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Six Thoughts, Post-Referendum
Several short thoughts, nothing more. Due to lack of sleep and general exhaustion, this won't be my finest bit of writing ever, but here goes…
1. MANY VOTES WERE FRAUDULENT – Don't worry, this isn't what it seems to be. I've not got some conspiracy theory floating around in my head about mass instances of voter fraud. I suppose I mean 'misguided', but that didn't seem strong enough.
I would like to look at the simple language of the Referendum ballot: 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' In all honesty, I think both sides of the debate have obscured the question, whether intentionally or unintentionally. I think when most people look at that question they aren't reading 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' at all. It could be any number of things:
'Should we sack the Tories?'
'Should Alex Salmond and the SNP run Scotland?'
'Should Scotland be an independent country on 19 September 2014?'
'Do you want to lose your pension?'
'Do you want to lose Coronation Street?'
'Do you appreciate the monarchy?'
et cetera
The heart-breaking thing is that whilst some of those suggestions are legitimate or even debatable knock-on effects of union or independence, none of them are really an answer to the bigger question and the first two (and variations of them) are particularly deceiving as they involve conflating party politics and national sovereignty. I think that the Better Together folk were wise in having a Labour politician lead them (although they couldn't find someone who sounded more Scottish than Alistair Darling?), indicating a cross-party effort to maintain the Union. Although Alex Salmond is an incredibly talented politician, he is also the First Minister and the leader of the SNP. Granted, the Referendum is a direct by-product of the SNP's election to Scottish Parliament in 2011, but it could've been more effective to see less divisive faces leading the Yes campaign.
This all adds up to a wee bit of confusion when it comes to answering the question, 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' In defence of the Yes campaign, I would argue that it is likely that many people were not thinking about the future of Scotland with a fully devolved and independent Scottish Parliament made up of all Scottish political persuasions. We wouldn't need to ship our best and brightest to Westminster. They could stay here in Scotland where they have the opportunity to represent the interests of the people living in Scotland — because that would be the entire purpose of an independent Scottish Government. Instead, folk were thinking about a decade of Alex Salmond.
I also think a lot of folk have been using language to imply that had Scotland voted 'Yes' on 18 September, we would be an independent country on 19 September. Had we voted 'Yes', the new government would not have been established until 24 March 2016. This would allow a year and a half of consultation and negotiation; and to play into the previous point, a democratic vote for all eligible voters in Scotland. I'm seeing a lot of 'still in the UK'-type language on social media this morning — no matter the outcome of yesterday's Referendum, today we would still be in the UK.
2. SCOTLAND IS NOT THE SOCIALIST HAVEN SOME OF US HAVE BELIEVED IT TO BE — Results this morning indicate that areas of a higher working class and unemployed population came out overwhelmingly in favour of independence. In many of our minds (me included), we've harboured this delusion that the vast majority of Scots are like the working class folk in Glasgow and Dundee. But the reality is that Scotland is not as different from the rest of the United Kingdom as we thought. Of course, a Conservative politician in Scotland is most likely much further to the left than a Conservative politician in England. See Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives. She's a woman and a lesbian at that — two qualities that would have many of the English Tory gentry up in arms. But overall, it's only common sense to acknowledge that not all Scots are socialists and up until only a few decades ago, Scotland had a long spell of complicity in the electing of Unionist/Conservative Governments in Westminster.
3. THIS IS NOT A TORY VICTORY / THIS IS NOT AN SNP DEFEAT — One great frustration among many I have with the result of this Referendum is that many folk are seeing this as either a Tory victory of an SNP defeat. It is neither of those things. At most, it is a Better Together victory and a Yes campaign defeat. Make no mistake — this vote does not indicate Scotland's approval of Westminster or the UK Government. Likewise, it does not indicate Scotland's disapproval of Holyrood and the Scottish Government. Instead, a slim majority of Scottish voters decided that our best option at this point is not full independence. Not only that, but in the midst of their grief, the SNP and the Yes campaign should take some consolation in the fact that over the length of this campaign the support of Scottish independence is at a record high. It seems clear that the majority Scottish people want more power devolved to Scotland (a clarity that could have manifested itself in a result today had David Cameron not very sneakily traded a second, devo-max Referendum question for allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote back in the Edinburgh Agreement). If Westminster politicians stick to their promises, we will be seeing further devolution in future.
As far as the future of the SNP goes, I believe that a large number of Scots think that the SNP has done well for the Scottish people, hence 2011's election of a majority SNP Scottish Government in a parliament designed to avoid majority governments. The SNP isn't going anywhere any time soon. If anything, a 'Yes' vote would've been the best way to ensure that the SNP would eventually dissolve.
4. AT A CERTAIN POINT, A 'YES' WOULD MEAN THE SAME THING AS A WESTMINSTER GOVERNMENT — As one might expect, the first results that came in early this morning were the smallest council areas. When a majority of councils had reported (most of them 'No' votes) it became clear to me that had the bigger councils voted 'Yes' overwhelmingly, this would create the same lopsided democracy as we find at Westminster. Sure, in this hypothetical situation where 'Yes' won as a result of only a handful of large council areas, in numbers the 'Yes' would have it. As is already felt by the smaller councils, particularly in the Western and Northern Islands, they would be governed by the will of places like Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Folk have used this as an argument against independence, saying things like 'Well, the Highlands and Islands have a different culture from the Lowlands, so we should have the opportunity to be independent countries too!' I think that's nonsense and you don't need to think too long to realise that the Western and Northern Islands would be more closely managed and find greater clout in a smaller, more local Scottish Parliament (as opposed to Westminster). But what I really want to express is that, should Scotland one day decide to be an independent country, I would hope that would be the will of the vast majority of Scots, with support from the further flung parts of our beautiful country.
5. THE UK IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY INHOSPITABLE TO THE OUTSIDER — A major part of why I supported a 'Yes' vote is because I am noticing a trend of hostility and inhospitality to outsiders in the United Kingdom. (Given the results of the last European Parliamentary election, some might even argue that this is a European trend.) As an Angeliño-Glaswegian, I have a particular interest in the rights of immigrants, although my native language, skin colour and accent put me at a great advantage among non-native residents of Scotland. The cancer that is British fascism and isolationism is spreading beyond the confines of the political fringes. Many BNP voters have been making their way to UKIP, a seemingly more politically viable party these days. I thought that political separation from the UK would enable Scotland to become more intimately associated with the rest of Europe (and the rest of the world). Unfortunately, no amount of devolution will allow for that in a United Kingdom. I suppose that is one of my biggest fears in the wake of the Referendum results — that Scotland would become yet more xenophobic. And here's a wee reminder to those who think that the SNP's brand of nationalism is the same as Nazi nationalism — the SNP has never stood for ethnic nationalism, that's the job of the SDL.
6. WE CANNOT LOSE MOMENTUM — In the wake of this morning's result, it would be easy to become discouraged or complacent. Those who supported 'Yes' might feel downtrodden and exhausted with nothing to show for it. This isn't the result of a simple football match. This was bigger than any General Election. And now the opportunity seems lost. It might be difficult to face the day today.
Those who supported 'No' might feel as if their work here is done, dusting off their hands, accompanied by a large sigh of relief. After the overwhelming nature of this very long and divisive campaign, we might feel too tired to continue. But there is much work to be done. I believe that many 'No' voters are not entirely convinced about this current system in the UK. Perhaps they believe that the best way for change is to remain part of the UK and renew it from the inside out. I can appreciate that.
Today we find ourselves in the midst of a nation divided. But we are still Scotland and despite the fact that we are not the socialist haven many have envisaged, we have many shared ideals, ideals that are not represented by many of the folk at Westminster. We cannot give in. We cannot feel defeated and we cannot feel as if our task is finished. We must unite as Scotland with love for one another in order to press for the change we need. We must hold those who made promises accountable to those promises. We must fight for a fairer and more just society. We must fight against the special breaks given to large financial institutions. We must fight for the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society. We must fight to do our part to demonstrate care and respect for nature and the precious natural resources so exploited by UK. And if it be our united will, we must fight to rid the UK of our hypocritical and immoral nuclear arsenal.
These are just some of the things we value. Let's write a longer to-do list together.
God & the Dentist
Below is, as it is with all opinion posts, an outline of my opinion on a particular topic. Please feel free to disagree or to challenge my views, but please also take the care to read all of what I have written. It is my sincere intention to be a loving, gracious, humble and devout follower of Jesus. Please forgive me when I fail at this.
Today a couple of minister friends of mine shared the same link on Facebook with the heading, 'Dentist Says God Doesn't Exist – Watch What His Patient Says…' Normally I tend away from these sort of links (my criticisms in this post will probably reveal why that is the case), but for some reason today I decided to click. Here's the clip:
I'm not sure how long this 'God & the Dentist' idea has been circulating (after a limited amount of research I've discovered several videos presenting the same argument), but this one was produced by a group called 'cvcnow' who on their YouTube account give this description:
cvcnow produce creative short films, designed to entertain and challenge your thinking about real life.
In amongst all the negativity we face online, we want to be that much needed positive presence online and bring a fresh new perspective on real life struggles – from forgiveness to suicide; we don't shy away from the big issues.
They've got this written in their 'about' section on the cvcnow.com website:
All we want is to help you explore those unavoidable questions about life, the universe and everything in it.
After a wee bit of research I've discovered that cvcnow is a 'brand' under the umbrella of Christian Vision, 'a UK-based international charity founded by Lord Edmiston in 1988.' I have yet to watch all of the videos that they've produced (and I don't see myself doing that any time soon), but from viewing this dentist video alone, something tells me that none of their videos will sit right with me. But why?
Before I explain why I see this sort of thinking as more of a foe than a friend, I want to say that this is no attack on any individuals who find this video inspirational. Please know that I am in no way doubting the faith, goodness or sincerity of anyone involved in cvcnow or Christian Vision, or even anyone who has enjoyed the video above or has passed it on to friends. I believe that the folk who produced this video are using their skills, passions and energies to do what they think is the most effective way to follow what they believe God wants for them. But with that being said, I think that most people (even people who commit acts of great evil) do the same. For example, I'm convinced that the Tories believe that society will best flourish under their policies whilst Labour politicians believe the same of their own policies (though, some might argue that New Labour's policies are more Tory than Labour, but I digress…). I also want to express that I believe that God can use any means to reveal theological truth and convey religious experience (my PhD thesis approaches a small facet of that very belief), as in the old story in the Torah of the diviner Balaam who was intent on cursing the God of the Jews, but this very God corrected him via the mouth of a donkey. So yes, according to our mythology and tradition, God can speak through various means, but I'd rather be the prophet than the ass.
So what about this video do I find particularly offensive? Aside from the poor writing, poor acting, poor music, poor production and implausibility of the conversation? Let's walk through the 'script':
Dentist [after working on a patient's teeth]: OK, we're done.
Patient: Yes, thank God for that.
D: God?
P: What do you mean?
D: Who in this day and age still believes in God?
At this point it's important to point out that I don't know of any dentist, even a staunchly atheistic dentist, who would take issue with someone saying 'Thank God' in a situation like that. Many of my atheist friends say 'Thank God' as often as they say 'Thank fuck'. The 'God' bit of 'Thank God' doesn't necessarily carry much meaning. 'Thank God' is simply a colloquialism. But the writers of this piece needed to find a way to put God into a 'real life' situation, so we end up with a very rude dentist who decides to challenge his patient on a passing comment. And to answer this elitist dentist's silly question, Who in this day and age still believes in God? — apparently some 5.8 billion of the 6.9 billion people in the world, or 84% of people. That in no way proves the legitimacy or truthfulness of belief in God, but at least demonstrates that, even 'in this day and age', belief in God isn't exactly uncommon. So the patient decides to respond:
P: Well, I do. Why's that?
D: Well, you obviously missed all the wars, uh, the devastation, the poverty…everything that goes wrong in this world.
P: Well, I don't believe in dentists. If there are so many dentists in the world, then why do so many people have broken, infected and missing teeth?
Oh dear. Now, despite his unpleasant personality, I'm starting to side with the dentist. Whether or not a Christian will admit it, there is no simple answer to the problem of evil (expressed so eloquently by the dentist in his condescension: 'Well, you obviously missed all the wars, uh, the devastation, the poverty…everything that goes wrong in this world.'). I have some views on how I might approach the problem of evil, but I don't want to go there with this post. It's also important to note that God has been used to justify a great many wars throughout history (even Bush and Blair claim to have prayed to God before the [misleading] war in Iraq). But that at which I want to get is what the patient has used to argue against non-belief – she has decided that she doesn't believe in dentists. There are two major problems I have with her decision.
1) She has decided that she doesn't believe in dentists. That's a very difficult position to maintain when you're sitting in the chair of a dentist's office after your dentist appointment and a dentist is standing right in front of you, speaking with you. If the Christian God was always so readily tangible the argument might stand up a wee bit better. But dentists do exist and her assertion that the lack of dental care in the world proves that dentist's don't exist is somehow akin to this dentist's argument against the existence of God by way of the problem of evil is complete and utter nonsense. In the spirit of this unlikely exchange, this patient's thanking of God after her dental procedure reveals that she believes that God was somehow present and responsible for the ending of the procedure. This can be seen as implying that God is capable of being present in many places at one time (omnipresence) and that is powerful enough to bring her through this dental challenge (omnipotence). The dentist argues that an ever present and all powerful God (who is also a good God [omnibenevolence]) cannot exist in light of the brokenness in the world. And whilst there are many different conceptions of God, these three things—presence, power and goodness—form part of the general understanding of the concept of 'God' in Western society. 'Dentist', on the other hand, does not carry the same weight. No one in their right mind believes dentists are omnipresent. No one in their right mind believes dentists are omnipotent. Some people believe that dentists are actually evil. So to argue that dentists, because of their lack of omnipresence and omnipotence (and to some people, their lack of omnibenevolence), do not exist, is quite silly.
2) She has decided that she doesn't believe in dentists. I have argued against the concept that we 'choose' what we believe in other posts (particularly here in 'Agnosticism in the Kingdom of God', from 23 September 2011 and here in 'Some thoughts on religion and its place in my life', 9 May 2012), but I'll attempt to reiterate and expand some of that argument here. In short, I don't believe any of us choose what we believe and instead—based upon the information we store in our heads from our experiences—we 'reason' to what makes the most sense to us. It's not Logic with a capital 'L', but it's some type of existential logic.
For a friend of mine, Christianity made sense until something else—whether that is new information he learned or a new experience or series of experiences—led him to see his Christian belief system as illogical. I do think that we can cultivate a particular belief via manipulation (like any gay men who cultivate the unfortunate belief that their sexuality is a choice), but ultimately, I think belief is something that happens to us. This makes most sense in Christianity (as opposed to this idea that we choose our beliefs) because, alongside the broader Christian tradition, the Bible seems to express that faith/belief is a gift:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.' Matthew 16:13-17, NRSV
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9, NRSV
Even the account of St Paul's conversion implies that faith is something that happened to Saul, not something he chose (see Acts 9). If the element of choice is ever involved in the Scripture, I believe it's a matter of choosing between that which is in line with the values of the kingdom of God and that which is out of line with the values of the kingdom of God. As a result of acting upon belief, some people are commended by Christ:
As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.' Then he shouted, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, let me see again.' Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.' Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. Luke 18:35-43, NRSV
There are many other similar passages in the Gospels (such as Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 7:50), but as is expressed in the Epistle of St James, faith/belief is a gift from God:
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? James 2:5, NRSV
I didn't choose to become a Christian. Perhaps every day I have the choice to follow either that which I conceive of as following Christ or that which I conceive of as not, but the conception of following Christ, being a Christian, believing in God — those things are part of my faith, and my faith is a free gift from God.
This is a good place to look at the concluding lines of the dialogue, which reveal what is perhaps the most important reason why I cannot stand by this video:
D: I can't help people that don't come to me to have their teeth fixed.
P: Exactly. It's the same way with God. It's a bit rich of us to expect God to help people who don't come to him and instead insist on doing things their own way.
D: And how am I meant to come to God?
P: Just talk to him – he's listening.
Here the patient tells the dentist that it's unreasonable for us to expect God to help people who don't come to him. Why would I have any problem with that? Being that we've just celebrated the Epiphany a few days ago, the doctrine of the incarnation weighs very heavily upon me. At the very heart of the Christian faith is the belief that God became human in Jesus. This divine mystery plants God in the midst of human existence, as a human. As quoted in the Gospel of St Matthew,
'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God is with us.' Matthew 1:23 (cf. Isaiah 7:14), NRSV
Christianity rests on the belief that God is the one who comes to us: 'But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.' (Romans 5:8), 'We love because he first loved us.' (1 John 4:19). It is God's initiative, God's move that makes this happen. God is not sitting, twiddling her divine thumbs, waiting for us to turn up. God is here, in our midst. And yet, whilst I believe that this is true, the patient's response to the dentist's final question, 'And how am I meant to come to God?' Poses some other difficulties.
I do believe that God listens. I do believe that God cares. But as I have written in a previous post,
I don't know why some people believe they've had a religious experience when they didn't want one, whilst some people really want a religious experience and have yet to receive it. I don't know why the universe is chaotic. I don't know why such lovely people die of cancer. I don't know why millions of people die of starvation and disease each year. I don't know why, if a God exists, that God doesn't just sort all this out this instant. These are difficult questions; questions that make the writing of some blog post seem absolutely meaningless. But even though I cannot give someone a life-changing religious experience, even though I cannot stop a tsunami, even though I cannot feed all who hunger and even though I cannot answer these questions in a neatly-packaged way, I know that this world and the people therein are beautiful and God has called me to give of myself for others in love, despite my lack of love and my lack of ability.
I know that this is not a resolution to the logical challenges facing Christians who maintain that God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omnibenevolent, but in light of the reality of suffering in our world, I believe that those who have faith should tread very lightly when arguing for God's existence to those who—without us even being aware—have tried very hard to call out and listen for God. The video above seems to imply that God is just a phone call away, but it does not balance that belief out with the reality that billions of suffering people who have cried out for the aid of a higher power have not received the answer that we of faith so take for granted. For this reason, someone might see this video and be unnecessarily hurt. This is why this video rubs me the wrong way.
A life of belief in God is not always cushy. It's never easy. The only concrete thing I believe with this regard is that, through Jesus, God empathises with human suffering and wants people who call themselves followers of Christ to help ease it. One way we can do that is to train up more dentists in order that they might 'show the love of Christ by offering dental relief to those in need around the world.'
Best Albums of 2013
We finished this list with but a single day left in the year. We did not forget about you, dear readers, for we know that you would be lost in a musical netherworld without us to guide you out like Orpheus leading Eurydice by the hand (shout out to Arcade Fire!). We've scoured the globe (quite literally) for the finest tunes in 2013. There were some outstanding albums this year, about which you shall soon read, but the year was not without its disappointments (for us, this would be albums from Atoms for Peace, John Vanderslice, Josh Ritter, and to some extent, Sigur Rós). And you won't soon find Kanye West's Yeezus anywhere near our list (have we poisoned the well for some readers?). Still, it was a solid year, a year that the annals of music will look back on with a double thumbs up, if not quite a leaping in the air high-five. So without further ado, we give you Lost in the Cloud's Best Albums of 2013.
Greg & Elijah
Elijah's Top 10 Albums of 2013
10. guessing the others swimming in speakers — I was first made aware of swimming in speakers by our resident Band Evangelist, Greg, back in April. Duo Christopher Clarke and Meadow Elizabeth Erskine present a fine collection of both timeless and timely tunes, hearkening back to yesteryear's American and Western European folk traditions whilst also venturing into the freak-folk electronica wave (and doing it oh, so well!). Erskine is also behind the design of the very delicate album art. They've not received an awful lot of press, but hear you me, keep an eye and an ear out for swimming in speakers.
9. Muchacho Phosphorescent — 2013 was a great year for the advancement of the freak-folk movement. Combining Eno-esque production with Brian Wilson-esque harmonies and the country charm of Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter Matthew Houck has struck gold. With Muchacho, Houck produces aural sweetness on every level, highlighted by his wavering voice. Every second of the expertly produced 46:28 minutes wash over the listener like a warm Southern breeze. And it's not short of hoots and hollers neither!
8. Love's Crushing Diamond Mutual Benefit — I must be on a desperate singer-songwriter bent this year. Although Jordan Lee has been producing through his project Mutual Benefit for more than four years, this is his first LP, and although it's running time is hardly over a half hour, it is well worth the four year wait. This album caught me out of nowhere. As with my number nine and ten albums, there's a sweetness and maturity to the production of Love's Crushing Diamond that keeps the listener eager for more.
7. Trouble Will Find Me The National — As Greg pointed out, singer Matt Berninger's voice might not be for everyone. But like Greg, it's for me. And it might be for you. Now, when I first heard 2007′s Boxer, I was unconvinced. I found the music rather, dare I say, boring. I'll admit that Boxer has not yet become for me what it is for so many of my esteemed colleagues (one of Greg's Top 50 Albums, for instance), but The National's previous record, 2010′s High Violet, changed my opinion. Trouble Will Find Me has only encouraged this continued trend of admiration, with more of the same of what The National always does, but somehow through those obscure lyrics and linear songwriting, they bring you through the mire and give you hope.
6. Monomania Deerhunter — I wasn't ashamed to admit that I wasn't taken with Bradford Cox's previous release (as Atlas Sound). 2011′s Parallax was my biggest disappointment that year. It has a few gems, but by and large I found it boring. It lacked the magic that flowed forth from all of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound's previous releases. So I approached Monomania with caution. I almost let it slip past me this year, but I must thank my lucky stars that it didn't. It's a departure from Deerhunter's previous release, 2010′s Halcyon Digest (my third favourite record that year), but definitely a departure in a brilliant direction. The album starts with a growl and persists with some heavy garage rock. Cox's vocals oscillate between their typical dulcet tones to heavy distortion, reminiscent of The Stooges. The guitars seldom let up. All in all, I think I can sum up this album in one word: exquisite!
5. Secret Soundz, Vol. 2 The Pictish Trail — 2013 has been an eventful year for Johnny Lynch (aka The Pictish Trail), most notably when he announced (seemingly prematurely) that the King Creosote (Kenny Anderson)-founded, Johnny Lynch-run label, Fence Records, was to cease operations (the link to this announcement is now dead). Since then, Kenny has announced that Fence is still alive and kicking and Johnny has launched Lost Map, taking with him several Fence regulars. In the midst of this reshuffle, The Pictish Trail has released his first record since 2010′s In Rooms (which isn't exactly your typical LP, consisting of 50 30-second songs). For those of us eager to get our hands on The Pictish Trail's newest tunes, which have speckled Johnny's live sets for the last few years, Secret Soundz, Vol. 2 comes as a great relief, and if The Pictish Trail hasn't exactly on your radar over the last decade, you should change that right now. With his typical fine balance of earnestness and levity, something reminiscent of David Bazan (and not just because of the beard), The Pictish Trail acts as something of a spiritual intercession for us, a prophet who guides us through the banality and pain of life, but with a bold sense of hope on the horizon.
4. Partygoing Future Bible Heroes — I've been a fan of Stephin Meritt and Claudia Gonson's band The Magnetic Fields for some time now, but I wasn't completely sold on last year's Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Upon hearing that their electronica-based project Future Bible Heroes was to release their first record in over a decade, I had mixed expectations, but decided to give it a go anyway. (*I wish to emphasize that the presence of Futura typeface and a kilt on the album cover had nothing to do with my willingness to listen to this record.) Partygoing proved to be one of my biggest surprises of the year – and to think that it nearly passed me by! Ever present are Meritt's reflections on love, death and darkness, sprinkled with irony and humour, simple songs that prove incredibly touching without resorting to sentimental kitsch. Chris Ewen's accompaniment provides the perfect backdrop for Meritt and Gonson's vocals and as a whole, the record shines.
3. Wondrous Bughouse Youth Lagoon — Youth Lagoon's first record, The Year of Hibernation, came as a great surprise to me back in 2011, especially considering it was the produce of then 22-year-old Trevor Powers in some shack in Idaho. It came in fourth that year, just behind PJ Harvey's Mercury-prize winning Let England Shake. The Year of Hibernation was an inspired record and what it lacked in orchestration (which was very little) it made up for in innocence and artistic purity. Any orchestral and production gap has been closed on Wondrous Bughouse. The maturity of Powers' songwriting and production is staggering, offering echoes of the later output of The Beatles and Elliott Smith. Still present is Trevor Powers' unique voice (both literally and figuratively), but with more confidence and tact than his debut release.
2. Pedestrian Verse Frightened Rabbit — It should come as no surprise that Frightened Rabbit's Pedestrian Verse is featured near the top of this list. Their last full length, 2010′s The Winter of Mixed Drinks, ranked very high on both my (number 3) and Greg's (number 2) Top 10 Lists that year and their 2008 record The Midnight Organ Fight is one of the shared entries from both my and Greg's Top 50 Albums of all time. Needless to say, we love us some Frightened Rabbit. With the release of two EPs since The Winter of Mixed Drinks, 2011′s A Frightened Rabbit EP and last year's State Hospital, our inflated sense anticipation could only amount to disappointment with Pedestrian Verse, right? WRONG. With instant classics such as 'Acts Of Man', 'Backyard Skulls', 'Holy', 'The Woodpile', 'Late March, Death March', 'December's Traditions', 'Housing (in)', 'Dead Now', 'State Hospital', 'Nitrous Gas', 'Housing (out)', 'The Oil Slick' (yes, that's the whole album…), Pedestrian Verse somehow proves even more accessible (and perhaps even more complete) than any of their previous releases. There's a great sense of honesty in all of Frightened Rabbit's music, and here with Pedestrian Verse, singer Scott Hutchison further exposes his own tendency toward immature sentimentality and gives us something more upon which we might latch in order to keep our heads above the waves.
1. Reflektor Arcade Fire — When I first heard this record I knew it was going to be on this list, but I didn't expect it to be number one. But as with most of the music I find worth listening to, Reflektor is a grower. Being the silly man that I am, I wasn't a fan of Arcade Fire's first record. When Greg and I decided to share duties when reviewing our shared Top 10 Albums entries in 2010 I dodged this confession by having Greg do The Suburbs writeup. These days I find Funeral far more listenable, but you still won't find it anywhere near the top of my favourite albums list. The same goes for their second release, Neon Bible. I found certain songs on both records very strong, but it wasn't until The Suburbs that I found myself completely enamoured with an entire Arcade Fire record. This might put a foul taste in the mouths of some of our LITC readers and maybe for 'Arcade Fire purists' the placement of Reflektor here at the number one spot—in light of my mixed feelings regarding Funeral, in particular—is seen as sad and weak. But for these things, I am unapologetic. Early Arcade Fire's unsteady musical footing and maudlin lyrical content was wasted on me. But with Reflektor the band has reached musical nirvana. Conceptually, intellectually, musically, lyrically – it's all there, stripping back contemporary pop sensibilities and gifting us with an organic piece of pop genius. And as I said before, Reflektor is a grower. The tracks I once considered weaker, the last five, are now the ones I to which I cannot stop listening. They hammer home some of the conceptual genius of Reflektor, this play between Eurydice and Orpheus (see the Rodin sculpture which features prominently the cover of the album) and the paradoxical insanity of the 'Present Age' (see Kierkegaard's Two Ages). In the midst of the convergence of these themes, Reflector also proves highly listenable, echoing the bodily and rhythmic sensibilities of a Haitian carnival. So if you've not already, find yourself a comfy seat this New Year's Day and Reflekt.
Honourable Mentions
- Once I Was an Eagle Laura Marling
- Sub Verses Akron/Family
- Desire Lines Camera Obscura
- Tomorrow's Harvest Boards of Canada
- Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came Jesu
- Country Sleep Night Beds
- {Awayland} Villagers
Greg's Top 10 Albums of 2013
10. Lily & Madeleine/The Weight of the Globe EP Lily & Madeleine — Based on their EP alone (buy the deluxe version of it, for the heavenly spare acoustic versions), these teenage sisters belong on this list, but their autumnal (both chronologically and stylistically) LP had a number of outstanding tracks as well (though didn't completely live up to the trajectory their earlier work had promised). They are best when outside production & instrumentation is minimal and the simplicity of their voices intertwining with timeless lyrics over rudimentary piano or guitar are left to enchant the listener. Listen to EP tracks "In the Middle" and "Back to the River" and album cuts "Disappearing Heart" and "Paradise."
9. We're Not Lost The Show Ponies — I chipped in a bit for this local LA band's fundraising campaign to make this album, so hopefully it's not a conflict of interest to place it on the list. First of all, they are a kick in the pants to see live (they've played twice at my church this year–pretty amazing to have such a talented band come to your door). But though their energy is infectious and exhilarating, I think they're actually at their finest when they let the soulful, Appalachian-tinged violin of Phil Glenn (really the finest calibre of musician imaginable, though all of the musicians in this band are profoundly talented) wander among the rich harmonies of the two lead vocals in their slower numbers. Check out "Gone," "We're Not Lost," "Pieces of the Past," and "The River"–keep an eye and an ear open for these kids, cause they're going places (I just read Elijah's review of swimming in speakers' album and saw that he had written something exactly like what I just wrote–only he wrote his review last week. Me and this guy are twinsies, for realz).
8. Us Alone Hayden — His last two albums have also been on my top 10 lists in 2007 & 2009…there's just something about Hayden's idiosyncratic songwriting style; his moody, introspective lyrics; and his naturally gifted musicianship (he's playing all the instruments on this album) that resonates with me at a pretty deep level—but I always give the caveat that Hayden is not for everyone. What some find morose, I find beautifully melancholy. I'm in line with one of the fans he sings about, for whom music was once "Almost Everything," a song which is a profound & bittersweet capsule of his career. I love the lyrical fast one he pulls on "Motel"—parents of young children will appreciate his escapist fantasy. "Blurry Nights" is a lovely duet with his sister-in-law, Lou Canon, whose self-titled album from 2011 Hayden produced. And "Instructions" is a haunting, yet sweet song about what to do with his remains once he's died. Only Hayden…
7. The Lives Inside The Lines In Your Hand/Threep Matt Pond — This kind of smooth-throated, melodic pop is where Elijah and I part ways (he's more of a raw-throated, energetic punk enthusiast). But Matt Pond makes songs that I love listening to. His album (The Lives…) is solid, confident, and catchy, but especially great on "Love to Get Used" (a favorite song from this year) and "Human Beings;" the EP (a combination of Three EP's, I presume, that I got off NoiseTrade) has some great instrumentals (which I'm not usually fond of in any genre) and outstanding tracks in "Starting" and "Remains."
6. Modern Vampires of the City Vampire Weekend — I really enjoyed this album so much & this despite my own reticence (being that VW are over-hyped, schticky, pretentious origins, etc.). Yet from start to finish, it is a polished, captivating album, asking questions that go so much deeper than the value of an Oxford comma. Listening to this record, I found myself moved to ponder, enchanted to pick through the layers of instrumentation, and I even chuckled more than a few times at the brilliant/dense lyrics and their delivery. They've won me over with this one…"Step" was a song of the year, and "Don't Lie" and "Hudson" are highlights among the many great tracks on this album.
5. Once I Was an Eagle Laura Marling — This is one of those records that has to be listened to (and appreciated) as a whole album. It's hard to pull a track out of this organic work, which feels like a poetic self-declaration of independence (I don't know from whom or what) whilst simultaneously a homage to musical dependance upon a host of singer-songwriters, so I can only recommend that you take an hour, put this on, and lose yourself in this roaming, searching acoustic masterpiece that exists somewhere between Joni Mitchell and PJ Harvey.
4. Alone Aboard the Ark The Leisure Society — The work of British musical gadabout Nick Hemming, the songs on this album borrow from a wide variety of genres, yet Hemming's wry and knowing voice, along with his timelessly assured songsmithery, literary wordplay, and the band's orchestral accompaniment bear the indelible stamp of a band in the tradition of late 1960's Kinks, yet one which also adds multiple other layers of complexity. There's not a bad track on the album, but from "The Sober Scent of Paper" on, it just gets unbelievably good (especially "Everyone Understands" and "We Go Together"). Shout out to my mate Wade for hooking me up with this band, whom I've never heard from outside of his recommendation.
3. Trouble Will Find Me The National — This is one of the best bands around today; heaps and heaps of talent and style; truly distinctive: musically, vocally, & lyrically. That all being said, about half of this album—the more upbeat half—somehow feels a bit like they are on autopilot, which is to say, just cruising at a high altitude, but not really soaring. As to the other half? Genius unparalleled. "Demons" was simply one of my favorite songs of the year and there are three songs at the end of the album that stand among the cleverest and loveliest songs I've EVER heard: "Slipped," "Pink Rabbits," and "Hard to Find." I could listen to them on infinite desert islands.
2. Pedestrian Verse Frightened Rabbit — For those of you who know how much Elijah and I profoundly admire these Scots, it might seem inevitable that their new album would rank so highly. To which, I say, "Nae!" These guys have earned this place (though I'm sad to see this album has not ranked as high on many end of year lists), producing their third masterpiece in a row—albeit one that has fewer of the anthemic odes to the suicidal, desperate, or simply screwed up (though they have achieved a near apotheosis of this genre in "State Hospital"). Even though they're digging the knife in at religious folk like myself in a number of tracks, their masterful songcraft, propulsive and perfectly complimentary musicianship, and esprit de sadcore leads me to absolve them of this pettiness (though I have to say, the criticisms of religious hypocritical condemners feels pretty tired–we get it, there are mean, small-minded people in the church…and everywhere else too). They are one of the few groups that consistently make important music nowadays (or "Music Now" as they might say). Tracks to check out: EVERY ONE, except "December's Traditions," but especially the first five tracks, climaxing with the epic anti-social love song "The Woodpile." And make sure to get the Bonus Tracks too. (Got to see them play live this year—they are unbelievably amazing. Don't ever miss an opportunity to see them play. Just, don't, ok?)
1. The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You Neko Case — The first time I played this album, I knew it would get under my skin and did it ever. It's funny that the first single, "Man," is the one song I actually can't stand. But every other song on here has Case's Queen Midas songwriting touch all over them. She is tender, intimidating, self-deprecating, illuminating, sometimes shining like the only star in the night sky, other times whispering through the crack of a closet door. At one point, she sings, "I wanted so badly not to be me"—but how could anyone listen to this album and not feel exquisitely grateful that she is exactly who she is? Her "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" is poignant to a breaking poi(g)nt. There is some powerful musical experimentation happening here too; the music walks a tight rope, careening & almost losing balance, but ultimately it only makes you unable to take your eyes (and ears) off of what is happening. All of the fighting in the title was worth it. You rule, Ms. Case.
Honorable Mentions
- Reflektor Arcade Fire — I'll just be honest and say that I haven't actually listened to this album enough times to really justify NOT including it on the top ten. My first few listens were not that gratifying, sensing a bit of unredeemed pretension (which AF always have, but which they most often transcend) and visible effort, so I put the album on hold. But there were enough tracks on the double album that really did have some of the old magic and made me think when I really settle down and sink my teeth into this, it will be rewarding. Favorite tracks thus far include: "Here Comes the Night Time," "Joan of Arc," and "Afterlife."
- Regions Of Light And Sound Of God Jim James — There was something strangely magnetic about this album to me. I found James to be some kind of hillbilly mystic wunderkind. I don't know why it's compelling to listen to a man chant vowels & nursery rhymes (as he does on "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U)" but the more I listened to this, the more fascinated I became. Also listen to "Dear One" and "All Is Forgiven." (Don't hate me, Wade!)
- Defend Yourself Sebadoh — In some sense, this is a return to old-school Sebadoh of 1994's Bakesale, but all that really means to me is that there are some amazing Lou Barlow tracks (though nothing quite up to his best material) like "I Will," "Calves of Champions," and "Let It Out," mixed in with some interesting, noisy, but lesser tracks from the other two band members.
- Bigfoot Cayucas — I really liked the first four tracks off this album; the main shortcoming is that it feels like Vampire Weekend's first album a few too many years late (and a bit of a Pet Sounds rip-off at times too–Brian Wilson could sue over "A Summer Thing.") The lyrics often get to be a bit too much. But worth a good listen…
- Somewhere Else Indians
- Love Cloud Cult
- Stiches Califone
Albums I Never Got to REALLY Listen to Which I Wish I Would Have
Big Wheel and Others Cass McCombs; We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic Foxyygen; Hummingbird Local Natives; White Lighter Typhoon; and nearly everything on Elijah's list.
Best Albums of 2012
Dear faithful LITC readers,
Our favourite post of the year is here! We apologise that it's taken so long, but think of it as a late Christmas gift. As with previous years, we've included our respective Top 10 Albums of the year as well as some honourable mentions and some not so honourable ones. Feel free to share your favourite records of the year in the comments section. Maybe you'll even discover some unknown treasures within our lists. Take care, readers. See you in 2013.
Elijah & Greg
Elijah's Top 10 Albums of 2012
10. Valtari Sigur Rós — Whilst I loved 2005′s Takk…, I found that 2008′s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust left much to be desired. Valtari leans more toward Sigur Rós' earlier style, a more ambient and reflective record although I'd hesitate before calling it 'samey'. Incredible tracks like 'Varúð' and 'Varðeldur', some of the finest I've ever heard from the Iceland post-rock legends kept me from pushing this record out of the top ten. For this record the band also came up with they've called the 'Valtari Mystery Film Experiment' in which they employed twelve filmmakers to make music videos for the album based upon what the song brought to their minds and without the final approval from Sigur Rós. See 'Varúð' below, created by Inga Birgisdóttir, who designed the album cover and also directed the video for 'Ekki Múkk':
9. Gentle Stream The Amazing — This was the first record of 2012 that really caught me by surprise. Released in Sweden in 2011, Gentle Stream proves to be just that, a gentle yet wide stream of quality, what I would describe as a subtle mixture between Simon & Garfunkel and Dinosaur Jr. Like their previous releases, The Amazing and Wait for Light to Come, there are still hints of psych rock (influenced by the presence of various members of Dungen) and classic rock and the finished product it is most satisfying.
8. All We Love We Leave Behind Converge — Before I listened to this record, I didn't want to include Converge in this list because it's starting to look like whenever a few of my favourite artists make a new album they inevitably end up on my 'Best Albums' list. For those who know how I rate music, it's unlikely that the top four will come as any surprise this year. But give me some credit; I can betray bands I love when they make subpar records – like Animal Collective's Centipede Hz or my 'dishonourable mentions' below. Or last year when I resisted We Were Promised Jetpacks' In the Pit of the Stomach, Atlas Sound's Parallax, David Bazan's Strange Negotiations, DeVotchKa's 100 Lovers, Danielson's Best of Gloucester County, etc. See, so when I include one of my favourite bands in my top ten I really mean it!
All that being said, I didn't want to include Converge this year, so when I heard the first track, 'Aimless Arrow', I was relieved and heartbroken simultaneously. I would consider the track their weakest opener to date (especially compared to their last record's first track, 'Darkhorse'), and with its hints of 'screamo' and melodic hardcore (don't worry, there's no 'singing' on this track), I was fearful of listening to the rest of the record. But the eight tracks to follow are all heavy, quality tunes! The rest of the record features some spoken word, which works on top of the slow, thoughtful guitar work by Kurt Ballou. But my heart was nearly torn in two upon listening to the tenth track, 'Coral Blue'. It's not all that frightening until the chorus, which isn't quite 'screamo annoying', but more confusing for those who listen to Converge. Thankfully, that's the extent of this 'singing' charade on All We Love We Leave Behind. It closes out with the sufficiently epic title track and sufficiently heavy 'Predatory Glow'. No, on the whole this was no serious transition for Converge, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They tried that on You Fail Me and they failed me indeed.
7. Sweet Heart Sweet Light Spiritualized — I know, great cover, right? OK, it's probably one of the worst album covers this year, but don't let that put you off! This here is an excellent record. Jason Pierce, also known as J. Spaceman, the creative force behind all of Spiritualized's incarnations over the last 22 years, wrote the album whilst undergoing serious medical treatment for his liver, which was left in a sore state as a result of many years of drug use, both prescribed and recreational. But unlike 2008's Songs in A&E, which was also inspired by a serious medical emergency (aspiration pneumonia and periorbital cellulitis), Sweet Heart Sweet Light is a much more hopeful, inspiring record, somewhat in the vein of 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space.
6. 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! Godspeed You! Black Emperor — This is the Canadian post-rockers' first record since 2002′s Yanqui U.X.O., and whilst I found Yanqui rather uninspiring after 2000′s masterpiece Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, 'Allelujah! is a return to form and then some. Godspeed has a rare skill (shared with Sufjan Stevens) for making 20+ minute songs engaging throughout. The tracks are engrossing and become, as the album title suggests, transcendent objets d'art, ushering the listener into heavy aural ascension.
5. America Dan Deacon — I appreciated Dan Deacon's music before (his 2009 release, Bromst was among my honourable mentions that year), but this record caught me by surprise. The opener, 'Guilford Avenue Bridge', is a buzzy digital number, which flows into the two subsequent tracks until Deacon decided to change the pace with 'Prettyboy', which seems to ruin the rhythm of the album, that is until we're brought back into the jam with 'Crash Jam'. The highlight of the album is the four-part 'USA' opus below:
4. Lonerism Tame Impala — Tame Impala's last record, Innerspeaker, which came to me as such a surprise thanks to Greg's preaching of the gospel, ranked 6th on my Best Albums of 2010 list, so in my desire to not be let down, I was suspecting that the follow-up wouldn't be as good. As with their previous material, Lonerism draws much from the past ('Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' could've been part of Magical Mystery Tour, right between 'Blue Jay Way' and 'Your Mother Should Know', or it could've totally replaced the latter and I wouldn't have minded), but always with a sense of artistic integrity and completeness. Thank you, Tame Impala, for defying the awfulness of your band name yet again and coming up with another excellent piece of psychadelic groove rock! Oh and isn't it groovy!
3. Bloom Beach House — After their excellent third album, Teen Dream (which ranked 8th in my Top 10 Albums of 2010), I expected Beach House to lose steam. Every subsequent record was getting better and no band can keep that up. Well, this loss of steam will have to wait until their next record, because I'd say that Bloom might very well be their best record to date. Whilst their sound remains distinctively 'Beach House' (those keyboard and guitar-driven dream pop soundscapes and that husky female voice), the songwriting in Bloom has taken a step forward. And even though this record demands more time and attention than their previous releases, the payoff is tenfold. And how amazing is this Ghostbusters-inspired video for 'Lazuli'?
2. Dept. of Disappearance Jason Lytle — This was an exciting year for us Grandaddy fans: the band reunited after six years apart! And very fortunately for us, the excitement didn't end there. Grandaddy principal songwriter, lead singer and guitarist, Jason Lytle, has kept busy since the break up in 2006. In fact, Grandaddy's final record, 2005′s Just Like the Fambly Cat, was written and recorded entirely by Lytle. After the break up, a move inspired by lack of commercial success, Lytle relocated from California to Montana and toured with Rusty Miller in support of Just Like the Fambly Cat. In 2009, Lytle released his first solo record, Yours Truly the Commuter and followed that with an EP, Merry X-mas. Lytle and former drummer of Grandaddy, Aaron Burtch, joined with members of Earlimart to form the band Admiral Radley, who released their debut record, I Heart California, in 2010. Each of these incarnations were superb (I Heart California was an honourable mention in my Best Albums of 2010 list), but none seemed to capture the magic that Lytle's earlier work possessed in great measure. Until now. It's safe to say that Dept. of Disappearance is a grower, but there was enough of pure goodness present from the first listen to keep me going. Each track is excellent, and some are among the best Lytle's ever written, such as the title track, 'Matterhorn', 'Last Problem of the Alps', 'Somewhere There's a Someone' (below), 'Gimme Click Gimme Grid' and 'Elko in the Rain'.
1. Shields Grizzly Bear — I won't make excuses or defend my pick despite the fact that Grizzly Bear's previous record was my number one album of 2009. Shields is just that good. Still present are the Grizzly Bear trademarks we know and love, but this record is the band's most aggressive and coherent to date. At times it is far darker than their previous material ('Speak in Rounds'), yet it still takes the listener into the clouds ('Half Gate'). In the midst of this more aggressive direction, Grizzly Bear also ventures into the realm of more accessible pop music, music that isn't as dissonant as their previous releases yet retains its creative bearings. On top of all of their unique qualities as proficient musicians and songwriters, Grizzly Bear demonstrate a continuing process of maturation, one that solidifies them as—in this listener's opinion—one of the best bands of their generation.
Elijah's honourable mentions
- Silver & Gold Sufjan Stevens — A massive five-disc, 58-song, 2.7-hour Christmas feast!
- Shrines Purity Ring
- Fear Fun Father John Misty
- Information Retrieved Pinback
- Cancer 4 Cure El-P
- Love This Giant David Byrne & St Vincent
- Tramp Sharon Van Etten
- The Seer Swans
- Tempest Bob Dylan
- Coexist The xx
Elijah's dishonourable mentions
- Mirage Rock Band of Horses
- Silver Age Bob Mould
Greg's Top 10 Albums of 2012
Another conflicted year of listening for me: some of my favorite bands put out albums I thought were shite (Animal Collective, Sigur Rós) and other bands that I expected more from turned out mediocre fare (Passion Pit, The Avett Brothers). Then there were the albums that had real moments of brilliance on them…but which couldn't sustain that level of greatness throughout the entire record. The following albums didn't break into my top ten, but you should definitely check out the songs indicated:
- Bloom Beach House — 'Myth', 'The Hours', 'Irene'
- Charmer Aimee Mann — 'Labrador', 'Soon Enough', 'Slip and Roll'
- Confess Twin Shadow — 'Golden Light', 'Five Seconds', 'Be Mine Tonight'
- Lonerism Tame Impala — 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards', 'Elephant', 'Sun's Coming Up'
- Shields Grizzly Bear — 'Yet Again', 'Gun-Shy', 'Half Gate'
- Time Capsules II Oberhofer — 'HEART', 'I Could Go', 'oOoO'; also did a great cover of Kanye West's 'Runaway'
10. Young Man Follow Future of Forestry — I don't mind if I lose all indie credibility for putting a Christian, anthem rock band on my top ten. This album falls somewhere in between Delirious?/Phil Wickham and post-Pop U2/Snow Patrol (right now, Elijah is raising his eyebrows/giving me a look of consternation/experiencing a slight taste of bile in the mouth). I know that there's a strong hint of songwriting formulae, mixed with sentimental emotionalism, strategic falsetto insertion, and derivative production sleight-of-hand, but I can't help it…I eat it up. This is my sonic Kryptonite. It moves me and I can't help loving it. So there you go.
9. Milk Famous White Rabbits — This was a late addition to the list. I had loved the track "Everyone Can't Be Confused" earlier in the year, but never got around to purchasing the whole album. Two weeks ago, I finally got it and have enjoyed the carefully orchestrated arrangement and production of each song immensely. As I began reading reviews, many of which were not kind, there was some talk about the band selling out and transforming into Spoon-lite (one of that band's members produced the album). I actually can't stand Spoon, but I love these guys!
8. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do Fiona Apple — I'll be honest, I'm not such a fan of the craziness that exists inside this woman's head, but her startlingly stark songwriting, passionate confessionalism, and uncompromising originality make this album a work of undeniable greatness.
7. Port of Morrow The Shins — There may be some measure of sentiment and nostalgia in this pick. The 2001 album Oh, Inverted World was a life-changer for me (a moment captured and corrupted in Zach Braff's film Garden State) and I can hear echoes of those glorious times in songs like "It's Only Life," "No Way Down," and "For a Fool." For those purists who find this a shameless exploitation of The Shins brand (being that only one member of the original band plays on this album), a stance which I myself initially considered, I respectfully disagree. The magic is still here…
6. Adventures in Your Own Backyard Patrick Watson — Watson is one of those artists whose voice alone puts him into a category of talent and beauty that should earn accolades–but he is also a brilliant songwriter and musician whose idiosyncratic vision comes into its own on this release. If you've never listened to his work before, his catalog is well worth exploring, including his work with The Cinematic Orchestra.
5. Heaven The Walkmen — This band has been loitering in the periphery of my musical tastes for a while–a great song here or there, but no album that absolutely blew me away. Until now…you MUST listen to this record.
4. Tramp Sharon Van Etten — Such fine, delicate songwriting; beautiful, haunting, and frequently spare instrumentation to accompany her striking, melancholy voice; and brilliant production & instrumental assistance from The National's Aaron Dessner (who better be working on a new album himself!). I love so many of these songs with an affection that is reserved for a select few artists. Listen to the song belong and try not to simultaneously smile AND ache:
3. Break It Yourself Andrew Bird — I wrote about this album earlier in the year, wondering if it would grow on me more and more. Boy, did it ever. As I said before, Andrew Bird cannot make a bad album, but here, he's certainly made a great one. I think it really comes alive after the first 1/3 of the album is over, so don't give up on it if you don't immediately sense the genius.
2. Silver and Gold Sufjan Stevens — I'm considering this a 2013 release, even though it is a collection of EP's that Sufjan had privately given out to friends and family over the last five or six years. Of course I love it—I'm a Sufjanite through and through. But beyond my dedication to the man, this really is a beautiful collection of 58 songs that I think transcend the holiday season itself and act as a meditation on the human condition as a whole, refracted through the hopes and disappointments that we connect to a particular time of year and experience of faith, family, community, and tradition. There are haunting covers of Christmas & holiday classics ("I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Joy to the World," "Let It Snow!" and "Silent Night"), worshipful church hymns simply arranged and devoutly performed ("Ah Holy Jesus," "Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates," and "Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light"), and Sufjan originals or adaptations that stand up to any of his other records ("Justice Delivers Its Death," "Christmas in the Room," "The Midnight Clear," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "The Child with the Star on His Head") along with a myriad of lovely instrumental meditations (my favorites include "Make Haste to See the Baby," "Go Nightly Cares," and "Even the Earth Will Perish and the Universe Give Way"), crazy experimental electronica (not my favorite genre but occasionally delightful), and simple fun communal musical merry-making. It's also fun to view the collection in tandem with the albums he was working on during these years (The BQE and The Age of Adz). You can actually download some of the best tracks for free on Sufjan's Noisetrade page—and that is a truly wonderful gift from the greatest artist of our age.
1. Fear Fun Father John Misty — One day this year, I was listening to an unbelievably compelling live set of songs on KCRW by a band whose name I somehow kept missing. I finally went onto the station website and discovered that it was Father John Misty. This is the first release under this band name by J. Tillman, former drummer from Fleet Foxes. I had some of his previous solo releases post-FF, which were pretty average folkish meanderings. But this! On this album, Tillman discovers some kind of alchemy that turns his melancholy into the rarest kind of beauty and wonder. His songs sound like they were written 40 or 30 or 20 years ago—any age but now, yet they simultaneously capture the hidden spirit of some mystical contemporary world surrounding us that we may not perceive. Even the songs I don't absolutely "like" have a tangible genius to them. I didn't want to like this album—the creepy cover, the hipster pedigree, the critical darlingness of it. But, for me, in 2012, this was it.
Greg's honourable mentions (albums)
- Among the Leaves Sun Kil Moon — Such lovely instrumentation and melodies; such bothersome narcissistic lyrics
- Born to Die Lana Del Rey — I think one is not supposed to like this album due to its contrivances, over-production, other myriad reasons—nevertheless, I found it strangely compelling in a fashion from start to finish
- Lonesome Dreams Lord Huron — Quality folk/Americana
- Strange Land Yellow Ostrich — This ended up on exactly no one's top ten—yet really quite a solid indie rock record!
- Who's Feeling Young Now Punch Brothers — Not enough substance to crack the top 10, but some real winning songwriting here, with a eminently listenable sound throughout
Greg's honourable mentions (EPs)
- Silent Hour/Golden Mile Daniel Rossen
- State Hospital Frightened Rabbit — Watch for their LP Pedestrian Verse to come out on Feb. 12, 2013
Some thoughts on Detachment (Tony Kaye, 2011)
Last night I had the pleasure of viewing Tony Kaye's third and most recent 'talkie', Detachment. The film was shot beautifully and acted brilliantly, and for those qualities alone it is worth seeing. But the content is yet more intriguing. Detachment follows a few weeks in the life of a substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) as he takes up a temporary post at a New York state school in decline. But the film could take place in any school. In the New York Times review of the film from 15 March 2012, the film is 'about the failing public-education system [in the United States].' I would agree with this claim in part – yes, prominent in the film is this portrayal of the dysfunctional education system. But it's so much more than that. I'd argue that the entirety of the film represents a microcosm of society at large.
This isn't me dropping a shameful reference to my doctoral research, but I think a strong case could be made that Detachment is actually a parable. By this I mean that the film is using the raw material of every day life to tell a bigger, more disturbing yet more hopeful story. Just as Christ told parables the audience in the Gospels, the film is tied together by a loose narration from our Henry Barthes, with close-ups of his unkept face in a dark room (perhaps during a counselling session). We've got representatives from various levels of society and various levels of engagement with and detachment from their current situations. At the very heart of this parable is not 'education', for education is merely an outflowing of the deeper social illness. The parable takes society back to the most basic social framework, a framework we all encounter by virtue of being born – family.
To quote the oft-quoted Larkin poem, 'This Be The Verse', They fuck you up, your mum and dad. Most of the great conflicts in the film are rooted in family and parenting, just to name a few:
a girl is expelled from the school after she threatened and spat upon Ms Madison (Christian Hendricks) and her similarly-tempered mother storms into the school hurling yet more abuse at the harmless Ms Madison.
Mr Wiatt (Tim Blake Nelson) takes up an odd stance at a school fence every afternoon hoping to be noticed by anyone as a result of being ignored constantly by his family members when he returns home from work every day.
Meredith (Betty Kaye, daughter of the director) is discouraged in her artistic endeavours and told that she ought to lose weight and conform to social norms by her father and ultimately decides to kill herself as a result of her extreme sense of rejection and isolation.
Erica's (Sami Gayle) lifestyle as a teenage prostitute and her great distress when she is removed from Henry's care by social workers.
During 'parents' night' at the high school, virtually no parents show up, demonstrating a lack of both the parents' concern for their children's education and appreciation of the teachers.
And ultimately, Henry's sense of detachment from being abandoned by his father as a toddler, losing his mother to a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol when he was a small child and caring for his dementia-stricken grandfather, whose abuse of Henry's mother led to her substance abuse.
Like a parable, the characters are universal (as opposed to cliché) in order to open the eyes and ears of the audience to the deeper level of meaning. In addition to his 'counselling session' narrative, at different points in the film Henry also tells the audience (by way of telling his students) the root of these social ills, calling on his students to avoid the 'ubiquitous assimilation' of oppressive values being shoved down their throats by a constant barrage of bull shit that has not only broken into media and culture, but has also infiltrated the very fabric of their family lives.
During the opening sequence we are given a quotation from Camus' The Stranger, concluding with 'And never have I felt so deeply at one and the same time so detached from myself and so present in the world.' Throughout the film Henry is challenged to break down his wall of 'compassionate detachment'. The blurb from the official website states, 'Kaye has molded a contemporary vision of people who become increasingly distant from others while still feeling the need to connect.' Does that wall ever break down? Well I'm not going to include any more spoilers – you should see it for yourself.
The aforementioned New York Times review concludes with, 'Is it really this bad? Or is "Detachment" a flashy educational horror movie masquerading as nightmarish reality?' No, it's not really this bad – it's worse. As I mentioned before, I believe that the film is using the façade of the educational system (severely broken as a result of the deeper problem) to tell a bigger, more disturbing yet more hopeful story. In a recent Guardian interview, Kaye states, 'We live, we go through these realms, we learn, we figure out where we went wrong. That's what living is.' Detachment won't be tearing down the power structures built up in our society to control, but perhaps it can help inspire us to fight harder with all that we have in hopes that we might chip away at the foundations of such oppression.
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs
It's late at night here in Fife and I can't sleep. So I do what many Western twenty-first-century twenty-somethings do – I end up on my computer, browsing the internet. Tonight I am especially glued to the computer with the Phillies-Cardinals game going on. If the Cards lose tonight they're out of the playoffs, so I desperately want them to win in order to keep the prospect of a Cardinals-Tigers World Series alive. For those who are unaware, the World Series rivalry between the St Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers (my favourite team) spans nearly eighty years. The first time the two teams played each other in a World Series was in 1934, with the Cardinals taking the series in seven games. They met again in the 1968 World Series, which the Tigers won in seven. They last met in the 2006 World Series. After having defeated the Yankees and Athletics in the playoffs, the Tigers went on to lose the World Series to the Cards in five games. So in the [unlikely] event that both the Tigers and the Cardinals win their respective league titles and end up facing-off in the World Series, well, I will be an excited young man.
But the Major League Baseball 2011 postseason is not why I am compelled to share a few thoughts in a blog post. The answer to that 'why' is sitting right here in front of me…literally…on my lap. Yes, I am a 'Mac user', and tonight, as has been made clear from the incredible flood of identical status updates on Facebook (yes, I am a 'Facebook user'), it was announced that Apple co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs has died at age 56.
Without a doubt Jobs' death will be the talk of the town tomorrow. Whether you loved him, hated him or found yourself generally apathetic toward him, Jobs has had a significant role in the daily lives of a great many people over the last few decades. When I initially heard the news of his death I figured that enough people are writing about this, why make my own feeble attempt to eulogise, inadvertently adding to the cloud of 'We've lost a visionary!' chat? While I have admitted to being a 'Mac user' I have neither a literal nor figurative Apple tattoo. I am not especially wowed by Apple Keynote addresses. I certainly don't trouble myself with the false 'need' to possess a wide array of Apple products. To be honest, it's all very expensive and even if I had the money part of me doesn't think that it would be especially responsible to indulge in consumer electronics. But I have owned several Apple products. As a child my family had an early Macintosh (we weren't cutting edge or wealthy, but I'm pretty certain it wasn't stolen either). All throughout my school years we used Macs in computer labs. I first learned computer programming on a Mac.
When I went to university I used my extra scholarship money to buy my first computer – a 12-inch iBook G4. A few years later that laptop's display went kaput and I eventually upgraded to a black MacBook, the very MacBook that's sitting on my lap now, four years after that purchase. A couple years ago a certain Greg gifted me with some money, in celebration of my birthday/embarking on my PhD, meant specifically to assist my purchase of an iPod. I only tell you this incredibly boring history of my Apple product experiences to highlight how my life actually is affected by the influence of Steve Jobs on a daily basis.
In a way I feel sort of dirty for thinking so much about this. Nearly one billion people in the world don't have clean drinking water, let alone a computer, let alone an expensive Apple computer (granted, I've never owned the 'high-end' Apple products). It's very evident to me that I should change my lifestyle, but I'm not going to pretend that I don't make extensive use of my Apple products. My Macs have brought me through university degrees, have been the means of countless designs (like the designs you see here at LITC), blog posts (like this one), letters, mix CDs, recording songs, etc. I don't necessarily need to do all of these things on a Mac, but I have a Mac so I do. And the iPod – unless I'm spending uninterrupted time with people it is a very common feature of my day. I estimate that I probably use my iPod for, on average, two hours a day. I don't necessarily need to listen to music on an iPod, but I have an iPod so I do.
My point is not to make some profound argument about how the world would stop without Apple – it wouldn't. My point is not even to make some profound argument about how my life would be drastically different without Apple – it probably wouldn't. But the vision of Steve Jobs, a man who was genuinely passionate about innovation (and genuinely good at selling it), is the fuel behind the success of Apple, success that cannot be reduced to mere monetary units. The Jobs-led Apple set the bar for other manufacturers (yes, this is a mild endorsement of one aspect of a capitalistic system). Even though Apple didn't invent the MP3 player, they dramatically changed the way that our society experiences recorded music. Aside from the technical innovations, Apple also brought a high aesthetic quality to the realm of electronics. Why can't our electronics be both functional and pleasing to the eyes?
It's quite depressing to think about reducing a human being to a brand. The media outlets will soon be publishing frightening news about how Apple's success will decline because of Jobs' death (which isn't that frightening even if it was true). Part of me finds this sort of revolting – Steve Jobs was a man with his own unique personality that, in theory, extends beyond the confines of a business, even a business as large as Apple. But then another part of me realises that Apple was very much at the centre of Jobs' life and he liked it that way. Apple was not merely a business venture, but an invaluable outlet for Jobs' vision and self-expression.
Apple is not dead and will continue to produce excellent innovations, but I don't think that trajectory could have been so successful without the creative leadership of Jobs.
Steve Jobs wasn't my friend and I generally do not have a great deal of respect for large companies and their leaders, but all-in-all I think he might have been something like an artist, and a great artist at that. For someone I never knew and never followed with any sense of dedication, somehow I think I'll miss Steve Jobs (or as I like to call him, 'Esteban Trabajos', with affection). Thanks for sharing so many good things with the world, Steve. We here at Lost in the Cloud salute you and will think of you as we experience the blessings of our MacBooks and iPods (and Greg as he uses his iPhone).
Cards won the game, by the way.


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Kennemer Career Day
More Galleries >
Students from Kennemer Middle School were invited by the World Affairs Council DFW to attend a luncheon with Senator Ted Cruz November 15-16.
Duncanville ISD...in the City of Champions. Its home to almost 13,000 students and 1,700 staff members. Duncanville ISD is proud of all our students. But some of them are going the extra mile. They are committed scholars. They are giving back to the community and they are champions. They are Made with Pride in Duncanville. Stay tuned to meet the outstanding students.
Five Duncanville High School student-athletes signed letters of intent to play basketball, tennis, and run track in college on Wednesday, November 12. Friends, family and coaches were on hand to cheer on the new recruits.
|Early Act First Knight Helps Student Succeed
Second grader Romeo Moreland spent much of last school year in the office because of his behavior. This year, he hasn't been sent to the office and ends most days with a green behavior card. His mom, Sheniqua Turner, has seen a positive change in Romeo. "This year is so much different from last year. There were many problems in first grade and he would say, 'I can't do this. I'm not smart.' Now I'm so amazed with his behavior and attitude toward school, it's breathtaking."
|As classical music plays in the background and previous writing samples hang on the wall, students grab their writers eye and journals to craft their entry for the day. Central Elementary School second grade teacher Felicia Graham models each of the writings with her students before they go back to their seats to write their own.
Read More >
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Digest: Former Brum Post editor takes over TM's Midlands group | Times hits big screen | Local TV moves | Huffpo Greece launchBy William Turvill 21 November 8:27
Former Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves has been named as editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror's Midlands operation.
By Press Gazette 17 November 10:38
Matthew Bell has left Ferrari Press Agency after 15 years as co-owner and co-director with Adam Gillham, to become acting night news editor at The Sun.
News digest: Vice website relaunch, Society of Editors fellowships for David Meara and Peter Cole, Derby Telegraph office moveBy William Turvill 17 November 9:48
Vice has relaunched its website last week on the day it published an editorial project on Guatanamo Bay.
By Press Gazette 06 November 15:41
Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman is to write a weekly column for the FT Weekend.
By William Turvill 04 November 10:01
Beard told readers in an article yesterday that he was "ready for a new challenge" as his plans to work for Public Health England were announced.
Former BBC News website editor Pete Clifton named new Press Association editor-in-chief ahead of Jonathan Grun departureBy William Turvill 28 October 10:31
He will be tasked with leading the "continuing transformation of the agency into a digital-focused multi-platform news and information business".
By William Turvill 20 October 16:07
Unsworth will retain her previous title as she takes charge of the World Service, World News and bbc.com/news. She will also lead BBC Monitoring and will chair the BBC's international development charity, BBC Media Action.
By William Turvill 20 October 9:05
Thomas has been acting editor of the title since May, when Tom Giles was moved into a strategy role at the BBC.
By Dominic Ponsford 17 October 12:23
The Daily Telegraph's weekday editor Chris Evans has been promoted to group director of content.
'Perhaps the last of the old-style Fleet Street bosses': Former Daily Express deputy chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens dies, aged 82By William Turvill 15 October 8:14
A Guardian obituary described him as "perhaps the last of the old-style Fleet Street bosses, revelling in a reputation for brusqueness and bullying, during the chaotic and corrupt final days of boozy incompetence and print union power, before the publishing revolution of the late 1980s".
By William Turvill 10 October 11:11
Archant has put its East London headquarters, where around 100 employees are based, up for sale.
By William Turvill 08 October 14:38
Coventry Telegraph political correspondent Les Reid has resigned and warned he may sue publisher Trinity Mirror.
Times Scottish editor Angus Macleod dies: 'Scotland has lost one of the most distinctive and authoritative voices'By William Turvill and Press Association 08 October 11:59
Macleod was being treated for cancer at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow.
By Jim Cassidy 06 October 17:19
The words of contemporary American writer Bobbi Romans could have been written for Bernard Vickers (pictured above, Daily Record) one of Scotland's most successful post war newspaper editors who died in August.
By William Turvill 06 October 10:05
Piers Morgan has denied a Private Eye story saying he was editor-in-chief of the Sunday Mirror at the time of alleged phone-hacking.
By Press Gazette 30 September 16:16
Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan is to join Mail Online as editor-at-large for its US operation.
He will write for the site several times a week, in addition to his column for the Mail on Sunday.
By William Turvill 24 September 11:08
Paxman left BBC Two flagship programme Newsnight earlier this year after 25 years.
Rusbridger wins 'alternative Nobel', TV titles merger, new BBC sport editor, Bath Chron redesign - #nibsBy William Turvill 22 September 13:46
A round-up of this week's job moves, business shake-ups and award wins.
Sacked Sunday Express critic tells of being told to change star ratings and get free theatre tickets for DesmondBy William Turvill 22 September 6:19
Mark Shenton was sacked by Express Newspapers last December after photographs of him on a gay porn website in the United States were brought to the attention of his employer. He is now suing the publisher for unfair dismissal.
By William Turvill 19 September 11:00
Hertfordshire Mercury editor Julie Palmer (right) has been appointed to the new position of senior editor. She will continue to edit the Mercury, but will also now be responsible for co-ordinating editorial teams in the area.


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Steal the Thanksgiving Spotlight With These Sexy, Bohemian Braids
Olivia Palermo Just Revealed All Her Style Secrets With 1 Photo
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|Texas Manx Rescue
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|Animal ID: 201488buttercup (female)
she is the orange kitten.not good with kids.
Rembering Patches Safe House
Limestone County Kosse, TX 76653 MAP IT!
|Rescue Me ID: 14-11-11-00359Bunny Marie (female)
Bunny Marie is a Manx & Dilute Calico mix. She is litter box trained. AGC cats are vet checked, FIV/Leuk tested, flea treated, micro chipped, have appropriate vaccinations and will be S/N before adoption. Make sure that you and your family are prepared to make a serious, lifetime commitment to the cat you choose and this commitment may last 15 years or more!
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Jefferson County Beaumont, TX 77713 MAP IT!
|Rescue Me ID: 14-10-12-00460Scoopy (male)
Wonderful loving cool cat that never met a person he didn't love!! We adopted him from shelter 6 wks ago and he doesn't get along with our cats or we would be honored to keep him. He is declawed on front feet and also microchipped and just had all shots. He is extremely sweet and loving and deserves a loving forever home!! Please call or text me.
Wise County Decatur, TX MAP IT!
|Rescue Me ID: 14-09-27-00305Lucas (male)
Lucas is a beautiful Manx. Lucas is a very sweet loving boy. He is approx 1yr old. He seeks and loves companionship from his person. He is very talkative and loves to carry on a conversation. He is great with other cats/kittens and is good around small dogs. Lucas is neutered, current on vaccinations, tested negative for FIV/FeLV & microchipped. Adoption fee~ $75.00
Kaley's Place
Tarrant County North Richland Hills, TX MAP IT!
|Animal ID: 20145B.C (female)
This is a very high strung kitten. Does not like Kids at all. Can not be adopted into a home where children live or visit. Needs a large, tall cat tree to be happy. Needs to be adopted with a sibling. If interested in any of our rescues just ask for pic and application.
Rembering Patches Safe House
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|Animal ID: 20142smoky (female)
this kitten can not be placed in home with children or where children visit. preferred to adopt kitten with one of its siblings. must fill out application before adoption is accepted. will send photos upon request. color of fur: grey/silverfish with white. this is a rumpie. meaning no stub of tail.
Rembering Patches Safe House
Limestone County Kosse, TX 76653 MAP IT!
|Rescue Me ID: 14-07-24-00072fluffy (male)
yellow striped male manx mixed. very fluffy. does require hind end cleaning due to hair.
Rembering Patches Safe House
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|Rescue Me ID: 14-06-20-00227Portia (female)
Portia is a beautiful manx tabby girl. She has been an amazing mother to her own 5 kittens plus 4 more orphans, for a total of 9 kittens! She has weaned her kittens and has been spayed and fully vetted. She tested negative for FeLV/FIV, and now she is ready to go to her forever home. Portia is wonderfully affectionate and will love you unconditionally. We believe she is about one year old. Such a gorgeous girl...she will make you very happy!
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|PIease Read Before Adopting a Manx in Texas
Manx Cats can make good pets in Texas if they match your IifestyIe. Manx Cats are best known for their lack of a tail. Manx Cats can have either short or long coats. Manx Cats are playful and acrobatic. A Manx loves affection and often bonds strongly with one person in a family. Some Manx Cats have a hard time adjusting to new owners once they have bonded with someone else. However, many Manx Cats just love attention and companionship wherever they can get it.
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Most often the question someone asks is based on whether or not they should invest their time in a particular programming language or technology versus another. What I give them is the 4 most time-tested skills of importance for a developer
Ready or not, the holidays are here. No matter which holiday you celebrate, every guy faces the same question: What should I get the lady in my life this year?
Like a lot of you folks, I also had the question, what is cloud computing? I started googling and downloaded a few tools and played with them and now understand a few concepts.
After 5 years of designing and building award winning service oriented architectures, I thought I'd share my top 5 SOA gotcha's and some general hints on how you can avoid them in your SOA program.
At HP's Discover event here in Frankfurt on Wednesday, the company will be announced a private PaaS offering, built on top of Stackato, the PaaS which is itself a fork of the open source Cloud Foundry initiative.
MongoDB is a really great "NoSQL" database, with a very wide range of applications. In one project that we are developing at SoftwareMill, we used it as a replicated event storage, from which we stream the events to other components.
Typically you do HTML parsing in Java for various reasons like JUnit testing, Web Crawling and others. I stumbled across JSoup and tried few things to understand its capabilities.
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Working up a sweat is just part of your everyday routine. Add some Nationals spirit to your game with this team logo wrist sweatband. Made to look just like your favorite team's jersey, it features an embroidered Washington logo on each side for a burst of team pride when things get heated!
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- Team colors and logo
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.