Musical Thoughts

I am a music lover. I love all kinds and sounds. So when I got the 6 CD's I ordered in the mail today, I was very happy. I am a member of BMG, which I highly suggest if you buy a lot of CD's. There really isn't any catch involved with the club. But I realize I-tunes and such are replacing CD's...sadly. One of my favorite things about music is the album. I love thematic albums (ones that have a theme or idea and explore it through different songs throughout the whole album), but that is sadly lost now that music has become synonymous with just a song. Bono (from U2) once said that U2 doesn't really make songs they make albums. I think that's why when you hear a U2 cd it is a journey from the beggining to the end. This is one reason I have an issue with pop music. They have reduced music to a chorus or 8 words. I'm not bashing pop, I have plenty of it in my collection but I sure hope we dont lose the complexity of music along with the simplicity of pop. Anyways, as I was re-arranging my cd collection to fit the new ones in, I was thinking what my top ten albums would be. So I decided to give a top 10 list of albums with a short explanation on each pick. My list changes often so don't pigeon hole me to these. The top 10 is only picked from my collection so I'm sure there are better ones out there that I dont have...


10. Jars Of Clay "Furthermore" (double cd)
Half studio and half live it includes some of the best JOC has to offer. The last song 'worlds apart' live is amazing and seems to give me chills everytime I hear it. JOC is also one of the christian culture band's I respect the most. They don't often use christian lingo or cliche phrases and they are usually singing about something instead of nothing.

9. (tie) Caedmons Call "40 Acres"/David Crowder Band "Can You Hear Us"
40 Acres is probably one of my favorite christian lyrical albums I have and seems to open things up to me evertime I hear it. It seems to keep unfolding the older it gets. David Crowder is one of the few christian culture artists I still enjoy listening to. Thier latest album "illumate" was no where near as good as this one but it was experimental which I applaud and I think thier newest is going to be better than "Can You Hear Us". They are still trying to find thier sound in some ways. I'm excited to see where they go.

8. Lifehouse "No Name Face"
This is one of those cd's that kept growing on me the more I listened to it. The lyrics are powerful and its pop sound kind of masks the depth of the songs if you actually listen to them. Thier latest cd was lacking some on depth however. Also, I am a sucker for mid-90's sound since that's when I first started listening to music more critically.

7. Switchfoot "The Beautiful Letdown"
This album went on a strange journey through christian culture. It was overly marketed at anything musical and then bashed by christian culture because it didn't mention the word Jesus in it. However, it caught on big time in secular culture. I really like thier approach to music and life, also thier albums are thematic...always a plus. They have a refreshing sound with great socratic lyrics. I'm looking foward to thier new album. I hear good things.

6. Kelly Joe Phelps "Tap the red cane whirlwind"
This guy is amazing on the guitar. He is basically a one man band. The guitar player from a band that my band plays with sometimes introduced me to him. If there was a genre called 'driving music' he would be number 1 on my list. It is music that chills me out no matter what mood I am in. It is patient music that forces me to relax and wait. He stays on parts of songs where pop music would go to a chorus, he forces you to understand the song. He's also a great story teller and is definitly more interested in getting across an emotion, idea or story then something catchy. Check out his website, he has a lot of free music.

5. Dave Matthews Band "Under the Table and Dreaming"
I have always been a DMB fan, they were my first concert and ever since I was into them. I don't get thier lyrics sometimes but the music is probably the best in the mainstream right now. It's always original and take me places emotionally. I think DMB fans would argue with my album selection but since I am a guitar person I always seem to find this as my first choice when in a DMB mood. Although almost all thier cd's are great and if you ever have a chance to see them live take it. Amazing shows.

4. Coldplay "A rush of blood to the head"
I bought this cd before I ever heard a song. I read a review on it and it sold me so much that I decided to buy it. At first I wasnt sure if I was going to like it but it grew on me like most good albums do. They are great at climactic songs. The build you up and pull you down. They have some of the most emotional music that is out there. They also sing about real things and are popish but seem to take the best of pop and throw away the worst.

3. U2 "Joshua Tree"
The album U2 found thier sound. One of the masterpieces in all of music for the past 30 years. I can't say enough about U2 and what they have done. Almost all American music is deeply influenced by them, whether they know it or not. The Edge has changed the landscape of electric guitar playing with the use of effects. The whole cd is amazing and there isn't much to say besides amazing.

2. Our Lady Peace "Spiritual Machines"
Another band that a review influenced me on. The album is about the spiritual bankrupcy in America and our generation. It talks about being lost, lonely and darkness. It uses machines to compare us with since the loss of our souls leave us not much more than machines. They are not Christian, which I really like since it doens't have alot of the cliche lyrics and sound. "Gravity" was the album before this and is good as well but they definitly find thier sound on this one and the lyrics are better done. I can't say enough about this album, I wish more were made like it. They are coming out with a new album at the end of August...whoo hoo!

1. U2 "Achtung Baby"
My favorite U2 cd. It was Joshua Tree for a while but the more I listen to "Achtung Baby" the more I fall in love with it. Once again, being a guitar guy, this is Edges best work and he really controls the whole cd. I have never heard more emotion coming through a guitar and Bono does a great job in capturing the guitar with his best lyrics. You can hear a confidence that they have found thier sound and know what they are doing. They took 3 years off after 'Rattle and Hum' to make this album because they questioned thier sound from 'Rattle and Hum'. I don't know if any albums will ever be better than this in my lifetime in my own unproffesional opinion.

notables: Our Lady Peace "Gravity", the rest of my U2 collection, Derek Webb "She must and shall go free", The Killers "Hot Fuss", Jars of Clay "Who we are instead", Starfield "Self Titled", Counting Crows, Tupac