Apparently this guy busks on the streets of the town I grew up in.

I am not sure I like the song (a little to catchy for me!), but I do like the message!

There'd have to be something wrong with me not to agree with messages about positivity, perseverance and self belief!

I think if I was still in Sudbury and wandered past him playing, and caught these lyrics I'd stop and listen.

Resilience is one thing, but putting up with abusive and unloving behaviour is another.

Don't do it.
Keep vigilant.
Protect yourself.
Listen to trusted people who have your back and your heart.
Do something about the red flags.
Challenge what causes them, and if there is no change then call it out or walk away.

Let's keep this short:

Music is about expression.

Simply:

​How does this one make you feel?

I found this one whilst planning an Act of Worship for a Secondary School... On "Resilience" believe it or not...

Resilience isn’t mentioned in the bible. I tried to find a greek word as to what it means so that I could check in the geeky apps and things I use to make sure.

The word that came back was this one… ελαστικότητα (Elastikótita)
However you pronounce it, that first bit is where we get our word “Elastic” (I could tell that without looking it up)
So what have I learned? Let's think about Elastic vs Plastic…

I sang this song live and acoustic for a lunch time recital last week. I won't subject you to a version of me singing it.

Having spent hours listening to it, trying to find a key where I could sing the whole range, and practising it endlessly, I think I still like it.

But what's it about!?

It seems it's a fairly mixed, messed up and damaging journey, including trying and failing, but ultimately somehow still singing, albeit with eyes open.

​I wonder if we get to the point where we're wrecked we can still sing?

Young people get a bad time of it.

I won't defend all the stuff that small groups get up to, but I will defend the fact that they are left trying to find their way in a world they are inheriting that is, for want of a stronger phrase, not the ideal.

Nothing But Thieves sum up quite a lot of that.

Of course the real trouble makers, the real disturbance in the force, are those whose eyes are being opened, and are starting fires designed to bring about change...

... They're the sort I'll never apologise for. Let's help them burn down the things that are making the rest of us live like animals.

Every song I've had in this series so far I think I actually like.
This one I don't. I've tried, but it just isn't doing anything for me.
It'll work as a Eurovision entry, but It's not going to be one I'll listen to on repeat personally.

I do like the idea of taking the negative and channeling it into something creative rather than destructive though.
Think there is something to be said for still calling out the things that are wrong but doing so in a way that isn't just cussing people out outside the house, trashing things, etc, nor is it sitting in silence wallowing and pretending it didn't happen.

What do we need to call out, and how can we do it productively?
How do we rise above and challenge things without stooping to their level?

You get the idea... I've listened to it and reflected so you don't have to. But it might be your thing, so listen if you want to.

This one was another "I know that voice..." moment.
It just goes to show that when algorithms work they'll point you to voices that you know and appreciate!

I am looking forward to this album. The two tracks I've heard so far I have really liked.

This one speaks to where I am right now, and where the future might lead... I can't work out whether this song ends with the outcome I want it to or not though! At the very least I feel like there's a commitment to making it work.

What do you think?

Ever have one of those moments where you start listening to a song and you kind of recognise the voice but it just doesn't quite fit with the music you're hearing?

My friend Sarah introduced me to the Arctic Monkeys way back when she got their first album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" before they properly made it big. And then I kept up with them into the second album, but after that they drifted off my radar.

Coming back into listening in 2022 with "The Car" I realised I'd missed a lot. There was a whole musical journey that had gone on in the four albums in between! The voice was the same, but the rest of it left me thinking that I ain't quite where I think I am!

Anti-heroes are complicated and misunderstood... And I find them fascinating!
Are they heroes?
Don't they kind of look a lot like the villain?
Do the ends really justify the means?

A while ago I did a podcast with a friend of mine thinking about the "Black Adam" film and theology, and I talked a bit about anti-heroes there.

But what about me?