David Bazan | Mockingbird

An Alternate Ten Best Records of 2011

by Mockingbird on Jan 10, 2012 • 4 Comments

One last year-end post before we move on to 2012, this one comes from new Mbird contributor Carl Laamanen, who also blogs over at Losing Sight of Land:

I’m going to highlight some albums that didn’t get press from some of the bigger outlets this year, even though I could have made some “trendier” picks if I had so desired. Also, there were some notable artists (Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, etc.) whose albums I didn’t get around to this year, which explains their absence from this list. I hope this list inspires you to check out some new music, or to…

Another Week Ends: Of Gods and Men, Unitarian Boundaries, pi Haters, Pinksy on Cowper, Jayhawks, Wilco, Morrissey, FNL, Falling Skies and Brad Bird

by David Zahl on Jul 1, 2011 • 3 Comments

1. No doubt you’re familiar with the martyrdom of the monks of Tibhirine in Algeria, who were assassinated in 1996 by Jihadists. It is, without question, one of the most inspirational true stories of the past twenty years – regardless of where you’re coming from on the religious spectrum. You may have even heard that the recent film based on the events, Of Gods and Men, was Grand Prix winner at Cannes last year. If that weren’t high enough praise for it shoot to the top of your Netflix queue (when it becomes available on Tuesday 7/5), Andrew Sullivan’s stirring…

Books / Film / Interviews / Music / News / Psychology / Week In Review

Another Week (Almost) Ends: How We Decide, Islamic Search Engines, MJ, 9, Mountain Goats and Lions

by David Zahl on Sep 10, 2009 • 3 Comments

1. A fascinating review of How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer over at Boing Boing (ht Jeff Dean). The book appears to be ar neuroscience-for-dummies study of the decision-making process, aka another volley in the post-free-will debate, this time claiming that decision-making is neither wholly rational or wholly emotional, but a mix of both. What sounds especially interesting to the Mockingbird in me is the role that dopamine plays in our brains as a “predictor” of future events, prompting all sorts of “decisions” based on anticipated reward. Or on the flipside, the discussion of the power of “loss-aversion”, esp as…

Music / Testimony

Pedro The Lion On Songwriting

by David Zahl on Mar 24, 2008 • 2 Comments

David Bazan is a rare breed. As the songwriter behind Pedro the Lion, he pulled off something extraordinary, singing songs of devastating honesty from a distinctly Christian point of view. Bazan’s songs, to quote Dylan, don’t “turn a blind eye to the dark side of human nature”; they are deeply cynical and deeply hopeful. The band attracted more of a secular audience than a sacred one, though neither really knew what to make of them.

Bazan’s getting ready to release his first full-length solo record, and I couldn’t be more excited. I loved his debut EP, Fewer Moving Pieces, especially the…

Fashion / Psychology / Testimony

The Return to Camelot

by Sean Norris on Jan 31, 2008 • 6 Comments

In this morning’s New York Times, there’s an interesting article in the Fashion and Style section entitled “The Newly Uptight”. The article is all about the upcoming Fashion Week in NYC and the “new” styles that we can expect to see on the runways of the top designers. They predict a return to the Jackie Kennedy look (which my wife tells me never goes out of style), a return to a tailored, more conservative look.

I have to admit, I do prefer Jackie Kennedy’s style to that of Britney Spears, but that was not what struck me…