observations, album reviews, and modern day parables

Today my pastor (CO) was interviewing kids and asking them what they wanted to be when they grew up. Each of them answered with the typical answers until he arrived at one little girl who couldn’t have been older than five. When asking her the question she leaned into the mic and said, “a teenager”. And I thought, that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up! Guess I’ve arrived.

Jack White commenting on his new band The Raconteurs (pronounced - really weird name), “I’ve been able to do things with this band that I could never do with the White Stripes”. Yeah Jack, that’s what adding a third and fourth instrument will do for a band buddy. Having said that, I’m listening to their new album as I write this and it’s awesome.

Other albums I’ve been listening to lately.

Pearl Jam – Some say this is their best album since Ten. I’d call it their best album since Yield. An album that got little airplay but was a great album.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Probably could have shaved this two disc effort down into one long disc but whatever, it’s a good album.

The Fray – Hadn’t heard of this band but it appears that they’ve been on the American charts for a while. I like them. They sound like Maroon 5. Their album sounds like the same song over and over again, but I like the song.

The Kooks – Not sure these guys have made it to the States yet, but they’re a great young band that remind me a lot of The Clash. And, before you think Punk Band, think again. The Clash weren’t punk, they just dressed like they were.

Gnarls Barkley – Also not sure if these guys are in the States yet, but they’re a “band” made up of DJ Danger Mouse and MC/Singer Cee-Lo. I have to say that I’m more impressed with these two guys and their potential than the actual album, but Crazy is a great song that reminds me a lot of Marvin Gaye or Al Green.

Wolfmother – These guys may be the baddest band on the planet with screaming guitars and screaming vocals to match. If you’ve had just about all of the Yellowcard, My Chemical Romance and New Found Glory you can take, and are wondering where all the rock bands have gone, look no further. And if you’re a Led Zeppelin fan, God didn’t answer your prayers, but he has offered you a nice alternative. I have no doubt that Jimmy Page has these guys on his last.fm list.

It also needs to be said that Stryper (minus Tim Gaines) has a new album out. That’s right. The boys we turned to when we threw all of our secular albums away (before replacing them all within fifteen months) are back again with a new album and a newer harder version of In God We Trust. Now I know what you’re thinking…Stryper? Yeah, I know. But, like Rocky, I’m going to keep checking them out no matter how old or how many sequels they put out. I’m not ready to review them yet, but what I’ve heard so far (minus the, still, cheesy ballads) has been pleasantly surprising.

And finally, if you’re a part of the Salvation Army, check out the video clip over on the left. I watched a gem of a documentary a couple of weekends ago and lifted this possible modern day parable from it. Be offended if you will, but this was (literally) my first impression of the Army upon walking onto one of their camps and being introduced to the guy in charge. At first I just thought he was ex-military and a bit eccentric and still liked being called by his rank. Upon finding out that all ministers in the Army had a rank I immediately wondered if anybody could just make up a rank and tell people to call them by that. I spent the rest of the summer trying to figure out how I could get people to refer to me as Admiral Miller. For whatever reason, the video and audio don’t align when you watch it on this blog, so I apologize ahead of time.