Nation forming events

The passover in Exodus was a nation forming event for Israel. A pretty sweet event to form a nation. God's outstretched hand bringing the people freedom from slavery.

What event formed Australia? What would you suggest? Anzac day?

I am not sure (should I be more certain?), but I wonder how a nation is affected by not being certain of what these events are.

The Tallest Man on the Earth

Shallow Grave by The Tallest Man on the Earth

I downloaded this album from emusic last week. It is a folk album. Very comparable to Dylan. A jingle jangle guitar and rough vocals. The beauty of this genre of music is the lyrics are clear and understandable. Stories are told and you get taken along for the ride.

In many ways, as you can guess from the album title, this is a sombre affair. Death is a recurring theme. The artist sings that 'when he comes to slumber his body will not be found' and that his body is simply fertiliser for the flowers. There is a sense of finality and meaningless in the grave. Not just in the grave, but it seems everything is painted with a shade of grade: He sings

I found the darkness in my neighbor
I found the fire in the frost
I found the season once claimed healthy
Oh, I need the guidance of the lost

In contrast to this album playing in the background, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about Isaiah 26:19:

But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust,
wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.

Two different songs with two very different messages. The hopeful and the hopeless.

Battles @ opera house

I saw Battles at the opera house last night. It was solid.

It was a seated gig. During 'Atlas' (clip above) it was like we were all prisoners to our seats, chained, wanting to break free. The music climaxed, the tension was too much, the chains for some broke free, they stood, they danced, they shook fists, they screamed... it was a moment of freedom for the seated.

Rock and Roll.

Tori Amos answers 'What is sin?'

'the patriarchal dinosaur - that old nugget - which has been with us for hundreds of years, has decided what is sinful behaviour that a woman would do with her body. Some patriarchal father can not make that decision for me as Tori - they can't. I'm in a position in my life as musician, mother, minister's daughter - the three big 'm's - where I've been able to battle that old chestnut that's been there since I was a young girl'

'A mother cannot be a mother without being sexual. Nobody gets here without a woman being in all her glory - it just doesn't happen. That kind of behaviour was deemed sinful because that's how the patriarchs were able to control the idea that women could create with their bodies. It's such a powerful thing to bring life in to this world and onto the planet. The idea was that men wanted to control procreation, and so they created sinful behaviour to be able to divide women from between their spirituality and their sexuality.'

Tori has just released an album titled 'Abnormally Attracted to Sin'.

I have nothing to add just a whole lot of questions. I wonder how many think as she does. Sin defined by men to control the world (is that Nietzsche?). Seeing sex as sinful in what sounds like all contexts.

Sweet sweet sweet mp3s

Fleet Foxes album was one of the best last year...all the critics were saying it.

The leader singer is recording some covers under the pseudonym White Antelope.

MP3s for download is good. White Antelope antelope MP3s even better. Check it.

If anything, download the cover of Dylan's 'It ain't me babe'

Rock on.

Hints

Jose Gonzalez sings:

but we need hints
before we get tired
now we need hints
before we loose pace
now we need a hint to know we're on the right track

It seems that he longing for assurance. Longing for guidance.
He is not alone in our world of insecurity.
You don't have to listen to many songs before you catch the similar cry.

Kelly Clarkson, a pop princess screeches in 'Hear Me', and Eddie Vedder, a seattle rocker groans in 'Release' for the same thing. They both wait in the night for someone to speak to them.

We all long for it.

And if our eyes were opened, we would see more than hint and hear more than a soft word in the night. We would know Christ. Our 'hint' (which is not a strong enough word) has come.

Free MP3s

Drum Media in connection with Universal Music are offering bi weekly free MP3s.

In this week you can enjoy the sounds of Andy Bull (a man whose high voice will shock you when you see him live) and Dash and Will (who I know very little about other than that they are female and are being described as being similar to 'The Kooks')

I am downloading them now. Let me know what you think.

One other thing, Battles, a much hyped band from 2007, is playing the Opera House on the 29th May and 30th May. Quality.