I posted this as a note on Facebook:

Thanks to Luke Heinsch for the inspiration for this post :-) These are the albums that have been most influential in my own life and in my musical development (or lack thereof) in the last 29 years. I don’t necessarily think these are the BEST albums in history, but they are the ones that have most impacted me. I’ve tried not to include Greatest Hit albums or compilations except in one case. For me, many of these albums are all about association with a certain time or period in my life. I’d love to hear yours! (In alphabetical order by artist.)

(1) Ryan Adams, “Heartbreaker” (2000) – His first solo album is still his best. Simple in every way, but extremely powerful. One of today’s best songwriters. Full of emotion.

(2) The Allman Brothers Band, “At Fillmore East” (1971) – Live music has never sounded better. Southern rock has never sounded better. And the blues have never sounded better.

(3) Joseph Arthur, “Redemption’s Son” (2002) – This was in my CD player all summer long in 2003 when I was in Minneapolis. Listen to the title track and turn it up loud. I love the personal wrestling that shows through in Joseph’s lyrics on this album.

(4) Shane Barnard, “Rocks Won’t Cry” (1998) – Aside from my brother, no one has influenced me to pick up a guitar more than Shane. I got to see him perform a lot of this album around coffee shops in Lubbock, TX when we were both at Texas Tech. This album gave me hope that there was still some good music left in the Christian genre.

(5) The Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds” (1966) – This album is the Beach Boys at their peak (well, Brian Wilson at least). Moving past their “surf music” sound, this album is a masterpiece in every way, musically and lyrically.

(6) The Beatles, “Revolver” (1966) – I could list every Beatles album here. Modern music wouldn’t be the same without them. Modern recording and production wouldn’t be the same without them. John and Paul are at their peak here with the group, and George has some killers too (though his best was yet to come).

(7) Coldplay, “A Rush Of Blood To The Head” (2002) – Ballads have never sounded so amazing. “Politik” still melts my face when it’s played loud. And “Green Eyes” is one of the greatest unknown love songs of recent years.

(8) Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, “Déjà vu” (1970) – Who would have thought that a follow-up album would be just as good as their debut? You want harmonies? This is the standard. Possibly the best supergroup of all time.

(9) Death Cab For Cutie, “Transatlanticism” (2003) – I wrestle between this and “Plans,” but chose this album because of its bigger scope and for its kicking, opening track, “The New Year.”

(10) Nick Drake, “Pink Moon” (1972) – As far as I’m concerned, the modern singer-songwriter genres started with Dylan, Van Morrison, and Nick Drake. On one listen, this album will totally depress you. On the next listen, you’ll smile and want to go driving through the mountains in a convertible with the top down.

(11) Bob Dylan, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” (1963) – The master songwriter. I could list a lot of Dylan here too. I chose this album from his pre-electric days because of its brutal honesty in musical style and lyricism. Plus, the album sounds great, even when the guitars are terribly out of tune.

(12) Gideon’s Press, “Bound For Nineveh” (2000) – Think a mix of Rush, Yes, and Phish. This Christian band now lives in Austin and goes by the name The Illustrated Band. It didn’t leave my CD player at all during my junior year of college. Possibly some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard. Check the current band out on Myspace.

(13) Iron & Wine, “Our Endless Numbered Days” (2004) – No one is able to capture the full realm of human emotion and experience in words and music better than Sam Beam. All his albums have impacted me, but this one especially. There is not a wasted second on this album.

(14) The Justin Cofield Band, “The Days of Love” (2008) – Some of the most creative songs from the realm of Christian music in a number of years. Sounds amazing. And I’m not just saying that because my brother plays lead guitar! These guys are great friends.

(15) Kyle Lent, “Songs For A Rainy Day” (2003) – This is my brother’s first solo album. When it came out in 2003, I gave out a number of copies to my co-workers at Desiring God Ministries, and WE ALL agreed it was the best thing we’d heard all year! Download the whole album for free, and check out Kyle’s other work, at www.kylelent.com

(16) Magnet, “On Your Side” (2004) – Norwegian artist Even Johansen is an extremely gifted composer and musician. This is a mix of singer-songwriter, electronic, and folk. It’s an absolutely beautiful album. Certain songs really move me. Make sure to check out the first song, “Everything’s Perfect.”

(17) Tom Petty, “Wildflowers” (1994) – Tom is the quintessential rocker. Amazing lyrics. Catchy tunes. He’s a personal favorite. He recorded this with most of the Heartbreakers, and it has the added bonus of being produced by the famous Rick Rubin. In my opinion, and I know my brother agrees, this album has the best sounding acoustic guitars ever captured on tape.

(18) The Raconteurs, “Consolers Of The Lonely” (2008) – Is rock and roll still alive? It is here. Jack White is probably the best thing to happen to rock and roll in the last five years. This album is all energy. They span the genre continuum from metal to punk to classic rock to blues to country.

(19) Radiohead, “OK Computer” (1997) – No offense to Nirvana, but this was my favorite album from the 90’s. This is an amazing concept album which has a lot of depth to it – in themes, lyrics, and especially music. From one of the most creative and progressive bands since the Beatles.

(20) The Rolling Stones, “Sticky Fingers” (1971) – It’s hard to come down on just one Stones album. But I picked this one because it sees them at their early 70’s peak. The Stones were on top of their game in every way. If you want an album that defines the genre of blues rock, this is it.

(21) Simon & Garfunkel, “Old Friends” (1997; Compilation) – Two voices and a guitar have never sounded so powerful. This one was impossible to choose just one album, so I’ve listed their amazing compilation from the late 90’s. Some of their very early stuff on this set is incredible. Listen to the opening track, “Bleecker Street.”

(22) Sufjan Stevens, “Greetings From Michigan, The Great Lake State” (2003) – Sufjan, with his quirky sounds and ideas and concepts, is quickly becoming one of my favorites. “Illinois” is a great album too, but song-for-song, this forerunner is simply amazing.

(23) Teitur, “Poetry & Aeroplanes” (2003) – Teitur Lassen hails from the Faroe Islands. Do you know where that is? This was another in the rotation from my Minneapolis days. A great album that really seems to capture human longing in relationships. Brilliant.

(24) U2, “The Joshua Tree” (1987) – The best rock album from the 80’s, hands down. How can one band have an album full of hits like this? And then do it again and again? In my mind, 100 years from now, there will be two names at the top of the “Fathers of Rock” list: The Beatles and U2.

(25) Van Morrison, “Astral Weeks” (1968) – One of the greatest albums ever made from one of the most creative singer-songwriters. There is no big hit on this album. The album as a whole is the hit. It’s a unique mix of folk, jazz, and stream of consciousness playing and singing. There had never been anything like it before.

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Reading in George Marsden's biography of Edwards this morning, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, I was reminded that even these great heroes of the faith struggled just as much with their own growth and sanctification as the rest of us. As he recorded in his spiritual diary in his early and mid-20's, Edwards disposition toward the Lord swings back and forth (often from day to day) between "high thoughts" of the excellency and beauty of Christ and the decay of melancholy - careless about his religious disciplines and affections.

Years later as a more mature convert, looking back on this pendulum of spiritual highs and dreadful lows, he makes the following insight concerning the difference between his later Christian life and his early life.

In his later years he had "a more full and constant sense of the absolute sovereignty of God, and a delight in that sovereignty; and have had more of the sense of the glory of Christ, as a mediator." (Marsden, 54)

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Wow! I certainly meant to update this a little more often. I need to come up with some sort of schedule. Right now, I thought I'd give you a list of my 20 favorite songs that I discovered this past year that I think you should hear. (Listed in alphabetical order by artist)

1. Anathallo - "The River"

2. The Avett Brothers - "Shame"

3. Arizona - "Heath"

4. Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks"

5. Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons - "Home in the Woods"

6. The Deep Vibration - "Oklahoma City Woman Blues (Veracruz)"

7. Dr. Dog - "From"

8. The Great Unknown - "Not Listening"

9. Greg Laswell - "How the Day Sounds"

10. Horse Feathers - "Curs in the Weeds"

11. Kristoffer Ragnstam - "Swing That Tambourine"

12. La Rocca - "Half Speed"

13. Matt Hires - "Honey Let Me Sing You a Song"

14. Miou Miou - "A Lete de la Saint-Martin 68"

15. Modern Skirts - "Soft Pedals"

16. Noah and the Whale - "Death By Numbers"

17. The Notwist - "Boneless"

18. Sigur Ros - "Vid Spilum Endalaust"

19. Soccer Team - "Traffic Patterns"

20. Whitley - "I Remember"


Runners-Up: Carney - "Testify," Death Cab for Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart," Denison Witmer - "Life Before Aesthetics," Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal," The Good Players - "David's Lamentation," Hayden - "Where & When," Jakob Dylan - "Will It Grow," Jamie Lidell - "Another Day," Josh Rouse - "Sad Eyes," Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - "Rattlin' Bones," Mudcrutch - "Shady Grove," Pictures and Sound - "It's You," The Whipsaws - "Jessi Jane"

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"However, if the images [in the book of Revelation] are not timeless symbols, but relate to the 'real' world, we need also to avoid the opposite mistake of taking them too literally as deive of the 'real' world and predicted events in the 'real' world. They are not just a system of codes waiting to be translated into matter-of-fact references to people and events. Once we begin to appreciate their sources and their rich symbolic associations, we realize that they cannot be read either as literal deions or as encoded literal deions, but must be read for their theological meaning and their power to evoke response."

- Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation


This is precisely where the "Left Behind" theology misses the boat on the book of Revelation.

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"Paradoxically enough, it appears that when the church begins to draw up codes and taboos which separate it from the world, it is most worldly, most in conformity with the world's understanding of holiness and spirituality."

- Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life

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Well, I figured that the first post in the newly designed chrislent.com (thanks to Kyle over at kylelent.com) ought to be something a little more fun! Maybe others want to offer their picks as well in the comments.

I don't consider myself to be a really good music critic, because I tend to find something I like in just about everything. But I am related to a professional musician, so I am at least partly qualified. It's always hard to boil down my favorite albums, because I like different ones for different reasons. But I'm going to try to do that in this post. Three albums are from last year, and two are from this year. I've decided to stay outside of the explicitly 'Christian' genre for this post. Maybe I can tackle that one later.

So, in alphabetical order by band, here are my top five!

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Leader Ben Bridwell moved the band from Seattle to South Carolina for their second album, which sees a number of new members and the departure of others, including co-founder Mat Brooke. But the change is a positive one, and Cease to Begin presents listeners with a wide range of sounds, all centered around numerous guitars, vocals, and reverb (compare to My Morning Jacket). To my ears, while Band of Horses spans the range from Northwest alternative to hard pop to atmospheric rock (ala Explosions in the Sky), there is Southern rock at the core. My favs: "Is There a Ghost," "Ode to LRC," "No One's Gonna Love You." (Editor's Note: Some songs may have words/themes not appropriate for all ages.)

Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

For his third album, Floridian turned Texan Sam Beam, who IS Iron and Wine, left behind the raw 'living room' sound of The Creek Drank the Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days (both excellent albums) and created a more full orbed sound with a band. A risky move, since Beam's strength is his lyric writing and voice, but the results are incredible. Though Beam is an agnostic, he has great respect for the biblical story, and makes use of parts of the biblical narrative. More than anyone I know, Beam has a way of painting a portrait of real human life and emotion with his lyrics. My favs: "Carousel," (probably my favorite song of 2007), "Pagan Angel in a Borrowed Car," "Lovesong of the Buzzard," and "Boy with a Coin." (Editor's Note: Some songs may have words/themes not appropriate for all ages.)

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

This is exactly what Rock and Roll is supposed to be. Jack White (from The White Stripes) teamed up a few years back with pop songwriter and vocalist Brendan Benson, formed a band, and released Broken Boy Soldiers. On their second album, The Raconteurs cover so much ground I hardly know where to begin! Each song is different, and offers a different sound. From the punk sound of "Salute Your Solution" to the country rock of "Old Enough," listeners can hear the influence of The Ramones, Kinks, The Who, U2, Grand Funk Railroad, and more! My favs: "Consoler of the Lonely," "Old Enough," "Top Yourself," and "Rich Kid Blues." (Editor's Note: Some songs may have words/themes not appropriate for all ages.)

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Radiohead's first post-EMI album is absolutely stunning. Like the Beatles and U2 in previous generations, Radiohead have once again asserted themselves as the clear trendsetter and model for rock music worldwide. In my opinion, they are at present the best rock/alternative group in the world. In Rainbows does keep in step with all of their previous albums, in that it is completely different than all their previous work! The sound here is pared down considerably. Many of the songs are very economical; others feature beautiful orchestration. Hence, yes, it is different than OK Computer, Kid A, and Hail to the Thief, but just as delightful. My favs: "15 Step," "Bodysnatchers," "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi," and "House of Cards." (Editor's Note: Some songs may have words/themes not appropriate for all ages.)

Sigur Ros - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust

Who would have thought 10 years ago that a group from Iceland would be one of the most popular and creative bands in the world? Sigur Ros' fifth album is definitely a departure from past work. The clear vocals and definable melodies make for a nearly flawless, feel-good listen. I can't really recommend any particular song here over another. It's a whole album, and the whole things deserves a listen. It took me longer than a lot of people, but I can't hold back anymore - I'm a fan!!! (Editor's Note: Some songs may have words/themes not appropriate for all ages, but it's in Icelandic, so we don't really know anyway.)

Runners-up: Feist (The Reminder), Avett Brothers (Emotionalism), Mudcrutch (Mudcrutch), Ryan Adams (Easy Tiger), Bright Eyes (Cassadaga), Derek Webb (The Ringing Bell)

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