Every Saturday

I usually really enjoy Saturday mornings because I get to catch up on the sleep I've missed in the weekdays.
Unfortunately, my body clock decided that was a bad idea and thought 6 am was a far better time to wake up. My brain didn't agree with this, and they argued about it for the next two hours. Eventually I couldn't be bothered and just got up.
After a lovely breakfast where I smashed back some well-needed coffee, I drove my sisters car to the garage to get fixed. Which was quite an interesting experience, because it was an automatic. All I can say is you don't appreciate a good gearstick until it's gone. Or a clutch for that matter.
Surprisingly enough, I did manage to get some study done. But by the time I turned to rhythm dictation (one of the most boring things to study ever), my brain was complete mush so I gave up and jammed out some guitar instead. Always a better alternative haha.
After I went on a huge mish uptown with my friends to grab some speciality food. Cos we're cool like that. We managed to get hopelessly lost, and then it was really ironic because some people asked us for directions as if we were locals. Hilarious! Anyway, we finally found the place we were looking for (or one close enough) but then I had to ditch to go pick up the car. Managed to find my own way back though, after a really confusing text conversation. Oh and I paid for parking for like the first time ever - really feeling pretty grown up today. We had a lovely sushi lunch in the square where I ate way to much wasabi (oh that stuff is incredible!), spilled half my sushi on the ground (cos I suck at using chopsticks) tried root beer for the first time (it wasn't too bad) and drunk chrysanthemum tea (which tasted strangely like medicine).
Then we boosted it back to the hostel, where I was meaning to do some more study - but once again the old brain failed on me. I really should try getting more sleep haha. So I ended up spending most of the rest of the afternoon messing around on Logic. There wasn't much I could do without a MIDI input or loops, so I had to improvise using the built in microphone on my Mac. So I ended up with a 23 second long loop which was just basically me tapping my desk and other various things to stimulate drum sounds and then putting all sorts of effects on them. Gotta love found sounds. It probably would have sounded a lot better if I'd managed to get the metronome going properly (it's really quiet in the mix for some reason which makes it real hard to hear it when you're recording), but oh well. I found out a few interesting things while doing it, like blowing on the top of an empty coke bottle while playing through a filtered delayed microphone gives a lovely phase-type effect. And that a single key makes a really interesting cymbal sound. It was kind of pointless as I don't know how to save any of the loops (and they're most probably out of time anyway) but it was a fun and creative way of spending time, and helped get my mind off things. Music programs for the win!!! I'm going to have to get an interface sometime this holidays, and then I can get into the real stuff!
After that it was tea time, and then we watched a few films. Saw half of The Two Towers Extended Edition which was real interesting because there was so many scenes in there I hadn't seen!!! And also because Lord of the Rings is awesome. Then we watched Phonebooth which was also quite good despite the plot summary basically being: 1) Guy gets into a phone booth 2) Mysterious caller on the other end of the phone threatens to shoot him 3) Guy gets out of the phone booth 4) Guy gets back into the phone booth and stays there for most of the rest of the movie 5) Guy finally gets out of the phone booth for good (and promptly gets shot for his pains). The result? I don't plan on getting in a phone booth anytime soon...
And now I'm mega tired and slightly confused because it's daylight saving and my clock says 12.47 when really it's only 11.47. But soon it will be actually an hour forward which I feel is going to mess up my already messed up sleep patterns. Oh well it doesn't matter to much because I'm going for a run tomorrow at 7 anyway. Beats me why, but you only live once - anyway the exercise will do me good....

What's your weekend been like so far? Got up to anything crazy?

Album Review: Night Visions

As anyone following this blog may have noticed, in the last couple of months there's been a new band on the block which have been occupying my eardrums for a significant amount of time. For those of you who are new to this blog, or perhaps haven't visited for a while, that band is Imagine Dragons. This incredible indie-pop band absolutely blew my mind with their EP, Continued Silence (check out my review of it here), which introduced me to their awesome music and left me wanting more (6 songs is not enough!!!!).
And a few days ago, I finally got my hands on a copy of their debut album, Night Visions, ordered all the way from the USA (cos New Zealand is laaaaaaame when it comes to selling music not made by the "big names").

This me in class with the album. I guess I look a bit shocked, but it's actually supposed to be excitement or something like that. Because, not going to lie, this has probably been the most excited I've ever been about an album release EVER. I was actually buzzing on the day it got released (5th of September was the official date I think),  but I had to force myself to resist the urge to listen to the tracks online as I waited for my copy to arrive. So when it turned up in the post it was all new and exciting for me (with the exception of one track, Tiptoe. My patience couldn't handle listening to nothing).
First of all I should point out that this album does draw on a lot of the material found in Continued Silence, with 4 of the first 5 songs from their EP. I guess that can't be helped what with it's release coming only months after, but it did make listening to this album pretty hard to listen to as a whole as it seemed to me to be more like a collection of songs mixed in with the tracks of their EP. But this might have just been because I was listening to the new songs more, as I'd already thrashed the 'older' ones.

My first reaction to Night Visions was of slight disappointment. Maybe it was because I'd hyped it up to much, or because the EP was so good, but on the first listen, something didn't seem quite right. Gone was the indie instrumentation and good-time vibes, replaced by some uber-slick production and soaring vocal hooks. Once again, Imagine Dragons completely surprised me by bringing in a completely different element into the mix. Except this time I was a little unprepared for it and it took me a while to adjust to this new, poppy-er sound. But now that I've had a few more listens the album has grown on me, and I've found that if it's not completely, then it's pretty close to being worth all the hype I gave it.

No doubt though, this is a much more pop-orientated album than Continued Silence. Imagine Dragons lean a la Coldplay on several of the tracks, with synth based arena rock seasoned with huge beats coming to the foreground on this, rather than hiding away in the indie tracks somewhere. Of the tracks on the album, there was only two which stood out on the first listen. "Underdog" is one of those infectious tunes that you can't help smiling to whenever it comes on. With a chirpy modulated synth opening and a uplifting chorus where Dan Reynolds unashamedly drops pop hooks with just the faintest hint of irony"Hey, that sounds like my luck, I get the short end of it, Oh I love to be the underdog", this is a stand out moment on the album. The next one to grab my attention was the track directly after, "Nothing Left To Say/Rocks". Sitting at just under 9 minutes, this is really the surprise of the album as it is actually two complete songs merged together into a single track. "Nothing Left To Say" is a driving slow-burner with an incredibly soulful outro which features the viola skills of drummer Daniel Platzman. The words for this song are some of the most well-crafted on this album too - the line "Who knows what's right? The lines keep getting thinner" gets me every time. Then just as you're getting into the viola & acoustic breakdown, it suddenly stops. About five seconds of silence pass, and then "Rocks" kicks in. It's a really interesting choice to merge them together in this way, because in many ways "Rocks" completely different from "Nothing Left To Say" with it's upbeat tempo, nonsensical lyrics and instant catchiness - but somehow it works.

The rest of the album carries within the same vein. The previously mentioned "Tiptoe", stuck as unfortunately as it is between "Radioactive" and "It's Time" is another stand out track with a catchy chorus about heading to the top - much in the vein of "It's Time" lyrically I suppose. "Amsterdam" starts of with an excellent piano opening but somehow never delivers as much as it could. "Hear Me" is probably my least favorite track on the album - despite soaring chorus vocals and a few tasty guitar licks, it's over-saturated pop sound makes it seem almost as if Imagine Dragons are trying too hard. This is followed by yet another surprise - the barbershop styled intro to "Every Night" which somehow reminded me of Fun's song "Some Nights" when I first heard it. Only the difference is Imagine Dragons don't use autotune and the song gets even better after the opening. In fact it could possibly be my favorite song from the album - with an incredible vocal performance, a sweet hook line ("I'm coming home to you every night") and a well-placed guitar solo from Wayne Sermon, "Every Night" is another highlight on an already incredible album.

Despite the more pop-orientated sound, it's safe to say that this album is already sitting in my collection of favorite CD's. I was talking to a friend the other day about music and we both agreed that you know you've found a great band when you like pretty much every song on their album. In today's world where you're lucky to find 4 good songs and then a pile of album filler, it's refreshing to find a band like Imagine Dragons who hard work and struggles finally pay off in this incredible debut. If you've never heard of them, it's time you bought this album and got yourself acquainted.


Album Rating: 4.5/5
Lyrical content: 3/5
Additional comments: Go buy it now!

What is this thing called Love?

Love.
Some say it makes the world go round. Others say it's just a feeling when you see that special someone. Some people even use it to describe their addiction to the cocoa-based substance called chocolate. Yeap, if you were to search in a dictionary or ask only three people, I'm sure you'd get a lot of definitions of the word.

And don't get me started on songs! Ever since rock 'n' roll erupted back in the 50's, the main lyrical content behind almost every chart topping song was.... (I'm going to give you a hint here, it wasn't world peace)
Yeap you guessed it. LOVE. The subject matter has been ripped apart, pieced together and then thrashed on radio more times than I want to even imagine. Of course, everyone's got their own take on it, and after awhile you start to get mixed messages. I mean Crowded House are proclaiming "Love will always win" while Joy Division assures us that "Love will tear us apart".

While all this gets super confusing, I guess the real question is: what is love to you?

So, with this question in mind, I will attempt to tackle the much-debated subject. Here goes...

I always get super nervous when talking about love. I guess one of the reasons why is because I haven't really had experience with it, so I always think my thoughts don't really count for anything. But then again, I have stepped close to the edge of this mysterious feeling. And like pretty much every other person on the planet, sometimes I've stepped back with a few scars. Luckily enough so far I've just skirted the edges so my heart has managed to stay relatively unbroken. You know, falling in love always seemed like a bad idea to me. When you fall, you don't know what's going to happen once you hit the ground. And if obstacles are cluttering up the place you land, then you're bound to come off worse for wear.
But then sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to be in love. To have that one person which you care more about than anything else in the world. And to have the stability of knowing they will be behind you every step of the way. It sounds like a pretty good deal right?

My thoughts on love are varied. There's a pessimistic part of me which feels like screaming every time I see a couple. This side believes it's never going to work out - that human love is something which only lasts for a period of time before it dies. And this side tells me that I'm never going to be good enough, cool enough or talented enough for anyone to love me.
But then there's another side of me which knows what love really is.
I wrote a song about it once. The one and only song I've written about it so far. It was called "Love is more than this" and was the best thing I'd ever written at the time. After a late night chat with a really close friend (SHOUTOUT RACHEL!!! Sorry it's been a long time coming) I went away feeling super inspired, and wrote this awesome song about how love is not just a story about boy meeting girl and the feelings and actions they do after that; instead it's about how God loved us and sent his son to die for us. And man even now I get the chills when I think about that revelation. See I can't even imagine living for someone every day of my life, let alone dying for someone. And Jesus didn't do it just for one person, he did it for the world. Can you imagine how many people that is? To put it one way, it would be like every second of his life, he was dying for someone. And man, that just blows everything else out of the water.

It's amazing how knowing all that we still want more.
Perfect love has been shown for us, and yet for some strange reason, we still crave imperfect, human love.
And lately it's been getting me down how long I've been able to live without it. Suddenly my heart starts doing backflips inside my chest and my palms start sweating and I start worrying if I'm ever going to find anyone. Or if I've already found them. Or if I've found them and lost them. My head starts thinking down for or five different trains of thoughts and my heart doesn't even know where to look or what to say. And it's been screwing me over.

Last night, I went to Wellington for this conference on relationships called Huge. And it was super well-timed what with me worrying about it all and everything. I went up not really expecting a lot other than some fun times with my awesome Life Group, but came away so completely refreshed and blown away once again by God's mercy and grace and how very relevant he is to my every moment. As well as getting some legit good advice, I loved how we started and finished with worship and prayer. Just making sure he stays in the center - like it SHOULD be, both in relationships and in life itself.
So, I want to share with you know some of the best quotes and advice I've heard about love (some from last night, some from other places...)

"Love is a verb" -from the book "I would Die for you"
"And these three things remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear." - 1 John 4:8. This really relates to last nights advice about not getting into a relationship for the wrong reasons, such as fear that you'll be alone.
 "Patience is not waiting. Patience is how you act while you are waiting." - On the same trail of advice.
"Hey girl do you know what love is? You think you know, you've got all the clothes, and the makeup but it's another breakup.... Do you really know, or are you just dying to go?"

I don't know about you, but I think I've finally got this in the right order. My relationship with Christ is going to be above and beyond anything I ever feel about any girl. I don't just want to know Him, I know I want Him. And I'm looking forward to how awesome life is going to be when I put him first.

"What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."   

-Matthew 6:31-32 (The Message)

I love this time of night.

When the lights go down, and it's just you and the music.
For the briefest of moments, there is no worries, no pressures. Nothing you have to get done, nothing you worry about having to do, nothing you regret doing. Nothing you can't do another day. For the briefest of moments, everything else falls away like a thick woolen blanket sliding off your shoulders.
It feels like putting down your briefcase (or when it comes to me, a guitar case) after a long hard day of work. It feels like jumping into a cold pool on a warm day. It feels like the things in this life which we get so hung up on don't even matter in the face of eternity. And what is this life for if all we do is just worry about things we're probably never going to be brave enough to change?

You ask me why I'm an insomniac. I ask you why you're not....

The Return!

I've been thinking a lot lately about writing.

Even though I'm a musician first and foremost, writing has always been a big part of my life. It's one of those rare talents which comes easier to me than most other things. 

See, music I have to work at. Sure, I can enjoy it -I can even just relax and let it take me places (something which is finally starting to get a little easier for me this year, judging from the amount of instrumentals and original improvisation I've been cramming out this year). But it's something I have to constantly work at, practice, practice, and PRACTICE again till it starts to sink in. Most of the time, I can't just pull a song or a sweet riff out from thin air - but I can craft it, molding ideas into notes, into tunes, fitting words to chords... 

Writing on the other hand, just seems to flow. 

I don't even really think about it sometimes. Like at the moment as I'm writing this my minds thinking about
a) it being 10.00 b) the song currently playing on Spotify (Imagine Dragons) and c) whether my friend's going to agree to playing Nirvana or not. Only half my attention is actually focused on what I'm saying... but my fingers are doing a pretty good job of doing the talking.

What I'm getting at here is I really need to pay more attention to this blog. And I'm not just saying that because I've said it before, or because I made a resolution, or anything like that. No, me coming back to this blog is all about my writing. And honestly, I need to do that more. I've missed it quite a bit. Putting time and effort into creating a piece of text for no other reason than because you feel you have something to say is one of the most satisfying feelings I know. 

And I have so many things to say! It's just when I'm put on the spot, my mind draws a blank. And it's much easier to hit up Facebook for a few hours than sit here staring at my computer thinking about what to say in the shortest amount of time possible. Sad I know, but unfortunately true. So to avoid going into that awkward phase, I've hatched upon a brilliant idea. Well, at least I think it's worth talking about. 

Instead of me having to sort through whatever's going on while facing the degenerating wall of laziness, you the reader, can decide...

Now this involves a little bit of interaction on your part. But the rules are pretty simple. I'll post up a list of  topics which interest me, and you leave a comment on whatever ones you'd like to read about. Or, if you want to, anything I could blog about (within reason). Don't be afraid to suggest stuff! 

• Mini-devotionals on some of my favorite bible verses.
• MORE music reviews!!! (You might have to suggest the artists though!)
• 10 things about me most people don't know. 
• Short stories (Yeah I used to write stories heaps! But I always sucked at the shorter ones.... my problem is I usually have to many words, and they turn into mini-novels).
• My slight obsession with superheroes.
• What to do in a zombie apocalypse.
• People I would love to meet, and what I'd like to say to them.
• Why religion is stupid.
• Old school music vs the tunes of the modern day.
• The Christian 'scene' - with all it's pro's and con's.

If that's not enough to start with, I don't know what is! Happy voting guys!

Rainy Sundays...

Ahh I love the sound of rain on the roof. It's so relaxing. Still not sure how I'll make it to church without getting completely soaked, but hopefully I can work something out.
Anyway, since last time I properly posted I have:
- Got 88% for my mock exam in theory! Stoked!
- Recorded two more songs. They sounded pretty good too, despite people continuously making changes to my guitar solos.
- Turned 19! Feeling old now haha...
- Started taking up running again. Best decision ever. Man I was unfit!
- Played Pool for two whole hours. That was a mission and a half - actually it was one of the coolest times I've had this year!
- Found out I really enjoy funk music! Who would've thought?!
- Went to watch a rugby game for the first time in a stadium. Disappointing effort by the Turbos, but the drunken fans sitting behind us making massive efforts to spur them on were hilarious and well worth the ticket price.
- Bought some new music - Bloc Party's new album is quite good. May have to give it a proper review at some point. I furthered my growing interest in Radiohead by acquiring their Greatest Hits album, which was a great buy. Now I'm definitely a fan! And I realized once again how incredible Bon Iver is when I downloaded his/their self-titled record of Itunes. It all makes the 20 minute walk to UCOL so much more enjoyable.
- Realized I can play 4 different instruments now - well kind of. Guitar, ukulele & a little bit of bass and keyboards. I'm still not very good at the latter but working on that. Pretty stoked still considering at the start of the year it was all guitar, guitar, and, you guessed it, guitar.

What have you been up to lately? Anything interesting? Drop a comment in below about the thing you're most proud of achieving in the last couple of weeks.

So much to talk about. And so little time.

The title for this post pretty much sums up my life at the moment.
But in the few precious seconds I have before I hit the hay (yeah, at 11.15 - pretty early for me!), I just want to let you know I haven't deserted blogging. Just been having a break because I've had so much to do.
And when I get back, oh what fantastic stories I'll have....
Stay tuned guys!

Jordan