New music

Here are some new albums that I'm looking forward to hearing:

Babel - Mumford & Sons: 'Opening with a blistering banjo intro, the title track is a statement of intent. Marcus Mumford spits, "I know my weakness, know my voice. And I believe in grace and choice'". As the chorus hits, the biblical allusions that inspired the album title kick in.' (NME)

Life Is People - Bill Fay: 'Aside from Fay's plaintive cover of Wilco's Jesus Etc, Life Is People also continues with the lyrical themes established back in 1969-70 ... "They need space to convey," he stresses, "but, in a simple way, biblical prophecy. Not in some extreme or fanatical way but fundamentally, that this world - in the hands of different leaders, competing with each other economically - it can't carry on. It's belief in a change. There's comfort in that. I'm not so sure how you could handle the world if you didn't have that. It's God's world, yet we walk around as if it's ours."' (Mojo)

Tempest - Bob Dylan: 'When Dylan convened his band at Jackson Browne's Groove Masters studios in Santa Monica, he's said it was his intention to make a 'religious' album ... The testing of belief in extreme circumstances is a recurring theme ... the charred landscape that much of Tempest occupies ... a forlorn sort of place, populated by the displaced and the lost, to who Dylan gives poignant voice.' (Uncut)

The Laughing Stalk - Woven Hand: 'The myths of our country are in the songs. The untold stories and gaps in history books are in the songs – our recollection is preserved in this music. Those songs as well as the stories that my parents told me, the bible and the books I read, all this is the foundation of my imagination of America. But I do not see myself as a keeper of tradition. I rather am a craftsman who on a daily basis does what he does best: singing and playing guitar. That’s the only thing I've learned. I am following the music.' (David Eugene Edwards)

The Hipsters - Deacon Blue: 'Judging by the content of this album, which contains such portions of well-bred pop as Stars and the harmony-laden Turn, there's enough creativity left to ensure that few hearing these songs for the first time on the band's 25th Anniversary Tour will be disappointed.' (Mojo)

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Bill Fay - Time Of The Last Persecution.

Salt & sweetners

At the beginning of April a facebook campaign by Delirious? fans sent History Maker to the No. 4 slot in the singles chart. This campaign was based on the wish to have a contemporary Christian song at number one that reflected the positive values of the Christian message. Those involved are now trying to repeat the trick with BeBe Vox.

We have, of course, been here before with Heartbeat's Tears from Heaven in 1987 which, despite an appearance on Top Of The Pops, peaked at 32 and failed to become the substantial hit hoped for. A gushing exhortation in the Heartbeat newsletter to buy the record led both to accusations of hype from some and to prayer and fasting for the success of the single from others.

These campaigns seem to be based on the rather naive idea that an explicitly Christian song by an explicitly Christian band appearing in the charts will have a dramatic effect despite the fact that the song in question really only has the support and interest of the Christian community. Such campaigns also minimise the significance of mainstream bands which tackle spiritual issues in the music or which include Christians among the band members, as they imply that the only valid Christian music and witness is that which comes from direct from the Christian sub-culture.

By contrast, I'm constantly surprised at the extent to which bands with an interest in spirituality emerge with the support of mainstream labels. Paramore, for example, were voted Best International Band at the annual NME Awards earlier this year beating off competition from Green Day, Kings Of Leon, Vampire Weekend and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Working to the template perfected by Evanescence on Fallen of calling for spiritual rebirth in gothic imagery, Paramore cry out for wholeness in 'We Are Broken' from Riot:

"Cause we are broken
what must we do to restore
our innocence and all the promise we adored?
give us life again
we just wanna be whole."

Similarly Mumford & Sons debut album Sign No More is shot through with spiritual questing set to Fleet Foxes style folk without the Beach Boy harmonies. For the opening words of your debut album to be, "Serve God, love me and mend," is a stunningly brave beginning both from the perspective of quoting Shakespeare and in terms of the spiritual statement being made.

Bands like these are like salt flavouring mainstream music, as opposed to the artificial sweetner that is CCM added to the singles chart.

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Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More.