EP-023 - Glimpses of Spring
Music From The Depths
These last two weeks have bounced between Spring-like and "kinda not Spring" here in Florida. Some of my family in the north report that flowers are blooming, and the snow is gone. Regardless of how non-committing Spring may be this year, we always anticipate it with hope. It's our sign that life has survived the frost and snow and that summer is coming.
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EP-022 - Drywall
Music From The Depths
This week's podcast is inspired by the process of installing drywall.
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EP-021 - 5cru663r
Music From The Depths
This week's podcast is highly experimental. I sampled two industrial air scrubbers that have been hanging out in my house and used the recordings (and only those recordings) to make this track.
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EP-020 - The Calm of the Flame
Music From The Depths
This year has started with an exaggerated pace of getting things done. And after the lull of 2020, I'm somewhat good with that. But at the same time, it's easy to compare a break-neck pace to an open flame.
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EP-019 - Sometimes, Life Drones On
Music From The Depths
When I was a kid, my dad offered the advice that we shouldn’t wish to speed life along. I was probably six or seven years old, but I couldn’t wait to be ten.
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EP-018 - All Things New
Music From The Depths
When you really stop and think about it, isn't life a series of chances to start again?
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EP-017 - 2020
Music From The Depths
As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to walk back through the material I've released on the podcast this year. There was a lot of motion in theme and style during the last 16 episodes, and I combined them all into one big track. Some of the episodes are fairly close to their original sound while others have been heavily modified for this mix.
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EP-016 - Unknown
Music From The Depths
Sometimes life is so crazy that you don't have time to sit down and ponder the meaning of things. In my case, this track. What I can tell you is that I wrote four or five editions of EP-016 before this one showed up. I hope you enjoy it!
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EP-015 - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Music From The Depths
When I started looking at the idea of working with a Christmas song this year, I knew this one was the one. I know that it sounds pleasant (like almost every other Christmas song), because a lot of the hymns from way back when were... (They often reused and borrowed music from other stuff, but never-mind that for now.) But there's a lot of unseen depth to this one.
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EP-015 - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus - Context
Music From The Depths
The context of this episode felt worthy of a voice note. The full transcript is available in the description of EP-015.
info_outlineThere's this saying that people use sometimes, when they can't take much more. It varies a bit in how it's stated, but it's often something like "Jesus, come quickly!" Bono (of U2) worded it slightly different with, "Wake Up Dead Man." No year in my own life has this sentiment been more accurate (or often heard) than this year. I'm sure you don't really need another person commenting on what 2020 was like though.
There's an interesting history lesson: In 1744, Charles Wesley wrote the song "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus." You can paraphrase at least the second verse as, "Jesus, come quickly." But why he wrote that is the interesting part.
The song came as a direct response from seeing the lives of orphans around him, and also how Great Britain was heavily divided by class. That sounds a bit too close to home for me, personally.
When I started looking at the idea of working with a Christmas song this year, I knew this one was the one. I know that it sounds pleasant (like almost every other Christmas song), because a lot of the hymns from way back when were... (They often reused and borrowed music from other stuff, but never-mind that for now.) But there's a lot of unseen depth to this one. Here are the lyrics:
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.