My Favourite Songs of 2018: Take on the Dark - Amanda Shires (August)

Take On The Dark - Amanda Shires

'To The Sunset'

Silver Knife Records

Produced by Dave Cobb

Released 3rd August 2018



Take On The Dark
written by Amanda Shires

[Verse 1]
I know I said, "Everything's gonna be okay"
But what I meant to say was, "You'll make it through"
Tomorrow will come, tomorrow is yet to be won
You'll push yourself back up and fight the urge to run

[Chorus]
And take on the dark
Without letting it take over
Lead with your heart
Don't look over your shoulder
And take on the dark
It's okay to fall apart
It's okay to fall apart
It's okay to fall apart

[Verse 2]
Worry can be a tumblin', tumultuous sea
With all of its roarin' and its breakin'
How 'bout you be the waves, too unafraid to even be brave?
See yourself breakin' out of this place

[Chorus]
And take on the dark
Without letting it take over
Lead with your heart
Don't look over your shoulder
And take on the dark
It's okay to fall apart
It's okay to fall apart
It's okay to fall apart

Listen to the album here.

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When 'To The Sunset' was released a certain musician claimed that reviewers etc. could barely contain themselves about writing about her 'Significant Other' when speaking of her musical journey (it's actually hard not to as I am finding approaching this piece!) but as he only plays a supporting role on the album we'll try and not mention him at all! 😄

Amanda Shires is a very talented musician/Songwriter, having begun her musical journey playing violin at aged ten, and by 15 she was playing with the Texas Playboys. Releasing her debut album in 2005 (Being Brave - a mainly instrumental album) and she has continued to release albums, a further four solo before the release of 'To The Sunset' (West Cross Timbers in 2009, Carrying Lightning in 2011, Down Fell The Doves in 2013 and My Piece of Land in 2016) and one with Rod Picott (Sew Your Heart With Wires in 2009). She has also contributed her musical skills on a number of projects with many artists including John Prine's latest 'Tree of Forgiveness' (well worth a listen if you are looking for something different to listen to), Thrift Store Cowboys, Justin Townes Earle, Todd Snider, Blackberry Smoke and Tommy Emmanuel to name but a few. She's also played and recorded with "that bloke" we are not going to mention and even won a grammy! 😉

Added to her list of achievements is the Master of Fine Arts in Poetry degree she received in 2017 and of course becoming a mother in 2015.

The song 'Take on the Dark' is my favourite track from 'To The Sunset'. I love the mix of hopefulness ("You'll make it through") and the facing up to the truth that "It's okay to fall apart" because it's in those moments of despair we are able to find strength and it allows us to "take on the dark without letting it take over". 

On a personal note I have found the song to be a great encouragement during the past few months dealing with my epilepsy and the moments that I have felt down and out because of it. I don't know exactly what Amanda had in mind when she wrote the song but it's great to discover that this song speaks into my own life. So thanks for the song Amanda.

My Favourite Songs of 2018: The President Sang Amazing Grace - Joan Baez

The President Sang Amazing Grace - Joan Baez
from the album
Whistle Down The Wind
Razor & Tie
Produced by Joe Henry
Released 2nd March 2018

The President Sang Amazing Grace
written by Zoe Mulford
A young man came to a house of prayer
They did not ask what brought him there
He was not friend, he was not kin
But they opened the door and let him in

And for an hour the stranger stayed
He sat with them and seemed to pray
But then the young man drew a gun
And killed nine people, old and young

In Charleston in the month of June
The mourners gathered in a room
The President came to speak some words
And the cameras rolled and the nation heard

But no words could say what must be said
For all the living and the dead
So on that day and in that place
The President sang Amazing Grace
The President sang Amazing Grace

We argued where to place the blame
On one man's hate or our nation's shame
Some sickness of the mind or soul
And how the wounds might be made whole

But no words could say what must be said
For all the living and the dead
So on that day and in that place
The President sang Amazing Grace
My President sang Amazing Grace 

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You might wonder why I would have this song on my list of Favourite Songs of 2018, after all it's not the usual kind of thing I am known for listening to, but it gets on the list because in my mind it is one of the most beautiful songs that I have heard this year.

Originally written and performed by Zoe Mulford following the 17th June 2015 mass shooting in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were shot dead and there were three survivors of the shooting. President Barack Obama attended the funeral of one of the victims, state senator Clementa C. Pinckney and he gave the eulogy. I think that it was this moment (or maybe it was another meeting in those late days of June) that gave Mulford the inspiration for the song.

Baez heard the song on the radio whilst driving, "and I had to pull over to make sure I heard whose song it was because I knew I had to sing it."

In passing it's worth mentioning that Joan Baez did something that she had never done before in 2008 and that was to endorse a Political Candidate for the Presidency! Writing to the San Francisco Chronicle she had said, "Through all those years, I chose not to engage in party politics. ... At this time, however, changing that posture feels like the responsible thing to do. If anyone can navigate the contaminated waters of Washington, lift up the poor, and appeal to the rich to share their wealth, it is Sen. Barack Obama." Playing at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2008, Baez said during the introduction of a song that one reason she likes Obama is because he reminds her of another old friend of hers: Martin Luther King, Jr..

So for her first studio album in a decade she recorded it and a handful of other covers by the likes of Tom Waits, Josh Ritter, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Anohni, Joe Henry, Kathleen Brennan, Eliza Gilkyson and Tim Eriksen. The album (Whistle Down The Wind) is actually quite beautiful and a wonderful listening experience. When you consider the years that Baez has given to the Civil Rights Movement and Human Rights and other Social and Political issues this collection of songs is a fitting end to her recording career.

Watch and Listen to a live version by Zoe Mulford Here.

The Victims of the Shooting Lest We Forget:

Clementa C. Pinckney (41) – the church's pastor and a South Carolina state senator.

    Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd (54) – Bible study member and manager for the Charleston County Public Library system; sister of politician and former state senator Malcolm Graham.

    Susie Jackson (87) – a Bible study and church choir member. She was the oldest victim of the shooting.

    Ethel Lee Lance (70) – the church's sexton.

    Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49) – a pastor who was also employed as a school administrator and admissions coordinator at Southern Wesleyan University.

    Tywanza Sanders (26) – a Bible study member; grandnephew of victim Susie Jackson. He was the youngest victim of the shooting.

    Daniel L. Simmons (74) – a pastor who also served at Greater Zion AME Church in Awendaw.

    Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45) – a pastor; also a speech therapist and track coach at Goose Creek High School; mother of MLB prospect Chris Singleton.

    Myra Thompson (59) – a Bible study teacher.

Rest In Peace

My Favourite Songs of 2018: The New Age - The Spitfires

The New Age - The Spitfires
Hatch Records
13th July 2018

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Watford based band The Spitfires just seem to be getting better with each new release. 'The New Age' was released on 7" vinyl two weeks prior to the release of their third studio album 'Year Zero'*.

There were a few tracks from the album that could have made the list for My Favourites Songs of 2018 but I'll nail my colours to the mast for this one.

*This album will be featured on the next post: My Favourite Albums of 2018.

My Favourite Songs of 2018: Be More Kind - Frank Turner (May 2018)

Be More Kind - Frank Turner
From the album 'Be More Kind' 

(Interscope Records/Polydor/Xtra Mile Recordings)
Released 4th May 2018

Be More Kind

written by Frank Turner
History's been leaning on me lately;
I can feel the future breathing down my neck
And all the things I thought were true
When I was young, and you were too
Turned out to be broken
And I don't know what comes next

In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

They've started raising walls around the world now
Like hackles raised upon a cornered cat
On the borders, in our heads
Between the things that can and can't be said
We've stopped talking to each other
And there's something wrong with that

So before you go out searching
Don't decide what you will find
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

You should know you're not alone
And that trouble comes, and trouble goes
How this ends, no one knows
So hold on tight when the wind blows

The wind blew both of us to sand and sea
And where the dry land stands is hard to say
As the current drags us by the shore
We can no longer say for sure
Who's drowning, or if they can be saved

But when you're out there floundering
Like a lighthouse I will shine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

Like a beacon reaching out
To you and yours from me and mine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind  

"In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind"

Yesterday was apparently World Kindness Day so in one sense I'm probably a little late posting this but in another sense I'm not. Kindness is not something that is just for one day in the year but should be an attitude of heart on a daily basis.

I first heard Be More Kind by Frank Turner back in 2017 sometime if I remember correctly and I recall thinking that this song could actually be one of the finest he's written to date. I was more than pleased when it was announced that it would be the title track to his seventh studio album. The fact that the subject matter of the song is extremely relevant to the days in which we are living makes it even more of an impressive song. 

This actually almost ended up as My Favourite Song of 2018 but it was just pipped at the post by something else equally as gripping (that I will post within the next couple of weeks or so).

The inspiration for the song if I have this correct was a line from a Clive James Poem that was published in The New Yorker magazine back in 2013 in which he describes his own mortality called "Leçons des Ténèbres". The line which inspired the title reads: "I should have been more kind. It is my fate. To find this out, but find it out too late."

The last line of the song, "In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind" is such a powerful statement about the world in which we live. 

People's reactions to things which they dislike, whether it be politics, music, sport, fashion, books, film, the media in general, religion/faith, and sexual orientation are sometimes so shocking to read. Many times I've read an overly agressive comment on a Facebook post or even on a You Tube video that has been so full of hatred that I have often wondered what on earth that person had actually been watching or reading to provoke such an OTT response. Even on posts that seem incredibly harmless there are people venting their spleens for one reason or another and that seems to stir others to respond in like manner leading to "raising walls around the world" instead of creating bridges! The message of this song though is to put across the totally opposite reaction (and to quote an old House of Love song, "But I won't fight and I won't hate").

I would count myself among the many who have often said a word that has been harsh toward someone (especially toward folks I don't really know on Social Media) but it's not just words that are the driving force of Frank Turner's song but also our actions. 

The call of the song is to act with kindness rather than putting up barriers and making judgements about situations and people before we have even given a moment to actually consider what on earth is really going on. 

 

This song certainly came as a rebuke to my own hot-headedness and I trust that in more ways than one that I have sought to do exactly what the song says, "Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind".   

My Favourite Songs of 2018: See You On The Other Side - Brian Fallon

See You On The Other Side - Brian Fallon
From the album Sleepwalkers
 

 All my life I've been a slave to a pardon
My eyes transfixed some where far over the Jordan
And all my years I've wanted some one to die for
So I had a reason I've earned
But I've never been where you were born
Or felt the things that broke your heart
Come talk to me
Come talk to me
I want to understand

And when we both grow old
And there is nothing left to say
I want you to know
That I loved you all my days
And when we close our eyes on this life time
I'll see you on the other side
Yes I'll, see you on the other side

I would count myself lucky, loved, and entertain you
To find myself in the things that complicate you
And spend my life in your majesty service
And I call myself satisfied

But in all of my boring ways
In time and love and body aches
I loved you more
I loved you more
But a clock keeps ticking down

And when we both grow old
And there is nothing left to say
I want you to know
That I loved you all my days
And when we close our eyes on this life time
I'll see you on the other side
Yes I'll, see you on the other side
If you hold on
Hold on
Hold on to me

And when we both grow old
And there is nothing left to say
I want you to know
That I loved you all my days
And when we close our eyes on this life time
I'll see you on the other side
Yes I'll, see you on the other side

Released in February, Brian Fallon's second Solo album Sleepwalkers (on Island Records) is an absolute gem. Loaded with some great songs and I could have picked almost anyone of them but I've gone for the closing track from the album.

I wasn't too overwhelmed with his debut album Painkillers but his second ticked all the boxes and even sounded a little bit like Gaslight Anthem in places! If you haven't heard the album then CLICK HERE to have a listen. 

This time of year we focus a lot on those who we have lost as the spotlight has been on commemorations for the 100 years since the end of World War I and of course in the midst of that our attention has been on those who served in the wars since then who bravely gave their lives in pursuit of freedom. But the song can be seen in many ways especially when it comes to personal loss, whether it be a family member, a loved one, a close friend who has departed this earthly shore or one who is close to the end of their days due to illness or old age. I really like the sentiment of being able to say your goodbyes with these words: 

"And when we both grow old
And there is nothing left to say
I want you to know
That I loved you all my days
And when we close our eyes on this life time
I'll see you on the other side
Yes I'll, see you on the other side"


So, I want to dedicate this one to a number of friends who at this present time have had to say goodbye to someone special in their lives and trust that the precious memories you have of them will bring you comfort in your time of grieving.

My Favourite Songs of 2018: Cenotaph - The Alarm

Just like with the albums I decided against providing a chartlist of my favourite songs of 2018 and have decided over the next few weeks or so to share some of the individual songs, whether released as a "Single" or just an Album Track. Once again be prepared for a whole bunch of diverse sounds. 

My first pick actually had it's Video Premiere just this morning (about an hour ago) but the song has been around for a wee while and features on the Equals album by The Alarm. 

It's one of Mike Peters best songs in a long time I think. Anyway, hope you like it. The main part of the video was filmed at an event for World Album Day a few weeks back on which MP played the whole of the Equals album before a very small gathering. 

Cenotaph - The Alarm

From the album Equals (released 29th June 2018)

Video Release 11th November 2018