Twenty for 2012: 1–5

5. Esperanza Spalding :: Radio Music Society

I wrote earlier in the year that 2012 has been one of shifting tastes. Slightly bored with the insular world of indie rock I ended 2011 by experimenting with different genres of music such as Raphael Saadiq's Stone Rollin' and The Roots' undun. After those two albums found a permanent spot in my listening rotation I was open to a whole new stream of new music. By March of this year my tastes took an even more drastic shift. Around that time I rediscovered Erykah Badu's Baduizm and New Amerykah, Pt. 1, began listening to the soundtrack for David Simon's Treme, and picked up Esperanza Spalding's Radio Music Society. In many ways it was Radio Music Society that represented the extent of the shift that had taken place. For starters it was a new album that made me begin looking forward to things that might sound like it and hadn't been released yet. This was a far cry from looking forward to the next Pains of Being Pure in Heart 7".*

It's easy to understand why Esperanza Spalding would be a good gateway drug. Opener "Radio Song" will crawl into your ear and lodge itself there for weeks. It evokes the boisterous pleasure of any Stevie Wonder song. When she describes it (i.e. the radio song) as "the one" that will "life your spirits" and "you can't help singing along" it's not wishful thinking on her part. It's a catchy sing-along that does all those things and more. It's irresistible. But it's also no vapid pop song either. Midway through she cuts to an extended tenor sax solo before cutting to the catchy chorus and fading out with modern jazz piano. This isn't your simplistic radio cut. It's an exercise of contradictions. On the one hand it's a simple pop number. On the other hand it's full of complex movements that don't fit in the standard pop song tool box. And it is because of those contradictions why Radio Music Society has been so effective in pushing me forward as a listener of music. It's relentlessly pleasurable (AND has a song about Portland, OR) created by an accomplished performer and composer. She forces me to deal with all the different angles the album moves yet does it without sacrificing the endless delight of the radio song. In the end she's created a highly accomplished piece of work that meets every need for repeat listens.

*No disrespect to Pains of Being Pure in Heart. I like them very much.

4. Carolina Chocolate Drops :: Leaving Eden

For the first time since 2002 and the enormous popularity of the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack we are witnessing a folk revival. Whereas 2002 was much more of a ressourcement 2012 has been an example of rapprochement. The young bearded ones are putting away their Gibson and reaching for that banjo. But rather than update the 19th century Appalachian songbook these bands are really combining modern musical forms with older instrumentation. To these ears Mumford and Sons are a rock band playing different instruments.

This is where Carolina Chocolate Drops come in. It's not really fair to call them revivalists. They're too innovative for that. Yet more so than any popular modern folk act they are steeped in the roots songbook. They are musicologists. Nor is it fair to call them opportunistic either. Leaving Eden is their fifth album and I think its fair to say that if there were no folk revival happening they'd still be out playing the Black Banjo Gatherings. But at the same time they bring an unrivaled updating of the folk tradition. Unrivaled I say because unlike their compatriots who bring with them an indie/rock aesthetic, Carolina Chocolate Drops are unabashedly urban in their sounds. On 2010's Genuine Negro Jig they did a devastating cover of Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em up Style" that hit hard. Here they do that to even better effect on the traditional "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?" and the original "Country Girl". Both those songs pull the power and the fury of modern R&B and hip-hop cast in a decidedly ancient form. The results are staggering. With Leaving Eden the Drops have created a genuinely American record in that it pulls from and re-interprets the great American songbook.

3. Dwight Yoakam :: 3 Pears

More than one listener of modern country has told me they like the genre of country but they don't like the twangy vocals of guys like Dwight Yoakam. This baffles me. For starters Yoakam has a one of a kind voice. It's instantly recognizable. There is no one like him. When he comes on the speakers you know it's him. Second, his voice has range. Yoakam is able to slide into whatever influence is tickling his fancy at the moment. On 3 Pears he weaves Bakersfield honkey tonk, British invasion, Motown, soul, rock and roll into whatever direction he sees fit. It takes a better than average vocalist to pull off that trick. Finally, even if it has nothing to do with that voice, the guy knows how to write and re-interpret a song. (Check out his 2004 Greatest Hits compilation. You'll hear what I'm talking about. Or just check out the highway ballad "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere." You can thank me later.) Thus it's high praise when I say that 3 Pears might just be his best collection of songs he's ever recorded. There is not a bad song in the bunch. It features probably a half-dozen songs that might just be the best thing an average artist might record in their entire career. At the center of the album is the Beck-produced hard rocking and swinging "A Heart Like Mine." It's a fitting epitaph to place at the center of a deeply personal album. On 3 Pears Yoakam lays it all on the line and shows why he's one of the best in the business.

2. Robert Glasper Experiment :: Black Radio

I wrote earlier that this has been a good year for the piano. No less than five of my top twenty albums use the piano as its musical center. (And this doesn't even touch the many other albums that didn't make my list. Like I said: it has been a good year for the piano.) No other album rises higher than Black Radio. Band leader Robert Glasper is best known for his work as a modern jazz pianist capable of creating some of today's best genre work. Already well known for his innovations he took it to the next level on the back half of 2009's Double Booked. There Glasper led the quartet of himself, Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge, and Casey Benjamin into an original meld of modern R&B and classic jazz with a dose of hip-hop thrown in for good measure. It served notice to anyone who believed jazz had nothing left to offer the modern ear or had been fully eclipsed by other forms of music. The success of Double Booked helps explain the magnitude of names on the guest list of Black Radio. It is a regular "who's who" of the modern R&B. Clearly people are onto what Glasper is trying to do here. He's a man with a vision and has the know how to bring it into fruition.

Black Radio begins with the great Shafiq Husayn doing his spoken word thing and setting the theme. If you're familiar with Husayn's Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka you're already salivating. "Lift Off" slides into to the effortless Cuban jazz classic "Afro Blue" and features the peerless Erykah Badu's neo-soul lead turn. Those first ten minutes set the listener up for hearing one of the best mixed-tapes in recent memory. I could probably stop there and be incredibly content. It keeps getting better. Picking the high point is fruitless. They're all high points. We hear the hip-hop of Lupe Fiasco and Mos Def. The brilliant R&B of Lala Hathaway and Me'Shell Ndegeocello. It even closes with a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for goodness sake. But this is no mix-tape of pre-recorded material. It's all held together by Robert Glasper's use of the piano jazz template and using his quartet to flesh out a meld of jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and contemporary R&B. The end result is a moody masterpiece that blurs boundaries of genres and makes a definitive statement of the collective power of this experiment. It's success isn't just a triumph for Glasper but a piece of work that should be studied and built upon for years to come.

1. Tift Merritt :: Traveling Alone

Tift Merritt has already established herself as one of the leading voices in the alt-country movement. She's proven herself over and over again that she is one of the most compelling voices in the scene. It should be exceedingly clear that she has already placed herself in the rarefied air of the Emmylou Harrises, Allison Krausses, and Gillian Welches of this world. Traveling Alone's first single is the appropriately titled "Sweet Spot." Merritt pines for the most reasonable of all requests: not too much, not too little, just the right amount. It's not exactly the most rock and roll of sentiments but it resonates just the same. On Traveling Alone she really hits that sweet spot. Between heart wrenching duets with Andrew Bird, smoke-filled rock songs, or plaintive piano numbers Merritt brings it all together into one cohesive whole. As the title suggests, Traveling Alone is an album about movement. It is an album of pilgrims on their way. Its protagonists are characters who either are going somewhere or wish they were. These are people desperate for change and Merritt gives them a voice. In doing so she gives any of us who have felt paralyzed our own voice to venture out boldly. She give words to those of us who are on our way and don't quite know where that path will lead. According to Merritt the "alone" portion of the title is personally important to her. She had reached a point in her career where she felt it necessary to step out and do what she needed to do on her own. (Even if that meant recruiting a cracker jack band.) But looking a little bit deeper Merritt articulates another deeper dilemma: the balance between the one and the many. On one level we're responsible to our self alone. There are certain things that only I can do for myself. But at the same time there is no escaping those around us. The protagonists of Traveling Alone may feel they're by themselves but that journey always leads somewhere and to someone. More so than any album this year Merritt has written a piece of work that hits me at every level. It's an album I can turn to in all moods and at all times of the day. It's an album I can put on repeat and never grow tired of its sounds. I haven't seen Traveling Alone on too many end of the year lists. That's too bad because Tift Merritt has gone and written a classic.

Original Review.

View the Rest of the List: 20–16 | 15–11 | 10–6

Twenty for 2012: 6–10

10. Cody ChesnuTT :: Landing on a Hundred

You would be forgiven if you assumed Cody ChesnuTT went the way of Lauryn Hill or D'Angelo. Back in 2002 ChesnuTT came out of nowhere and self-produces an indulgent and genius debut double album that touched on just about every popular genre of the last 40 years. Just like that a star was born. R&B had their next cross-over star that would keep one foot in the past while bravely pushing the genre into the next millennium. It never happened. ChesnuTT went underground and we heard very little from him for nearly a decade.

Considering both the splash The Headphone Masterpiece made and the amount of time spent waiting for a follow-up, expectations for Landing on a Hundred have tended to be a bit high. Obviously I can only conjecture but I think many were expecting another double album of genre hopping mad genius. Instead we've received a focused work of neo-soul and R&B that sounds an awful lot like an update of Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder. We all love Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye but perhaps we wanted more? If this is true I do not believe it is fair to ChesnuTT. When evaluating music I've always believed refinement can be just as good, if not better, than innovation. I appreciate novelty but there is something to be said for a man spending a lifetime studying the classics of a genre and re-working him to his own ends. With that we should be thankful for albums like this: it's a big bold blast of horns, back-up singers, keyboards, hooks, choruses, and exuberance. 

9. Bonnie Raitt :: Slipstream

As a child of the 90's Bonnie Raitt always struck me as a bit cheesy. She was parent rock par excellence*. "Let's Give 'em Something to Talk About" may have spoken to parents but not an angry kid with not much to be angry about. Naturally I wrote her off without giving her much of a chance. Moving to college and beyond it was easy to ignore Raitt. She had her audience. I wasn't it. It wasn't until I heard her duet of "Angel with Montgomery" with John Prine that I begin to think my opinion of her might have been a bit misinformed.

Upon learning that Joe Henry produced a third of the album AND it featured two of his best songs off his mindblowingly good Civilians—"You Can't Fail Me Now" (perhaps the best love song of the decade) and "God Only Knows" I figured this would be a good opportunity to put past biases behind me and give it a chance. (Did I mention it also has two Dylan covers? It does. Trust me when I say Slipstream was set up to succeed.) Even though it shouldn't have surprised me Slipstream is consistently good throughout (even if the songs with the Henry touch rise above the rest.) Raitt utilizes her ace band of industry veterans to mix rock, blues, and funk with her soulfully rich voice. In an industry that worships at the altar of youth it takes albums like this recognize the wisdom of age. The production is too good, the playing is too tight, and there is too much truth in her words to overlook this one.

*I'm a parent now. Maybe the shoe fits.

8. Allo Darlin' :: Europe

In 2010 I watched Allo Darlin' play the back room of a Seattle restaurant to all of 50 people as the second band on a three band bill. Those four members played like it was Madison Square Garden. They played as if there was no place they'd rather be. They played because they had to. Not out of obligation but because that's just what they do. In 2012 I watched Allo Darlin' again. Those same four people once again made the long journey from London to Seattle. They once again crammed themselves in a van and lugged their own equipment. This time they played for maybe 100 people. I'd have to imagine this would be discouraging for most bands. If they were discouraged it didn't show. Once again they played with verve, joy, and reckless abandon. They played because they loved it.

Allo Darlin' has made their (smallish) claim to fame by playing cheeky lo-fi indie-pop. The emerged from the still bustling DIY anorak scene of the United Kingdom and have risen to the top of the heap. Of course rising to the top of a scene who rewards novelty singles and where fame has the shortest of half lives is sort of a dubious honor. But an honor just the same. Even better Allo Darlin' has been able to rise to the top through quantity. A band might be able to make one song as good as Europe's "Capricornia"--a jangly Go-Betweens influenced ode to lead singer Elizabeth Morris' friends she left behind in native Australia. Allo Darlin' just happen to have written dozens of them. On Europe we find the band doing what is anathama in the indie pop scene: growing up. Instead of fetishizing youthful kitsch Allo Darlin' took the daring leap to write about the isolation one feels in a global village while maintaining their exuberant playfulness. For Allo Darlin' it becomes the little things: stars in the sky, postcards in the mail, drinking with friends, reggae bars, and girl bands that keep them from floating away. And it's these little details that give Allo Darlin' their populist appeal. It's their minute particularity that allows them to so touchingly name the universal.

7. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson :: Wreck & Ruin

Of the two names on the album cover, the Australian country singer Kasey Chambers is the better known of the two. She's a musical veteran boasting six albums under her own name. Her solo work leans towards the sounds of modern Nashville country (via Australia of course) with a voice that leans closer to the richness of a Gillian Welch as opposed to the ballads of a Carrie Underwood. Shane Nicholson has also recorded his own name and is no slouch in his own right. Although the two have been romantically involved and married since the mid 2000's Wreck & Ruin is only the second album that they have recorded together. It makes you wonder why they waited so long. In a musical year dominated by roots revivalism this stands near the top of the heap. Thematically most of the songs dwell on how awesome it is to be married (see the subdued yet playful "Quiet Life"--an gently plucked number where the duo harmonize over the subtle beauty of ... the quiet life). To their credit Chambers and Nicholson forgo trading in schmaltz. As someone happily married I appreciate the effort to celebrate little things that make living with the love of your life so dang great without selling it out to sentimentality. Perhaps it is because on Wreck & Ruin they do it by celebrating things like drinking together ("Sick as a Dog") or fancying themselves as Bonnie and Clyde figures re-invented as Adam and Eve and on the run from God ("Adam and Eve"). It doesn't hurt that they use the banjo, acoustic guitar, fiddle, harmonica, and other like-minded instrument to write a dust-kicking slice of American folk that will leave you stomping along for days.

6. Justin Townes Earle :: Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel about Me Now

In an attempt to make a big business feel a bit smaller, my employer had all employees fill out little bios that would be shared via the break room marquees.One of the fields asked for what you've been listening to lately. I answered Justin Townes Earle.

More than a fair number of music critics have been down on this album. I can't figure out why but here's my best guess: Justin Townes Earle's dad is musician Steve Earle. If you're wanting Justin Townes Earle to fill those enormous shoes the probability of disappointment grows. Steve Earle has the benefit of a long and illustrious career. To compare his son to him at this point just isn't fair. But if you wanted to compare their first four albums, go to town. They'll compare favorably on a case by case basis. My second guess is that Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel about Me Now just isn't quite as good as its predecessor Harlem River Blues. It's possible that Harlem set the bar just a bit too high. Be that as it may it's no reason to punish this album. Further, if Earle is faced with comparing strength to strength I'd say he's doing fairly well for himself thank you very muche. My third guess is that's he's been punished for overreaching. Earle moves between Memphis blues, rockabilly, R&B, down tempo country, rock, country ballads, and americana folk. (And not always sequenced well. That's a weakness I can't explain away.) With no musical center to grasp it sounds as if he's trying to hard. Fair enough. To me this overreaching is a strength. Nothing's Gonna Change is an unpredictable jaunt through jealousy, desperation, addiction, honesty, and hope for recovery. To me it points to the work of a highly talented musician who isn't content to rest on talent. To me it points to a restless innovator who is only scratching the surface of what he is capable and just so happened to make an eclectic and dynamic offering on the way.



View the Rest of the List: 20–16 | 15–11 | 5–1

Twenty for 2012: 11–15

15. Elizabeth Cook :: Gospel Plow

I'm not a big fan of most modern country. Ever since The Dixie Chicks went on indefinite hiatus I have yet to find a voice from Nashville that I could appreciate on an artistic level. Except Elizabeth Cook. Even then, Cook isn't exactly the pliable princess you might think of when considering mainstream country. Cook tends to dwell in the dark humor and rough edges that has kept the Lorretta Lynns and Wanda Jacksons of the country world remarkably resilient to the winds of change. (Cook has this in common with the Dixie Chicks as well.) In short, Elizabeth Cook isn't a character you can paint with broad strokes. Nor is she a barbie doll to poise as you will. Cook is a distinct voice in a genre that doesn't always reward innovation. If you need proof of Cook's rebel streak her choice of gospel tunes should suffice. She closes this short LP (or is it a long EP?) by sanctifying the Lou Reed penned "Jesus". This is a far cry from "Sweetly and Tenderly". In fact none of the seven songs here are mainstream gospel tunes. Musically this is more honkey-tonk than plaintive organs. When Patty Griffin recorded and released Downtown Church (a record I've grown to deeply appreciate), I was initially disappointed because this is what I wanted it to sound like: piss and vinegar, sass and stomp, with reverence, wonder, and awe in spades.

14. Dr. John :: Locked Down

It's the rare artist who picks up new fans on a new album 40 years into his career. So lets all give the great Dr. John a tip of our hat for doing exactly that in 2012. Locked Down is a 12 song collection of original material and his Nonesuch debut. It showcases exactly why Dr. John could persevere for so long: he's an incredible talent as a composer and performer whose psych-tinged New Orleans rhythm and blues should always find listeners. On this album he re-interprets some of his own murky R&B and dirty blues into a voodoo concoction of songs that stand near the top of his own vast stack of albums. Boasting lyrics such as "kids with Uzis/icing suckers" this isn't exactly a happy go lucky affair. It slinks through the dark hollows of the French Quarter and comes out the other side celebrating that "God's so Good." Musically Dr. John sounds remarkably similar to the great Tom Waits. It's not always easy listening but it's always interesting. It's not entirely dark affair either. Locked Down is capable of good times. Bonnaroo was named after one of his albums for goodness sake. At its core Locked Down is a party record that refuses to sacrifice its gritty realism.

13. Richard Hawley :: Standing at the Sky's Edge

After toiling in relative anonymity as a touring guitarist for the late great Pulp and the lesser known mid-nineties Britpop group Longpigs, Richard Hawley went solo in 2001. We should all be thankful. Hawley has done no less then release six straight steller albums. Let that one sink in for a moment. How many groups can say they've even released three straight great albums? Not even Pulp could match what Hawley has done here. From 2002's Late Night Final to 2009's Truelove's Gutter, Hawley used his Scott Walker-esque baritone to create his own songbook fitting of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison or even Chris Isaac. These were timeless songs of romance, love, and loss. They addressed the great theme of love without the pious sentimentality that plagues so many other works. Hawley writes songs that are both nostalgic and modern. They're lush expressions of a romantic heart. He takes a genre of music that is fading in popularity and breathes new life into it. My only quibble with Hawley (and it is a minor one) is that you knew what you were getting into. With every knew album you had a fair idea of how it would sound.

It is only with this year's Standing at the Sky's Edge does Hawley move into new directions. Here he eschews both rockabilly and ballads for a neo-psychedelia that's more Morrison than Morrissey. But such a comparison is not entirely apt. The hopeless romanticism that permeates his past work simply receives a new vehicle to express the ups and downs of the broken and downtrodden. Because the themes of Hawley's songs are universal the blistering psychadelic launches his characters toward the transcendent. It was as if Hawley was trying to recreate the ineffable and controlled chaos that it is life and found his old patters would break under its weight. On "Don't Stare at the Sun," Hawley chronicles characters enjoying the small pleasures of life such as flying a kite, seeing the moon during the day, or using a telescope to explore the night sky. To those who enjoy these pleasures Hawley gives a warning: you might scare people more accustomed to less nostalgic pleasures. The song ends with Hawley chanting "don't stare at the sun" over a blistering progression of chords that feels like that is exactly where you are heading. And it's this image that captures what this album is doing. Following Hawley's muse is dangerous business. But as for me: I'll follow him wherever he goes.

12. Damien Jurado :: Maraqopa

After 15 years, 10 LPs, and countless EPs and 7"s (not to mention the scores of unreleased material just sitting there waiting to see a proper release) we should stop being surprised by Damien Jurado. Originally written off as a lightweight Elliot Smith or Nick Drake, Jurado has evolved into a (the?) father-figure of the new urban folk movement. Newer northwest folkies like The Head and the Heart speak his name in hushed tones. I for one am glad for him. My estimation of his work has always been much higher than greater critical consensus (which is starting to see things my way.) Be that as it may, I'd argue the neo-urban folk tag is a box too small for Jurado. Such a label does great disservice to the variety of Jurado's music. Here's a man who has fit comfortably in experimental lo-fi, acoustic pop, 60's folk, slowcore, americana, and rock. To his credit I don't believe he's made the same album twice in a row. Sure he has his stock narrative tropes of jealous husbands, the mentally insane, and violent criminals but as the world of literary fiction reminds us there are plenty of tales to be told there. Tropes or not Jurado has been a restless spirit when it comes to recording his short fiction. On Maraqopa he slides into the sounds of the Jesus' movement, children's choirs, and dusty psychedelia. For some this is a revelation. For others this is a victory lap. It's simply confirmed what we've known for some time: Jurado is a restless storyteller searching for new genres to spin his tales.

Original Review

11. First Aid Kid :: The Lion's Roar

If sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg were baseball players I would accuse them of doping. The Swedish duo's first two albums were largely forgettable classicist folk. They were young and had obvious room for growth but there wasn't anything that prepared me for this. On The Lion's Roar First Aid Kid brings to the table instantly memorable songs and impeccably executed powerhouse harmonies. Kudos to producer Mike Mogis for taking the incredibly rich raw material and molding it into a dense tapestry of heartbreakingly beautify new-folk and dusty alt-country. The little flourishes like a steel guitar here or a french horn there to give the songs a richness that moves this album beyond the works of their peers. They have arrived. It doesn't take long to realize it either. Take the killer opening one-two punch "The Lion's Roar" and "Emmylou" as examples. "The Lion's Roar" is a riotous call to arms: "I'm a goddamned fool but then again so are you". "Emmylou" takes it to both tender and tragic places: "I'll be your Emmylou and I'll be your June/You'll be my Graham and my Johnny too/I don't ask alot from you/Just sing little darling, sing with me." You don't need to be a musical historian to be swept into its lilting melody and sweetly bitter refrain. Thankfully The Lion's Roar doesn't suffer from an influx of filler as the rest of the album continues to leap from high point to high point. With an album like this under their belt I think we're looking at an exciting career unfolding before us.



View the Rest of the List: 20-16 | 10-6 | 5-1

Twenty for 2012: 16-20

20. Fiona Apple :: The Idler Wheel ...

It doesn't seem possible that it's been 16 years since Fiona Apple announced her presence to the world via a series of both stunning and controversial videos from her debut album Tidal. If you watched much MTV then and were forward enough to think about those type of things, you could be forgiven for believing Fiona Apple would end up being left to the Buzz Bin of history. She was talented for sure but there was something about a scantily clad Apple in the basement of a 70's tract house basement hosting a parent's party from hell that made it hard to believe she was built to last. Time has proven otherwise. In the decade and a half career that has followed Apple has shown herself to be both a careful and daring artist. Careful in that she takes her time. She is more than willing to sit out the cycles of fame in order to produce daring works of art. Four albums in and nary a bad album. Further she might have gone and written her best. As an album The Idler Wheel fills a hole in a genre that has been lacking for many years: the piano driven album. There are many explanations for its decline: Perhaps it is because touring with a piano in tow is cost prohibitive. Perhaps the instrument has just fallen out of favor. Perhaps it's a combination of reasons. I don't know. It's too bad. The piano is a wonderfully rich instrument capable of carrying so many themes and emotions which Apple does here with verve. She uses it to lay all her neuroses, quirks, and fears in one tight offering. It's visceral, raw, and unnerving. It's also a wholly satisfying, if not cathartic, affair.

19. Rose Thomas :: With Love

Although coincidental, it is fitting that Rosie Thomas follows Fiona Apple on this list. Like Apple, Rosie Thomas is reviving the piano album genre. Like Apple, she's a remarkably honest songwriter. You never have to guess what either of them are feeling at a given moment. They wear their heart on their sleeve for sure. Both are industry veterans who boast a steady (if sometimes slow) output of work. But that's where the similarities end. While Apple is claustrophobic and daunting, Thomas is spacious and free. Where Apple's music can come across as stylistically impenetrable and lyrically jaded, Thomas is sunny and optimistic. Ying and yang if you will. Although this may be counter-intuitive, I find Thomas who is the more daring of the two. I find our time to be one that has rewarded the dark and cynical. There is little risk in venting your anger and frustrations. It might even be expected. What is risky is making an album of irony-free love songs inspired by Bette Midler. Thomas sets herself up to be mocked mercilessly by the cynical taste makers and doesn't seem to care one whit. To me that is risky. And for that reason it might just be the most punk record of the year.

Original Review

18. Sara Watkins :: Sun Midnight Sun

Sara Watkins made a name for herself with the great contemporary bluegrass duo Nickel Creek. Perhaps it was covering Pavement or opening for Wilco but Nickel Creek made it cool to listen to ostensibly traditional bluegrass. Still all things must end as the beand went on indefinite hiatus. While Nickel Creek may have gone on extended elipsis as a group, creative partners Sara Watkins and Chris Thile have been busy. Thile has pursued the slightly more progressive side of the genre with his Punch Brothers project. Watkins, on the other hand, has stretched out her legs and has reclined in the sunnier lands where Graham Parsons lives forever.

Fans of Nickel Creek will be pleased to know Sun Midnight Sun retains some familiar elements. For starters the vocals are the same and once again Watkins showcases her prodigious fiddling skills. There are notable differences though. Here those skills are in service to a much more conventional song structure. If you take away the instrument choices, you are left with songs that are comfortable in any modern genre. (Even if she does stretch it to its breaking point on her blistering take of the Everly Brothers' "You're the One I Love" featuring Fiona Apple on vocals.) Much like Rosie Thomas, Watkins uses her easy going and pleasing voice to guide the listeners through bluegrass romps, country crooning, and campfire sing-alongs. The end product is comforting and rewarding; fitting of Watkins considerable talents as a songwriter and performer.

17. Jon Cleary :: Occapella!

In the words of Jerry Maguire: You had me at Allen Toussaint.

New Orleans blues pianist Jon Cleary is best known for his session work with such heavyweights as Bonnie Raitt, D'Angelo, and Eric Clapton. In between his extensive session work, Cleary has managed to piece together a sizable catalogue under his own name. Although bearing his name, Occapella! is not original material. In his own words Occapella! is Cleary "having fun with the songbook of Allen Toussaint" with "fun" being the operative word. That much is apparent on the funky opener "Let's Get Low Down". Built on Cleary's rollicking piano and steady snare hits, Dr. John and Bonnie Raitt join Cleary for an apotheosis of ace musical veterans at the top of their game and clearly having a good time. The festive and collegiate feeling continues throughout this good times album.

16. The Bad Plus :: Made Possible

It has been said that it is not always clear if The Bad Plus are a piano jazz trio that make rock records or an instrumental rock trio that make jazz albums. (I think it's the former.) In the end it doesn't really matter, especially when they keep making albums this good. Made Possible has also been dubbed their "electronic album" due to the synthesized elements that pepper the work. I think this might be overstating the case as it took me three or four listens to really notice that particular element. The subtlety of that particular sound actually points to the solidity of The Bad Plus's writing. Rather than working with a "I must add something new to shake things up" mentality, they are able to organically weave it into their loose and often skeletal song structures that give a post-punk aesthetic to an ostensibly post-bop genre.

View the Rest of the List: 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

Tift Merritt--Traveling Alone

Here is a fun car game for that next long trip: First, pick an area of interest. It could be gothic novels, cartoon characters, television game show hosts. It really doesn't matter. Second, pick four representatives from your area of interest to be the new faces on Mount Rushmore. Instant fun.

Today's area of interest: Queens of Alt-Country.

The first three are probably the easiest: Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. They're well known. They have an impeccable body of work. You would be hard pressed to find someone who dislikes any one of them.

Naming that last artist is a bit trickier. Lucinda Williams comes to mind. She could probably earn the spot on the strength of Car Wheel on a Gravel Road alone. We can't forget Patty Griffin. Her gift as a songwriter is well-documented. She has also gotten better on her own right with each passing album. Personally I thought she blew Emmylou Harris off the stage when I saw them play together a couple of summers back. No disrespect to Emmylou, Griffin is just that good. Neko Case's name could legitimately get thrown out there. She too has an impeccable back catalogue and as a bonus is an icon of sorts in the indie world.

These are all good nominees but I offer up to you Tift Merritt. And why not?

The fact that she's not a first balloter alongside Harris, Krauss, and Welch is beyond me. She was poised to be huge. I'm proof positive that she was the right voice that came at the right time to make as broad as splash as the aforementioned artists.

The soundtrack to the film O Brother Where Art Thou? was released in late 2000. Critics and consumers alike loved it. It spawned a roots revival that saw a spike of interest in distinctly American music that had been flying outside of the mainstream for far too long. I too was smitten. And it was the tracks featuring the voices of Harris, Krauss, and Welch that opened me up to the world of modern alt-country. (We'll set aside the question of whether the term "alt-country" is even remotely appropriate for now.) The genre's moment had arrived. I and the rest of the record buying public was ready. So it wasn't a huge surprise to see the debut album by the newest voice in this movement featured in a circular for Best Buy: Bramble Rose by Tift Merritt. I don't recall if I ever listened to it before purchasing it. I probably didn't. She had the right pedigree. (If you like Gillian Welch and Wilco you'll love Tift Merritt.) That was enough for me. It should have been enough for the rest of the nation as well.

Everything about about Bramble Rose and its 2004 follow-up Tambourine made Merritt right for both critical and mainstream success. Those albums were big, bold, and bright. They straddled the line between country and rock. They were catchy but never generically so. You never questioned her accessibility but there was an ineffable authenticity to them that made you feel like you were in the know. Yet mass success never came.

Albums three and four found Merritt pulling back the reigns a bit. Gone was the Memphis soul of "U Turn" and "Stray Paper". Also gone were radio baiting tracks like "Virginia, No One Can Warn You". Another Country and See You on the Moon found Merritt moving to a more introspective place. They turned down the volume for nuanced works tracing the steps of our daily dance between individualism and community, between love and loss, between brokenness and hope. These were the nuanced piece of works that solidified Merritt's place as an artiste. For those of us following her closely we knew she would be around for a long time.

This brings us to Traveling Alone. Traveling Alone is an apotheosis of sorts. Early Merritt was (strangely) compared to Lucinda Williams. Later Merritt has been compared to Emmylou Harris. These comparisons are meant to be complimentary. They're meant to speak to the considerable skill and staying power of Merritt the singer and Merritt the writer. I'd be the first to admit that the Harris comparisons are especially apt these days. In her early days, Merritt's strategy was to blow you out of the room with her voice and rollicking tunes. Today she's someone comfortable and confident enough to seduce you with simply a voice sans diva-like hysteria. The minimalism of "Small Town Relations" would devour a lesser artist. Merritt on the other hand pulls back before stepping forward to assert herself in defiance allowing her carry herself above the carnage of relationships destroying each other. Her willingness to lay herself bare with just an acoustic guitar or piano backing her and devastate us in the process is certainly Emmylou-esque.

This isn't to say Merritt has gone coffee shop on us. Her band is big and powerful. Recorded quickly it captures the immediacy of the live show. "Still Not Home" is probably the most rock-oriented track of her career. Her slight North Carolina twang is about the only remnant of modern alternative country. Beyond that the electric guitar licks and propulsive drums drive the track forward. Early single "Sweet Spot" earns its honor by hooking its way into your ear with a catchy country jangle and sing along feel complete with promises of "looking for that sweet spot" and to "turn the radio on". At a brisk 2:51, it never overstays its welcome but leaves you wanting more in the best way possible.

On the other hand, these comparisons are not fair. Why should Merritt settle on being the next X. Why not let her be the first Tift Merritt. If it was not already clear, Traveling Alone brings it all into sharp focus. Tift Merritt is as brave and bold of a voice in music today, alt-country or otherwise. Traveling Alone deserves your attention.

First Presbyterian Church's Rooted Blog Posts

Rooted is a very exciting program of First Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, Washington that unites the congregation, strengthens families, and deepens its understanding of foundational scripture by studying the same Bible passages as a church family. The Sunday sermons coincide with the children’s Sunday school lessons, and gives opportunities to dig deeper into the Word together beyond Sunday morning.

One way the church has done this is by hosting a blog where members of the congregation reflect on that days readings.


You can follow the blog here.

As a featured blogger for the program you can also find a running list of my contributions below:

11/15/2012--Nothing Basic About It: Joshua 9
11/8/2012--The Blue Parakeet: Judges 4
11/1/2012--We Built this City: Numbers 35
10/25/2012--Consequences: Numbers 20
10/18/2012--The Infinite Forest of Scripture: Exodus 38
10/11/2012--The Glory of the Lord: Exodus 30
10/4/2012--Flame Retardant Suits: Exodus 24
9/27/2012--Graduation Goggles: Exodus 17
9/20/2012--With God on our Side: Exodus 12:29–51
9/13/2012--The Disruptive God: Exodus 8

Election Values: 11–20

Over the last two months, Yale professor and theologian Miroslav Volf has been providing his 20 election values that should guide us when we consider for whom and what we might vote. I'm compiling them here in one easy list. The only thing I changed is formatting and some spelling errors. 

Part One can be found here.

In this year of presidential elections, I decided to summarize key values that guide me as I make the decision for whom to cast my vote. It takes knowing three basic things to choose a candidate for public office responsibly:

1. values we hope the candidate will stand for and the order of priority among them;
2. ways in which and means by which these values are best implemented in any given situation;
3. capacity—ability and determination—to contribute to the implementation of these values.

Most important are the values. As I identified each value, I thought it important to (1) name the basic content of the value, (2) give a brief rationale for holding it, (3) suggest some parameters of legitimate debate about it, and (4) identify key questions for the candidate.

I write as a Christian theologian, from the perspective of my own understanding of the Christian faith. Whole books have been written on each of these values, explicating them and adjudicating complex debates about them. In giving rationale for a given value, I only take one or two verses from the Bible to back up my position, more to flag the direction in which giving a rationale would need to go than in fact strictly to offer a rationale. I have identified some 20 such values. In coming days I will post one a day.

Value #11:

Value: Those who are frail on account of their advanced age deserve our special help. They need adequate medical assistance, social interaction, and meaningful activities. (Humanity of a society is measured by how well it treats those from whom it can no longer expect much benefit.)

Rationale: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5). In the contemporary world, “elderly,” arguably, belong to the categories of the “poor” and “widows”

Debate: The debate here is the extent of the responsibility for the wellbeing of the elderly. How much resources should a society set aside for the care of elderly, and what are the best ways to manage those resources.

Question to Ask: What will you do to help honor the elderly and attend to their specific needs?

Value #12:

Value: War is almost never justifiable, and every adequate justification has to show how a particular war is an instance of loving one’s neighbors and loving one’s enemies.

Rationale: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? (Matthew 5:43-44).

Debate: There is a legitimate debate on whether acts of war can ever be a form of love of neighbor and of enemy and, if they can, what kind of action of an enemy is a justifiable cause for a war (rule of a tyrant?) and what kind of conduct of war (drones?) is necessary for war to be just.

Questions to Ask: Has the candidate supported or advocated ending of unjust wars in the past? Has the candidate condemned significant forms of unjust conduct of war?

Value #13

Value: No nation represents an exception to the requirements of justice according to which countries should relate to one another. America should exert its international power by doing what is just and persuading rather than exertion of military power, and should pursue its own interests in concert with other nations of the world.

Rationale: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Debate: The debate should not be whether America is somehow exceptional (and therefore permitted to do what other nations are no, as, for instance, carrying out raids in search for terrorists in other nations). The debate should rather be about what does it mean for the one remaining superpower to act responsibly in the community of nations.

Question to Ask: At the international level, would the candidate renounce double moral standard: one for the U.S. and its allies and another for the rest of the world?

Value #14:

Value: We should never torture.

Rationale: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27); “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

Debate: There is no debate on this one, at least not a debate that, from my reading of Christian moral obligations, is legitimate.

Questions to Ask: Has the candidate unequivocally condemned use of torture?

Value #15:

Value: Unborn human life, just like fully developed human life, deserves our respect, protection, and nurture.

Rationale: “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13); “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

Debate: There is a legitimate debate about the point at which what can plausibly be deemed human life begins.

Question to Ask: Is the candidate firmly committed to reducing the number of abortions performed?

Value #16: On Healthcare

Value: All people—poor or rich—should have access to affordable basic healthcare, just as all are responsible to live in a way conducive to physical and mental health.

Rationale: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

Debate: There is a legitimate debate as to how best to ensure that all people have access to affordable healthcare, but not weather the destitute should or should not be left to fend for themselves when faced with serious or chronic illness. We roughly know what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle (exercise, minimal intake of sugar, no substance abuse, etc.), but we can and ought to debate most effective ways to help people lead such a lifestyle (for instance, how heavily should the food industry be regulated).

Questions to Ask: Which candidate is more likely to give the destitute effective access to healthcare? Which candidate is more likely to reduce the number of people who need to seek medical help?

Value # 17: Care for Creation

Value: We are part of God’s creation, and we must seek to preserve the integrity of God’s creation as an interdependent ecosystem and, if possible, to pass it on to the future generations improved. Above all, we should not damage the creation by leading a lifestyle marked by acquisitiveness and wastefulness.

Rationale: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

Debate: Debate here is should be about the extent of ecological damage (for instance, whether or not we are barreling toward a climate apocalypse) and about the appropriate means and sacrifices necessary to preserve God’s creation.

Question to Ask: Which candidate shows better understanding of the ecological health of the planet and has a better track record in preventing devastation of what God has created and pronounced good?

Value #18:

Value: We should honor every human being and respect all faiths (without necessarily affirming them as true).

Rationale: “Show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17).

Debate: The debate about relation to other religions should not be whether we should have the *right* to mock what others hold to be holy; we do have that right. At the same time, the debate should not be about whether we have a moral obligation not to make use of that right; we ought not mock what other people hold to be holy. Instead, the debate should be about what the authentic teachings and practices of individual religions are, to what extent the claims of their teachings are true (or false), and in what ways each religion fosters (or hinders) human flourishing.

Question to Ask: Will the candidate promote respect for all religions, including Islam, while at the same time affirming the need for honest debate about how true and salutary they are?

Value #19: On Offenders

Value: Mere retributive punishment is an inadequate and mistaken way of dealing with offenders. We need to find creative ways to reconcile offenders to their victims and reintegrate them into the society.

Rationale: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).

Debate: We should debate viable alternatives to incarceration (in the U.S. the highest in the world!) and how best to achieve reintegration of offenders into the society.

Question to Ask: What are you proposing to do to reduce the number of incarcerated people in the U.S.?

Value #20:

Value: Competence, though essential, matters less than character because knowledge, though crucial, matters less than love.

Rationale: “If I … understand all mysteries and all knowledge … but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

Debate: The debate should be about what dimensions of character matter most and what blend of virtues and competencies is most needed at this time.

Questions to Ask: Whom does the candidate strive to be like? To whom does he, in fact, most resemble in character? Will the fear of losing power corrupt him?

Election Values: 1–10

Over the last two months, Yale professor and theologian Miroslav Volf has been providing his 20 election values that should guide us when we consider for whom and what we might vote. I'm compiling them here in one easy list. The only thing I changed is formatting and some spelling errors. Part One runs today.

Part Two can be found here.

In this year of presidential elections, I decided to summarize key values that guide me as I make the decision for whom to cast my vote. It takes knowing three basic things to choose a candidate for public office responsibly:

1. values we hope the candidate will stand for and the order of priority among them; 
2. ways in which and means by which these values are best implemented in any given situation; 
3. capacity—ability and determination—to contribute to the implementation of these values. 

Most important are the values. As I identified each value, I thought it important to (1) name the basic content of the value, (2) give a brief rationale for holding it, (3) suggest some parameters of legitimate debate about it, and (4) identify key questions for the candidate.

I write as a Christian theologian, from the perspective of my own understanding of the Christian faith. Whole books have been written on each of these values, explicating them and adjudicating complex debates about them. In giving rationale for a given value, I only take one or two verses from the Bible to back up my position, more to flag the direction in which giving a rationale would need to go than in fact strictly to offer a rationale. I have identified some 20 such values. In coming days I will post one a day.

Value #1: Freedom to Choose a Way of Life

Value: All citizens should have the right to take responsibility for their own life and embrace a faith or a way of life they deem meaningful without suffering discrimination.

Rationale: One’s faith touches the core of one’s life and cannot, and should not, be coerced, a view arguably implied in the statement of St. Paul that one believes “in the heart” (“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” [Romans 10:9]). "When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’... Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’” (John 6:60, 66-67), the implication being that one is free to choose another way of life.

Debate: The debatable issue should not be whether people should be free to choose and exercise their religion (or irreligion) without discrimination; that’s a given. Public debate should be about which way of life, including its public dimensions or implications, is more salutary, and whether there are ways of life so inimical to human flourishing and common life that their exclusion doesn’t represent an act of discrimination but is a requirement of humane social life. We should also debate publicly the moral foundation a state that is “neutral” with regard to distinct faiths and secular interpretations of life as well as the precise nature of political arrangements required to keep the state “neutral.”

Questions To Ask: Does the candidate respect the right of all—fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, and secularists, conservatives and progressives, to name a few groups at odds with one another—to take personal responsibility for their lives and to lead their lives as they see fit? Does the candidate think of America as a Christian nation (so that, in one way or another, all others have to fit into a Christian mold) or as a pluralistic nation (in which a way of life is not imposed on anyone without their endorsement)?

Value # 2: Concern for the Poor

Value: The poor—above all those without adequate food or shelter—deserve our special concern.

Rationale: “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 23:22). “However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:7).

Debate: There should be no debate whether fighting extreme poverty should be one of the top priorities of the government. That is a given. The debate should be about the following issues: How to generate a sense of solidarity with the poor among all citizens? In poverty alleviation, what is the proper role of governments and what of individuals, religious communities, and civic organizations? What macroeconomic conditions most favor lifting people out of poverty? What should the minimum wage be?

Question: Is overcoming extreme poverty a priority for the candidate? What poverty reducing policies is the candidate prepared to fight for?

Value #3: Excellent and Affordable Education

Value: It is important for citizens to understand the world in which they live, to learn to reflect critically on what makes life worth living, and be qualified for jobs that increasingly require complex skills. We should strive for excellent and affordable education for all citizens.

Rationale: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds in the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth’” (Genesis 1:26). "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it…Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her" (Proverbs 8:4-5, 10-11).

Debate: The debate should be about what families and government must do to improve the educational system, what exactly improvements in education look like, and what proportion of the budget should be allotted for educational purposes (as compared to, for instance, defense). The debate should not be about whether we should have an excellent educational system that is affordable for all.

Questions to Ask: What will the candidate do to ensure that all citizens—the poor no less than the wealthy—are taught to make intelligent judgments about what makes life worth living, acquire skills necessary for functioning in modern societies, and have an adequate understanding of the world?

Value #4: Economic Growth

Value: Economic growth is not a value in its own right because wealth and money are not values in their own right. They are means, indispensable means, but only means. In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we should worry more about how to use properly the wealth we create than how to create more wealth.

Rationale: “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth… But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:24, 33).

Debate: We can abandon the old debate about whether efficient wealth creation or just wealth distribution is more important; both are important, for we cannot distribute what we don’t have and you should not have what is just for us to distribute. Instead, we should debate about what are morally irresponsible (wall-street gambling!), inhumane (child labor!), and unsustainable (deforestation!) ways of creating wealth; about how to use wealth properly as individuals, communities, and nation; about how to make wealth serve us instead of turning our whole lives into means of wealth acquisition.

Question to Ask: Which candidate is able to remind us that we diminish ourselves when we turn into money-making and pleasure-seeking creatures, and that we flourish when we pursue truth, goodness, and beauty, that we are truly ourselves when we reach to others in solidarity and enjoy one another in love (which, Christians would claim, is possible only “in God”)?

Value #5:

Value: Death should never be as punishment for a crime.

Rationale: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Since out of love Christ died for absolutely every human being (“the world”), no one should rob a human being of a chance to be transformed by God’s love and no one should put to death a human being who has been transformed by God’s love.

Debate: There is no debate on this one.

Question to Ask: Will the candidate push to abolish the capital punishment, and if so, how hard?

Value #6:

Value: Those seeking public office should foreswear spin and contempt, and be truthful with the public and civil to one another.

Rationale: We should all “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) and seek to “show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17).

Debate: There is no debate about this one. You can “advertise” but not fabricate; you can criticize but not disrespect.

Questions to Ask: Do the facts about the candidate’s own performance as well as that of the opponent match with candidates’ words? Is the candidate attempting to correct rather than seeking to benefit from the spin that others, without his direct endorsement, do on his behalf.

Value #7:

Value: Given the world’s resources, no human being should go hungry; as individuals and nation we should be committed to complete eradication of hunger.

Rationale: “[The Lord] executes justice for the oppressed […] gives food to the hungry” (Psalm 146:7); “Then he [the Son of Man] will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink” (Matthew 25:41-42).

Debate: The debate should not be whether the eradication of world hunger ought to be one of our top priorities, but what are most effective ways to achieve that goal.

Question to Ask: Is the candidate committed to the eradication of world hunger, and if so, what means will he use toward that goal? Is the candidate prepared to set aside a percentage of the Gross National Product for the eradication of hunger?

Value #8: (For differences between values, means by which values are best implemented in any given situation, and capacities of candidates to contribute to the implementation of these values, see the first post in the series).

Value: As individuals and as a nation we should live within our means and not borrow beyond what we can reasonably expect to return; we should not offload onto others, whether contemporaries or future generations, the price of our indulgence or risk-taking.

Rationale: Self-indulgent and reckless debt is a form of stealing, and we are commanded: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15)

Debate: We should debate about what responsible levels of debt are, for households, businesses, or a nation; what constitutes predatory lending practices and how to prevent them; to what degree, if at all, spending on consumer goods should be promoted as a cure for faltering economy and what might be public significance of contentment.

Question to Ask: What will a candidate do to bring and keep national debt under control? What will the candidate do to encourage individual saving and living within means?

Value #9:

Value: Every citizen, religious or not, Christian, Jew or Muslim, has the right to bring his or her own perspectives on human flourishing and on the common good to bear upon public life and do so on equal terms as everyone else.

Rationale: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Debate: The debate should not be whether religious voices should be excluded or not. It should be about what kind of political arrangements will ensure equal access of all to participation in the political process on equal terms.

Question: Does the candidate support participation of every person in public life, encouraging them to do so on the basis of their own specific motivations and reasons? Does the candidate seek to protect the voice of ordinary people from being drowned by powerful interest groups (like lobbies and superpacs)?

Value #10:

Value: It is important for every citizen to have meaningful and, if employed for pay, adequately remunerated work. All able citizens should work to take care of their needs and to contribute to the wellbeing of others and of the planet.

Rationale: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The prophet Isaiah envisions a time when all God’s people “will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (Isaiah 65:21). Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Debate: The debate should be about what are the required economic, cultural, and political conditions for people to have meaningful work, and who is mainly responsible to create and maintain these conditions. How best to fight unemployment and underemployment? Given the present state of economy and future economic developments, how to stimulate creation of jobs that pay adequate wage?

Questions to Ask: What policies does the candidate propose to help encourage meaningful employment for adequate pay for all people? What will the candidate do to encourage people to work not just for personal gain but for the common good?

Good Times, Great Oldies 97.1 KISN

When I was not much older than my own oldest child, getting ready for school inevitably involved eating my breakfast cereal at our kitchen table. Across the dining room, into the kitchen and sitting on the counter top just next to the sliding glass door looking into our backyard was an old black and white portable AM/FM stereo plugged into the wall outlet. Every morning that thing was one. Every morning it was set to Portland's good-time, great-oldies station 97.1 KISN. Every morning I was treated to the Beatles, Chuck Berry, the Ronnettes, Richie Valens, Elvis and any other hero of the 50's and 60's. I loved those mornings. I loved that music.

As kids do, I got older. The house changed. So did the stereo.

By middle school I was living in a two story house with an enormous daylight basement. Since my room was the only bedroom downstairs, the basement was practically mine. It was the perfect hideaway for an awkward adolescent. Rivers Cuomo had his garage. I had my finished basement. There, we kept my Dad's old record player/tape deck/stereo. He'd recently made the switch to CD's and most of our family listening was upstairs on the new stereo. Thus, the old record player was moved downstairs where it was essentially mine. While I'd use it from time to time to listen to tapes or records, I mostly kept listening to those oldies. By that time I was having friends over to spend the night. I'm not sure what most middle school boys did in the middle of the night, but I know what we did. We listened to the radio and called in requests all night long. On a good night, the DJ would play our songs. On a great night, they'd record us and use our voices to plug the radio station.

"Who plays all your oldies favorites?" the DJ would ask.

"97.1 K-I-S-N," we reply on cue. It was a great night.

I really like the time we're living in. I like having at my finger tips practically every single piece of music recorded. I want to be able to listen to an old Skip James album whenever I want. I don't know anyone who listens to Jenny Scheinman's restless violin innovations but I'd sure like to hear it. So thank you internet. For the music lover, it's a great time to be living.

But I'm also missing something. Part of what makes music great is its fleshiness. It brings people together. Those mornings at the kitchen table would have lost something if my Mom and my Dad and my sisters weren't there listening to the same songs thousands of other people were also hearing. It was populist. It brought people together. Sure, we have Apple commercials but it ain't no "Hound Dog" over a bowl of Cheerios. By middle school I was still listening to that radio station almost every night as I went to sleep. But the best nights were those nights listening with friends. There was no algorithm curating songs for us. There was a real live DJ informing us, educating us, teaching us what we needed to hear. And if we were lucky, he might just play the song we wanted to hear. When I wanted to hear "Maybellene" this morning, all I had to do was flex my index finger a couple of times. I got what I wanted. But then half the fun was waiting and hoping to hear it. And in the meantime I got to hear a half dozen other gems--gems I'd miss this day.

The question is then, would I go back? No, probably not. But I'm glad I have those times.

Dogs and Scars that Remain

I don't like dogs.

Now before you dog lovers block my URL, let me explain.

Sometime around the age of four I was living in the town of Raymond, Washington. As far as a kid that young goes, we had a large backyard made even bigger due to its bleeding into our neighbor's. I don't remember much about that house or that yard except for one unforgettable thing: a dog lived there.

One afternoon I decided to trek across our backyard and visit the dog while it was chained up to its dog house. As I got closer, the dog got excited and jumped up to greet me. In my sub-four foot glory, gravity took over. Since it outweighed me by double, the dog easily knocked me over. Just as quickly, I was tangled up in the dog's chain. I somehow got loose but not before the damage was done. As I kicked and crawled my way out, the dog's paw swiped across my face and pierced my skin. I ran home where my parents whisked me away to the ER. There I was treated to 40 stitches across my forehead, the bridge of my nose, and just beneath my right eye. The cut drew so close to my right eye I'm lucky I'm not blind. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous around dogs for most of my life. While they no longer scare me, I have never developed an appreciation for the canine family.

While my psychological scars proved to be minimal (it matters little whether I do or do not like dogs), the physical scars remain. I still have noticeable scar at my hairline. If you were to get very close, you could also easily see the scars across the bridge of my nose and beneath my right eye. These scars will always be with me. They tell a story of when I was a four year old little boy who wanted to pet the neighbor's dog.

These facial scars are not my only scars. On my right thigh is a single black dot as a consequence for placing a freshly sharpened pencil into my leg while simultaneously the person behind me kicked my school desk chair. On my left forearm is my prize scar: an inch long gash resulting from an uncut finger nail gouging me in an overzealous mosh pit.

While these scars tell a story of injury, they tell another story as well. They tell the story of parents, doctors, stitches, skin, and cells. They tell the story of healing.

We all have scars. With every scar there are two stories: a story of trauma and a story of recovery. These two stories are so intertwined they become two sides of the same coin. With the story of wounds comes the story of repair. The healing presupposes the injury.

Jesus has scars, scars indispensable to his very being. It was those scars, those marks of the nails belonging to his death on the cross that made him recognizable. The risen Christ was the same Jesus of Nazareth crucified under Pontius Pilate on a Roman cross and no other. He that was raised was totally consistent with he who died. Yet this same Jesus was also transformed.

As the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead, our resurrection hope is patterned after Jesus Christ's own resurrection. This includes all that makes us a unique, unrepeatable person--all our history, all our experiences, all that comprises who we are and who might be. Jurgen Moltmann describes it this way: "Everything that has put its mark on this life remains eternally. Otherwise we should be unable to recognize ourselves in eternal life" (The Coming of God, 84-85).

But the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a transforming and healing resurrection. Jesus bore scars. Jesus bore the marks of healing, restoration, and transformation. Just as Jesus was recognized by his marks, "we too will still be recognizable from the configuration of our truly lived life. Just as his crucified body was transfigured in the glory of God through his resurrection from the dead, so too the Gestalt of our truly lived lives will be brought back, transfigured, and redeemed for God's kingdom" (85).

Philosophers and theologians often distinguish between diachronic and synchronic phenomenon. Synchronic analysis addresses an event from one moment in time. Diachronic analysis regards developments throughout time. Keeping this distinction in mind, resurrection concerns our diachronic self. In God's future, and thereby our future, nothing is lost to God. It is reclaimed and restored. It is made new and yet we remain wholly ourselves. I remain I and no other. You remain you and no other.

To me this matters. It matters greatly. It matters to me because I miss the dead. I miss those who died violently. I miss those who died in womb. I miss those who died from excruciating illness. I miss those who died naturally. More so, I have faith in the resurrected Jesus and corresponding hope for our future in light of that same resurrection. In thinking of resurrection diachronically, neither who they were or who they would have been is lost. He or she remains present to God and is transformed and glorified out of the finality of death.

Going back once more to Moltmann:

To be raised to eternal life means that nothing has ever been lost for God--not the pains of life, and not its moments of happiness. Men and women will find again with God not only the final moment, but their whole history--but as the reconciled, the rectified and healed and completed history of their whole lives. What is experienced in this life as grace will be consummated in glory" (70-71).

The Crucified God

In preparation for Holy Week, I am giving a presentation tomorrow at First Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, Washington on Jürgen Moltmann’s classic: The Crucified God. For a few years now, re-reading this book has been a Lenten practice of mine. In it Moltmann conceives of a revolution in our thinking about God. In this revolution the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central and guiding act in the person of God.

Instead of beginning with a god of metaphysics or even a disconnected Jesusology, Christian theology is confronted with Jesus’ derelict cry of godforsakeness: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The cross of the risen Christ becomes the starting point of Christian thought and practice in that in God’s on being God suffers death. The Son suffers in the godforsakeness of death as our representative and the Father suffers the infinite grief of the loss and surrender of the Son. And in the words of Bonhoeffer, “only the suffering God can help” us in our violence, grief, and godless living. But death is not the final word, in the resurrection of the crucified Christ we experience forgiveness, liberation, life, and hope.

In regards to this revolution in our thinking about God, he believes we must be thoroughly Trinitarian. He concludes (note: the paragraph breaks are my own. I added them to aid in readability):

If in the freedom given through the experience of it the believer understands the crucifixion as an event of the love of the Son and the grief of the Father, that is, as an event between God and God, as an event within the Trinity, he perceives the liberating word of love which creates new life. 

By the death of the Son he is taken up into the grief of the Father and experiences a liberation which is a new element in this de-divinized and legalistic world, which is itself even a new element over against the original creation of the word. He is in fact take up into the inner life of God, if in the cross of Christ he experiences the love of God for the godless, the enemies, in so far as the history of Christ is the inner life of God himself. 

In that case, if he lives in this love, he lives in God and God in him. If one conceives the Trinity as an event of love in the suffering and the death of Jesus—and that is something which faith must do—then the Trinity is no self-contained group in heaven, but an eschatological process open for men on earth, which stems from the cross of Christ. By the secular cross on Golgotha, understood as open vulnerability and as the love of God for loveless and unloved, dehumanized men, God’s being and God’s life is open to true man. There is no ‘outside the gate’ with God (W. Borchert), if God himself is the one who died outside the gate on Golgotha for those who are outside.