Top 11 Albums of 2009 [updated]

So here it is... my top 11 favorite albums of 2009 in all their musical splendor. This was originally a top 10 list until I found a new favorite just days before ringing in the new year.

I'll be the first to say I don't deserve any awards for listening to the most new albums this year, and I have no shame in often being a year or so behind on listening to some great albums. So, if this list doesn't seem comprehensive, it's very likely that it's not, and I know there are other great 2009 albums I have yet to listen to. But as it stands, this is the way it shakes out.

(If you click on the album art it will take you to a favorite song from the album on YouTube, if available.)

11. Brother's Blood - Kevin Devine

I had fairly high expectations for this album after seeing Devine play a few new songs in concert before its release, and the songs "Brother's Blood," "Another Bag of Bones," and "Carnival" certainly did not disappoint lyrically. But I was a little let down with the album arrangements of "Another Bag of Bones" and "Carnival." "Another Bag of Bones" did not measure up to the more simplistic EP release of the song, and "Carnival" did not measure up to the live arrangement. The rest of the album is solid but not spectacular, and despite the minor letdowns, those songs are still great songs.

10. Raditude - Weezer

Unfortunately, Raditude and I haven't spent too much time getting acquainted just yet, but despite our limited interaction, I know this album is very deserving of the number 9 spot and only stands to improve position as time passes. Lyrically and musically this album seems to be classic Weezer, even more so than the last two albums in my mind.

9. Flying You Like A Kite - The Fine Grain

I know what you're thinking, and yes, I did just give a friend-band a spot above Weezer... ok, you may not have been thinking that, but I sure thought about it. And the reason is, as I said, I'm not very familiar with Raditude yet, and over the past few years I have become very familiar with the music of The Fine Grain. After a long year in the studio, it is really nice to have such a quality recording of all the older songs and some new great songs like (my personal favorite) "Mother" and "Black Bear."

(For people who like: Manchester Orchestra, Brand New, The Kooks, Kevin Devine)

No YouTube link for this one yet, but you can click the album art to go to their iTunes store.

8. 1988 - Michael Ford Jr. and the Apache Relay

Another friend-band easily taking the number 7 spot is comprised of four former Belmont students including guitarist, background vocalist, and friend Michael Harris. This new take on bluegrass, pop, and folk rock is refreshing, unique, and masterfully done. Each of the members are masters of their respective instruments (as should be expected of Belmont students), and they put on a live show that left my jaw hanging open. It shouldn't be long before you start hearing a lot more from these guys.

(For people who enjoy: Nickel Creek, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show)

7. Noble Beast - Andrew Bird

Noble Beast represents the first of two major regrets on this list: the regret of only just discovering this artist. This album follows a long line of beautifully creative music from Andrew Bird, maybe even more than I will ever be able to track back on. But Noble Beast is a great place to start with songs like "Fitz and Dizzyspells," "Souverian," "Oh No," and, especially, "Anonanimal," a new listener can connect quickly, even though I think it's fair to say that Bird's talent is not always quickly appreciated as he tends towards the experimental. But his mastery of violin, the loop pedal, guitar, voice, and his iconic whistling prove him worthy of any discerning music-listener's respect.

6. Davy - Coconut Records

Here's the late addition that threw off my nice, even list of 10... Coconut Records may have surfaced late in the race, but easily made its way to the number 6 spot in just a few short days, just in time for the new year. This record is playful, sunny, creative, and best of all created by Coconut Records' only member: Jason Schwartzman (candidate for coolest man alive [if you don't believe me check Rushmore and Darjeeling Limited to verify]). Schwartzman, founding member and drummer of Phantom Planet, made Coconut Records as a private project only intending the first album (Nighttiming) for himself and friends. But of course someone with a résumé like Schwartzman's can't expect to put out a record discretely, and it quickly reached the public. Davy is Coconut Records'/Schwartzman's sophomore release, and it has definitely impressed me as songs like "Any Fun," "Microphone," "The Summer," "Saint Jerome," and "Wandering Around" stand out as favorites.

Check it out if you like: The Shins, The Beach Boys, Fruit Bats

5. Mean Everything to Nothing - Manchester Orchestra

This album seems to be bringing Manchester Orchestra a lot of attention this year, and the attention is well deserved. However, this album never quite measured up to Like a Virgin Losing A Child for me, even as much as I hoped it would. Don't get me wrong, Mean Everything to Nothing is nothing short of amazing, but for all of those who are starting to catch on to Manchester, you would be remiss not to go back and give Like a Virgin Losing a Child a look. As it stands alone, though, this is an incredible album that was artfully and thoughtfully made. I don't expect to see M.O. from the front row at the basement of Rocketown or Exit/Inn too many more times after the notoriety and critical acclaim this album has brought them.

4. Church Music - David Crowder* Band

After the first few times through I was ready to call this album a disappointment to a line of incredible records from DC*B, but after seeing much of it performed live twice in one weekend, I quickly came to appreciate its concept and intricate design. If you are like me, and were hoping for a more overtly "worshipful" album from DC*B then this might not be exactly what we were looking for, but I assure any fans of DC*B, taking the chance to see them live will help open your eyes to the strength of this album. Highlights include (but are certainly not limited to): "Shadows," "SMS (Shine)," "Alleluia, Sing," "Eastern Hymn," and, the epic, "God Almighty, None Compares." I will say, however, that Crowder's version of "How He Loves," though well done, still does not match up to Eddie Kirkland's version.

3. A_CROSS // The_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls - Hillsong United

Absolutely my favorite United album yet. It is amazing that they continue to improve as songwriters and musicians despite the standing quality of music they have put out in recent years. United is unmatched as of yet in the production of worship music, and this album's shift towards a call for social justice is a breath of fresh air from a church that has often been accused of preaching a "health and wealth gospel." It seems Hillsong Church has turned a corner in theology, and that shift is beaming through in songs like "Tear Down the Walls," "You Hold Me Now," and, most evidently, "Solution." This message was also portrayed through United's documentary, the I-Heart Revolution: We're All In This Together, which was a very compelling film about the needs in the world and our calling to go and be healers to the brokenness. The Church needs more voices and songs that call for action, and this album came at the right time. I'm already anticipating the next one.

2. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

I mentioned the regret of only discovering an appreciation for Andrew Bird this year, and that sentiment is apparent several times over with The Avett Brothers. I and Love and You is not only one of my favorite albums of the year, but it has quickly become one of my favorite albums of all-time (albeit a very long list). (At risk of listing every song on the album) Songs like, "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise," "January Wedding," "The Perfect Space," "Ill With Want," and "It Goes On and On" speak for themselves as some of the most well-crafted songs of the year. In my mind this album is nearly flawless from start to finish, and the range it displays from the sorrow and soul of "Ill Will Want" to the fun and ruckus of "Kick Drum Heart" is beautifully done. The Avett Brothers have the special gift of writing amazing lyrics that match perfectly with the mood of the music, and that sets them apart as great musicians.

1. Aim & Ignite - fun.

The only reason The Avett Brothers were not number 1 in 2009 is that fun. took things to another level with Aim & Ignite. When going to see Manchester Orchestra last winter, all I knew of fun. was that Nate Ruess (formerly of The Format) was the frontman, and the one song they had posted on MySpace was nothing short of incredible. After seeing them live for the first time, I knew that I had just encountered one of my favorite bands of all time. Eventually more songs reached MySpace and the album was released just days before they came through Nashville again (if I remember the timeline correctly), and, by that point, it was probably already decided that Aim & Ignite would hold this top spot for 2009. Ben Carpenter sums it up well in his review of fun.'s new album,

"The voice of The Format is not lost. Nate Ruess has returned with fun. [...] His range is incredible. His melodies are catchy as anything, and this band gives him the chance to showcase his voice in ways that were impossible with The Format. he’ll never let us down. Another standout quality of this album is the instrumentation. guitar, piano, horns, steel drums, this album has it all, and uses everything at its disposal to keep each new song fresh and vibrant. Lyrically, Nate is still writing from the heart, with songs like “At Least I’m Not As Sad As I Used To Be, Walking the Dog, and The Gambler, it’s obvious that he’s writing from where he is and where he’s come from. We can know Nate a little better just by listening to his music, which isn’t true for a lot of bands. He makes his songs intensely personal. [...] Nate has come through a lot, and I get the feeling that he wants us to share in the rebound. He’s not sad, and he’s done writing sad songs (for now). I can safely say that this album is flawless."

If you haven't heard this album, give it a listen, because it is almost sure to bring a smile to your face and find a place in your top albums list.

Favorite songs include... wow I honestly don't even want to go there. You can tell me what yours are instead.

Honorable mention

Danyew - Danyew

Blood, Sweat, and Sweat - Harrison Hudson

As I said, there are still many albums from 2009 I have yet to hear, but as I know now, these are the ones that really impacted me so far. There is also much more to be said about most of these albums that I have spared you (believe it or not) in this list. That being said, feel free to comment on the list or respond with your other favorites from 2009.

rollercoaster.

As a semester of singing with hundreds of dear friends at Sanctuary closes, and I begin to realize just how much I love and miss those moments, I want to pause and reflect on the joy they bring and the reasons they are so meaningful. Because after all...

What are we singing for anyway?

Over time, I've become less and less comfortable with my phraseology when it comes to Sanctuary, and it's hard to avoid using phrases that somehow distinguish the worship we bring during that time from any other moment in our lives.

In other words, it has been a struggle to broaden the idea of worship beyond what is so often propagated as the extent of worship in many of our churches, because, as most of you already know, we are called to give far more than a song to the Gracious One. As the apostle Paul vowed, we too, should offer our bodies, or as Peterson paraphrases, 'our everyday, ordinary lives—our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around lives' as living sacrifices as an act of worship to the One who has created us. (Rom. 12:1-2)

This is all to say that Sanctuary has been a beautiful expression of worship from the hundreds who join in one voice with one another each week, but certainly not the extent of these people's worship.

As we sing words like, "What was said to the rose to make it unfold was said to me here in my chest," "Fill our hearts with your compassion," "Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done," "Politics will not decide if we will rise and be your hands and feet," and "Your Kingdom come, your will be done, here on Earth as it is in heaven," we are proclaiming a much deeper call to worship; a call that demands our lives, 'our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around lives.'

That is the beauty I am blessed to see each Thursday.

Nearly every week of the past two semesters I have had the honor of standing before an unbelievable amount of potential and looking out at hearts as they unfold and re-imagine a call to true, life-giving worship.

Perhaps its something like sitting at the crest of that first hill on a roller coaster... (if you're into that sort of thing, because I'm certainly not, and that's why I have to say "perhaps") the anticipation, the excitement, the uncertainty, and wonder of it all is breathtaking.

Maybe its even more like we've just lurched over the crest of the hill and we've begun to understand what it's like to race along the tracks and feel the sheer joy (terror) of the wind rushing through our hair, and we know... we know that this ride is going to be wild one, one that leaves us changed as we step off the platform only minutes later.

Because the ride isn't long, but it's exhilarating.

It seems more accurate to say that we've crested the hill, because I know most of the hands and feet in the room each Thursday night have already been offered for greater things time and time again. I have seen the fruits of lives of worship all around me, and I know that this ride is only going to get better.

As we increase in speed, my hands want to grip tighter on the safety bar, but I wonder how much more exciting it must be just to let go... how frightening... how thrilling... how free.

I cannot even truly begin explain how my seat on this roller coaster has blessed me over the past two semesters. And it is certainly not a roller coaster in my mind because of its ups and downs, but only because of the energy just poised and ready to be released. We've had a taste of it, but there is much more track to cover. And the discovery that lies ahead is everything.

We are living for a Kingdom.

We are not citizens, first-and-foremost, of the kingdoms of this world, but of the Kingdom of God. As we have sung, this Kingdom groans for a world, 'where the wars and violence cease,all creation lives in peace,' there's 'no weeping, no hurt, no pain, no suffering, no darkness, no sick, no lame, no more hiding,' and 'in this life we are standing through our joy and pain knowing there is a greater day coming.'

But our groaning does not come without great responsibility... Our singing does not come without a call to worship.

Jesus came to announce the coming Kingdom (Mk. 1:15, Lk. 4:43), but he never called us to simply stand outside the line for the ride and hold our friends' fanny-packs. He called us into action.

The Kingdom is dynamic and active, and Jesus showed us exactly that through his ministry. And he did so by giving his life, his everyday, ordinary life as a complete sacrifice to the service of God and a testament to the coming Kingdom. In doing so, he declared the trajectory that God so passionately desires for humanity.

David Crowder is someone I look up to in regards to worship through song, was asked why he is so passionate about singing praise with others, this was his response:

"[A friend an I] were outside of my barn, and we were just talking. And he made this statement, and I know this isn’t necessarily something that would stand up in any physics classroom, but he asked, “You ever notice the sky goes all the way to the ground? It’s just sky, sky, sky, and then ground.”

We’re somewhere in between, our feet are on the ground, but we’re walking around in the sky. That’s our reality, that’s where we’re stuck as Christians. Redemption’s found us, we’ve been rescued, but we’re still in a desperate spot.

I think there are moments that happen in life that transcend our everyday experience. I think a lot of times, corporate worship is that. It seems like your feet leave the ground for a second or two, and you get this picture of what eternity might be, but then you’re right back into the grind, Monday comes and your feet are back on the ground but here we are again trying to figure out what it means to be alive and rescued at the same time."

The roller coaster lurches over the edge... we begin to pick up speed... the wind pulls tighter at our faces, our hair, we're turning, looping, dropping, rising, circling... we're flying.

When we join the action, when we step off the platform, into the car, up the hill, and down the first drop... we can just begin to feel it. We can just begin to taste it.

This is our life as sacrifice. This is our life for the Kingdom. This is our life of worship.

In bringing the Kingdom to earth, we are impossibly tied to the possibility of encountering the very Kingdom we are yearning for, when all-the-while, our feet are still tied to the ground.

In serving one another, in feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, befriending the lonely... in singing together as if surrounding one other as a cloud of witnesses or a chorus of angels...

in love and praise

in worship

we are destined to encounter glimpses of the Kingdom.

This is why I love my seat on the roller coaster. This is why I love Sanctuary.

The anticipation is building, and the excitement for what's to come is palpable in those anointed moments.

We can feel the Kingdom coming, just over the hill, just down the track, and we are chasing it with all we have... Throwing ourselves to the mercy of the ride, knowing that being a part of its movement allows us brief glimpses of what's to come.

The love we share, the praise we proclaim, and the worship we live all point to something greater.

And it keeps us living for more.

Father,

May we seek your Kingdom. May we hope for, long for, and yearn for your Kingdom to come, both through our worship, and in full when your time comes. Help us Lord to appreciate this ride that we are on, because as so many of us sit at its beginning we can see the great potential of it, but we fear that we may not cherish it and respect it to the extent it warrants. Father let us cherish the moments where we do feel close, where our feet leave the ground, and we understand just a little better what your Kingdom looks like, and what your desire is for your beloved. Lead us into your service so that our songs are not empty, but only proclamations of the body of worship we have already offered you and continue to offer to you each day.

Please Lord, take this life, and make it yours.

Amen

discipline.

This is my current conviction.

Now is the time that I enter a season of discipline.

Work harder.

Exercise more.

Eat healthier.

Pray more.

Practice kindness.

Think more.

Be quiet more.

Spend less.

Give more.

Have more conversations.

Invest more in others.

Be intentional.

I don't think it's any mistake that God has chosen the holiday season, a season of over-indulgence, over-spending, and (for me at least) laziness, to place this conviction on my heart.

I know that He is asking more of me than I really want to give, and surely I can come up with several reasons for why I don't really need to undergo any major changes. But that's not the point.

This conviction of discipline is a conviction to dive deeper into the rhythms of God. If I really want to find my heartbeat matching the rhythm of my Father's, then I will willingly submit to a life of more noble discipline. And this has certainly been a weakness of mine for far too long.

Maybe it boils down to this: Don't just breathe... live.

I only write this so that you may keep me accountable, as it also reminds me of this personal challenge. It's time I made some changes.

If you feel so compelled as to join me in this conviction, then all the more we can share in seeking holy discipline.

And what better season to start than Advent?

noose.

Shane Claiborne: Communicating Through a Noose

"What do you think of that man?" the old guy asked in a raspy voice as I settled in next to him on the plane. He pointed to the face of Saddam Hussein on the front of his newspaper with a headline story of the looming execution. I gathered myself, and prepared for what could turn out to be a rather chatty plane ride. I replied gently, "I think that man needs some love." And the rather boisterous gentleman sat still, perhaps not exactly the response he predicted. Then he said pensively, "Hmmmm. I think you're right..." And finally, he whispered in a forlorn tone, "And it is hard to communicate love through a noose."

Sometimes we just need permission to say, "It's not okay to kill someone to show everyone how much we hate killing." As Christian artist Derek Webb sings, " Peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication. It's like saying murder is wrong and showing them by way of execution." I am encouraged by how many Christians I hear voicing an alternative to the myth of redemptive violence in light of the recent killing of Saddam, folks who love Jesus and have the unsettling feeling that Jesus loves evildoers so much he died for them, for us. I have heard many evangelicals who see Saddam's execution as the ultimate act of hopelessness and faithlessness – after all it is humanity stepping in to make the final judgment, that this human created in God's image is beyond redemption. And for those who believe in hell, executing someone who may not yet know of the love and grace of Christ is doubly offensive.

It is rather scandalous to think that we have a God who loves murderers and terrorists like Saul of Tarsus, Osama bin Laden, or Sadaam Hussein – but that is the "good news" isn't it? It's the old eye for an eye thing that gets us. But the more I've studied the Hebrew Scriptures the more I am convinced that this was just a boundary for people who lashed back. As the young exodus people are trying to discover a new way of living outside the empire, God made sure there were some boundaries, like if someone breaks your are, you cannot go back and break their arm and their leg. If someone kills hundreds of your people, you cannot kill 160,000 of theirs.

We've learned the eye for an eye thing all too well. A shock and awe bombing leads to a shock and awe beheading. A Pearl Harbor leads to a Hiroshima. A murder leads to an execution. A rude look leads to a cold shoulder. An eye for an eye we have indeed heard before and learned its logic all too well. But Jesus comes declaring in his State of the Union Sermon on the Mount address (Matthew 5): "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,'" but there is a another way. No wonder Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the people "did not know the things that make for peace."

Gandhi and King used to say, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth leaves the whole world blind" (and with dentures). The gospels tell the story of a group of people who have dragged forward an adulteress and are ready to stone her (this was the legal consequence). Jesus is asked for his support of this death penalty case. His response is this... "You are all adulterers. If you have looked at someone lustfully, you have committed adultery in your heart." And the people drop their stones and walk away with their heads bowed. We want to kill the murderers, and Jesus says to us: "You are all murderers. If you have called your neighbor 'Raca, Fool' you are guilty of murder in your heart." Again the stones drop. We are all murderers and adulterers and terrorists. And we are all precious.

When we have new eyes we can look into the faces of those we don't even like, and see the One we love. We can see God's image in everyone we encounter. As Henri Nouwen puts it: "In the face of the oppressed I recognize my own face and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hands. Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their p ain is my pain, their smile is my smile." We are made of the same dust. We cry the same tears. No one is beyond redemption and no one is beyond repute. And that is when we are free to imagine a revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free. The world is starving for grace. And grace is hard to communicate with a noose.

Shane Claiborne is a founding partner of The Simple Way Community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in Kensington, North Philadelphia. He is a Red Letter Christian and the author of The Irresistible Revolution.

source: http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/01/shane-claiborne-communicating-through.html