Tim Casteel

Thoughts on Leadership and College Ministry

Understanding the Times

Top 10 Albums of 2013

By

2013 was a great year in music with several of the best indie rock bands releasing albums. Here are my 10 favorite albums. I’d love to hear from you what are your favorite albums of 2013.

Click links to play in Spotify

Volcano-Choir-Repave10. Volcano Choir— Repave

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon’s side project. Similar to Bon Iver, though not quite as good. Two great songs from this album: Comrade and Byegone

 

artworks-000057602816-6qit5q-t500x50019. Phantogram — Phantogram EP

One of my favorite bands. All four songs on the EP are great. Two standout songs: Black Out Days and Never Going Home

 

homepage_large.843c2ed58. Local Natives — Hummingbird

Best songs on this album: Heavy Feet, You & I, Ceilings.

 

 

90fa25fe7. Phoenix — Bankrupt!

Good indie pop. Not real substantive (I don’t find myself going back to this album that often – but I like the songs when I hear them). Definitely some fun songs. Best songs: The Real Thing, Chloroform, Don’t and Entertainment.

 

 

CHVRCHES Debut

6. Chvrches — The Bones of What You Believe

My favorite new band of 2013. Love their sound. Top songs: Recover (one of the best songs of the year), Tether, The Mother We Share.

 

2013-10-07-cults_gif_630x802_q855. Cults — Static

Great sophomore album from Cults. Some are put off by the 50’s doo-wop sound but there’s so many great songs on here. The best songs on the album: Were Before, I Can Hardly Make You Mine, High Road, So Far, Shine a Light.

 

artworks-000039552194-inuahw-t500x5004. Caveman — Caveman

In the City is one of the best songs of the year. A great swinging-in-the-hammock chill album. Two other great songs on the album: Where’s the Time and Chances

 

sticker,375x3603. Arcade Fire — Reflektor

Not as good as their previous Grammy-winning-album, The Suburbs. Reflektor is pretty uneven. With 5 of the best songs Arcade Fire has ever made. A few decent songs and a couple very forgettable songs. Here are the 5 amazing songs: Reflektor, Here Comes the Night Time, Afterlife, Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice), It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus).

 

5_21_The-National2. The National — Trouble Will Find Me

I didn’t think The National could ever come close to High Violet (the best album anyone has made in the last 5 years). “Trouble” doesn’t quite match High Violet but it is an amazing album with only a couple minor flaws. Some particularly great songs: Sea of Love, I Should Live in Salt, Graceless, Demons, Don’t Swallow the Cap.

 

Vampire_Weekend_-_Modern_Vampires_of_the_City1. Vampire Weekend —

Modern Vampires of the City

An amazing album from start to finish. Beautiful music with profound lyrics – nearly every song dealing with God and our looming mortality. A sample from the song Unbelievers:

“If I’m born again I know that the world will disagree

Want a little grace but who’s going to say a little grace for me?

We know the fire awaits unbelievers

All of the sinners the same

Girl you and I will die unbelievers bound to the tracks of the train”

In maybe-the-best-song-of-the-year “Ya Hey”, Ezra Koenig, Vampire Weekend’s secular-Jewish lead singer “flips the script of the old question ‘If God really loves us, why do terrible things happen?’ Ezra seems to be asking ‘How can God love such terrible things?’” (quote)

Pitchfork (the de facto king of indie music blogs) puts it this way:

Koenig stages a plaintive confrontation with his higher power, listing its non-believers, and shrugging: “America don’t love you/ So I can never love you in spite of everything.” This isn’t a breakup, but an attempt to see the other side in hopes of reconciliation: why should you show such love for the people who go such lengths to deny your existence, when you can’t even get any credit for it?

The scrambled, mutated voices on the hook play off the inpronounceable name of the Lord while flipping the title of perhaps the most beloved pop song of the past two decades. Such is the scope of “Ya Hey,” but Vampire Weekend put it within the grasp of anyone who wants it with another impossibly catchy song that skips along while carrying the weight of the universe.

 A few of the best songs (though, seriously- there are 10 really good songs on this album- all very diverse yet cohesive):

 

Who did I miss? What were your favorite albums of the year?

 

Yahweh’s Unrequited Love

By

The new Vampire Weekend album is streaming for free on iTunes and will be released Tuesday, May 14.vampires of the modern city

“Step” and “Ya Hey” are two of the best songs I’ve heard all year and will definitely be going on my “Top Songs of 2013” list once they’re released (you can watch the videos for these two below).

“Ya Hey” (read: Yahweh) is particularly intriguing.

In “Ya Hey” Ezra Koenig, Vampire Weekend’s Jewish lead singer “flips the script of the old question ‘If God really loves us, why do terrible things happen?’ Ezra seems to be asking ‘How can God love such terrible things?'” (quote)

Pitchfork (the de facto king of indie music blogs) named it a “Best New Track” and said:

Koenig stages a plaintive confrontation with his higher power, listing its non-believers, and shrugging: “America don’t love you/ So I can never love you in spite of everything.” This isn’t a breakup, but an attempt to see the other side in hopes of reconciliation: why should you show such love for the people who go such lengths to deny your existence, when you can’t even get any credit for it?

The scrambled, mutated voices on the hook play off the inpronounceable name of the Lord while flipping the title of perhaps the most beloved pop song of the past two decades. Such is the scope of “Ya Hey,” but Vampire Weekend put it within the grasp of anyone who wants it with another impossibly catchy song that skips along while carrying the weight of the universe.

The lyrics wrestle with God’s unending, unrequited love and grace for a people prone to wander and disregard a God who does not seem to answer:

And I can’t help but feel, that I made some mistake, but I let it go

Through the fire and through the flames, you won’t even say your name,
Only I am that I am.

Oh, good God,
The faithless they don’t love you,
The zealous hearts don’t love you,
And that’s not gonna change.

And I think in your heart, that you see the mistake, but you let it go

Here’s the video for “Ya Hey” with lyrics:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-BznQE6B8U[/youtube]

 

And here’s the phenomenal song “Step” off the new album:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4[/youtube]

Stuff You Can Use – First Week On Campus

By

None of this is earth-shatteringly-good. Most of it is very simple. But hopefully it saves you some time or gives you ideas.

Spiritual Interest Survey

We’ve put a lot of effort into streamlining our Spiritual Interest Survey card. We do it with 3000 freshmen/students the first week of class – so we want it to be quick and effective. Click here to download the photoshop file so you can edit it to fit your needs:

1 Minute Questionnaire

Cru Card

Our Cru Card that we use for our weekly meeting is similar but a bit different.

1 Minute Questionnaire

Simple Cru Flier

Nothing special. But I always think it’s fun to see what other campuses do for promo.

Cru and dorm studies - blog

We used to do them in color but have found that b/w is just as sharp looking IF:

  • You print them on card stock
  • Have them “cut to bleed” (so that there is no white border)
  • Don’t print them at FedExKinko’s (find a good local print shop)

First 4 Weeks Calendar

Always fun to see how other ministries operate. So here’s an overview of what our First 4 Weeks calendar looks like.

1st 4 weeks of class Calendar 2012 final

Intro Video for Weekly Meeting

Here’s a video we show at the beginning of our meeting the first few weeks. It serves two purposes:

  1. It functions as a cue to sit down and be quiet (there is intentionally space at the beginning to give everyone a chance to sit down).
  2. It communicates a little about who we are and what we’re about

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/48095890[/vimeo]

Fall Retreat Brochures

Here’s a post with 3 different Fall Retreat Brochure designs we’ve used.

Fall Retreat 2010 powerpoint slide

Cool Music

Cru Cookout playlist 12I created a Spotify playlist that we use at all of our freshmen cookouts and our weekly meeting.

It’s a mix of Indie Rock, Dance (think: Rihanna), and Christian Hip Hop.

We pay $10 for the month of August to get Spotify Premium so you don’t have annoying commercials.

As I’ve said before:

While cool, upbeat music may be #27 on the list of important things about a weekly meeting, it’s important nonetheless.

What’s the first thing students encounter when they come to your meeting? Your music that you’re playing before the meeting.

And what happens when they hear Newsboys or Rebecca St. James pumping out of your speakers? You immediately confirm their worst suspicions that you are cheezy and out of touch with their reality.

As much as I am not a big fan of hip hop nor dance music, at our weekly meeting we include quite a bit of hip hop/dance. I run the music at our regional winter conference and can conclusively say that hip hop & dance makes a marked difference on the “vibe” of the crowd. It makes your meeting a party. Literally. People dance.

What about YOU?

Do you have any stuff your campus uses that would be helpful to share? Link to it in the comments!

Top 10 Albums of 2011

By

It’s the most wonderful time of they year — time for everyone to release their “Best of 2011” lists. I hope to post a few different posts:

  • Top 10 Albums of 2011
  • Top 50 Songs of 201
  • Top Books of 2011
  • Top Thoughts from 2011
  • Top Posts of 2011

Today’s Best of 2011 list:

Top 10 Albums of 2011

It’s been a good, not great year for albums. It’s hard to top last year’s trifecta of Sufjan, Arcade Fire, and The National.

Really this year there’s one great album — Bon Iver — and 9 good albums. One theme this year (at least in my top 10) seems to be albums that sound like they were made in a different era:

  • King Creosote — the 1800’s in Scotland
  • Cults — 50’s doo-wop
  • Beirut (though hailing from exotic Arizona) — early 1900’s Italy
  • M83 is straight out of the 80’s
  • My Morning Jacket’s 1970’s classic rock album

Top Albums/Songs lists are great ways to discover new music. You can click on any of the Albums below to listen to the full album, for free, on Spotify. I highly recommend Spotify – it takes about a minute to download (I use the free version) and let’s you listen to practically any song/album in the world for free. PLUS it lets you listen to playlists that your friends make – i.e. – the Top 50 Songs of the Year list I’ll put on there. Just click “subscribe” at the top of Spotify if you want to add anyone’s lists to your sidebar of lists (and you can delete any lists if you later get tired of them).

Quick aside – any song listed for free on here is 100% legal. And I don’t make any money off any of the links or Spotify or anything. I just like connecting friends to good music and good deals.

Top 10 Albums of 2011

#10 My Morning Jacket – Circuital

A few really good songs on this slow-building, classic-rock sounding album. Love the songs Victory Dance, Circuital and You Wanna Freak Out.

 [soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/my-morning-jacket/victory-dance[/soundcloud]

#9 Beirut – The Rip Tide

I’m pretty sure Beirut is the only band on this list with a flugelhorn and the ukulele as lead instruments. This is the most upbeat, accessible album from a great band.

Two phenomenal songs from the album: Rip Tide, Santa Fe. $5 right now on Amazon.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/revolver-usa/beirut-santa-fe[/soundcloud]

#8 Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes

Swedish singer songwriter Lykke Li trades bubblegum pop for heartbreak and regret. But it’s toe-tapping heartbreak. You could call it heartbreak pop. $7.99 on Amazon.

Two amazing songs from the album: Love out of Lust, I Follow Rivers.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/lykkeli/i-follow-rivers[/soundcloud]

#7 M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

a. The first double album I’ve ever bought. And it’s not your typical album with long stretches of instrumental music. M83 has had great songs in the past but I’ve found their albums to be a little painful to endure. But this album never drags and feels like a cohesive whole — a great 80’s indie pop album.

Midnight City is topping many people’s best song of 2011 lists (definitely in my top 10)

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/m83/midnight-city[/soundcloud]

#6  The Antlers – Burst Apart

Kind of a downer of an album — but a great, moving album. $5 on Amazon.

Get the two most popular songs (though No Widows is my favorite) off the album for free on Amazon:

I Don’t Want Love

Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/mysteryfallsdown/the-antlers-no-widows-live-at[/soundcloud]

#5 Cults – Cults

The doo-wop vibe eventually wears a bit thin at times but it has 5-6 really incredible, addictive songs on it. Great pop-rock. $5 right now on Amazon.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/cultscultscults/sets/you-know-what-i-mean/[/soundcloud]

#4 St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

Angst filled, passionate music throughout. Great hooks, great turn of phrase, great music. Only $5 right now on Amazon

Get one of the songs from the album for free – Surgeon (right click to download).

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=false”]http://soundcloud.com/poshmagazine/st-vicent-cruel[/soundcloud]

#3 King Creosote & Jon Hopkins-Diamond Mine

King Creosote transports you to another time with his beautiful Scottish songs. Great for the gray days of winter.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/miguelmoura/king-creosote-jon-hopkins-john[/soundcloud]

#2 Wye Oak – Civilian

Reminds me of a female version of The Nationals — dark, moody and great. Give this one some time — it will grow on you. $5 right now on Amazon

Get the best song on the album (and . . . SPOILER ALERT! . . . as you’ll see on my top songs post, my favorite song of 2011!) – Civilian – for free on Amazon.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/spunkrecords/wye-oak-civilian[/soundcloud]

#1 Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Without a doubt the best album of 2011. I never jumped on the Bon Iver bandwagon when their first album – For Emma, Forever Ago – swept the indie world. It was too slow and sparse for my tastes. But every song on Justin Vernon’s sophomore effort is amazing.

Get one of the best songs on the album, Calgary (right click to save), for free from Pitchfork.

Click below to listen to the entire album for free (so you can be convinced you need to buy it):

Two Honorable Mention EP’s

  • Phantogram – Nightlife — I just wish this were full length — every song is REALLY good.
    • Get the incredibly good, best song on the album for free – Don’t Move (right click to download)

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/filter-magazine/phantogram-dont-move[/soundcloud]

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/digits/lost-dream[/soundcloud]

What were your favorite albums of 2011?

Music Monday

By

Bon Iver’s new album is great and is $7.99 on Amazon.

You can get one of the best songs on the album, Calgary, for free. Or stream the album for free online so you can try before you buy.

  • For some reason this is oddly intriguing – A dude asking random people around NYC: “What song are you listening to?” (via vitamin Z)

My vote for best song in the list?
“Dance Yrself Clean”—LCD soundsystem or “Black and Yellow”—Whiz Kalifa.
What’s your favorite?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvHRUY0tBcs;feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

  • The best song off of Death Cab for Cutie’s new album ($5 on Amazon thru June) has a cool video they shot in one take:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkk5wViJo-I;feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

  • This is pretty cool. A Radiohead cover song compiled from 36 different Radiohead covers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-cfWYN0cZI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

  • Amazon (which 99% of the time is far cheaper than iTunes) is offering a Free $2 Credit for MP3 Downloads. Enter code CLOUDMP3 (via SlickDeals).