10 Favorite Albums of 2011
Last year I posted my top 11 albums, and this year I thought I’d go with a more traditional 10.
So, here they are:
10. Hillsong United – Aftermath
Favorite song: ‘Search My Heart’
9. Coldplay – Milo Xyloto
Favorite song: ‘Up In Flames’
8. Hillsong Live – God Is Able
Favorite song: ‘God Is Able’
7. Bethel Live – Be Lifted High
Favorite song: ‘Furious’
6. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Favorite song: ‘Helplessness Blues’
5. David Ramirez – Strangetown EP
Favorite song – ‘Wandering Man’ [Explicit]
4. Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons
Favorite song: ’10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)’
3. The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Favorite song: ‘Barton Hollow’
2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Favorite song: ‘Perth’
1. Gungor – Ghosts Upon The Earth
Favorite song: ‘Wake Up Sleeper’
What’s on your list?
Blog Reviews
Thanks to my friend, Zac Hicks, for reviewing my album.
He says some really kind things about it, so I hope you’ll check out the review, his music, and my music.
If you are a blogger, and would like to review my album feel free. I’d love to give you 2 complimentary copies of the CD (one for you and one to give away to your readers). Let me know if you are interested.
Where to buy?
Many people have asked where to buy my album and what is best help for me? So, I thought I’d compile a list of options:
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS:
- CD Baby - $5 – I get $3.75 for each album bought, which is probably the best deal out there for me and you.
- iTunes – $6.93 – This is the most public place to digitally buy my album.
- Amazon.com – $6.93 – This is also a good place if you don’t use iTunes and want MP3s.
- Noisetrade – Free – If you won’t buy the music you can download it for free here.
CDs:
- CD Baby – $6.93 – This is the only place to get CDs online.
- From me – $5 – I always have some CDs with me you can buy.
TELL OTHERS ABOUT IT
Today EP Coming SOON
The Today EP is coming very soon. I promise. The master discs are coming in the mail. The artwork is done. The discs will soon be duplicated. SOON! VERY SOON!
Recording Pics 2/10/2011
We had a seriously great tracking session yesterday. I can see the end of the project sauntering closer and closer, and the tracks are finally starting to take some form. We blasted through the last of the electric guitars and two songs lead vocals (I Need You Now & Come Thou Fount). More vocals to come next week.
I can’t wait to share some of these songs with you all!
Let me know if you’d like to hear a sneak preview and I’ll see what I can do.
11 Best Albums of 2010
Did I miss any gems this year?
- Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Favorite song: “The Cave” - Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
Favorite song: “Vesuvius”
NOTE: Best concert I attended in 2010, too! - The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
Favorite song: “King of Spain” - Gungor – Beautiful Things
Favorite song: “The Earth Is Yours”
NOTE: Best worship album of 2010 for me! - Vampire Weekend – Contra
Favorite song: “White Sky” - John Mark McMillian – The Medicine
Favorite song: “Death In His Grave”
NOTE: Best bearded songwriter of 2010/guy I met in 2010, too! - The Brilliance – The Brilliance
Favorite song: “Breathe” - Nathaniel Rateliff – In Memory of Loss
Favorite song: “You Should’ve Seen The Other Guy” - Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People EP
Favorite song: “From The Mouth Of Gabriel” - Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Favorite song – “Rococo” - S. Carey – All We Grow
Favorite song: “In The Dirt”
Stir Up (Demo)
I’ve just uploaded one of the songs I wrote for 7in7.
It’s called “Stir Up” and I was going for a real simple, easy to learn, but passionate cry for a deeper relationship with Christ.
This is just a rough demo, but it should get things going for my band. We’ll start singing this at Aspen Grove Community Church in 2011. Looking forward to it!
Please listen below or to download click here.
“Stir Up” words & music by Chris Martin
Verse:
Things we do are unable to save
Only through Holy Spirit you gave
All these songs can become filthy rags
Lest we cling to the One, to the One
Chorus:
Stir up our passion
Stir up desire
Stir up affection
For you oh God
For you oh God
Bridge:
We believe, in the Son of Man
We believe, we believe you can
We believe, we believe, in the Son of Man
We believe, we believe, we believe you can
Recording Pics 12/3/2010
Recording today was great. We recorded in my living room, which is decorated for my favorite holiday. So, the inspiration was on! We got all 7 tracks of acoustic guitars licked AND we got a chance to do some rough vocal tracks with a new mic we bought. The Shure SM7B (yeah, that’s the same mic that Michael Jackson recorded with on Thriller!). Quite pleasant. More to come as more comes.
Promo Shots
My friend Ben at Avocado Images shot some daytime promo shots for the album last week. Here are the first three he sent me.
It’s weird doing a photo shoot during the day because there are people around looking at you, “Hey, is that dude famous?” Nope, not famous, just a worship leader.
7 in 7 Recap
So, I may have failed at this years 7in7 challenge by only creating 5 songs in 7 days (thanks to the Resound Conference taking so much of my weekend), but I certainly don’t think it was a failure. I had a ton of fun, wrote 5 new songs (most of which will probably gather dust in my binder), and connected with over 50 songwriters from all over the nation in an united effort to push ourselves creatively.
Here’s what I learned in this process:
- No song, no matter how crappy, is worthless to a songwriter. You write. You work. You write some more. You go for a walk. You write again. And even if you never “use” that song live or on a record it was the process which grew you as a writer.
- Song writing is a discipline. The more you do it the better you get. Now, we may never be “great” songwriters, but we work at it. Songwriting is a craft which one must hone continually.
- It’s scary to show others your raw, un polished work. BUT there is value in letting people see raw creativity. It’s kind of like seeing a girl without make-up on. It might scare at first, but that’s the true person God created (no scathing comments please).
- Vulnerability is always easier when others are doing it. I felt mutually encourage that there were a bunch of others offering their songs up before the rust had been worked off. It made me feel safer in some way.
- When I write that many songs in that short of a time most will be crummy…but that’s ok and there’s time to re-write and work out bugs.
- I’d do it again…just not for a while:)
So, I’ve embedded all 5 songs I wrote below starting with the first one. Feel free to give them a listen and know that whatever your craft may be, it is always better to create with the fear of failure than to not create with zero chance of success.
Stir Up – Video
Song #5 in the 7in7. Now I’m cooking with steam!
This is more of a worship anthem.
“Stir Up” ~ Words and Music by Chris Martin
Lyrics:
Verse:
Things we do are unable to save
Only through Holy Spirit you gave
All these songs can become filthy rags
Lest we cling to the One, to the One
Chorus:
Stir up our passion
Stir up desire
Stir up affection
For you oh God
For you oh God
Becoming Human – Video
I feel like I hate every song I write just after I finish it, so it is very scary for me to post these without time to allow them to simmer in my mind.
Here’s #4. Wrote it yesterday over lunch.
“Becoming Human” ~ Words and Music by Chris Martin
Lyrics:
