Ultimate 4-Square Playlist

It has been a while since I have blogged.  The reason for this is I happened to break my wrist.  It all happened while serving at my church’s Middle School Ministry that we call Chaos.  Every night after service we play 4-Square with the kids.  This happens to be one of my favorite games.  As the kids start the leave, many of the leaders continue to play, and this can  get quite competitive.  So competitive that I happened to completely lay out for the ball, fall on my wrist, and the rest is history.

In commemoration for my injury I give you the following Ultimate  4-Square Playlist, based upon some songs we have been jamming before and after Chaos while playing 4-Square:

Teen Daze – “The Harvest”

Have you ever read a book and felt so moved that you felt the need to write a soundtrack for it?  Well, electronic whiz Teen Daze did exactly that.  In case you aren’t familiar with Teen Daze then click here.  He even has a new album coming out on the new May 22, has created some amazing remixes, and writes incredibly creative, original, electronic/chillwave music.

Back to the subject at hand, Teen Daze  had read the  book Out of the Silent Plant by C.S. Lewis on a trip in Switzerland.  He was so moved by the part of the book where the main character, Dr. Ransom first encounters a completely new world called Malacandra.  Teen Daze had literally taken these words from Lewis, and painted a picture of this undiscovered, fictional world with music.  This album, entitled A Silent Planet, encouraged me to read the book as I was so mesmerized by the album.

One of my favorite tracks of the album is called “The Harvest.”  Teen Daze really shows off his skills as a composer and a multi-instrumentalist as the track really sings with beautifully plucked guitars, soft vocals, and an atmospheric electronic background.  I’m pretty sure this song was inspired by the hrossa, a type of species/people living on Malacandra that the main character spends a good deal of time with.

Whether you’ve read the book or not, you have to check out this track.

 

Least of These – “Grace”

Was doing my weekly Tuesday check of new music on Come&Live, and came across an E.P. from Least of These.  Couldn’t find a whole lot of info about them besides the fact that they are from Texas.  Well apparently David Crowder* Band is not the only amazing worship coming out of Texas.

I just love any type of worship that sounds fresh, and the track “Grace,” from the More Than Conquerors E.P. certainly fits the bill.  Reminding of worship heroes Ascend the Hill, “Grace,” is a true standout.  I love the chorus, “Oh Grace has washed my transgressions away!”  Especially, towards the end of the track when the band really starts to rock.  It’s like a plea to the world to simply trust in God.

You can really hear the passion in this song.  With vocals filled with desperation, to guitars shifting gears from a grunge type guitar lick to  a soaring solo.  The rhythm section also does a great job of helping the song to swell, really helping to get the songs point across.  Quite simply, God’s Grace is amazing!

Passion Pit – “Take a Walk”

If you’re like me, then Passion Pit’s last album Manners was on heavy repeat on your iPod.  I just couldn’t get enough.  Didn’t matter if I was running, driving in my car, sitting at work, I just loved listening to the album from track 1 to track 11.  The other day I was wondering if they were going to ever release another album, and sure enough it’s on it’s way.

The new album Gossamer is due to be released on July 24, and it won’t be a moment to soon.  You can track out the new track on Passion Pit’s website.  It’s called “Take a Walk,” and I promise it won’t disappoint.

While the new track definitely sounds like Passion Pit, it almost has a more organic/indie rock type of feel.  Perhaps it’s due to touring with Death Cab for Cutie, or just a result of adding a full band for the tour.  Regardless it’s a great track, and lots of fun to listen to.  I can’t wait to put the entire album on my iPod so I can play it over and over.

 

Run For The Zoo Half-Marathon Mix

Today, since my wife and I ran the Run For the Zoo Half-Marathon, I thought I would do a different type of post.  Thankfully my wife and I both survived today, and had a great time running together.  There were definitely a few tracks that really helped my through today, and I thought I would share them…

Thanks to my wife for being an amazing running partner, and wife!

Canopy Climbers – “Painting”

With their debut album appropriately titled Distance, friends Cory Nelson, Alan Thomas and Nathan Miller have truly put together some infectious electronic indie pop.  What might be the most impressive is that they completed the project while living in three different cities.  Sending bits and pieces to each other over the internet a la The Postal Service until the album was complete.The finished project sounds anything but disjointed, as Canopy Climbers really manage to pull off this amazing feat of songwriting/producing.

Of the numerous quality tracks on the album “Painting” is a true stand out.  Beginning with a simple keyboard riff and some glitchy beat reminiscent of Radiohead, the song slowly builds into a nice indie pop feel by the time the rhythm section joins in.  This only continues to get better with the chorus, as the guys really show the prowess for crafting a real pop gym.

“Am I wasting time thinking everything that I will forgot about?  Am I simply lost in the corner of my mind, will I make it out?” is crooned  throughout the choruses making the listener wonder what exactly is going through the singers head, and what it is he’s dealing with.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, well it turns out you can download a sample of the album Distances right here.  So what are you waiting for, hurry up and check out Canopy Climbers.