Happy Friday everyone! First off, I really appreciate everyone’s positive feedback on my “Thief Who Sets Us Free” Lenten meditation. I will surely be sending out more articles like it in the future. It’s here for anyone who missed it. The same themes informed this week’s song, actually. Before we get to that… Out Now: 4 Albums of the Past 6 Months’ worth of the “Song a Week” Project, Pay-What-You-WillI’ve collected all the past 6 months’ worth of songs from the Song a Week Project into 4 thematically, stylistically curated albums. Just for today, all these albums and more will be pay-what-you-will to celebrate Bandcamp Friday, when Bandcamp graciously waives their fees to send all profits to the artists. Consider it a birthday gift for our son, who will be born any day now! (Keep him and my wife Katie in your prayers please!). Most importantly, consider it my gift to you. Enjoy!
All For You is rootsy, sentimental, acoustic and Americana as all get-out, especially thanks to the contribution of songwriter Tim Dobel — I love singing his songs (I sing 4 of them on this record). Katie’s all over the harmony singing on a lot of this record, a luscious treat for the ears. Recommended for warm, lazy days sitting on the porch swing looking out at the weeping willows with your sweetheart on your shoulder. Read Between the Lines is the colorful “experimental” album — put it on your shelf between the Beatles’ “Revolver” and Beck’s “Odelay”. It’s got a lot of swirling harmonies, off-the-beaten-path chord progressions (Read Between the Lines), electronic vibes (Bang Bang, Anywhere But Here, Down South, Stranger Strangers), and the lyrics are zanier and wittier than, say, my more ballady stuff. And yet it’s very much a “guitar album” at its heart. Grab a pair of headphones and step into this otherworld of sound. I reckon this album woulda made the top 40 in the mid-90’s. Rock and Roll King of Martha’s Vineyard is what it sounds like — all your favorite dive bar gems and plenty of drinking anthems (Double Shifts, Booze at Night). Blast it in your car on your next drive, or get your friends together for a tailgate and have at. This one deserves its own beer sponsor! Small Town Incorporated has all the threads of the above records but tied together a bit more tightly in the twine of a straight-ahead Americana rock aesthetic. In old-fashioned lingo, we’d say it has an awful lot of “range”. Waxes a bit more political at times than the others, and plenty of colorful moments, including some bossa nova vibes (If You Like Whiskey) and Irish jigs (Small Town Incorporated). Song of the Week: “Thief in the Night”This week’s song is a hymn! It grew out of my Lenten meditation, where I reflected on the many ways Christ compares Himself to a “thief in the night”. But why endure me try to explain a song — according to Zappa, talking about music is like dancing about architecture, after all — when you can read the lyrics and hear it yourself:
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Friday, March 7, 2025
SOTW: "Thief in the Night" PLUS: 4 New Albums Out Now (Bandcamp Friday!)
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