hear, listen, and repeat.

Occasionally I happen across a song or songs, that one listen just won’t do. I find myself listening to it two, three, maybe even more times in a row. Sometimes I think that maybe if I listen to it enough times it’ll satisfy my desire to listen to it. Most times that’s not the case. So here’s a list of the songs that I just can’t stop listening to:

1. Andrew Bird - Don’t Be Scared (listen to it here)
You can find this song on Andrew Bird’s 2003 album, Weather Systems. Don’t Be Scared is actually a Handsome Family cover, but Bird’s version is so much better. The music is just too good… it swells at the right moments… the vocals are perfect. Just listen to it, you might agree!

2. Paramore - Brick by Boring Brick (watch the video)
Off their awesome, new album, Brand New Eyes, this song is actually one of their singles and I suggest you go watch the video for this. I’ve listened to this song many, many times… because it’s great, but partly to decipher what is being said in the background of the last chorus. I figured it out, can you?

3. M83 - Unrecorded (listen to it here)
I love M83, but my friend Youtube helped me stumble on this gem. This one is an instrumental off their album “Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts” and it really is so good. I don’t know how to describe it, but the first time I heard it quickly became the second and third times.

4. Foo Fighters - Everlong (acoustic) (listen it to here)
Well hello there, 1997. The Foo Fighters are responsible for some classic songs from my childhood. The original version of this song appeared on their album, “The Colour and the Shape,” and it’s awesome, but I love hearing it acoustic. The first seven words are my favorite.

5. She & Him - Brand New Shoes (listen to it here)
Straight of their newly released album, Volume 2, Brand New Shoes quickly became one of my favorites. It’s a fairly simple song, but it’s catchy and nice to listen to… and that’s good enough for me. Zooey, if you could just sing me to sleep every night… that would be great.

6. Pomplamoose - September (watch the video)
These guys are genii… their original stuff is great, but when they cover songs, it usually shines brighter than the original versions. September is a great song originally by Earth, Wind, and Fire. I suggest watching the youtube video (linked above) to get the full Pomplamoose “video song” experience.

Cameron Sanderson band preview

I got to take some pictures of my friend @c_sanderson’s band the other day. I got to hear them lead worship at Colleyville Heritage High School at a Students Standing Strong event. They were great and the guy behind the lighting did a great job as well! I also got to hear a man share his testimony and his 9/11 survival story… it was intense, but so good to hear it.

Here’s a couple of pictures from the event:

(featuring @c_sanderson and @nathanboaldin)

click here to hear more about Cameron Sanderson’s music.

Nathan is going on a great trip called the World Race, to hear more about it, go to his blog: http://nathanboaldin.com/

Ahora, la vida tiene razón, pero la lucha es más difícil que nunca.

he cambiado muchísimo desde conocer el Rey de la vida y la muerte. ahora, la vida tiene razón, pero la lucha es más difícil que nunca.

I found the above quote on a friend’s Facebook page. I’m not fluent in Spanish but I was able to get the gist of the statement. I was interested in how he translated it and what it meant to him. Here’s his translation:

I have changed a whole lot since meeting the King of life and death. now, life has reason, but the struggle is harder than ever.

I love it. The beauty in the statement is it’s bold simpleness. It’s a statement that is relevant in my life.

My heart, my life changed the day I became a Christian. And it’s something that I’d love to talk about with you one day. Let me know if you ever get a chance!

January 2010 Highlights

Well, we’ve made it past another year, another decade. Though it can be great to look back at the past years, it’s fun to see what’s coming up ahead of us. Highlights will be my way of emphasizing things I’m looking forward to each month.

1. Heroes

If you didn’t catch it this past Monday, the continuation of Heroes, Season 4 kicked off with a two episode premiere on the 4th. This highly anticipated continuation comes after their December break. Other things of note, starting on the 11th, Heroes will move to their previous time slot of 9/8c, as NBC’s Chuck is also moving back to their regular time.

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