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10 Songs About God

Picking up from a meme (what is that, anyway?!) from Luther Prof Mary Hess and my dear friend Catrina, here are my 10 songs about God:

1. Thin Blue Flame :: Josh Ritter
2. Float On :: Modest Mouse
3. Love Love Love :: The Mountain Goats
4. To Be Alone With You :: Sufjan Stevens
5. On Your Wings :: Iron & Wine
6. Let It Be :: The Beatles
7. Sliding Down :: Béla Fleck/Edgar Meyers/Mike Marshall
8. Go Places :: The New Pornographers
9. Sons & Daughters :: The Decemberists
10. [As a benediction] Shine A Light :: The Rolling Stones

on "Advancement"

Yesterday brought a new mixed tape and a copy of a good book from my good friend Justin. 

We've been scratching our brains trying to figure out what Chuck Klosterman meant in his "Advancement" article from July of 2004.  Greater minds have yet to prevail, but we've decided that 29 by Ryan Adams and Icky Thump by the White Stripes are indeed advanced.

Nevertheless, my advanced playlist:

1. Lucky Man by The Verve
2. The Importance of Being Idle by Oasis
3. Plateau by the Meat Puppets
4. Love->Building a Fire by the Talking Heads
5. You Don't know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told) [Frat Rock Version] by the White Stripes
6. Strangers by Piebald (Kinks Cover)
7. Dog's Gotta Bone by The Beta Band
8. Your Kisses are Wasted on Me by The Pippettes
9. Against the Wind by The Hold Steady (Bob Seger Cover)
10. Penny On a Train Track (Acoustic) by Ben Kweller
11. In My Own Mind by Lyle Lovett
12. Used to be a King by Marc For & Chris Robinson (Graham Nash Cover)
13. Hallelujah by Willie Nelson (Leonard Cohen Cover)
14. Ain't No More Care by Bob Dylan & The Band
15. Helpless by Ryan Adams & Gillian Welch (Neil Young Cover)
16. Comes a Time by Neil Young
17. Wasn't Born to Follow by The Byrds

Justin's Mixed Tape, no. 2 :: A Snapshot

Justin, a Colorado native and Minnesota transplant offers this his Mpls/St.P Snapshot:

1. South Town Girls — The Hold Steady
2. Whole Wide World — Wreckless Eric
   
3. Fade Away — Oasis
4. Penny on a Train Track — Ben Kweller
5. Radio King — Golden Smog
   
6. Lua — Bright Eyes
7. Devil's Waitin' — Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
8. Angel from Montgomery —John Prine
9. After the Goldrush — Thom Yorke (originally Neil Young)
   
10. I Summon You — Spoon
    
11. Photobooth — Death Cab for Cutie (Acoustic)
    
12. Province — TV on the Radio
13. Ooh Child — [I'll have to check who does this cover]
    
14. Shine a Light — The Rolling Stones
    
15. I'll Believe Anything — Wolf Parade
    
16. Sons and Daughters — The Decemberists
    
17. Dance Dance Dance — Neil Young
    

A snapshot of Justin and me forthcoming.

Marc's mixed tape :: The Decalogue

The sign of life I referred to in this post:

But then again, there are signs of life, not all of which come from off campus.  There are folks who are just living.  Doing their seminary bit, being involved in the community, being parents, being friends, being whatever they are fully.  And I'm just going through the motions, baby.  Or so it seems.  There is not a lot of excitement on the horizon; no trips, no projects, no great endeavors.  Just life in front of me.  Life, love, friends...I forget that the greatest excitement in life is that which is ordinary, for it is what you get to do everyday.

Marc, or Marc Double O, as we call him, made this playlist:

Decalogue:
The Simple Way a Father Should Present Them to His Household

1. God's Top Ten
2. Don't You Want Somebody to Love? — Jefferson Airplane
3. President Bush sacrifices the  national lamb — Onion Radio News
4. Take a Chance on Me — Abba
5. Shout the Name of Jesus
6. God Damn Job — The Replacements
7. Some Days Are Better than Others— U2
8. Sunday Morning Coming Down — Kris Kristofferson
9. Parent's Just Don't Understand — DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
10. Sobashiya Abazali — Amandla
11. An area dad swaggers proudly around the house after killing an intruder — Onion Radio News
12. ?
13. Hey Ladies — Beastie Boys
14. Soft Picasso — Vic Chestnutt
15. The Married Men — The Roches
16. White Collar Boy — Belle & Sebastian
17. Slow Justice — Paul Metsa
18. ?
19. Asking Me Lies — The Replacements
20. I Always Get What I Want — Avril Lavigne
21. An area man is just one Camaro away from having it all — Onion Radio News
22. Naked & Famous — Presidents of the United States of America
    
23. Jesse's Girl — Rick Springfield (Acoustic)
24. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing — Sufjan Stevens

**Of course, the simple way a father should present them...is a reference to the introduction of the Small Catechism of the Lutheran Church.  In this case it's humorous rather then normative.

Anna's mixed tape

Anna likes all good things.  She is hip and pretty and a very good friend.  Here is a recent burned disc I received from Anna titled, "Damn Jeni, I Love a Woman that Reigns."

1. Je ne Regrette Rien – Edith Piaf
2. The Greatest – Cat Power
3. By Way of Sorrow – Cry, Cry, Cry
4. Handle with Care – Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
5. Jerusalem –Mirah
6. Steal Your Love – Lucinda Williams
7. I am Aglow – Sarah Harmer
8. Love is Here to Stay – Ella Fitzgerald
9. Every Little Bit – Patty Griffin
10. Peace and Hate – The Submarines
11. The Weakest Part – Yo La Tengo
12. On the Table – AC Newman
13. Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying – Belle & Sebastian
14. Everything Happens to Me – Billie Holiday

Justin's mixed tape

I just received a burned cd from my good friend Justin.  Justin is a big fan of both Americana/Roost Music as well as Brit Pop.  Along with this mixed tape I received an Arctic Monkeys cd.  A best of Blur cd is promised to be in the mix.  Here is the playlist:

1.  Don't Do It – The Band
2.  Tired of My Tears – Susan Tedeschi
3.  Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) – Otis Redding
4.  Tonight, I'll be Stayiing Here with You –Bob Dylan
5.  Thunderstorm 6:54 – The Black Crowes
6.  Cowgirl in the Sand (live acoustic) – Neil Armstrong
7.  Onslow Country – Ryan Adams
8.  This is the Way – Devendra Banhart
9.  Sweet Somewhere Bound – Jackie Green
10. The Weight – Travis
11. Just Pretend – The Bens
12. I Like Giants – Kimya Dawson
13. Outta Sight, Outta Mind –Wilco
14. Waterfall – The Stone Roses
15. Dark End of the Street – The Flying Burrito Bros
16. Hotel Yorba – The White Stripes
17. California Waiting – Kings of Leon
18. El Scorcho – Weezer
19. Moonlight Mile – The Rolling Stones
20. True Blue – Bright Eyes

The Impossibility of February

Maira Kalman, an illustrator, writer and children's author, lends her talents to the New York Times Select community once a month with her blog "The Principles of Uncertainty" of which I am a fan.  Kalman offers honesty in the midst of life; not complaints, not despair, but a true sense of humanity with all of its joys and sorros; its beauty and fragility.  There is also a sense for the other: that people we've never met, people we know and people we've only happened upon in the changes and chances of life give our lives order, tangent, and certainty that, yes, I am here and yes, you are too.

The songs were picked not to empathize with the impossibility of February, but to give rest amidst weariness, like the comfort of a heavy blanket or the warmth of a glass of wine shared with friends.

1. Elephant Gun – Beirut – Lon Gisland LP
2. I Need All the Friends I Can Get – Camera Obscura – Let's Get Out of This Country
3. Parentheses – The Blow – Paper Television
4. Omaha – Tapes 'n Tapes
5. If This City Never Sleeps – Rosie Thomas – These Friends of Mine
6. New Round – Beck – The Information
7. Take the Long Way – Po' Girl – Vagabond Lullabies
8. Nettie Moore – Bob Dylan – Modern Times
9. Winter – The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup
10. California Stars – Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue
11. Goin' to California – Led Zeppelin – IV
12. Not California – Hem – Funnel Cloud
13. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
14. Waiting for the Sun (Acoustic) – The Jayhawks – Save it for a Rainy Day
15. Chin Up, Cheer Up, – Ryan Adams – Demolition
16. Right in Time – Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
17. Here Comes the Sun – Nina Simone – The Very Best of Nina Simone (Disc 2)
    

musik ist für die Liebe

Hello friends, here is my jan-feb music playlist:

1. Marching Bands of New York  – Death Cab for Cutie
2. Leap Year – Maria Taylor
3. Sweet Adeline – Elliott Smith
4. Use It – The New Pornographers
5. Wake Up – Arcade Fire
6. Shake Shake Tambourine (Black Tambourine) [Ad Rock] – Beck
7. Maple Leaves (EP Version) – Jens Lekman
8. Talk On Indolence – The Avett Brothers
9. On Your Wings – Iron & Wine
10. Follow – Brandi Carlile
11. Lead Me On – Ray LaMontagne
12. Love Love Love – The Mountain Goats
13. Casimir Pulaski Day – Sufjan Stevens
14. In the Sun (Gulf Coast Relief) – Michael Stipe and Chris Martin
15. Song to Woody – Bob Dylan
16. Dance With Me, Now Darling – Hem
17. Do I Move You (Version II) – Nina Simone
18. Hard Hand to Hold – Willy Mason