Tag Archives: recommended music

The Civil Wars

Posted on March 29, 2010 at sometime around 3:19 pm

civil-wars

For Fans of: The Swell Season, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan, She & Him, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

I love the honesty of the lyrics for Poison and Wine.  I love the sound even more.  Who isn’t a sucker for a killer male/female duet? No one.

Joy Williams is known in the Christian industry for her 11 Dove Nominations, but now seems to be steering more towards music that is accessible to people of all faith backgrounds with her new endeavors in her band The Civil Wars.  Here are the lyrics for Poison and Wine, their first single I’ve posted above:

You only know what i want I you to
I know everything you don’t want me to
your mouth is poison your mouth is wine
you think your dreams are the same as mine

I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will
I always will

I wish you’d hold me when I turn my back
well the less I give the more I get back
your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice, but I’d still choose you

I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will

I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will
I don’t love you but I always will

I always will
I always will
I always will
I always will

Joy Williams has partnered with JP and has written a fantastic description of her new group, The Civil Wars:

Poison & Wine is a musical snapshot about the dichotomy of love – that while it can be the thing that destroys you, it can also be the very same thing that beckons and builds you. JP and I are both married have been for several years now – and we got to talking one day about what a tug and pull our individual relationships can be. The longer you know someone – and the longer you allow someone to know you – the more the light and shadows inside each person become more vivid. This song was our attempt at being as brutally honest about the dangerous and beautiful process of knowing and being known. (-Joy Williams, The Civil Wars)

One of my favorite lines in the song shows the awesome commitment to their spouses: Your hands can heal, your hands can bruise. I don’t have a choice, but I’d still choose you. The first part of the lyric shows the complexity of a human relationship.  With every interaction, we can make a positive influence in someone’s life or damage them with our words.  The second part of the lyric explores our uncommitted world.  This lyric is very important, and to me, says, “even if I had the choice to leave, with all of our hardships and differences, I still choose you, because I love you. I always will.”

You can download their music for free below at NoiseTrade:

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Like or Dislike? What does the song “Poison and Wine” mean to you?

Do you agree with their description of the realities of love?

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Explosions in the Sky #Music Monday Week 12

Posted on March 29, 2010 at sometime around 2:46 pm

explosions-in-the-sky

explosions-in-the-sky

Explosions in the Sky writes some of the best ambient music out there. There is nothing better for tuning out Milton in the cubicle next to yours, or to enjoy when trying to wind down at the end of a long day.

The band from Texas primarily uses three electric guitars and a drum kit to make all of their unique sounds, although they sometimes exchange a guitar for a bass.  The band probably received their biggest notoriety for writing the score for the movie Friday Night Lights, although their best work comes through in their album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone.  Many of their songs eclipse the 10-minute mark as well, making a .99 cent deal seem all the better for us as cheap consumers of music.

If you are someone who enjoys quiet time in your day, be sure to pick up an Explosions in the Sky album soon (here is an iTunes link).  As a youth pastor, I play them nearly every week at the end of our discussion to let our young people have time to pray/connect with God/think about their life.

Check it:

(PS – Just listen to the videos, don’t watch them.)

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