Music Minute!

Hey y'all, it's Jen here with another round of new Christian music to check out and fall in love with. By now your school year is in full swing and we hope you're working hard, enjoying yourself, and can finally remember your locker combination.

In music news, last week Apple announced the arrival of iTunes LP, a much-heralded throwback to physical albums. When you buy the LP version of an album, you'll also get a digital booklet that includes the cover, lyrics, thank yous, extra pictures and more. Music industry executives hope this goes a long way toward patching up falling record sales. We'd like to know what you think of this—awesome, or a big waste? (PS, you need iTunes 9 for it to work, available as a free download.)

Also, maybe you saw or heard about the big dustup this week on the MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Video of the Year. The whole thing kind of got out of hand in the days following the event, but we'd just like to say we appreciate that Kanye apologized, and we think Taylor Swift handled the whole thing with grace.

Now for the music. First up is a new album from the David Crowder Band called Church Music. It doesn't actually come out until September 22, but you can preview it online here. DCB's sound is worship-centered electronic rock, and you'll get 17 new songs on this album. Check it out!

The new album from Thrice might be of interest to the White Stripes / Dead Weather fans out there. It's called Beggars, and it's full of beautifully sonic alternative rock. Fair warning that while lead singer Dustin Kensrue is a Christian, Thrice don't consider themselves a "Christian band." The lyrics are more poetic than theological, but it isn't hard to see that Kensrue penned these tunes with more in mind than just pretty words. An excerpt from "In Exile":

I am an exile - a sojourner; A citizen of some other place.
All I’ve seen is just a glimmer in a shadowy mirror,
But I know one day I’ll see face to face.

Now, why is a Christian magazine mentioning an album that isn't part of the genre of Christian music? Well, we think you should use a measure of discretion when you're choosing what you listen to. Our aim at ec is to tell you what's out there, not tell you what to listen to or like. Back when we were teens ourselves, there was a fair measure of debate about whether Christians should listen to secular music. While it's occasionally very clear if something is okay or not, sometimes the choice is simply left to you. We hope you choose with a measure of wisdom.

Switching gears over to something that is completely non-controversial, Avalon also has a new album out this week called Reborn. With a new lineup and a new producer, Avalon's 14th album really does manage to sound new and different. The sound is kind of a more modern version of the Avalon you know and love. We like "Arise."



Happy listening! And remember to do your homework. (Sorry.)