Ok, so i must admit that i do not have my top ten list for 08 done yet. well...i can make it up as i go.

1.  Copeland - You Are My Sunshine - I have had a longstanding love affair with this band. On their more recent endeavors though they have moved from an emo everything is beautiful sound to a more, i kind of like this but it's creepy melodic/insomniac feel. it's a fine line between lovely and creepy sometimes, and they get both across with pin-point accuracy. I was sorely disappointed with this album the first listen through, but the more i listen the more layered and pleasing it becomes. highlights: Good Morning Fire-Eater! and The Day I Lost My Voice.

2.  Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs - a love or hate record that i find lodged in between the synapses of my brain and soul. highlights are Cath (a picturesque look at a woman who marries a man she settled for and has to live with it. and everyone knows it."she holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child" so good. ) and grapevine fires. long division is also a classic witty song you would expect from an indie band.

3.Jon Foreman - Winter, Fall, Spring, and Summer - I always knew the Switchfoot frontman to carry a depth and poetic eloquence that went largely undermined and hidden in the San Diego rock scene. He has shown some considerable growth and maturity in his craft. kudos jon foreman. be on the lookout for Fiction Family - his new side project with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek fame. you can download their new single here for free.

4. Phil Wickham - Singalong - An amazing night of unplugged and stripped worship from a man who is as talented as he is heartfelt. my favorite thing about him is his almost disregard for his own material in favor for older public domain worship songs. For him i think it's about a heart's response more than a song he wrote. This one is free as well. feel free to burn it and distribute it as many times as your hearts desire.

5. The Autumn Film - The Grey EP - I recently found these guys through  free compilation from a coffee shop in Denver, and fell in love. The song It's All Coming Down is a haunting melodramatic melody of epic emotions. it reminds me of those moments in life where everything falls around you and you can hear the crashing sound ring inside of your head. You can download this Ep for free right from their site.

6.  Cadillac Sky - Gravit's Our Enemy - Bluegrass at it's finest. I am finding a quiet solace in bluegrass, and vermont has plenty to boot. highlight: Bible By The Bed.

7.Anberlin - New Surrender - a great album, but didn't live up to the previous Cities. Love the song Haight Street.

8. Michael Gungor Band - Ancient Skies - This one goes out for most honorable mention for a great worship song entitled White Man (A banjo in a worship song that challanges popular but untrue notions about God. what's not to love?) . i really hope we get to sing this one at our Mosaic gatherings once we get going. Glory Is Here and Song For My Family are honest smd raw songs as well.

9. Snow Patrol - A Huindred Million Suns - Again, never really listened to them much, but this record feels like they have re-invented themselves from the generic prom-like lyrics they came up with in the past.

10. Coldplay - Vida La Vida - i have never owned a coldplay record previously to this one, but they did a fantastic job. i love death and all his friends.

i know that top ten lists are usually in descending order (usually to keep the audience's attention and intrigue) but i figured that a quick downward swipe of the scroll bar would produce the same results. that and i started with number one and really didn't want to take the time to change it.

It is such an exciting time to be alive. Our country has just elected our first black president and I'm excited so see where we go the next four years. Regardless of political beliefs, it'll be interesting to see what will ensue. Most of my friends here are elated. They have put so much thought and effort and concern into this election that to see some fruit of actually caring means a lot to them. Their joy makes me happy.
I hope that the outcome of the election causes many of the conservative Republican Evangelical persuasion to see that McCain wasn't "God's man" Nor is Obama for that matter.. And I hope that they come to see that Obama isn't the cause of the moral downfall of our nation, but that the moral downfall is sin and largely due to our inability to be light and Jesus to people. I hope it would cause the church to step it up and become more of who they, and we, are created to be. And just as if Mc Cain were in office, we need to pray for, support, and uplift Obama in the days, months, and years to come. He has a daunting task at hand, one that will require divine guidance and wisdom.
But how awesome is it that we have a black President? A hundred years ago black people couldn't even vote. I cannot imagine how much insipration Obama has given to the black community. Now they can say with all honesty to their kids that they could become anything - even President - if they wanted to. It's one step closer to equality for all of mankind, a concept that I believe is in the very heart of God. He cares for us all equally, and died for everyone so that we may learn to love God and others jusr as we do ourselves.
You know. it's comforting to me to know that the Kingdom of God is going to come about by love and service, not by laws and politicians. The ultimate way is love, and the ultimate act of love is the Cross. Jesus could have chosen political means, but that wouldn't be nearly as effective as love.
Or as beautiful.