#5 Adele – 21
Like Brandon Flowers last year, this choice might catch a little ridicule. But let’s be honest, Adele’s voice is second to none. The vocals on this album are simply amazing. I thought I would tire of this album after a few listens, but I keep coming back to it. Sad at times, empowering at others, well rounded, solid. Best song – Take It All

#4 Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys
Probably the most upbeat of my five albums (Stay Young, Go Dancing), and Death Cab for Cutie’s best album to date. Driving bass, a saloon piano, and maybe a little bit too much hi-hat. But you’ll be tapping your foot, and singing along. Best Song – Portable Television

#3 Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Wispy, airy, singing out in a wheat field kind of sound, but with amplification. The first three songs warm you up, almost like inside pitches in baseball, they get you ready – then Battery Kinzie is like a fastball right over the middle of the plate…a strong, sit up straight kind of song. Crisp guitars, tight vocals, a really nice album. Best song – Helplessness Blues

#2 Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Listen to the first song, Perth, and wait for the swell at the 2:35 mark – you’ll be hooked. The lead singer, Justin Vernon, sings a lot in falsetto and it works. The song titles are mainly geographical (Perth, Minnesota, Hinnom, Calgary, Lisbon), and the lyrics may not make the most sense. But the album works, and you’ll want to continue to listen. Best Song – Calgary

#1 Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys!
I am amazed at how this album has been left off list after list for top albums of the year. Maybe it’s because Elbow doesn’t get much play here in the States. I found Elbow, or maybe they found me, while living in the UK. Their previous album, The Seldom Seen Kid, was really good and was met with critical acclaim  – in the UK at least – but Build A Rocket Boys! is exponentially better in my opinion. It is melancholy and somber, yet inspiring and uplifting. With songs like Neat Little Rows it is anthemic, and it is reflective with The Night Will Always Win. The lyrics are tight, with each song telling a story. The music doesn’t get in the way, but is good enough to stand on it’s own. I simply love this album.

And let me say a few things about the album’s best song – Open Arms. There are very few songs that extend beyond themselves…that move you at your core…that touch your soul…that become part of the story of your life. Until Open Arms the only song that I would put in that special category was U2′s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. This song, this year, was for me. It is me. It is both the man I am, and the man I hope to be. In a year that was undeniably difficult for me this song brought me to tears, and face to face with God. Lyrically it captures the story of the prodigal son, found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15:11-32. It tells the story of a community that welcomes back with open arms the man that once left them. This community, in celebration, reminds the man of the boy he used to be, and says “It’s okay, you’re home, and you’re accepted.” I’m posting the lyrics below for you to read through, but if you have $5.00 go buy the album on Amazon, or just spend 99¢ on the song.

You’re a law unto yourself
And we don’t suffer dreamers
But neither should you walk the earth alone

So with finger rolls and folding chairs
And a volley of streamers
We can be there for tweaks and repairs
Should you come back home

We got open arms for broken hearts
Like yours my boy, come home again

Tables are for pounding here
And when we’ve got you surrounded
The man you are will know the boy you were

And you’re not the man who fell to earth
You’re the man of La Mancha
And we’ve love enough to light the street
‘Cause everybody’s here

We got open arms for broken hearts
Like yours my boy, come home again
We got open arms for broken hearts
Like yours my boy, come home again

Everyone’s here
Everyone’s here
The moon is out looking for trouble
And everyone’s here

Everyone’s here
Everyone’s here
The moon wants a scrap or a cuddle
And everyone’s here

We got open arms for broken hearts
Like yours my boy, come home again
We got open arms for broken hearts
Like yours my boy, come home again

Everyone’s here
Everyone’s here
Everyone’s here
Come home again

The moon is out looking for trouble
The moon wants a scrap or a cuddle
The moon is face down in a puddle
And everyone’s here

As always, I’d love to hear your opinion, and your favorites this year.

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★

St. Peter’s Cathedral built of granite but ever fearful of the answer
When the candle in the tunnel is flickering in sputters and fading faster
It’s only then that you will know what lies above or down below
Or if these fictions only prove how much you’ve really got to lose

At St. Peter’s Cathedral there is stained glass, there’s a steeple that is reaching
Up towards the heavens such ambition never failing to amaze me
It’s either quite a master plan or just chemicals that help us understand
That when our hearts stop ticking this is the end
There’s nothing past this

For those that would consider themselves to be Christians, believers, followers of Jesus — you need to recognize that these lyrics represent the starting place for many, especially across Europe and increasingly in the United States. This is what they believe.

After you’ve recognized this you need to understand why. Listen to them, ask them questions. Why do they believe what they believe? Don’t preach. Just listen. And please, do it in the context of relationship. Don’t grab a stranger and expect them have any vested interest in engaging with you in a spiritual conversation.

And go buy the album. It’s good.

1. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More.
A truly incredible album. Folk, Country, and Rock all wrapped up into one unique sound. Driving, beating anthems, and moody, passionate real life lyrics. With spiritual undertones and love lost, it could be anyone’s story. I’ve yet to tire listening to this album. For those in the UK, yes this was released toward the end of 2009. But in the US it wasn’t released until February, 2010. So I’m cheating a little…playing to both audiences. If there’s a way for me to sneak it into my top five for 2011 I might do it.

Best Lyric: In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life. Awake My Soul.

2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs.
While Sigh No More could be anyone’s album, The Suburbs was my album. I immediately connected with this album about the result of suburban sprawl, the new culture it creates, and the culture that is left to die downtown. This is clearly an “American” album (even though the band is from Montreal). I’ve wondered how British listeners would relate to songs about the suburbs when the cities here in the UK are very different from the US. When I hear these songs I immediately think of Dallas and Houston and wonder what cities the British listener thinks of.

Best Lyric: You never trust a millionaire quoting the sermon on the mount;
I used to think I was not like them but I’m beginning to have my doubts, my doubts about it. City With No Children.

3. The National – High Violet (Expanded Edition)
To be honest, any of my top three albums could have been number one, but High Violet has to settle for number 3. The National have been around for a while, but I just found them this year. After purchasing High Violet first I’ve gone back and purchased their Boxer album and their self titled debut album. Boxer is also very good. High Violet is moody, and melancholy, and gloomy, and full of emotion. Matt Berninger’s voice is like a drug…you can’t get enough of it. My most listened to tracks: Terrible Love, Bloodbuzz Ohio, and Conversation 16. Listening to High Violet causes me to see myself in a movie, driving down a foggy lane with high hedges, in the middle of the night, not knowing where the road leads. Any album that can transport me to “another place” like that easily fits in my top five.

Best Lyric: I still owe money to the money to the money I owe. Bloodbuzz Ohio.

4. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
For some, mainly those that follow me in the States, this will be a controversial inclusion…primarily because of the language and themes found in this album. But musically speaking, this album is a masterpiece. Yes, it’s rough. Yes, it can be hard to listen to at times. Yes, it’s probably possible to write a song without using the F-bomb 896 times, but then it wouldn’t be Kanye, and it wouldn’t be as good. One thing that must be done when listening to this album…you must constantly remind yourself of the album’s title. The songs here definitely comprise a dark, twisted, and sometimes beautiful fantasy. I don’t for one second think that some of the themes found in this album represent real life for Kanye West. Also worth mentioning is the list of cameos by other artists: Bon Iver, John Legend, Beyonce, Jaz-Z, and samples from King Crimson. Rolling Stone has this as their #1 album for 2010.

Best Lyric: The youngsters who were programmed to continue f**king up, woke up one night digging Paul Revere and Nat Turner as the good guys. Who Will Survive In America.

As an extra bit of reading related to why I think it’s okay as a Christian to include an album like this in my top 5: Mark Driscoll – Why Christians Go Postal Over Facebook, Jay-Z, Yoga, Avatar, and Culture in General

5. Brandon Flowers – Flamingo (Deluxe Version)
I’m still not quite sure why this is a Brandon Flowers album, and not a Killers album…they are one in the same in my opinion. This is a great anthemic album, yet some might giggle at my inclusion. I guess I’m drawn to the lyrics and Brandon has written some good ones. Every song can easily be sung along with, except for Swallow It, which is a ridiculous song. The best songs on the album are: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Only the Young, and Playing With Fire.

Best Lyric: This church of mine may not be recognised by steeple,
That doesn’t mean that I will walk without a God. Playing With Fire.

The good albums that didn’t quite make it:
Vampire Weekend – Contra
Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws
The Acorn – No Ghost

Let me know what you think, but be nice about it. And let me know what your top albums were for this year. While I listen to a lot of music, I’m sure I missed some very good albums.

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The song selection last night did not disappoint. And to be honest, the music was quality as well. The Edge was on fire. He sounded better last night than any other time I’ve heard him. Bono’s voice seemed weak and a little off. I’d like to blame it on the stadium, which I’ll cover in a minute, but he wasn’t on the top of his game. Larry Mullen Jr. absolutely brought his A game in songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday with a hard, tight, pounding drum line. They played the favorites and played them well, including Elevation, Vertigo, and Beautiful Day. Highlights for me included I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, with a snippet of Stand By Me, which they did in the 1997 Pop Mart tour, One, with a snippet of Amazing Grace, and Where The Streets Have No Name. They played MLK which I can’t remember hearing in another tour, but I’d have to check the setlist to be sure.

On the negative side, the stage was too big. The band, at times, seem disconnected from the audience and from each other. This type of setup is not conducive to Adam Clayton. He looked lost and awkward as he wondered the stage during songs. Larry looked like a rotating duck in the middle as they appeased the crowd by spinning him around for everyone to get a front side shot of him. Bono and the Edge looked at home wondering around, but it was too much space to cover. I really missed the more intimate stage setup from Elevation and Vertigo tours. I also missed the more intimate venue as well. Watching U2 in the old Reunion Arena and in the American Airlines Center were as close to true worship experiences as I’ve been to, but that was completely lost in the big stadium. I know that U2 are big enough to carry big stadiums, but it didn’t work last night at the Cowboys Stadium. That stadium is too big. And the acoustics suffer because of it. The roof was closed and I wonder it that hurt the sound even more. I’ve heard from others that sat up in the top levels that the sound was terrible, with some leaving before the show was over. It would be interesting to see this concert in an open stadium. I could only hope that it sounds better. I don’t go to many concerts but I won’t be going to one at the Cowboys Stadium. It may be great for football, but it’s not a concert friendly stadium. Just a side note, Muse sounded horrible. I do know a few of their songs but I couldn’t make out a single word. Complete mush mouth. Again, I’d like to blame this squarely on the stadium and it’s acoustics, but since I’ve never heard them I can’t be sure that it wasn’t their, or their sound engineers, fault. The “space” concept for U2 didn’t work for me. Bono kept making vague references to “taking off” and it just didn’t go over well.

Overall I enjoyed the show. Like I said, it’s U2 and I just can’t come away disappointed with them. I did come away disappointed with how the stadium played and the concert concept.  If you’re a star kind of ranker, I’d give last night a 3.9 out of 5. Here’s the setlist from last night’s show.

Setlist:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways / Sweet Lord (Snippet)
Beautiful Day / Blackbird (Snippet)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (Snippet)
Stuck In A Moment You Cant Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On

Encore:
One / Amazing Grace (Snippet)
Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore:
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender

Here’s my top 5 (and a couple of honorable mentions):

1. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
2. One
3. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
4. Walk On
5. Yahweh

Honorable Mentions:

1. 40
2. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
3. Magnificent
4. Gloria

I’ll have a review of the concert tomorrow.

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