Born Again

I promised at the top of this blog that there would be music reviews.  I think you'll find one or maybe two at most.  Well, I'm doing a music review now.

The Newsboys Album Born Again features a new lead singer, Michael Tait (formerly DC Talk).  It also includes a remix of the classic 'Jesus Freak', and the album has been, in my opinion, unfairly criticised for this.  Okay, so it's perhaps not the same as the original, but actually, the words are clearer in parts on the new version.  And while I do love the original, it's never been one of my favourites.  At least part of the reason it's not been loved, I reckon, is simply because it's a bit different.  The other cover version on the album (or at least on the download from Amazon one--it doesn't seem to be on the one on itunes), is a cover of Mighty To Save.  Now this is one of my favourite songs, and I already have four other versions of it.  It's a little bizarre in that it feels like it starts in the middle, but other than that I do love this version.  It's a bit different, it's got great guitar in the background, and I particularly like the section (incidentally, it's playing right now), that goes 'My Saviour, you can move the mountains, you are mighty to save', addressing God directly rather than talking about Him in the third person.

Yes, it's not hugely similar to their previous album In the Hands of God, but I don't see why that's a bad thing.  Isn't a vibrant, changing band much more interesting than one that stays pretty static?  I don't know about you, but I like a bit of variety in the music I listen to.  Someone was saying the other day that they reckoned the band should have a new name because nobody from the original line up is there.  However, if you ever listen to some of Delirious' early stuff compared to their last album (well, last 'proper' album Kingdom of Comfort', I don't know about the Best Of album), there's a huge difference.

An excellent collection of music.  I particularly love 'Build us Back' and 'When the Boys Light Up'.  Great lyrics to all the songs, lyrics that you can sing along to without wondering 'what the heck am I singing about'.  Very glad I decided to download this album after hearing one or two songs on CrossRhythms.  Love it.  'Born Again' is also great, and I sincerely hope they come to this country on tour and I can see them live.  The album has real 'live show' potential in my humble opinion (and I've not exactly been to many live shows...  In fact, I've been to one--saw Delirious on the Kingdom of Comfort tour).  Even if you're not enamoured with the two cover versions, the rest of the album is excellent, leaving you with 10 brilliant songs if you decide to delete the covers.

If I was in a movie right now, what music would be playing?

Just found this random question on that plinky thing. Don't want to sign up for it, just want to find the questions and answer them every now and again. Not that I don't have sat next to me a long list of things I should be writing about. Anyway. What music would be playing?

I suspect it would have to be something up beat. I've had a good day. Lively. Slightly hyper perhaps, to go with the fact that I'm typing fast and am kinda in a mood where I want to get stuff done.

Music that goes along with my life: Love Today by Mika. Cool Police by Superhero.

Music I love: Most music. Stuff by Superhero. Most of Mika's songs. Delirious, especially Kingdom of Comfort CD. Stellar Kart's songs. Isle of Life album.

Music I hate: repetitive dance music. Why can't they think of any more words?!

And that's the end of my ramble about music.

Superhero

I'd just like to say how much I love this band. Some of their tracks were played on Crossrhythms the other day and I thought 'hmm, that's pretty good', so I went and downloaded a couple and I love love love Emergenza. It's amazing! I know the words to it already! (Having said that, I've probably listened to it about a dozen times sicne I got it four days ago...). Anyway, I just thought I'd say they're a great band. Cool Police is pretty awesome too.

I'm Alive!

And loads of stuff has happened recently. I've just been writing waaaay too much to post. :D Sorry. So. My nano story is on 34147 words, which is *fishes out calculater thing on computer* 9147 words above where I should be. Yay! It's going well. Random events, but going well. And I can hardly claim it isn't going to plan when I had no plan to start with. Lady Irin showed up and Ash fell in love with her. She was a bit of an unexpected character to say the least. Ash ran into a room when the building was under attack by a load of Birdie terrorists (it followed naturally from the one scene, a broken lift, that I had planned. Actually, I had kind of planned that attack. Just not Ash meeting Lady Irin and managing to fall in love with the head of the police, and not the whole blowing up police headquarters that followed that). She's a great character though. Very interesting. As is writing the romantic bit, which I'm really enjoying. Have settled on the piece I'm using for my English coursework. I would post it up, only that might be a bit of a cutting your own throat type thing since they search the web to check you've not nabbed it from anyone, and as this doesn't have my real name, that could prove interesting. I also had an unexpected abused small child show up, called June. She's Ash's ex-girlfriend's daughter, and she betrayed him to the cops, and pretty much straight after that had the girl, who definitely isn't Ash's child. He was pretty miffed about that, as you can imagine. I'm amazed he didn't just kill her when he found out to be honest. Um... What else?

Mum's started back playing her oboe at church, which is great, it makes me feel like she's actually better now. I have to admit I've missed hearing it, even if it is a pretty noisy instrument (almost as bad as James' tenor horn, but it usually sounds nicer). She's going back to work in January all being well.

College is great fun and I still love it. History is hard work though. As is English Lit. Sociology and maths just aren't though. Although we're starting Decision next week, oh heck I have maths homework, I forgot all about that, and apparently that's quite different. It's all been algebra so far, which I love. (Weird, I know, but I can't help it.)

I'm listening to WOW Hits 2009 as I post this, which is basically a complation of 30 songs by Christian artists. It's really good, I'm enjoying it. I hope it'll fit on my iPod. Should do. I only have 2 GB, and I doubt there'll be a whole lot of room left now. Maybe I should start saving up for a new one. Especially if I ever get round to writing a reveiw for Crossrhythms and joining their reveiw team, getting 'paid' in CDs. Which could fill up what remains of iPod space pretty quick.

Expect the Impossible

I love this CD. It's the new Stellar Kart one, and I'm going to use it to write a review for Crossrhythms and hopefully become a reviewer for them, which'd be pretty cool, and a good 'job'. Anyway, it's even better than the last one, and I'm already starting to learn a lot of the lyrics even though I've only had it a couple of days, and I haven't even put it on my iPod yet (my disk drive's bust, probably full of dust because I haven't used it for ages). Ok, one of the songs is virtually identical to on the last one they did, but still. It's good. I love it.

Crossrhythms

Ok, so this is a new one on me. I'm reveiwing a radio station. But seriously, if you're like me and absolutely sick of the rubbish the media is feeding you through song lyrics that equate love to sex and imply that girls kissing girls as an experiment is a wonderful thing to do, then Crossrhytms is brilliant. The music is modern and really good, and there is no rubbish perpetuated in the lyrics. They aren't all overtly Christian, although much of it is. And I love it. My only complaint is that I can only get it online. Oh, and I'm a bit annoyed that I've only just found out about it. I'm listening to it now actually. Oh, and Stellar Kart, who're one of my favourite Christian bands, have just released a new album. Shall have to try and find it somewhere. The one I've heard on the radio is amazing.