of albums that I hated to leave off, so maybe that's a post for another day. Another great year for music! See you next year!

Cosmic Fingerprints

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:55:00 +0000

When I was in college, I heard that astrophysicists were re-thinking the Big Bang Theory a little bit. Specifically, they were looking at the instant right before the "bang" itself - when all matter was compressed into a tiny pinpoint. As they were considering it, they came to believe that the pinpoint was so dense and compact that it technically had no mass at all. In essence, it was nothing at all. This idea clearly alligns with the Bibilcal model of creation which states that there was nothing and then God spoke and the universe came into being. It was thrilling to hear that scientists had come to a conclusion that coincided with Biblical narrative.

Now today, I read this little nugget in Gregg Easterbrook's column for ESPN's Page 2 section:

Another Cosmic Thought: If the Big Bang theory is right, when the universe formed there was matter and radiation and heat, but no stars. How much time passed until the first stars came into existence is a puzzle about which we can only speculate. Recently, Naoki Yoshida of Nagoya University in Japan and Dr. Lars Hernquist of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts published elaborate computer simulations of what the first stars might have been like. They speculate that the first stars were far larger than the sun, perhaps 100 times its mass, and burned so powerfully they exploded in about a million years. One reason there is life on Earth is that our star is a kind that does not burn violently, has existed for perhaps 5 billion years and should continue to burn at about its current power for hundreds of millions of years to come.

As stars burn, they fuse light elements into heavy ones and then, exploding, hurl into the galaxies the dense materials that forms planets and living things. Researchers have tended to presume that the incipient universe contained only the light elements hydrogen, helium and lithium, and that a very long period passed before the first supernovae made dense material. Now Yoshida and Hernquist speculate that the early large, violent stars coalesced, burned and exploded much more rapidly than previously assumed, beginning to fill the cosmos with the materials of life an unfathomable length of time ago -- almost from the moment of creation. Stars formed from the moment of creation on; and stars are still forming, right near us. From far in the past and forward to this day, the universe behaves as though it wants to host life.

Evidence is now leading astrophysicists to theorize that stars formed and burned much more rapidly than was once thought. And how about that last sentence?

"From far in the past and forward to this day, the universe behaves as though it wants to host life."

How profound is that statement? It's amazing how God's handiwork is continually revealing itself to us in new ways that point us back to the Creator himself!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Check back next week for the annual list of my top albums of the year!

Support a Great Cause and Get GREAT Music!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:21:00 +0000

Music blog Hard to Find a Friend has done it again. They've put together a Christmas album featuring exclusive tracks from some great artists (including SiW favorites Anathallo and The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers!). 22 tracks are yours for $7.50 with all proceeds going to The Children of Uganda Fund. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than by donating some money to a good cause and listening to some indie Christmas tunes? Check it out!

Peace on Earth: A Charity Holiday Album Volume II

Sci-Fi Mashup

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:36:00 +0000

This is incredibly well done.

Welcome to this dusty land...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:16:00 +0000

A number of families very close to ours are having babies! The Burlingames' boy made his debut yesterday and the Dev's are due any minute now. Plus, there are half a dozen more babies on their way to our little church nursery in the next few months!

With that in mind, I wanted to share this great little song by Lori Chaffer (of Waterdeep). It's called Welcome.

Lori Chaffer - Welcome

Welcome

by Lori Chaffer

welcome to this dusty land
where you will cry lots but we'll all understand
things may not turn out sometimes like you plan
that's alright our little man

welcome outside of your mother's womb
i know that it's frightening
but now there's more room
just think of all the great things you'll do
just by you being you

i don't care what the world
says about all this struggling
all i know is that now you're here
it's all lovely, lovely

i don't care about
all the things that have troubled me
now that you're here i remember life
can be so lovely
though it's troubling
but you're lovely

welcome to us, oh our little song
you're one part your daddy
one part your mom
they're gonna help you grow up to be strong
but for now little guy
sleep on

A King & A Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Words of wisdom from Derek Webb.

A King & A Kingdom

who's your brother, who's your sister
you just walked passed him
i think you missed her
as we're all migrating to the place where our father lives
'cause we married in to a family of immigrants

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom

there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him

but nothing unifies like a common enemy

and we’ve got one, sure as hell

but he may be living in your house
he may be raising up your kids
he may be sleeping with your wife
oh no, he may not look like you think

Breaking News! New Waterdeep!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:14:00 +0000

Waterdeep is back with a new album! Here's the scoop from the band's email update:

It will arrive at your proverbial doorstep in a new and unusual format: a double EP- two CDs of 6 or 7 songs each- one CD of Lori's songs, and one CD of my songs. The reason for this is that Lori and I wanted to collaborate on music again as Waterdeep, but we also wanted to give each other's music room to get its own pace and mood going, to give each set of songs its own real estate. And we're really pleased with the results. Where Heart Attack Time Machine was our just-us-two-in-our-basement-with-acoustic-instruments album, this is our let's-have-a-party-and-whoop-it-up album. It covers a lot of ground, lots of interesting textures on this new album. And I didn't even mention the five sisters who sang background vocals, the disco violins, the synthesizers, and the out-of-control background vocals. I didn't want to overwhelm you...

Sounds great! Not only that, but they're offering three different pre-order packages. One with a disc and a download card; one with the disc, download, bonus tracks and a t-shirt; and a limited edition package featuring:

(1) Cool sticker

(1) ORIGINAL piece of artwork by one or the other of the Chaffer children (Miles or Ruby)*

(2) Percussion toys (like the ones used on this and other Waterdeep albums)

(1) SIGNED and numbered LIMITED EDITION Activity book (includes lyrics, pictures to color, songwriting exercises - the same ones Lori used to write some of the songs on the album, an extended essay from Don on some of the themes that drove the album, and much much more).

(1) Digital Download Card with 4 Studio bonus tracks & Audio interview with Don & Lori about the album

(1) T-shirt

(1) SIGNED Hard copy double disk version of Pink & Blue

(1) Digital Download Card of Pink & Blue that will ship by 11/3/08

Whew! Simply amazing! On top of all this, Don and Lori Chaffer are touring again with Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken. So far, no dates have been annouced this far north, but I hope they make it up this way!

Listen to a couple of tracks from the new disc on the band's MySpace page here.

Pre-orders are available here.

All Hallow's Eve - Digital Mixtape

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:51:00 +0000

How many times has this happened to you? You're throwing a Halloween Party and you have to provide some music for the people. You're wracking your brain trying to think of "Halloween Songs" and all you can come up with is.... Monster Mash. Seriously. That's the only "Halloween Song" you're pretty sure will work. Unfortunately, the fact remains that that song is terrible and no one really likes it anymore. So what will you play at the party?

Have no fear! We here at SiW have concocted a brew of chilling and off-the-beaten-path songs to blast at your party! It's an eclectic mix (Reality Check alongside Cursive?!?) and every cut has some sort of spooky quality to it, whether it's the instrumentation, the title or the band name. These 16 tracks are sure to send a shiver down your spine this weekend.

Tracklist:

1. The Servant - Cells (Instrumental Version)

2. Cursive - Harold Weathervein

3. Reality Check - Masquerade

4. Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!

5. Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks

6. Air - Dead Bodies

7. Vampire Weekend - I Stand Corrected

8. Fitzgerald - Bloody Stumps

9. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me

10. John Lennon - Scared

11. Radiohead - The Trickster

12. M83 - Graveyard Girl

13. Death Cab for Cutie - Death Scream

14. Lovedrug - Candy

15. Halloween, Alaska - I Can't Live Without My Radio

16. Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd - Halloween

Available here as a .zip file.

I'd love to hear feedback on what you think of the mix! What's your favorite track?

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:18:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I again want to caution my readers that this essay may contain minor spoilers regarding Dexter. So be advised if you plan to check out the show sometime. However, I feel I cannot in good conscience "recommend" this show to everyone. It contains disturbing violence, graphic sexual content and pervasive bad language that will surely affect viewers. Still, please remember that depiction does no equal approval. The storytellers are not condoning the actions of these characters, they are telling a story of sin that requires portrayal of sin. The more real it feels, the more affected we will be - and that's the point.

While we tag along as Dexter gleefully dispatches the scum of Miami, the show’s writers quietly ask us to decide what we think about Dexter. Do we want the show to be a “Kill of the Week” type show? Or do we want to see Dexter be redeemed from his life of secret sin? Dexter’s "other life" consists of a loving sister, a good job and a strong girlfriend (Rita) with two children from a past abusive relationship. Dexter is a rock to these innocent people. They look to him for guidance and love (two things he is good at faking, but is unable to provide in a real sense). Do we want Dexter to abandon his killing and settle down? Dexter himself struggles with these questions. He begins to question whether there might be a real future with Rita and whether he can be a normal mate for her. But he keeps falling back into his sin again and again.

The first season of the program slowly spirals out Dexter’s backstory, the events that led him to become what he is. It seems that his sociopathy is the result of nurture, not nature. Someone from his past appears and urges him to embrace what he’s become and choose that life over his friendly façade. When he ultimately refuses to give in, he returns to his quiet life and seriously considers leaving the killing behind.

However, season two has him backsliding yet again. Dexter begins to refer to his urges to kill as a “dark passenger”. He realizes that something dark inside of him is pushing him to do these things. It’s a picture of the sinful nature of man. Though he begins to really enjoy his intimate relationship with Rita on a deeper level than he’d previously thought possible, he finds that he cannot escape his urges to sin. So he spins lie upon lie into a web of ever-increasing complexity. It’s sad, really. Dexter does not have the strength to overcome his sin on his own. It’s during this season that something extraordinary happens: two characters learn of his double life. One urges him to embrace the killing personae he’s been hiding, while the other urges him to leave that behind and turn himself in (even offering to help him turn his life around). Dexter knows that turning himself in would be painful, not only for himself but for his sister and girlfriend. Yet, embracing his sinful nature seems to violate the code that Harry taught him. What will he do?

This dichotomy is something deeply spiritual that we as Christians face on a daily (if not minute-by-minute) basis. Do we turn back and continue living in our sinful nature or do we move forward and come clean about our sin to God? The world is tempting us to look at our sinful selves and accept that that is who we really are. They would have us believe that admitting our sins is too painful, so we’re better off just continuing to sin in secret. After all, we’ll be hurting those close to us if we expose our dirty selves to them! Secret sin has no victims! Dexter is a grisly reminder of how dirty secret sin really is. Secret sin has victims too. Dexter also exposes the myth that “as long as you stay true to your own rules, you’re okay”. His rules say it’s okay to kill people! God says the vengeance belongs to him alone. Just because you're holding to your own set of ideals doesn't mean you're in the right.

Dexter has struggled through these questions, but so far has always chosen to continue his secret life. A large part of the show’s suspense is based on Dexter’s constant effort to hide his tracks while working in police department itself. He always seems on the verge of being discovered and often has to take drastic measures to maintain his secret. This is another reminder of how people are willing to do anything to keep their secret sins secret. The lengths to which we go trying to cover up lies is amazing sometimes. Lies increase exponentially we try to cover them. Dexter’s willingness to lie to his own family so he can continue killing people is a hyperbolic example that we are often willing to do the same. Continuing to speak to this theme, the writers have given almost every secondary character a dark secret of their own that they hide from their friends and families: a failing marriage, an affair, etc. We all have things we hide, it doesn't have to be something as big as murder to eat us up inside and make us lie to cover it up.

So in conclusion, there are lots of Christian themes to be found in a graphic and violent cable show called Dexter. We are all born with a “Dark Passenger” that we will struggle with all our lives. Paul wrote about his own struggle - how he does what he doesn’t want to do and seems unable to do what he wants. The urge was there, pushing him to sin. We must realize that there is no such thing as a secret sin. God knows everything we do, but continually offers us forgiveness. Unlike Dexter, we need to resist those who tell us our sin is who we really are and seek God’s forgiveness through confession. God has seen all kind of grisly sin and has been willing to forgive it all. Consider that if Dexter were a real person, God would be in hard pursuit of his heart, ready to offer complete absolution - just as he pursued and captured the heart of a serial killer name Saul in Acts. If we confess our sins, he is willing and able to forgive us and purify us.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:26:00 +0000

I’ve read many articles recently declaring that we have entered a new golden age of television. The massive number of channels has created many avenues for new, groundbreaking shows to be seen. In the days of only three broadcast networks, the options were very limited and shows that took chances were often summarily dismissed by audiences. With the advent of cable and satellite TV, there is so much airtime to fill that almost any show can find a network that will finance it (for awhile). The first place we started seeing these new shows was on the premium movie channels like HBO. The Sopranos proved that the market had changed and that shows that are free to explore their complex characters and themes without advertisers (or censors) can succeed. Soon we had Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc. Now the trend has spilled over into more basic cable channels like FX (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Shield) and AMC (Mad Men, Breaking Bad). These are shows that would never have made it to production on say NBC or CBS due to their offbeat themes and characters.

One of these shows that has been attracting a lot of critical attention is Showtime’s Dexter. After reading lots of positive press about it last fall, I decided to venture into the first season and see what the fuss was about. What I found was an extremely dark story that had a lot to say about our sinful nature and how we hide our sin from those who love us.

Disclaimer: Before I go any further, I want to caution my readers that this essay may contain minor spoilers regarding Dexter. So be advised if you plan to check out the show sometime. However, I feel I cannot in good conscience "recommend" this show to everyone. It contains disturbing violence, graphic sexual content and pervasive bad language that will surely affect viewers. Still, please remember that depiction does no equal approval. The storytellers are not condoning the actions of these characters, they are telling a story of sin that requires portrayal of sin. The more real it feels, the more affected we will be - and that's the point.

Dexter Morgan, the show’s protagonist, is leading a double life: he is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day, and a sociopathic serial killer by night. During the course of the first few episodes, we are invited inside the world and head of this black-hearted individual. We learn that he was raised by a foster father named Harry who realized early on that Dexter had a penchant for killing. Harry worked hard with Dexter, not to break him of his preoccupation, but to help him hide it well. He taught Dexter that he is only to kill when the victim is “deserving” of their sentence. When someone who is clearly guilty slips through the fingers of the law, Dexter stalks and murders him or her. Dexter considers his late step-father to be his hero and holds strictly to his “code” for conducting himself. Dexter has his own system of morality that includes violent vigilante justice. In spite of this code, Dexter does take a sick pleasure in his activities. This is not cold justice for its own sake, this is Dexter satisfying his craving for death in a way that he deems just. Dexter is not a Batman-like character no matter how much he wishes to be, and this is where the show really does well. As the show begins, the audience begins to wonder if we're to see Dexter as a hero. Will each week bring a new hunt and climatic kill with some cover-up drama thrown in? Is that the gist of the show?

Come back tomorrow for Part 2!

Fiscal Wisdom from ESPN.com

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:47:00 +0000

More good stuff to share from Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN.com. His weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback column is a must-read for me. Here are some non-football notes he threw down yesterday. Smart stuff.

Of Course They Vote for More Subsidies, They Themselves Are Subsidized:

In the spring, as a dozen Democratic and Republican officeholders were crisscrossing the country campaigning for presidential nominations yet still receiving taxpayer money for jobs they were making no pretense of performing, TMQ declared there should be a federal resign-to-run law. Several states now have resign-to-run laws: They prevent officeholders from taking tax-funded salaries while not doing their jobs. Why is it assumed that saying the words, "I am running for president" makes it OK for a senator to pull in $200,000 or so per year in pay and benefits, yet perform no duties? If you told your employer you would not perform your duties for a year because you were running for president, yet still expected full pay, your employer would say two words that are not "Merry Christmas." Now we're down to four White House-seeking freeloaders, and both parties look bad. All three senators are billing the federal taxpayer to self-promote around the clock; the governor is billing her state's taxpayers to self-promote around the clock. Either presidential candidates should be required to resign to run, or at least anyone who declares for the presidency or vice presidency should have his or her public salaries and benefits suspended.

What, No Subsidies for Rum-Soaked Wool?

SENATE ADDS SWEETNERS TO BAILOUT BILL was a standard headline last week. Oh, so it's not enough to give away $700 billion of taxpayers' money, we've got to add sweeteners! Special-interest groups across the spectrum tacked wish-list items onto the bailout bill, which also passed the House and became law with George W. Bush's signature. Some $100 billion in business and upper-middle-class tax breaks were added, along with tax favors or direct subsidies for solar power, wool marketing, subway maintenance, Puerto Rican rum sales, "motorsports racing track" facilities, and investing in the District of Columbia (already among the most heavily subsidized place on Earth; Alaska, which consistently ranks first or second in federal spending per capita, may be the most subsidized -- scan down to "Alaska" in this study), tax breaks for farmers, eligibility of foreign banks for U.S. bailouts, tax favors for people who won money from the Exxon Valdez lawsuit, subsidies for "certain wooden arrows used by children" -- the list goes on. Scan the bill for the word "wool," for example. It's the noise of the lambs! What started as a $700 billion bailout could easily cost taxpayers $850 billion, and every penny of it borrowed from our children.

Three points need to be made about the bailout legislation. First, conservatives in the House torpedoed the initial bill, calling it too expensive at $700 billion, then voted for the second version, bloated to $850 billion. Now there's a profile in courage! Second, the bill was originally three pages -- and grew to 451 pages as enacted, as giveaway after giveaway was tacked on. The United States Constitution and all amendments is about 20 pages; it takes 451 pages to legislate a bank recovery payment? Super-long legislation is both inherently too complex and litigation-prone -- last year's Warner-Lieberman greenhouse gas regulation bill, which almost passed the Senate, was 491 pages -- and invites giveaways. In a brief, straightforward bill, a tacked-on special-interest favor stands out and looks embarrassing to the sponsor. In a gigantic laundry-list bill with hundreds of pages of special favors, none stand out. Everybody else's constituent is getting a handout, where's mine? Proposal: Congressional legislation should be limited to the word length of the United States Constitution. If Congress can't say something in fewer words than the Framers required to found the country, then Congress shouldn't say anything.

Third, why do members of the national legislature give away your money as fast as it can be borrowed? Because they want campaign donations. Polls show Americans don't like the idea of public funding for House and Senate elections, because it seems like a giveaway. But the public already funds congressional elections, just in an incredibly overpriced, inefficient way. Members of the House and Senate give away billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to special-interest groups, in order to get back thousands of dollars in campaign donations. The $150 billion or so in sweetheart handouts in the bailout legislation will probably result in several million additional dollars given to House and Senate members as campaign donations. It would be far, far cheaper for taxpayers just to fund congressional campaigns! Suppose the public funded each House race at $1 million (435 races every second year) split between the parties, and each Senate race at $5 million split (roughly 34 races every second year), then banned campaign contributions. (Skip whether the Supreme Court would allow the latter, this is a thought experiment.) The cost would be about $600 million every second year, when there are national elections. That's peanuts compared to the amounts House and Senate incumbents give away to PAC-backed lobbies in order to inspire campaign donations. Federal financing of House and Senate races would save the public tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars.

Fantasy Football Failure

noreply@blogger.com (Peter C.) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:41:00 +0000

My fantasy football season is rocky so far. This week I dropped Jon Kitna and picked up Matt Schaub with the hope that he'd finally allow me to score points from the QB position. Unfortunately, he got a stomach virus last night and was a late scratch for the game. Great.

I think this about sums up my situation today: