5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 8

There are few things that stir my heart quite like discovering a great song. For me, music is something that causes the veil that separates heaven and earth to grow very, very thin. I sense the presence of God in the songs I love most, even if they are not overtly Christian or even remotely spiritual in the usual sense. There is just something about music -- the interplay of melody, harmony, chord structure, arrangement, lyrics, and raw emotional power -- that is primal to who we are. It's the noise humans make. Image bearers of God, even broken ones, cannot help themselves. We love to sing and make music.

So one of my great joys is finding great new music and sharing it with other people who feel the same way. I've got 5 songs here I'd wager you have never heard before but might just possibly be your new favorite jam before the day is out. Let's find out, shall we? Here we go...

1. Vintage - High Dive Heart. Found this one for free on Noisetrade.comhttp://www.noisetrade.com/highdiveheart just about an hour ago. High Dive Heart is a guy-girl duo comprised of multi-platinum award winning singer/songwriter Jason Reeves (collaborations with Colbie Caillat, Lenka, Katharine McPhee, Angel Taylor, etc) and Nelly Joy, one-half of the ACM nominated country duo the JaneDear girls. This is not their first rodeo. And you can tell. "Vintage" is the first single from their project, and it is one of the catchiest, brightest, just plain fun songs I've heard since Sheppard's "Geronimo." It's the musical equivalent of smelling honeysuckles. You know what I mean? Sure you do.

2. Home Again - Michael Kiwanuka. I think this one was a freebie off iTunes one day a few years ago. It completely took me by surprise. There is an honesty and sense of emotional transparency in this tender acoustic track from the British (yes, British) singer-songwriter. No matter what your actual home was like, there is in each of us a nagging feeling we aren't there yet, but we long to be. Home again. Let me just go ahead and say this now... You. Are. Welcome.

3. Mystic - Charlie Peacock. Yes, that's his real name. Charlie Peacock has been around a long, long time. Though an established artist and songwriter in his own right, Peacock is probably better known as a producer these days, most notably of The Civil Wars' Barton Hollow. This track was part of a Christmas compilation of all things, though what it has to do with Christmas is beyond me. I've had this in my collection for a few years now and didn't think much of it. Then the other day when I was mowing my grass and listeing to random tunes on wide open shuffle, this song came on and nearly knocked me off my Troy-Bilt Pony. I don't know if it's the Cajun vibe or the powerful sense of yearning for answers about his life, or some combination of all that... I really like this song. I think you will, too.

4. Soubour - Songhoy Blues. I have no idea what these guys are singing about but I think they mean it. This is a blues band from the Republic of Mali in West Africa. I can't find an English translation of the lyrics anywhere but I imagine it's about suffering or oppression or something horrible.... not because they are from West Africa but because they are a blues band and that's why they call it the blues. I don't have to understand the words to know I like the music.

5. Make it Out Alive - Nick Flora. I really like this tune a lot! Flora is a guy out of Nashville with a great sense of humor, keen pop songwriting instincts, and a real love for what he does. I think I could hang with this guy. He sounds like Elvis Costello's long lost son. I got his latest album free on Noisetrade.com and hadn't even listened to it all the way through when this song cam up on shuffle one day in my office. It stopped me on my tracks and I thought, "Well, there's one of my next 5 Songs You Need to Hear!" And it is. Enjoy!

OK, kids, there you have it. Get busy. Listen. Support. Share. Don't be like a miser who hoards all his treasures for himself, and then dies rich but friendless. That stinks. Be like a Johnny Appleseed... or something. Scatter freely and generously those things that have been so freely shared with you.

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 7

Don't you just love the word nugget? I do. It makes me smile. Every time I hear it. In the right context, it even makes me giggle. What exactly is a nugget? The dictionary defines it as "a lump of gold or precious metal," "a bite size piece of fish or chicken," or "an Australian slang term for a strong, thickset man."(that's a new one for me, I must admit). But I define it as "an especially good song from a relatively unknown band or artist."

No matter how you define it, nuggets are awesome. And today I have 5 such nuggets that are precious as gold, tasty as fish and/or chicken, and..... strong... and, er.... thickset?

Never mind. Here are 5 nuggets  you NEED to hear:

1. Terminal - Jon Foreman. This guy is a genius. Period. End of discussion. I'm not wrong. As the brains behind Switchfoot Foreman has already forever secured himself as a tour de force in songwriting, production, musicianship, and boundless creativity. He is constantly reinventing himself and that's one of my favorite things about him. He never lets his fans get lazy. You have to keep up with him. This song is from a brand new set of solo EPs he has just released that chronicle a day in his life. I think this one falls around 11:00 AM or something... Whatever. It's just plain great.

Hey... P.S. There is a great video of Foreman performing this song with just an acoustic guitar and his voice worth looking up. But I wanted you all to hear the studio recording of the song first.


2. Take It Back - The Temperance Movement. Ah, Temperance Movement, to what shall I compare thee? The Stooges? MC5? The Black Crowes on steroids maybe? Make sure you are alone when you listen to this song the first time, because you are going to start dancing or singing or playing air guitar or grooving in some visibly awkward way (especially if you're rhythmically challenged. You know who you are). People are going to stare at you and either think you are weird or that you are listening to some great nugget of rock and roll they wish they knew about. Watch and see. It will go down exactly like I said. And, guess what.... yep. You're welcome.

3. Keep On Pushing - Mason Jar Music & Friends (feat. Emily Elbert). I am so excited to share this discovery with you. Mason Jar Music is a collective of musicians and creative types out of Brooklyn, NY. Every year they have a tradition of getting together and recording a series of covers chosen around a particular theme. One year they did a collection of R&B songs featuring brilliant covers by the likes of Bill Withers, Koko Taylor, and Curtis Mayfield. This particular song is from that collection and features an amazing vocal from Emily Elbert. The playing is nothing less than spot-on. This is a cover of the original by the Impressions. And as great as this track is, every other track on that record is just as good. It's free on Noisetrade here, so you have no excuse whatsoever not to add this to your collection immediately.

4. Running for Cover - Ivan & Alyosha. I think I found this one on Spotify one day while following the trail of related artists from artists I already knew and liked. That, BTW, is an excellent way to discover new bands and great songs. Too bad they don't make any money off Spotify, but I did go buy their record so it wasn't a total loss.
The guys are not actually named Ivan & Alyosha (they are actually called Tim, Ryan, Pete, & Tim); they took the band name from the brothers in Dostoevsky's classic The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan & Alyosha represent two clashing worldviews about life, God, right, wrong, etc. This song wrestles with similar tensions but in a much shorter and far more catchy way.

5. Hey Homies! - The Aquabats. OK, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Aquabats are a cross between Devo, comic books, and Pee Wee Herman. But this song is undeniably awesome. If there were any justice in the world this would be the number one song in every country, And if it were, we would see a lot less war, hate, bigotry, racism, violence, crime, etc. Ya wanna know why? Because we would all be too busy hugging each other! "We don't need no thugs unless those thugs was givin' out hugs!"
Warning: This song requires that you stop pretending to be a stuck-up musical snob who thinks he knows it all and just enjoy something fun. Think you can do that? Huh? OK, then....

Nuggets. Each and every one. Different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, but each one a nugget in its own right. Now it's your turn: listen, buy, support, and share your favorite nuggets with someone you love. Spread the nugget love.