@Joshua-ye2eo

2 years ago

Well, now I have to admit I will feel comfortable and guiltless buying ANYTHING with Manchester Orchestra's or Hull's name on it. At least genuinely, legitimately attatched. I like a few Christmas albums and the Maybe This Christmas series of fundraising comps because they are off-colour or see-the-same-ol'-lyrics in this once-counter-intuitive-now-never-the-same-way-again way. Or at least in a suddenly obvious but not popularly discussed context. They were hauntingly blessed to me because the honesty and focus was more in the True Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus than many of the popular, even church-staple or Sunday school room classics for the season, as we popularly celebrate it. Here comes Hull and amazingly talented friends putting out the very songs I would remember but go to lengths to avoid (out of a desire to not participate from a heartless sort of habit or in a cold ritual or tradition's sake, removed from the true why, how, and for/to Whom) and they just crush it like with a new life. I know the deepest meaning for celebrating can't remain wholesome even if it's really strong emotional feeling but only feeling. It's easy to confuse emotional and spiritual "highs" with the same thing as connecting person to person with God. (Not calling emotion evil. Knowing and Trusting God is present and got us is always easier when obvious blessings and positive sorts of stuff are all about, right? But I myself confessingly know we can easily shift or slide into seeking the high over the Truth and Word of God's Will.) I say all that so I hopefully don't feel the needy pull disguised as caution agaun to defend or further overexplain what I meant here by saying this performance of traditional (in my time) Christmas music absolutely grabbed me. Not only because I love the band's other work already, but the vocals, the singing sounded genuinely good. What I always want "moving" and "inspiring" to actually mean and feel like for myself. Well! Done! IMHO.

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