Lunar Boulevard

Recently President Trump signed a bill aimed at funding for NASA and preparing for a manned flight to Mars. This is definitely exciting news, as NASA has been on the back-burner for years. While I'm typically conservative and very pro-limited government, I do agree with funding for space exploration and it's great to see the possibilities of adventuring into God's cosmic creation coming to fruition once again. Many details remain and it will no doubt be years until we see what comes of this---but at least we're heading in the right direction!

It's easy to take the moon for granted. From reflecting the sun's light at night to controlling the tides, our moon does a lot we don't typically think of. However, not every planet in our solar system has a moon. Mercury and Venus are the only two plants that don't have at least one. I'm not sure they really need them...or that you even needed to know this. But hey, it might come in handy on Jeopardy! 

James Mercer is an artist who always seems to turn out great music. Whether that's through The Shins, Broken Bells, or something else entirely, he always manages to wrap clever lyrics around a bubbling melody. Add to that his feather light vocals and you have a formula that has severed him well over the last 15 years. Heartworms , his first Shins project in nearly five years, should be a sweet homecoming but ultimately feels like a disjointed foray into various sights and sounds without a strong foundation to hold them all together. There are some real bright spots here, from the brooding “So Now What” to the gentile autobiography of “Mildenhall”. “Cherry Hearts” and “Dead Alive” also manage to combine slick studio production with the classic Shins sound we’ve come to know and love. These moments show that Mercer can still create an engrossing atmosphere and formidable pop song, as the album’s title track will attest to. These might not rank as instant classics but they do...