T. D. "Primetime" Jakes

brilliant blurb from the Riddleblog on the future television ministry of T. D. Jakes:

Dr. Phil likes T. D. Jakes. So Dr. Phil is helping Jakes get his own national T.V. talk show in the Fall. Swell. How will Jake's version of modalism and his prosperity gospel help TV viewers? I can just see Jakes now, walking back and forth, wiping his sweaty brow, ranting, "Viewer, Thou Art Loosed Loosed!" "Reposition Yourselves."

(you got to admit Osteen's pretty square)

Current Soundtrack

its raining, that's a beautiful thing
Bon Iver makes my heart melt

Top Albums of 2007

I know it's late, the problem was every time I sat down to write my list I discovered something else. '07 was a pretty exceptional year of music. This is especially apparent relative to 2008 thus far. So here it is, my top 10 albums from 2007 in order.

1. The National - "Boxer"
Everything a rock n' roll album is supposed to be. Also put me over the edge and made me a fully devoted convert to horn parts in rock music. It appears the Boss was on to something after all. "Mistaken for Strangers" was probably my favorite song of the year which helps it claim the top spot. Who can beat this line anyway, "You wouldn't want an angel watching over you. Surprise, surprise they wouldn't want to watch." Isn't that the truth.

2. Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
How do you surpass "Funeral"? You don't. But this won't hurt. Besides, somehow a band of mostly Canadians keeps playing Obama rallies. Move over Fleetwood Mac.

3. Feist - "The Reminder"
Leslie Feist has soul.

4. Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
Nothing ground breaking, but soooo good.

5. Panda Bear - "Person Pitch"
I've never been a big Animal Collective fan. Perhaps its my sub-conscious allegiance to the Great Tradition of Boethius and Co. But Panda Bear's complex and beautiful album of Beach Boys on acid inspiration is great.

6. Steven Delopoulos - "Straightjacket"
Fantastic album. Beautiful folk music. Kind of like the best of Cat Stevens without the hokie album fillers and conversion to fundamentalist Islam.

7. LCD Soundsystem - "The Sound of Silver"
I'm a sucker for dance music what can I say?

8. Bon Iver - "For Emma, Forever Ago"
You'll find this in the dictionary under "beautiful and haunting." I think the problem with most singer songwriters these days is that they don't go spend time alone in the woods and write and record music. In my head this is the musical companion to Sean Penn's excellent film Into the Wild.

9. Bowerbirds - "Hymns for a Dark Horse"
I've read that this can be considered Appalachian folk music. Works for me.

10. Once - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
This has some of the best song writing I've ever heard on one album. The film was good but the music made the film for me so I decided to plop it on this list.

Honorable Mention:
Derek Webb - "The Ringing Bell"
Jens Lekman - "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
Menomena - "Friend and Foe"
Okkervil River - "The Stage Names"
The Tough Alliance - "A New Chance"
Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"