Ok folks… Here is what you’ve been waiting for…my Top Picks of 2009!!!  I did some extra categories this year, so check it all out below.

Top 10 CDs:
1.  Future of Forestry – Travel EP
2.  Mutemath – Armistice
3.  Thrice – Beggars
4.  Future of Forestry – Travel II EP
5.  Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane

6.  David Crowder*Band – Church Music
7.  Deepspace 5 – The Blueprint 3: Outtakes
8.  Emery – …In Shallow Seas We Sail
9.  August Burns Red – Constellations
10.  Jars of Clay – Long Fall Back to Earth

Top 5 Songs:
1.  All the World is Mad (Remix) – Thrice from the album Beggars
2.  Odds – Mutemath from the album Armistice
3.  Turn the Music Down – Shane & Shane from the album Everything is Different
4.  Sing it Out – Switchfoot from the album Hello Hurricane
5.  In Exile – Thrice from the album Beggars

Top 3 Music Videos:
1.  Daggers – The Chariot from the album Wars and Rumors of Wars
2.  Backfire – Mutemath from the album Armistice
3.  No Be Nah – John Reuben from the album Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control

Top 5 Live DVDs:
1.  My Soul Sings: Live from Bogota, Colombia – Delirious?
2.  Hello Hurricane: Behind the Scenes- Switchfoot
3.  Live Revelations – Third Day
4.  History Makers: Greatest Hits – Delirious?
5.  Innocence & Instinct: Behind the Scenes - Red

Until next year, Merry Christmas!

Hi guys, thanks for coninuing to cehck out my Blog.  I’ve been super busy with life and such, so I seriously have not had any chances to further my writing.  I appreciate your continued faithfulness in looking at my blog.

I am planning on posting my Top Lists to my blog in December.  I also plan on updating you on my life in the near future.

Until then….Thanks!  Merry Christmas!

Some things are misleading.  When I hear the acronym VHS I remember good times, I think of many hours on my sofa, I think entertainment.  Many other words come to mind, Revolutionary being one, but the actual meaning of VHS is unbelievably misleading.  “The Video Home System is a video tape recording standard developed during the 1970s”.  Hold on a second Wikipedia, “Video Home System”?  Let’s try ”Very Hot System”.  It truly is the only system worth owning and one we will hang on to for many years to come.  Let me explain.

The VHS  is my favorite form of entertainment.  It is unbelievable.  An entire feature length film shrunk down in size and fit in the tiny compounds of the VHS cassette, run off a single strand of advanced black tape.  Wow!  How Hollywood can take big-screen entertainment and make it fit on one (sometimes two) black cassette is beyond my knowledge.  Will science ever stop amazing me?  I don’t think there could be much more in the evolution of how we watch movies.  It is electrifying to think about.

I get very excited about some of the great features of the VHS cassette and its companion, the VHS player.  I have listed the basic features that make up its “button-system” below that gives a great snapshot of each, including their function and purpose:

Play – allows the viewer to start the movie.  After you insert the cassette you absolutely need this feature to enjoy your movie experience.
Fast Forward – allows the viewer to transport themselves to any point ahead in the movie.  It’s like time travel.
Rewind – allows the viewer to experience memorable moments over and over again.  Enjoy this feature if you’ve missed moments and want to revisit great scenes.
Pause – enables the viewer to stop the movie, but only for a moment.  Use this sparingly, because the longer the movie stays paused the more likely it is to stop.
Stop – enables the viewer to fully stop the movie.  You really don’t want to see the credits.
Stop/Eject – allows the viewer to go a step further by automatically spitting out the cassette from the player.  Be cautious when using this feature, it can be hazardous or even dangerous.

There are also some advanced features to the more expensive VHS players that I will outline now.  The “Record” button allows you to take a blank/empty VHS cassette and record some of your favorite TV programs on it.  If there is a favorite commercial you want to see again, that is no problem for the VHS player, just insert the tape, sync it up with the commercial and press record.  10 minutes later you have your own copy.  The “Timer” feature can be used to sync the recording of a program with the VHS player.  I like this feature because of the simplicity to which I can time my favorite program to start recording on my empty cassette without worry.  After you are finished with your movie, there is another feature that makes you more likeable at your local video rental store.  It’s called “Rewind”.  I listed the rewind feature under basic as well as here because there is an addition.  When you have stopped the movie you should then rewind the film to allow it to return to the start for the next viewer.  The rewind button does just this.  This feature may have been hidden to you because you wouldn’t think of “re-starting” a movie, shouldn’t it do that automatically?  That is the beauty of the VHS system, there are some great hidden features to enjoy.

The future of this amazing system is unending.  Will we ever see its equal?  Can anything beat the ease of use that is the button-system?  Will we ever see a rival picture quality?  These are things that may come, but the VHS player and cassette will form the backbone of how we watch videos.  While the acronym may be misleading, please don’t let this amazing system escape your purchase today.

— Luke —

I have been away.  Get ready for new posts.  I am going to be posting a new series of reviews.  They may be funny, they may be serious, they will be thought provoking, they’re bound to be entertaining.

Thanks for stopping in.

I’ve recently been eating my breakfast and have found myself watching some great infommercials on the morning hours of TV.  So, I have inserted some of these classics for your viewing pleasure!  Enjoy:

Tell me which of these you would prefer when making an educated decision on the purchase of a hearing amplifier?

Now…Tell me which of these appeal to you?  And which one would work for you at your workplace?

Or…

Oh the joys of Youtube!

Obsession really is a bad thing.  Things can consume our time and become an obsession, they can make us form habits we may not want, and they make us do things we don’t want to do.  We may find that these things are consuming, circling us in the obsession and enveloping us with their weight.  Oftentimes an obsession can really illustrate the immensity of sin or wrong living.  But on occasion the habits formed from ones obsession in life can be a good thing.

Enter author Robert Liparulo and a writing style that puts him in among the elite suspense fiction writers currently published.  This former journalist and multiple award winning writer entered the scene in 2005 with his first novel Comes A Horseman.  He is published under Thomas Nelson books and marketed to both Christians and non-Christians.  Robert is a Christian working to get noticed in an industry comparable to the Christian metal music industry.  Industries in which more and more artists and authors want to be noticed for their talent and not only their faith.  They live their lives according to their faith, but want their work to reach out and extend to the unreached.  Much like Matthew 28:19.

March 29 marked the release date of Robert’s newest suspense fiction Deadlock.  This book is a continuation of sorts, but not a sequel.  It follows a group of characters Robert developed in his 2007 release Deadfall.  John Hutchison – or Hutch – lives in Denver, Colorado working as a reporter for a local newspaper.  It has been almost a year since the terrible events he witnessed in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada.  Something is brewing between Hutch and Laura Fuller, the girl he met in Canada.  Dillon is Laura’s son, who Hutch has developed a close bond with since saving his life in Saskatchewan.  Hutch has two kids of his own, Macie and Logan, who we don’t know much about until this book.  Hutch has been obsessed with a guy named Brendan Page, who is the father of Declan Page, the main bad dude in Deadfall.  Brendan Page owns a company that develops software and trains soldiers for combat.  His company is big and very well financed.  Hutch believes that Mr. Pages’ company is somehow behind the attacks in Northern Canada that claimed the lives of his friends.  Things get pretty intense when Hutch decides to persue his suspicions and confront Page.

Deadlock is a page-turner.  It is what any good suspense novel should be, it should make you want to stay up late at night and make you not want to got to the bathroom.  It is intense, exciting, and thrilling.  Mr. Liparulo has seriously crafted a story that could easily become a blockbuster movie.  He has done an incredible amount of research on the many topics covered in this book.  The effect of video game indulgence on youth, the terrible damages of divorce, even the simple fun of dining at a kid-oriented restaurant, these are some of the topics covered in Deadlock.  This book is not for the faint of heart, however.  There is a scene where arrows pierce skin, a scene of kidnapping, and another death that involves a 6-story fall.  The descriptive nature of the book make it hard to read certain scenes, but isn’t this suspense fiction at its best?  Isn’t a good book supposed to bring up current issues, make you think, and make you cringe?

Sometimes obsession leads to habit.  Sometimes habit is a good thing.  In author Robert Liparulo’s case, habit is beginning to pay off.  Deadlock is an amazing addition to an already outstanding library full of gleaming gems.  Long live the suspense novel.  Long live the Liparulo.

— Luke —

I’m participating in a “Marathon of Golf” as a fundraiser for Teen Challenge Saskatchewan.  The event is June 15, 2009 and will be an amazing time.  If you are feeling led to donate towards my fundraising goal of $750, please don’t hesitate.  You get a tax receipt for any donation of $5 or more.  I can direct you to where you can give, just e-mail me and let me know.  My e-mail is lajohn80@yahoo.ca.  Or you can donate online by following the link below:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2161356

Thank you in advance for helping me out everyone!  Give what you can because this is a terrific cause.

— Luke —

Be prepared for something…um…different.  The Chariot have always been summed up as being quite different.  They have taken metal music that is random, chaotic, distortion and pushed the envelope as far as they can.  To say they’ve created their own genre would be a bit of an understatement.  If “the envelope” was a set of Truth Custom drums or a riser of Moss amplifiers, The Chariot have probably destroyed them many times.

Wars and Rumours of Wars is a change for The Chariot, but it is a natural change.  You knew that this was coming.  “Teach” is the first track on the album and starts like any Chariot song, heavy guitar line accompanied by Josh Scoggin’s brutal scream.  But it then takes a turn – for the better.  The track changes halfway through to simply distorted guitar and Josh.  Changing again shortly after to include drums, random distortion, and an interesting lead guitar…um…I think you’d call it a solo, to end the track.  The album continues along a similar path of frantic guitars, un-followable drums, and punishing screams.  There is one distinct difference on Wars and Rumours of Wars, and that is that almost every song has a unique ending.  The Chariot is infusing a little experimentalism into metal.  This makes sense.  Rock does this, so why shouldn’t metal?  The song endings range from simple palm mutes to frantic drums to distortion and even keyboards.  A wonderful addition to The Chariot’s repertoire.

My favorite track, “Giveth”, is halfway through the album and starts with a sample from an old hymn recording.  Josh’s vocals make this track an absolute highlight.  His typical scream sounds so much more ominous thanks to some great lyrics.  “S-s-settle down, we ain’t alone anymore, we ain’t afraid, we cannot be alone anymore…”  Josh does this a couple times on the CD, he stutters on purpose and it is extremely effective when accompanied by the randomness of the music.  The Chariot have also continued to push what metal/punk vocals sound like.  You are taken into Josh’s world when you hear him breathing.  I don’t mean that he simply breathes into the mic, I mean you actually feel when he is out of breath.  You hear him inhale after the brutal screams.  This makes The Chariot so much more believable, and boy does it sound cool. 

The album ends with a 6:00 song.  “Mrs. Montgomery Alabamma iii.” is a marvelous ending.  You hear more frantic inhilations from Josh, feel the brutality in the guitars, and expect the song to end much sooner than it does.  The Chariot drags the ending out for 2:30 minutes before ending Wars and Rumours of Wars.  But it is not at all out of place.  They make it work.

May 5, 2009 marks the release of the 4th album in the barbarous discography that is The Chariot.  Wars and Rumours of Wars is an absolute welcome addition to the arsenal of one of the most cutting edge, boundary pushing metal bands of recent years.  “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” Mark 13:7 (NIV).  Give yourself 28:24 with The Chariot and you’ll feel that like the end is here.

4.5/5

— Luke —

My mother used to tell me I was very “gung ho” when pursuing my passions.  I think Mat Kearney is similar.  One of his first songs has the same theme, in fact the song is titled “Gung Ho”.  This rap song appeared on 2001′s DJ Maj Full Plates Mixtape and really gave the music world the first taste of Mat’s musical stylings.  Uniqueness, true flow, and listenability is what defines Mat Kearney, his music and has lifted him to a popularity he could never have imagined.

City of Black & White releases May 19, 2009 and marks Mat’s return to CD after a three year absence.  I’m going to describe the music on this album as “music for the city”.  City of Black & White has no loud drums, no amazing lead guitar riffs, and no overpowering vocals.  It’s simple music.  This comes as no surprise, since Mat is a singer/songwriter comparable to Matt Costa, Jack Johnson, or John Mayer.  “All I Have” hits lead on the album and lyrically sums up the album.  The lyrics point directly at God’s blessings and how Mat owes everything he has to God’s grace, “all I have all I have all I have, well you know it’s yours, every breath every step every moment…”  For fans of Mat’s rap roots, the radio single “Closer to Love” is the only track that shows hints of his former self and, to me, that is a shame.  My favorite track on the album is “Never Be Ready”, a song that paints a picture of the effects of love and how it can overcome a lot of stuff in life.  The album ends with the title track “City of Black & White” which features a fitting ending of instruments and vocal effects.  If I may borrow a word from Mat, the mood this album creates is “Undeniable”.

Mat Kearney could not have picked a better time to release a new album, the popularity of  the Singer/Songwriter has never been better.  City of Black & White fits perfectly and maybe he has his mother to thank for that.

4/5

– Luke –

When you think of the live concert very few bands can match the mainstream performances of U2,  The Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson.  They are the titans of the live stage, the proverbial blue whale in a sea full of krill.  Christian music is much the same, there are few that can do it well and can do it right.  Hillsong United, Newsboys, and Third Day come to mind, but only manage to make ripples next to the waves created by a band from Littlehampton, England.  If the ocean rolls then Stonehenge rocks when Delirious? is in town.

As we enter 2009 we draw closer to the end of the good book Delirious?.  March 24 is the bands final chapter. The live DVD/CD My Soul Sings: Live from Bogota, Colombia was recorded in front of 12,000 Spanish worshipers packed into Bogota’s MCI Convention Center, there to witness a live concert from the industries best.  Packed with a light show that truly entertains, giant screens that play some creative video images, and a set list that captures many of the bands well known songs, this package is a must for any fan.  The 1 hour 15 minute DVD is highlighted with lots of memorable moments.  During “History Maker” singer Martin Smith goes into the front rows of the huge audience and gets a Colombian flag from a fan, he then wraps it around himself and reads from the bible accompanied by full Spanish translation.  “All God’s Children” features a group of 15 children from a Spanish kids choir on the stage with the band as they perform, making the song truly memorable.  The three song encore features the song “Kingdom of Comfort” made unforgettable by all members of the band dressed in white and Martin Smith wearing a crown made of life’s comforts (which includes an ipod, cell phone, and television remote).

As the music DVD becomes increasingly popular, can more bands translate their live show to the Television?  One thing is for sure, Delirious? leaves as the big fish while Jonah is left in awe.

9/10

—Luke—