The quintessential band that falls into this category for me has always been the Rolling Stones (who didn't just come around, obviously, but have been here since the Stone Age). I appreciate their music intellectually. "Sympathy for the Devil" was a masterpiece, of a sort. I think Keith Richards is one of the best rhythm guitarists ever (players of the Guitar Hero video game will recall his tasty licks). I even agree that "Satisfaction" is the best rock and roll song ever, as determined in some poll a few years ago. But I can't say I like the Stones.

Another band I felt this way about, up until their last album, is Chicago's own Wilco. Their first few years, I liked the singles I heard on the radio. I also appreciated the work they did on the two excellent Mermaid Avenue records, where along with U.K. hard-folker Billy Bragg, they took some long-dormant lyrics written by the incomparable Woody Guthrie and set them to music, in a variety of styles. I thought, "Hey, Wilco started out as an alternative country act, they're supposedly very "literary", their drummer Glenn Kotche went to my high school and graduated with my sister ... what's not to like?"

Then I actually bought and listened to the 1999 Summerteeth record, and found it sort of plodding on the whole, interesting but not much fun. A few years later, I tried again with the critically lauded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, only to discover it was even more depressing and unnecessarily heady -- a musically dense, lyrically brooding, overproduced attempt to write and perform something "important". I gave it plenty of listens to see if the record would grow on me, win me over. But it didn't, so I threw in the towel and put the band in that "respectable but tedious" category with the Rolling Stones.

But around that same time, I heard an interview and some radio talkshow business discussing leader and main lyricist Jeff Tweedy's struggle with clinical depression. He was beating it, though, so I figured maybe the band's music would benefit from the change as well. And with last year's Sky Blue Sky, which as usual I bought well after the release date, I find I actually do like their unique voice and musical vision. At least it's more hopeful and moving now, instead of just keen observations of what's wrong with the world. Whew! Finally. Thank God for serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs, or whatever helped Tweedy turn his negative outlook into a reasonably positive one (without being willfully ignorant and upbeat).

Now Wilco's out on the road with my man Neil Young, Kotche recently worked with Kronos Quartet (like another fave, Elvis Costello, once did with the Brodsky String Quartet), and Tweedy's a comfortable family man, and among the more respected mid-career veterans of the music scene. That makes me happy.

For evidence of peace of mind (in the midst of war), just look at the progression from frustration to acceptance, from doubt to a kind of faith, in the following two Wilco songs. The first is from 1999 (Summerteeth), the second from 2007 (Sky Blue Sky).

Can't Stand It - by Wilco (J. Tweedy)

The Way Things Go
You Get So Low
Struggle To Find Your Skin
Hey Ho
Look Out Below
Your Prayers Will Never Be Answered Again

Phones Still Ring
And Singers Sing
Speakers Are Speaking In Code
What Now
Well Anyhow
Our Prayers Will Never Be Answered Again

You Know It's All Beginning
(it's All Beginning)
To Feel Like It's Ending
(feels Like It's Ending)
No Loves As Random
As God's Love
I Can't Stand It
I Can't Stand It

The Way Things Get
You Get So High
Funny How We Make New Friends
Oh Hey Ho
I Gotta Go
My Prayers Will Never Be Answered Again

You Know It's All Beginning
(it's All Beginning)
To Feel Like It's Ending
(feels Like It's Ending)
No Loves As Random
As God's Love
I Can't Stand It
I Can't Stand It

Speakers Speaking
Speakers Speaking
Speaking In Code    (x2)

You Know It's All Beginning
(it's All Beginning)
To Feel Like Pretending
(to Feel Like Pretending)
No Loves As Random
As My Love
I Can't Stand It
I Can't Stand It

Your Prayers Will Never Be Answered Again (x4)

What Light (Tweedy)

And if you're trying to paint a picture
But you're not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don't let anyone say it's wrong

And if you're strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It's alright to be frightened

When there's a light (what light)
There's a light (one light)
There's a light (white light)
Inside of you

If you think you might need somebody
To pick you up when you drag
Don't loose sight of yourself
Don't let anyone change your bag

And if the whole world's singing your songs
And all of your paintings have been hung
Just remember what was yours is everyone's from now on

And that's not wrong or right
But you can struggle with it all you like
You'll only get uptight

Because there's a light (what light)
There's a light (one light)
There's a light (white light)
There's a light (what light)
There's a light (one light)
There's a light (white light)
Inside of you

The only way
We could ever beat
These crooked politician men

Is to cast the moneychangers
Out of the temple
Put the Carpenter in

Oh it's Jesus Christ our President
God above our king
With a job and pension for young and old
We will make hallelujah ring

Every year we waste enough
To feed the ones who starve
We build our civilization up
And we shoot it down with wars

But with the Carpenter
On the seat
Way up in the capitol town

The USA
Be on the way
Prosperity bound

Ok, my favourite moment in pop so far this decade kicks in about two thirds of the way through Jens Lekman's brilliant single Black Cab. All of a sudden the main theme cuts and from nowhere comes a beautiful piece of harpsichord that sounds like it has come from another planet.

The sample is actually from a song called There's Something on my mind by New York 60s popsters The Left Banke and is a reminder, in case we ever needed one, that in spite of The Stranglers' Golden Brown, harpsichords can sound amazing in pop songs.

Listening to it Black Cab the other day reminded me quite how lucky I was to own about five Left Banke albums in my collection. For some inexplicable reasons it is now virtually impossible to buy a Left Banke CD at all. It seems incredible that in a world of instant music downloads and online music stores that some of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful music ever can only be bought used via Amazon for at least £30.

I first fell in love with Left Banke in the 80s when Bam Caruso records - a contender for my favourite indie label of al time - issued most of their music on a pair of vinyl albums. They had stunning tunes which could easily have graced mid 60s Beatle albums, but instead of guitars they used supposedly archaic instruments like Harpsichords and Clavinets and decorated those tunes with to die for strings.

The song that everyone knows is Walk Away Renee which went on top be covered by The Four Tops and even brought a bit of light relief to a Billy Bragg album. While The Four tops version is amazing the Left Banke's original is in a different stratosphere. The surge of strings as the band ploughs into that killer chorus reduces me to tears of joy on a weekly basis.

Ironically Renee is only about the fifth best thing they did. My personal favourite is She Will Call You Up Tonight, a more up-tempo number than Rene which not only boasts a beautiful piano riff but also has a completely unexpected and highly unusual break in the middle. You can get an idea of how wonderful it is by listening to Susanna Hoffs great cover of the song here.

The band’s second single, Pretty Ballerina is my other favourite - a genius pop song with a very distinctive beat and once again more strings and harpsichords. Then there's Desiree which is carried from start to finish by a staccato strings and a wonderfully breathy vocal, and Ivy, Ivy a ballad so brittle and gentle it feels like it could fall apart at any moment.

You can read much more about the band here. Suffice to say they made two albums; the second doesn’t feature the man who arguably the band’s musical genius - Michael Brown - though to be fair the remaining trio made a pretty good job of replacing him, before splitting up. There was a reunion album in the 70s which Bam Caruso put out in the 80s, but it is only a shadow of the work they did in their prime. Brown did actually make a pretty good post Left Banke album with a band called Montage but even this is hard to track down now.

It does seem bizarre, and a little unfair that virtually every band that put hand to plectrum in the 60s has had their work reissued and reappraised, yet one of the best of the lot exists only through dodgy downloads, YouTube snippets and swapped MP3s. So come on whoever owns the rights to the music - let everyone hear it!

and another just for Tatie and Dusty:

Honorable Mention - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart -- I'm having an "I want to make out with Jeff Tweedy night.

The Featured Artists' Coalition says it wants musicians, rather than record labels, to retain control over the rights to their music. The group also says that new technology has been quickly changing the music industry, and that artists are being left out when their songs are distributed through digital means.

The group officially launched on Sunday, October 5, at the In the City music event in Manchester.

So, I got a little sidetracked from the Erik Gonzalez 100 - my list of my 100 favorite albums of all time. Now, I'm going try to catchup by posting much shorter comments on each album until we get near the top.

Here goes:

#96 The Faint: Danse Macabre (Saddle Creek Records - 2001) - One of the best post-punk electroclash albums ever, sick and slick as everything. The band seems to have lost focus since then, but it is still get listen. Best Songs: "Glass Danse", "Agenda Suicide", "Your Retro Career Melted", "Let the Poison Spill from Your Throat". EG100 Score: 78.00

#95 Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (Alien8 - 2004) - Mischievous and infectious at the same time. It might be close to the perfect nerdcore album (we'll see the perfect one later on). Best Songs: "I was Born (a Unicorn)", "Tuff Ghost", "Sea Ghost". EG100 Score: 78.014

#94 Curve: Doppelganger (Virgin - 1992) - They lost their fame to Butch Vig's Garbage, who was more or less a clone of Curve. Toni Halladay was also possibly the hottest modern rock vixen this side of Tanya Donelly in the early '90s. Best Songs: "Already Yours", "Fait Accompli", "Horror Head". EK 100 Score: 78.123

#93 Billy Bragg: Talking to the Taxman about Poetry (Elektra - 1986) - Billy begins to get a more robust sound after his "electric guitar and mic" days. An excellent mix of love & politics (as the title might imply). Best Songs: "Greetings from the New Brunette", "There is Power in a Union", "Help Save the Youth of America", "The Marriage". EK100 Score: 78.291

#92 Nirvana: Nevermind (DGC - 1991) - Ok, yes, this seems really low for the seminal album of the '90s, but I actually rank the Nirvana discography differently than most people (as you will see later). Don't get me wrong, it is a fabulous, music-changing album, but ... Best Songs: "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "In Bloom", "Something in the Way", "Breed". EK100 Score: 78.326

#91 M.I.A.: Arular (Interscope - 2005) - You probably either love the album or hate it, but M.I.A. is definitely ear-catching. The album is sort of patchy and is plagued with dreaded  "skits", but the good songs are grrrreat. Best Songs: "10$", "Galang", "Sunshowers", "Fire Fire". EK100 Score: 78.375.

I have affectionately named this playlist Country Fried Rock:

Here's a nice assortment of my favorite lines from these songs:

"I say I'll help you squeeze and fix yourself up a
A new kind of God of some kind

One that tells you
Fertilize and multiply
One that tells you
Outsow and outblow
Outplant and outgrow
Outdo, and outrun, and outclimb, and outspread
Every other tree and bush
And brushy fruits and flower petals
Outfruit them all
For the feed of man

Outstalk and outhunt and outthink
For God's own sweet sake, outthink! Outthink!"

Yeah. Reading that is like a swift cowboy boot kick to the stomach. Genius.

"I ain't the world's best writer, ain't the world's best speller
But when I believe in something I'm the loudest yeller
If we fix it so you can't make no money on war
Well we'll all forget what we was killing folks for"

Sommige artiesten doen het met gesloten ogen, alsof ze liever achter een zwaar gordijn zouden staan, trekken zich terug in hun schulp. Anderen staan er alsof ze nooit iets anders hebben gedaan, alsof hun benen met de plankenvloer zijn vergroeid. Billy Bragg behoort tot de tweede soort. Zijn (solo-)optredens bieden ook altijd meer dan muziek. Niet dat die onbelangrijk is. Integendeel, het is de haak waaraan de verhaaltjes worden gehangen. En die haken kunnen soms best scherp zijn.

Ongenode, maar daarom niet minder welkome gasten waren Kathryn Williams en Neil MacCoil die hun net verschenen cd met de toepasselijke titel ‘Two’ kwamen voorstellen. Let wel: dit betreft niet het tweede album maar slaat op het feit dat ze met zijn tweeën zijn. Met één of twee akoestische gitaren, een sampler en het majestueuze “shaky egg” werd een korte set tevoorschijn getoverd.

In de rustige momenten leek hun werk verwant met dat van Suzanne Vega. Door het gebruik van de sampler en de bijgevolg overlappende vocals deed het geluid ons dan weer denken aan Tunng, al heeft die groep daarvoor geen samples nodig.

Billy Bragg pakte het helemaal anders aan. Geen intimistische tafereeltjes en bescheiden stemmen. Het podium op, gitaar omgorden en het publiek uit je hand doen eten. Of hoe eenvoudig rock-‘n-roll kan zijn. The World Upside Down was het eerste van een lijst met afwisselend – en deze lijst is niet beperkend - klassiekers (Greetings To The New Brunette, Sexuality), nieuw werk (Farm Boy, O Freedom), covers (Ingrid Bergmann, een bijzonder grappige Johnny Cashversie van Pinball Wizzard) en minder bekende songs.

Tussendoor nam hij uiteraard uitgebreid de tijd om boompjes (van jonge dennen tot stoere eiken) op te zetten over Guitar Hero III of hoe je gitaar kan leren spelen met een stuk plastic, over de Mitsubishi Pajero of de enige manier om het Glastonburyfestival te kunnen bezoeken en om uiteraard de nodige politieke speeches af te kunnen steken.

Vooral het feit dat hij het luchtige - ook de teksten van zijn nummers verandert hij vaak - met het ernstige wist af te wisselen, maakte het de toeschouwer moeilijk om af te dwalen. Zijn kritiek op het groeiende cynisme in de wereld (als inleiding tot I Keep Faith) of op de macht van de speculanten (na de Woody Guthry-uitstap) leken ons volkomen terecht.

Na The Greap Leap Forward was er nog tijd voor enkele bisnummers. Sing Their Souls Back Home maakte diepe indruk waarna het publiek zich mocht uitleven tijdens uitsmijter A New England.

Bragg mag dan geen 22 niet meer zijn, hij zal blijven proberen om met zijn muziek de wereld toch een klein beetje beter te maken. En daar is, wat ons betreft, niks mis mee. Nu alleen de rest van deze aardbol nog.

Copyright tekst en foto : daMusic

Tonight the new episode of Insomnia Cafe will go live on iTunes. Here’s the full playlist, and clickable links to each artist’s website.

Black Velvet Elvis - The Girl With The Strawberry Hair

Melissa Ricks- Heartbeat
Kelly's Lot- Joan Of Arc

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis- Going Up The Country
Sharon Robinson- Party For The Lonely + interview

Billy Bragg- O Freedom
Jean Synodinos- Waiting For The Light To Change

David Bennett Cohen- Blues For A Summer Dream

Visit our iTunes page and download the episode (Episode 9/Season 2, Episode 1) at: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=208833379

Download iTunes for free at http://www.apple.com/itunes

Send feedback to: insomniacafepodcast@gmail.com

The episode in which

Sean proclaims PopJunkieTV to be the biggest thing in Indie since the Shed Seven reunion tour
Sean is gutted that Muse are still making music.
Victoria bigs up the Stadium Pal - a catheter which means you don't have to go to the toilet during a gig, or something.
Victoria worries about Glastonbury cows
Victoria wonders why so many bald men like The Cult
Victoria champions Sixty Second Silence
Sean reviews the Duffy album in a Carry On Stylee
Sean declares the new album from Billy Bragg to be pants
Victoria starts an indie class war

Handjobs for the Holidays :: Broken Social Scene

Sleepwalking Ballad :: Apostle of Hustle

Winter a Go-Go :: Yo La Tengo

Carried Away :: French Kicks

The Woodland National Anthem :: Arcade Fire

See the Sky About to Rain :: Neil Young

Evolution :: Cat Power

Pablo and Andrea :: Yo La Tengo

Cocaine Skin :: Kevin Drew

Islands in the Stream :: Constantines and Feist

Blood of the Lamb :: Billy Bragg and Wilco

Bitches in Tokyo :: Stars

It has been difficult to not pay attention to the big event in town this week.  Generally I attempt to take the dog approach, pay attention but without giving too much heed.  Yesterday, however, that came undone.  While standing in line at the coffee shop, I noticed a big red white and blue "Leftie" sticker on the computer of the gentleman ahead of me. He ordered coffee with a heavy English accent and I realized it was Billy Bragg.  We had a nice, brief conversation and got this shot with the dogs.  He was in town to do a show at the parkway theater as a bit of a tweek at the RNC.  He did an album with Wilco, Mermaid Avenue, that is one of my all time favorites.

As you can see from Billy's attire our weather has begun to change.  Our hot summer days are slowly giving way to some beautiful fall temperatures.  Big Rock is happy once again!

Stand up, all victims of oppression,
For the tyrants fear your might!
Don't cling so hard to your possessions,
For you have nothing if you have no rights!
Let racist ignorance be ended,
For respect makes the empires fall!
Freedom is merely privilege extended,
Unless enjoyed by one and all.
So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale,
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal,
Unites the human race.

Let no one build walls to divide us,
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone.
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us,
We'll live together or we'll die alone.
In our world poisoned by exploitation,
Those who have taken, now they must give!
And end the vanity of nations,
We've but one Earth on which to live.
So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale,
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal,
Unites the human race.

And so begins the final drama,
In the streets and in the fields.
We stand unbowed before their armour,
We defy their guns and shields!
When we fight, provoked by their aggression,
Let us be inspired by life and love.
For though they offer us concessions,
Change will not come from above!
So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale,
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal,
Unites the human race.

Bonus links: Image of first published version, 1888, by Pierre Degeyter (1848–1932) with the lyrics written in 1870 by Eugène Pottier (1816–1887). Too musty? Get an "Internationale" ringtone.

Addendum: Billy Bragg at Harbourfront in Toronto, June 17, 2008:

Unlike this summer, the summer of 1976 was the hottest since records began.

Things weren't just hot because of the sweltering temperatures: temperatures were also rising on the streets because of the growing spectre of racism.

In London that year, the far-right, neo-Nazi National Front attracted over 100,000 votes in the local government elections.

Whilst at the Notting Hill carnival, the rise in the levels of policing from 200 officers in 1975 to 1,600 in 1976 resulted in confrontations between London's black community and the Metropolitan Police. Unsurprisingly, Britain's tabloids reported these events as 'race riots' the following day.

In music, David Bowie was photographed giving a Nazi salute from a limousine whilst at the Reading festival, a number of black artists were forced to leave the stage following a barrage of racist abuse.

And then on the 5th August 1976, Eric Clapton began his set at the Birmingham Odeon by asking whether there were any foreigners in the audience. Asking them to raise their hands, Clapton declared, “I think that we should all vote for Enoch”.

For those of you too young to know who he was referring to, Enoch Powell was a Conservative MP whose name became a byword for racism, having declared in 1968 that within 15 to 20 years Britain would see the white man fall to the whip hand of the black man. In what became known as his 'rivers of blood' speech, Powell concluded by stating that continued immigration would end in racial confrontation and bloodshed on the streets of Britain.

Describing Powell as a 'prophet', it was the response to Clapton's comments that bring us here today. Musicians and political activists were mobilised, and as a direct response to Clapton, the Rock Against Racism movement was born. Hastily arranging small gigs that saw black reggae artists play gigs alongside white punks, less than a year later, the Rock Against Racism movement was drawing more than a 100,000 people to a gig in London's East End where the Clash headlined.

In the words of one of my favourite bands the Long Blondes though, “that was then and this is now” and in the summer of 2008, Britain is a different place to what it was back then.

On the plus side, racism has been largely marginalised from general society where through good legislation and various initiatives, such views and attitudes are no longer accepted as being the norm.

Marginalisation however doesn’t mean that racism has been eradicated.

Unlike 1976, Britain today is a far more diverse place where communities are no longer identified solely by their skin colour or ethnicity. These haven't gone away, but nowadays we have a much greater focus on religion or nationality for instance, and with this, so the markers and discourses of racism have changed.

Take for instance how the BNP focused on Muslim communities, campaigning for the local elections in May 2006 under the banner of 'Islam Referendum Day'. And let’s not forget that the BNP won a seat on the London Assembly this year and are the official party of opposition in the Barking & Dagenham council chambers.

Or how the Daily Mail and Express repeatedly publish stories about immigrants and asylum seekers taking 'our jobs', 'our houses' or 'our benefits'. So much so, that just a few weeks ago, the Daily Mail published an apology to Britain's Polish community.

And so in music, artists and activists are again coming together all over the country, where small gigs and festivals are being put together to show solidarity: solidarity against all forms of racism, all forms of oppression, and all forms of discrimination.

Whether its against blacks, Asians, Whites, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Poles, Turks, women, the young, the old, gays, lesbians, the disabled or whoever, the message underpinning racism, oppression and discrimination is the same: a message that is fuelled by hate.

I want to end my slot and open this festival with a quote from the musician, political activist and Rock Against Racism stalwart, Billy Bragg. In his book “The Progressive Patriot”, a book that sets out to reclaim a sense what it means to have a British identity and to be proud of that identity - an identity and heritage that I am extremely proud to have - he says something that all of us can take away from this festival today:

“although you can't change the world by singing songs and doing gigs, the things you say and the actions you take can change the perspective of others”

Love Music, Hate Racism – enjoy the festival !!!

Mrs. Toad is home, everyone! She's been off in God Bless America all week and as much as she's a moaning, high-maintenance, half-arsed, troublesome, bad-tempered pain in the backside, I really hate it when she's away.

It seems like a good idea in principle, I get some time with no hassle, I get to play Championship Manager, edit video, eat pickles out of the jar and all the good things in life. But the thing is, hanging around with my midget companion is the greatest fucking joy in my life. She's stroppy, she's rude, she's annoying, and she's mine.  I am never so happy as when we are pottering around together - everyday banality was never so magical.

You just know when everything is right, and ever since we met I have been completely certain that this was as good as it was ever going to get, and I was right. For such a half-arsed, undomesticated lass she is oddly protective of me, and when she is gone - which she frequently is for work reasons - I'll be honest with you, life is shit.

There's just something drab and boring about the world when my midget companion isn't here. She doesn't do much, but she makes me happy, and every time she goes away I am just waiting for her to return. I am not me without her. So I sit around, I work, I faff, I wait. And then she's home and suddenly everything's fine again. She's my girl, and I miss her like hell, and when she comes back it is a massive relief. Things are right again. My girl is home. That is all.

Billy Bragg - Wishing the Days Away (Alternate Version)[audio http://www.matthewjamesyoung.com/sbt/BillyBragg-WishingTheDaysAway-AlternativeVersion.mp3]
Elbow - Fugitive Motel[audio http://www.matthewjamesyoung.com/sbt/Elbow-FugitiveMotel.mp3]

Bei den Hellacopters stehen die Zeichen ebenfalls auf Abschied: 15.09 Hamburg, 16.09 Wiesbaden, 24.09 München, 25.09 Berlin und 27.09 Köln sind die letzten Termine in Deutschland bevor Andersson & Co die Segel streichen. Alle Termine findest du hier.

Außerdem: Billy Bragg, Blackmail, Boozed, Born From Pain, Coldplay, Conor Oberst, Demented Are Go, Donots, Heartbreak Engines, Helge Schneider, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Killing Joke, M Walking On The Water, Monsters Of Liedermaching, Mr. Irish Bastard, Nada Surf, Oceansize, Pro-Pain, R.E.M., Spermbirds, The Bones, Turbostaat, We Are Scientists.

"Jesus doesn't want me for a sunbeam.

Sunbeams are not made like me"

From "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam" by The Vaselines

The above song was immortalised in Nirvana's "MTV: Unplugged in New York" live recording six short months or so before Kurt Cobain tragically took his own life.  Whilst the song is somewhat child-like and cynical, I actually reckon it holds a fair bit of truth.

I've previously commented that many of the songs I learnt in my most formative years are the ones I can still recite perfectly.  That is certainly true for me when I think about nursery rhymes or songs from Sunday School.  What did we sing in those church halls in my pre-school days?  "Jesus Love Is Very Wonderful", "My God Is So Big, So Strong and So Mighty", "Jesus Loves Me This I Know For The Bible Tells Me So" and the age old classic, "I May Never March In The Infantry" (Man, what was THAT one all about?)

When my three and a half year old is really happy, she will sometimes burst into song.  Some of it is the songs she learns in nursery.  From time to time it cheers my heart when she spontaeneously breaks into "Our God Is A Great Big God" or "1,2,3,4,5 my Jesus is my life!" with great enthusiasm.  It gladdens me in equal measure when she joyfully announces "I love you.  I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint" (from Billy Bragg's "The Milkman of Human Kindness").

So hopefully, some truths are being sown in this little life and I pray that some day she will find her own faith.  I pray that the example that my wife and I set will make it seem really natural for her to grasp a worldview where the God of the Bible is central to that.  I pray that we would not brainwash her or impose some hand me down faith that she doesn't own for herself.

Does Jesus want me for a sunbeam?  Well, I am called to be salt and light.  To be distinctive, to add flavour to the world around me, to preserve what is good, noble and true, to bring hope and direction into darkness.  But a sunbeam, just sounds so twee and makes me think of sticking my head in the clouds and not tackling life head on.  It troubles  me when we sing songs like "Oh, Happy Day" in church, because the lyrics seem to polarised and not really a reflection of what seems to me like real life.  Maybe I have just always preferred the minor chords...

So if Jesus doesn't want me for a sunbeam, what does he want of me?  What does he want of you? 

I think we cause ourselves a lot of frustration in life by never gaining a satisfactory answer to that particular question.  I have often wished I had the giftings or abilities of others.  Sometimes I have taken on responsibilities that I have found draining because, whilst I could do them, they were not really what enthused me or what I am wired or shaped to do.

Undoubtedly, the most helpful thing I have done in my Christian life was to work through a book called "The Network Ministry Resource" by Bruce Bugbee and Don Cousins.  It helped me clarify what my spiritual gifts and natural abilities were, what I'm equipped to do, what my personal style is and how I can use that with authenticity and where I'm actually motivated to get involved.  As a small group we worked our way through this for a few months, affirming, challenging and holding each-other accountable.  I now base so many of my decisions on what I learned from that book.  I would strongly recommend it to everyone and I provide a link here for the leaders pack which has a DVD resource, etc and another link here for the participants' book. 

I know that most of our small group found this a really important investment of time.  Even if you're not affiliated with a small group of folks in a regular or structured way, there are ways of getting people around you who can be accountable even via the phone or Internet.  That has also been equally true for me in my journey thus far.  

I can only say how useful I have found this exercise.  It has shaped my work life, home life and church life and helped me pick up and explore some new things (including this blog) and set down some other stuff.

Read. Think. Pray. Live.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land.

Dikten, eller snarare sången anses ofta vara Englands inofficiella nationalsång (den officiella är Storbritanniens ”God save the Queen”) och en hymn i Engelska kyrkan (vilket det inte är i egentlig mening eftersom en hymn är en bön till Gud). Bildspråket är en hänvisning till myten att Jesus som ung skulle ha besökt England. Men den har också fyllts med andra innebörder. I den engelska arbetarrörelsen och framförallt bland kristna socialister har den (tillsammans med "Red Flag") en position som kan likna den som ”Internationalen” och ”Arbetets söner” har i den svenska. Efter andra världskriget användes den av Labour i valrörelsen och dåvarande partiledaren Clement Attlee talade om att man skulle bygga det ”nya Jerusalem”. Texter har aldrig en slutgiltig tolkning, men idén att bygga ett nytt samhälle – Jerusalem – bland ”dessa mörka sataniska fabriker” (om man nu ska översätta det så) talar till mig som så många andra. Det var soundtracket till byggandet av välfärdsstaten.

Den har spelats in otaliga gånger. Men jag lägger upp två – sinsemellan olika – versioner. Dels är det som jag är van att höra den, som en pampig del av Last Night of the Proms. Den andra är Billy Braggs mer sparsmakade version.

Marc Ribot

Saints (Atlantic 2001)

http://www.mediafire.com/?s5uawdkaipt

As a bored and lonely teenager, I tended to search for any free or all-ages concerts to fill in the many blanks in my life. There was a series of free concerts at Penns Landing in Philadelphia where I got to see Billy Bragg and Roger Mcguinn as well as lesser lights like Suddenly Tammy. I had never heard of T-Bone Burnett since this was before his work with the Coen Brothers on the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. However, the concert was free and my dance card was empty, so what the hell. To be honest, Burnett was kind of a drag, but his guitarist had so much charisma and his playing was electrifying and eye-opening to my young soul. His name was Marc Ribot and I did some research and found that he played on one of my favorite albums, Tom Waits' Rain Dogs. From that moment, I decided that I would always keep an eye out for any record on which he played.

Sadly, my obsession was never fully rewarded as he hadn't released any solo records at that point. A few years later, I shelled out a bunch of money for Shrek, a Japanese import on John Zorn's Avant label, and was kind of disappointed. I plowed through Yo! I Killed Your God and Shoe String Symphonettes and I appreciated and enjoyed some of it, but they didn't inspire me like those life-affirming moments of his live performance. His work was challenging, but it didn't speak to me. I put my fascination with Ribot on the back burner and this hiatus lasted for many years until I encountered his Saints album in 2001.

Maybe it is due to the fact that most of the album consists of covers of Albert Ayler, the Beatles, Stephen Sondheim, John Lurie and John Zorn, but Saints was an entirely different beast than anything else I had heard him play. Maybe it is because Ribot is the only ingredient here. It is just a brilliant guitarist paying tribute to his favorite compositions while reinventing them in a new light. Saints is such an intimate listen and he creates a noirish atmosphere that is so minimal and moody. In fact, it is one of the few solo guitar records where I really feel every note that the musician is playing. I want to hear every twist and turn he takes with the source material. To be honest, it's kind of a sensual record to me because he takes his sweet time mining every ounce of emotion from each composition. I love Albert Ayler and his versions of "Saints" and "Witches and Devils" outdo the master as Ribot replaces the fire of the originals with some meditative, expansive shit. I always say this, but I am shocked that more folks haven't embraced Saints because it is such an evocative piece of work. The man even takes "Happiness is a Warm Gun" into some languorous, meditative place that Lennon and McCartney never intended. Definitely one of the best instrumental albums of the past decade and possibly one of the first records I reach for when I want to zone out and ponder life.

Right now, I'm listening to "California Stars" by Billy Bragg and Wilco, which I downloaded with my one-song-credit from Ticketmaster, as a present for having spent too much money on NYE tickets. This song is beautiful. My favorite part of the song is probably at the end, when he sings: "They hang like grapes on vines that shine/and warm the lovers' glass like friendly wine". The way I interpret that, the California stars are romantic to the lovers, like grapes ripe on the vine are a phallic symbol. The stars act as an aphrodisiac, just like wine, because they are so naturally sexy and conducive to beautiful moments.

An Arcade Fire song just came up on my shuffle. God, I'm hip. Skip, to more Wilco.

Today, I finally un-friended my old roommate on Facebook and then took her out of  my address book. Petty, I'm aware, but she is a huge bitch and took away from what should have been a great semester. Coming back to the apartment to find my desk defaced-with cocoa butter lotion! Come on!-was enough for me. Girlfriend  does not need to be in my life any longer. She makes me feel pukey, although her angry texts still make me laugh. That kind of anger is so unnecessary, I think. What's the deal? Where's the fun? Give up, move on. Old feelings aren't interesting.

Apple hat mit der iPod-Anwendung (die auf iPhone und iPod Touch gleich ist)  eine runde, stabile und schicke Anwendung geschaffen, mit der das Heraussuchen der Musik, die man gerade hören möchte und die Bedienung der Wiedergabe einfach Spass machen. Keines der mir bekannten Windows Mobile Drittanwender-Tools ist vergleichbar, ausser vielleicht der Medienwiedergabe am HTC Touch Diamond, die sich stark am iPod orientiert.

Nun man man vom "Prinzip iTunes" halten, was man will. Zugegeben: Es ist deutlich handhabbarer, einfach MP3s auf eine Speicherkarte zu kopieren, auf dem Windows Mobile-Gerät automatisch die Medienbibliothek aktualisieren zu lassen und zu hören. Und auch die Tatsache, dass der iTunes-Store DRM-geschützte Musik anbietet und damit die Verwendung arg eingeschränkt ist, ist bekannt und sorgt nur bedingt für Begeisterung.

Für mich ohne Frage aber ist das Ganze ein Paradebeispiel für die saubere Integration und Umsetzung verschiedener Dienste: Ich habe am Samstag Billy Bragg Complete 1 & 2 bei iTunes gekauft, während ich im Kinokeller einen Film ansah.  Knappe 200 Musikstücke waren herunterzuladen, alles per WLAN auf das iPhone. Mittendrin im zweiten Paket brach die Verbindung ab (Keller ist halt Keller). Was nun? Kein Problem: Beim Anschluss des iPhones an den PC wurden erst die bereits heruntergeladenen Musikstücke auf den PC geladen, dann die noch fehlenden am PC von iTunes heruntergeladen und dann wiederum aufs iPhone kopiert. Ohne Verluste, in genau richtiger Reihenfolge, sauber eben.

BTW: Kaum jemand kennt Billy Bragg in Deutschland. Dabei ist der Mann (vor allem nur mit Gitarre und Mikro bewaffnet) einfach nur genial. Bitter, zynisch, den virtuellen Finger in die Wunden unserer Gesellschaft legend. Vor Jahren hatte er mit "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward" ein Lied rund um die Rückständigkeit des Kommunismus und das Warten auf Fortschritte geschrieben, was mittlerweile von den Anspielungen lang veraltet ist. Wer Zugang zu iTunes hat: Hört Euch die aktualisierte Version auf die heutige Zeit aus "Live in London" an: Zum Brüllen komisch!