Lunar Boulevard

Do you like They Might Be Giants? Do like FREE stuff? Do capital letters get your ATTENTION? If so then you're in luck, because the band has a promotional offer on their website that allows you to download a FREE live album. Like many groups, TMBG has been performing some of their older albums from start to finish at various shows and you can download a FREE copy of their self-titled 1986 debut played live from front to back. It's FREE! Just follow the link below and check it out. That many capital letters can't be wrong.

Let's talk about…asteroids! No, not the video game but the actual thing, which is kind of cool (and way more dangerous). While asteroid impacts still happen today they aren't as common as they were in the past. An exact reason hasn't been given but thankfully the larger population of the earth has been spared from many disasters. God is definitely looking out for us.

Karen O, front-woman for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is pretty awesome. From her unpredictable fashion choices to her energetic performances to an Oscar nomination, she's someone who is always trying something new. Now she's branching out into another new venture: her first solo album, Crush Songs , is coming out in September. She posted this note on her website. As always, I'll have my own review when it's released.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about the little things in life but often I find they make me the happiest. Don't get me a wrong, a new job or something miraculous is awesome and I certainly won't turn down a blessing like that. The reality is that those are often few and far between, leaving us with our daily routines and random hobbies to keep us occupied. It's raining today. I used to hate rain. Suddenly I find myself loving how it keeps the air cooler and causes everything around me to grow greener and stronger. It also washes bird poop off my car. You probably didn't need to know that.  Whether it's a glass of chocolate milk, some much-needed rain or relaxing with my wife and playing a video game, they're all blessings from God and ones that I'm thankful for, even if I don't realize it. We serve a Creator of all things, even the tiny squirrels that chase each other around in the park. I think those might be my favorite. Give Him t...

The Death Star may not be real but Saturn has a moon that's about as close as it gets. Mimas is often cited as looking like the iconic weapon from Star Wars. Sometimes even science-fiction has a bit of truth.

New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem have announced their new album, Get Hurt , will be released on August 19. This is my most anticipated release of the year and the band is saying that this will be a new direction for the band with some twists and surprises. Obviously I'll have a review when I get a chance to hear it but in the meantime here's the tracklist: 1. Stay Vicious 2. 1,000 Years 3. Get Hurt 4. Stray Paper 5. Helter Skeleton 6. Underneath the Ground 7. Rollin' and Tumblin' 8. Red Violins 9. Selected Poems 10. Ain't That a Shame 11. Break Your Heart 12. Dark Places 

I confess to liking Jack White's music quite a bit. From his days in The White Stripes to side projects and now his solo records it's clear that he's a driven performer and producer who exudes a passion for music. That being said, his music rarely catches me by surprise. By now most of us, regardless of whether you enjoy his output or not, have a good idea of what he does and you either love his noisy, rock-blues sound or you don't. He's a bit of an acquired taste but I like enough of his music to consider myself a fan, even if it often feels like he does variations on the same thing most of the time. I approached Lazaretto expecting some good songs that didn't stray too far from his usual blue print. What I got instead blew me away. Jack is in full-blown country mode here. That's not to say it's a country album but it contains so many Southern touches that it's the closest he's come to fully embracing an old-school Nashville sound on ...

I'm a big fan of the Old Testament and too often I think we as Christians are quick to overlook it. Sure, there are books like Leviticus and 1 Chronicles that are admittedly tough to wade through and some of the books can be very confusing and tough to understand. However, the New Testament grows so much richer when you understand the prophecy that was fulfilled and you see how God has protected His people.  From the trials of books like Psalms, Job and Ecclesiastes to the formation of the world and the creation of man in Genesis, it's all here. Even the celebration of sex in Song of Songs is there! If you haven't read it in a while check it out and remember that we need to take the Bible as a whole and complete work. It's all true, it's all the Word of God, and we'd be wise to take it all to heart. There's even a verse in Judges about a guy being really fat. Don't believe me? Read it for yourself! 

Weezer's third self-titled record, commonly referred to as The Red Album , is the release where it seems that Rivers finally let go of feeling Weezer had to be purely a rock band and could branch out into more experimental territory. Granted, this comes at the expense of a complete and fluid album but it does give the band some much-needed breathing room. In a day and age where many claim Weezer can do nothing right I find a good portion of their post- Pinkerton to be better than most give it credit for. The Red Album  is a bold step forward for a band that was originally thought to be out of ideas. "Heart Songs" is corny, no doubt about it, but Rivers does manage to pay tribute to many of his musical heroes in honest fashion. "Dreamin'" is wonderful, a roller coaster of shifting dynamics and tempos that is both personal and inspiring without every becoming too predictable. If anything this Rivers at his most personal and reflectional, something that ha...

Another week, another month, and another random fact about our universe. If you're familiar with dwarf plants then you might have come across the name of Haumea. It's the third closet dwarf planet to the sun and features an interesting physical trait: it's elongated shape. This unique design makes it the least spherical of all the dwarf planets. Poor Pluto may have been demoted but rest assured that dwarf planets have plenty of amazing things to offer on their own.