Father Revisited

Justin McRoberts is back. Never mind that he already put out an album this year (welcome to the new musician-controlled music industry). Now he’s revisiting his second album, Father, originally released a decade ago, and offering rearranged versions of four songs from that release. You can get them for free from NoiseTrade (you can also score $3 off his latest covers album).

Twelve years ago this month Justin lost his father to suicide and depression. These songs explore his father and the experience of losing him. But this time around there’s something deeper:

“Every May 6th since has a surreal quality to it; as if the day should have been retired for all its wear and tear. But this May has a different shade to it than the past 11, as my first child, a son, is due May 31.”

So this collection marks the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one. As a father myself, that’s pretty cool. I started listening to Justin McRoberts more than a decade ago (has it been that long?!), and it’s been cool to watch him stretch and grow as an artist and person.

One of the songs, “Waiting on Your Love,” will be of special interest to Five Iron Frenzy fans. It features vocals from FIF lead singer Reese Roper and includes lyrics from “Every New Day.” Justin talks about his connection with Five Iron Frenzy and the mashup of songs over at the FIF site. I love the song “Every New Day” and I love hearing Roper sing again, but still, it kind of cracks me up that “Every New Day” is continually reused. Five Iron recycled the song themselves when they slapped it on as the ending to “On Distant Shores.” The lyrics are amazing, so I can understand the temptation. But you can’t top the original, so let’s leave it alone in its greatness.

It just so happens that one of the other songs in this collection, “After All,” is one of my favorites from Father. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, but that glimmer of recognition came when the song started. That one is the real stand out here as well.

Go download Father Revisited from Noisetrade, free for a limited time.

Through Songs I Was First Undone by Justin McRoberts

You know what’s embarrassing? Reviewing a cover album when you’re not familiar with any of the original songs. That’s where I find myself with the new release from Justin McRoberts, Through Songs I Was First Undone. I believe that makes me a musical dork.

Justin picks a wide range of songs from The Rolling Stones to Tom Waits to Nine Inch Nails (unfamiliar with the ‘Stones? Yep, musical dork.). He makes them his own, like any good cover project needs to, but you can still feel some of the original artist coming through (I could easily pick out the Nine Inch Nails and George Michael songs).

The best songs on the album are perhaps the most intimate ones, “Gerogia Lee” (by Tom Waits) and “Head Like a Hole” (by Nine Inch Nails). Both songs are honest explorations of truth, the kind of thing Justin is good at. It also might help that I’ve read Justin’s blog posts about both songs (Georgia Lee: Part 1, Part 2; Head Like a Hole: Part 1, Part 2).

Perhaps my favorite part of the album was the bonus tracks you get for buying the album, which included a cover of U2’s “First Time.” Now there’s an original I’m familiar with! A lot of people rightly think it’s sacrilege to cover U2, but when it’s done well I appreciate a good U2 cover. They’re perhaps never as good as the original, but when you start with such good material you end up with something pretty good. That’s the case with Justin’s cover.

Last year Milo banished us to the cry room and Lexi threw a fit when we went up for communion. This year Milo seemed to want to sing in the choir, even though we don’t have a choir. Lexi did fine at communion, pausing to lean Pinky against the kneeler before she stood at the communion rail. After church I didn’t have much time to talk to anyone because Milo made a beeline for the door and we spent a while playing in the grass.

This year the sermon closed with a reading of John Updike’s “Seven Stanzas at Easter.” I’d never heard it before and find Updike to be very hit or miss, but this was good. The poem focused on the importance of Christ’s bodily ressurrection—that Jesus literally came back from the dead. Updike focus more on the reality of it, but a few lines reminded me of the very Buffy the Vampire Slayer nature of the ressurrection. The grave was empty. The body was gone. And he was walking around. Not all putrified zombie corpse, but whole and restored. That’s crazy. And that’s the point. From Updike:

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door. …

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

I was also reminded this morning that 42 years ago today Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. It seems fitting that once in a while the anniversary should fall on Easter. Because despite that tragic loss, hope rises again. King’s civil rights movement has changed the face of America. We wil always have so far to go to reach the mountaintop, but we’ve come a long way. Reminds me of a little more poetry, this time from U2’s “Pride”:

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
One more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love?

Which works nicely because Ian Axel’s “This is the New Year” is the free weekly download from iTunes. I think they switch out the freebies on Tuesday, so you’ve got a couple more days to grab this gem for free. The video nicely captures the spirit of the song.

I’ve been playing the song on repeat while working on a project to help relief efforts in Haiti. It’s an ideal soundtrack:

Cause in the end we have each other,
and that’s at least one thing worth living for,
and I would give the world to you…

Lets tear the walls down that divide us
and build a statue strong enough for two…

This is the new year
A new beginning
You made a promise
You are the brightest
We are the voices
This is the new year

Yes, it’s a lot of generic, fluffy, over-the-top, pop lyrics, but sometimes that’s exactly what we need as we lift our arms in prayer for our fellow brothers and sisters in Haiti:

Almighty Father, God of mercies and giver of comfort, deal graciously, we pray, with the people of Haiti in the midst of the great suffering caused by the catastrophic earthquake. May they cast all their care on you and know the consolation of your love.

Give us the courage, zeal, wisdom and patience to assist them, not only in these first days and weeks of urgent need, but as they continue to need the care and partnership of all their sisters and brothers around the world in the long and difficult work of healing and rebuilding.

Grant eternal life to those who have died, healing to the injured and strength to all the survivors, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

[By the Ven. Dr. J. Fritz Bazin Archdeacon for Immigration and Social Concerns Diocese of Southeast Florida. Posted by the Sisters of St. Margaret (an Episcopal order located in Boston) who run the Holy Trinity Cathedral and School, the Foyer Notre Dame and the St. Vincent School for the Handicapped, all in Port au Prince and which my church has supported. The Holy Trinity facilities and St. Vincent's were destroyed and the Foyer damaged. The picture is of the Sacred Heart Church in Port au Prince, photo by Lane Hartill/CRS.]

• Christmas for Kenya – University Baptist Church (David Crowder’s church) has put together their second Christmas album raising money for a water well in Kenya. You can download the album for free and then donate whatever you like (but please donate something).
• Holiday Sampler – Vanguard Records has a free holiday sampler. All it will cost you is your e-mail address. It’s more country/folk oriented then I’d prefer, but I did like the tracks by Joshua Radin, Dar Williams and the Watson Twins.
• Christmas Songs Vol. 2 – Folk rocker Justin McRoberts has made his EP of Christmas songs available through Noise Trade, which means you can have it if you spam five of your friends. I’m not a big fan of that method, but the price is right.
• 25 Days of Free – Like they did last year, Amazon is offering 25 days of free Christmas song downloads. It’s not all quality stuff, but you might find a few gems.

Abby alluded to it yesterday and now here’s a bit of the original followed by Lexi’s rendition:

You can snag a copy of “Devil’s Right Hand.” It’s included in the Unearthed box set:

iTunes: Single / Box set

Amazon: Digital Single / Digital Box set / CD box set

I saw what I consider to be a bat-crazy video today. Take a look and tell me what you think:

Why I think this is dumb:

1. It cracks me up the way the voice-over says the words “Islam,” “Muslim,” and “immigration” like they’re dirty words.
2. Change is apparently bad. No change!
3. The video seems to imply that the preservation of culture is important. OK, whatever, but from a Christian perspective, who cares? Our faith should transcend culture. If it doesn’t, we don’t have much of a faith.
4. One response to this video, at least from where I first saw this video and in the YouTube description, is that we should have (or adopt) more babies. Sorry, but procreation does not equal evangelism. That’s worked for hundreds of years, but it’s not a stellar evangelism strategy. Raising your kids in the Christian faith certainly makes it more likely that they’ll be Christian, but it’s no guarantee. It’s prone to failure (ask anyone in youth ministry) and frankly it’s kind of lazy. If having babies is your evangelism strategy, you really don’t understand Christianity.
5. I love how the video talks about Muslims getting together in Chicago and planning their strategy like it’s a bad thing. Like that’s not exactly what the creators of this video are doing.

If you disagree with tenets of the Muslim faith, that’s fine. If you’re concerned about human rights abuses in Muslim nations, that’s fine. But none of those things justify this kind of fear-mongering. If anything, shouldn’t Muslim immigration mean more evangelism opportunities in the United States? If it’s hard to do evangelism in the Muslim world, shouldn’t this be a blessing? Isn’t this an opportunity to teach the 9 million Muslims in America the benefits of our free-market, democracy-based society and watch it spread from there?

I feel like I’ve written on and off about Islam lately, and I do it because this kind of religious prejudice is nuts. Fear, anger and this war-like response are not compatible with the Christianity I believe in, the Christianity of love, hope and grace. The Crusades are over. Let’s not go there again.

No Line on the Horizon
Very first thought: Wow, Bono’s voice sounds ragged. He’s certainly not protecting his voice as he gets older. The Oh-oh-ohs are catchy.

Magnificent
The intro felt very not U2, but then the guitars came in. Now it actually feels like very early U2. Interesting lines: “Only love can leave such a mark. / Only love can leave such a spark.” and “I was born to sing for you.” Reminds me of the Magnificat (I image that’s intentional).

Moment of Surrender
Lots of keys and orchestra type opening (um, Brian Eno?). This feels like a throwback type song, back ground singers, Bono’s voice, etc. Reminds me of a spiritual. Actually reminds me of the slower stuff from Zooropa or Achtung Baby. Different, but I like it.

Unknown Caller
The guitar at the beginning sounds straight off Joshua Tree. More Oh oh oh’s. These aren’t as catchy. The spoken word, group-chant feel of this one is a little weird. Wait, are those horns?! And now a screaming guitar solo. Didn’t see that coming. OK, not liking this one.

I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
“Crazy tonight” in falsetto. Yeah. “Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot.” The chorus builds up to the title and then descends again. I want it to keep building. More good lyrics: “The right to be ridiculous is a right I hold dear.” I’m liking this one. It’s a little more upbeat.

Get On Your Boots
Now hearing it in the context of the album, this song feels like a misleading single. Much more upbeat and rocking than anything we’ve heard so far. And I’m liking it the more I hear it.

Stand Up Comedy
Whoa, this is different. Like “Boots,” it’s more upbeat with a hefty dose of funk. “Helping God across the road like a little old lady”?! Bono’s lyrics are a lot of fun this time out. This one also doesn’t feel like U2, but I’m liking the groove.

Fez – Being Born
Now we’re back to the Brian Eno feel. With snippets of “Let me hear the sound” from “Boots”? And now the song is starting? OK, that was weird. More Oh’s. OK, not all of Bono’s lyrics are good this time out. Reminds me a bit of singles like “Window in the Skies” and “Electrical Storm,” which I could never get into.

White As Snow
More slow stuff? More horns? It’s also feeling a bit like a spiritual or throwback Johnny Cash type folk song (my musical lingo sucks, doesn’t it?).

Breathe
Wake up, there’s some guitar. Bono’s kind of scat delivery is fun. It feels like he’s stretching himself a bit this album. “There’s nothing you have that I need.” “I found grace / it’s all I found / Now I can breathe.” I’m liking this one, both the feel of the music and the lyrics (what a shock, I like the upbeat ones).

Cedars of Lebanon
More almost spoken word delivery from Bono. Kind of a haunting song. Not sure I like the chorus. And it end suddenly. Wow, it’s over.

Overall Reaction to No Line on the Horizon
Very different for U2. I wouldn’t say it’s that ground-breaking musically, but for U2 it feels like quite a departure. They’re exploring a lot of new territory for them. I didn’t hear a single soaring U2 anthem like “City of Blinding Lights” or “Beautiful Day” that felt familiar on the last two albums.

The fragments I caught of Bono’s lyrics sounded a lot more interesting and compelling than the last two albums (I don’t remember as many lyrics jumping out at me—maybe that means I could hear them easier on this album). Definitely packed with spiritual overtones, though that’s no surprise.

Much like the first single (“Get On Your Boots”), this feels like an album that will have to grow on you. Not many instant classics, but there are a lot of layers, a lot of interesting sounds and I’m betting it will get better with each listen.

Or not. These first reactions are often horribly wrong.

I’ve tried to keep up with Shaun since his debut album came out back when I was just getting started at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. We interviewed him at GMA and he played at the our offices and I think we talked him into writing for us. I was always struck by how genuine he seemed. A few years ago he launched a blog, but it wasn’t a typical rock star blog. For starters he called it a “Shlog” (which is where that ’shlog envy’ comment came from), but more importantly he blogged about the real stuff of life and not just ‘hey look, I’ve got an album coming out’ or ‘we’re rocking in Georgia!’ and then no posts until the next album. Plus, he tried to kick Amy Grant’s ass (OK, not really).

Lately Shaun’s been doing this whole Compassion blogger thing and actually comments on people’s blogs. He still does some music in there somewhere, but he gives it all away for free.

Anyway, since Shaun was in town I said we should hang out and he graciously let me crash with him and his booking manager/roadie/web guy Ben Stewart while they had a late dinner. Shaun’s good friend just returned from Ethiopia after adopting two kids, so we had plenty to talk about. Among other things, we talked about the irony of technology in the face of poverty (like Twittering at a homeless function or blogging extreme poverty). Shaun also told a story of a woman in Ethiopia. I don’t need to repeat the story, but it’s one of those stories that’s just insane and makes you realize that we have nothing to complain about here. It sucks to lose your job and your house and all that, but you had something to lose. So much of the world doesn’t even have a house to foreclose on.

It wasn’t all poverty and despair. We also joked and laughed and I gave some web site advice, earning my cherry Coke.

The next day Shaun did his thing, talking poverty and playing music on KTIS, speaking at Northwestern’s chapel and playing a concert that night. In the end, those notoriously broke college students sponsored 163 kids with Compassion International. To celebrate they graffitied a rock (does every college campus have a graffiti rock?).

That’s pretty cool. Indie rock star, poverty crusader and vandal. I love how Shaun pushes us to ask the hard questions. We need that.

You can buy just the single for 99 cents, or pre-order the album for $9.99 and you can download “Get On Your Boots” today. The pre-order version of No Line on the Horizon includes two bonus tracks (one is an iTunes exclusive, the other is a pre-order only, but no details on what either one is).

You can also pre-order the deluxe version of the album for $17.99 from iTunes, which includes the two bonus tracks, a film from Anton Corbijn and a digital collector’s magazine.

This is in addition to the planned five physical releases of the album:

• Standard CD with 24-page color booklet – $13.98
• Vinyl with 2 LPs with a 16-page oversized booklet – $17.98
• Digi-pack version with the CD, 36-page color booklet, fold out poster and download of Anton Corbijn film – $35.98
• Magazine version with CD, 60-page soft cover magazine and download of Anton Corbijn film – $49.98
• Box set with CD, 36-page color booklet, fold out poster, 60-page hard cover book, additional fold out poster and DVD of Anton Corbijn film – $95.98

You can also check out all the usual pre-release hype for No Line on the Horizon.