Via Back to Rockville comes this notice that a new Bob Dylan record is on the way. Lifted directly:

Bob Dylan looks set to release an album of entirely new material in late April. Ten new tracks are expected for the record, which was reportedly recorded in California in October of last year.

The songs have been mixed and sequenced and playbacks are believed to have recently taken place in Sony’s European offices. An Autumn release date was originally suggested but it is understood this was brought forward to coincide with the final stages of Dylan’s upcoming European tour.

According to Dylan fansite Isis, Dylan was approached to write the soundtrack to forthcoming film ‘My Own Love’ song, starring Renee Zellweger and Forest Whitaker. Supposedly, when Dylan went into the studio he was so impressed with the results he decided to record his own album of new material. It is also believed that not all the musicians on the new release are from Dylan’s current touring band.

Nice...Dylan was so impressed with his own music that he decided he wasn't ready to hang it up yet. In a hardcore poet and artist, you gotta like that.

Of course, I am one of those people who thinks that if you don't appreciate Dylan, there are probably deeper issues in your life. So yes, I am kind of pumped. Bob Dylan's latest record to date, Modern Times, was a fantastic late-career album, in my opinion. Can't wait to see what he pulls off with the next one.

The million dollar question is whether he will title it Postmodern Times? OK, probably not.

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I’m a huge fan of online book shopping, and have been ever since I discovered that by surfing Amazon I could prevent my college book store from ripping me off to the tune of $100-200 a semester…a trend that continued in seminary. Tuition is enough of a donation, right?

However, when someone gives me a gift card to Barnes & Noble or Borders, I can easily get lost in there for a couple hours. Yesterday I found myself on the plaza with some downtime on my hands, so I hit up the local B&N. I walked out with a couple books that should make for some great reading.

Agincourt. One of the great come-from-behind victories in history gets a gritty fictional treatment from Bernard Cornwell in this new bestseller. How did the British underdogs pull off an amazing W against the French at Agincourt? Well, you can read Shakespeare’s Henry V (possibly my favorite Shakespeare play), watch Kenneth Branagh’s great film version, check a history book…or read this one. Cornwell embellishes his character’s backstory, but the historical data is for real. Probably not for the faint of heart though. If Finding Private Ryan, Gladiator or Braveheart made you gag, don’t pick this one up. Medieval warfare was nasty.

Orthodoxy. I’ve read and raved about G.K. Chesterton’s superb book before. But this is a book you re-read…and own multiple copies of. I’ve been coveting this hardback, large print, wide-margin edition for a couple years, so when I spotted it, I went ahead and grabbed the only copy I found in the store. If you haven’t yet read this one, expect adventure, humor, biting dialogue, romance, suspense…and all this in a “theology” book. C.S. Lewis comes the closest, but probably no one will ever match Chesterton’s passionate knack for revealing the bright, terrifying, stunning reality in which we live.

Bought any good books lately?

Cross-posted on arieljvan.com.

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And Aidan and I started practicing our jump shots.

[Honesty compels me to admit this shot was from December '08. Cross-posted on arieljvan.com.]

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After talking about it for weeks I'm finally posting my Top Ten Albums of 2008. Yeah, it's technically a little late...yearly top 10 lists typically appearing at the end of the year in question. But why get hung up on chronology? These are the albums that dominated the Vanderhorst airwaves last year, and will continue to get tons of play. And while I'm not a famous expert music critic, YES--I think it's safe to say that these albums deserve a shot at making your playlists.

How did I finalize this list? By throwing the contenders in an unordered list and then moving them up and down according to their relative merits? That's right, you guessed it. After a few years of this approach, I have it down to a science. Cover art will take you to Amazon where you can fill out your collection while donating about 4% to this blog. We sure appreciate all those dimes.

Here we go.

10. Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie. DCFC haven't released a bad album in almost a decade, and while Narrow Stairs had its slow moments, the highlights ("Grapevine Fires," "No Sunlight") more than atoned.
9. Viva la Vida by Coldplay. Coldplay pulled a remarkable trick, producing a highly anticipated album that satisfied their own expectations as well as those of their international fan base.
8. Dear Science by TV on the Radio. Crackling with energy, this is smart, layered Indie rock at its best.
7. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. Friends Cawley and McCoy absolutely love this album, and I do too--Bon Iver's whispery voice and cathartic lyrics earned this one a lot of play...if not my number one spot.
6. Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend. Clever lyrics, dancy African vibes, and a clear, direct sound. Aidan and Asher want to know, What's not to like?
5. You and Me by The Walkmen. Omnipresent twangy electric guitars and Hamilton Leithauser's twangy voice, seasoned with acoustic variety, resulted in an album that grew and grew on me.

4. Third by Portishead. Described by Lindsay as "weird and trippy," Third probably does fall in those categories, but that's a good thing. This album is carefully textured, mysterious, and sometimes beautiful.

3. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes. Stately acoustic settings and lingering melodies. This self-described "baroque harmonic pop jams" outfit has ridiculous talent.
2. Rook by Shearwater. These sweeping, stripped down songs are poetry set to epic music.

1. Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow. Landing somewhere between Radiohead and Coldplay stylistically, Elbow further established their unique identity with this one, killing us with exceptional hooks and lyrics. Aidan and Lindsay added their accolades, and Elbow gained the popular vote. If you haven't heard "Grounds for Divorce" yet, go play it right now.

Here are the also-rans: Carried to Dust by Calexico, In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy, Limbs And Branches by Jon Foreman, The Rhumb Line by Ra Ra Riot, You Are My Sunshine by Copeland, Perfect Symmetry by Keane. I was tempted to expand the field to fit Copeland and Keane in--that's how close it was.

So, what albums am I missing?

(Cross-posted on arieljvan.com)

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Coffee geek that I am, I grind my beans with a Mazzer Super Jolly (you see 'em coffeeshops), brew my coffee with the ingenious Aeropress, and pull my espresso with a very serviceable Solis SL-70. And since I'm looking for ways to enhance my coffee resume still more, I've played with the idea of roasting my own beans...you know, the green ones you buy online in microbatches from places like Guatamala, Jamaica, Indonesia, etc.

Well, looks like the roasting plan will be put on hold for awhile...at least until we acquire a well-ventilated garage/basement. I just came across this very detailed piece on The (New) Economics of Home Coffee Roasting.

And, as you might already suspect, the number one reason to buy a home roaster is simply to experiment with it--create your own roasts and blends and try not to burn your home down in the process. Fun, but I'll have to come up with a creative way to justify that purchase.

The Coffee Bean Roasting Dream has not been crushed...but it has been deferred for the time being, which means at least until next week.

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I've been learning a little about the Fresh Air Fund lately, and thought their cause is well worth mentioning as Christmas approaches. In essence, the FAF is a non-profit that arranges for low income, inner city NYC kids to enjoy summer vacations in locations outside the city.

Take a look.

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I've been reading Dan Allender's excellent Leading with a Limp and posted some thoughts on leadership, exhaustion, busyness and retirement over at arieljvan.com.

If you haven't checked the book out yet, I highly recommend it.

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So I'm slowly trying to get the blog back on its feet. Here's a shot of Aidan wondering what to do with himself after we packed up the bookshelf he usually marauds. (We're moving December 20.)

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Starting tomorrow (December 4) is the yearly Big 12-Pac 10 Hardwood Challenge, 2008-2009 edition. The prospect of seeing KU, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas kick the snot out of some decent Pac 10 teams was enough to lure me out of temporary blogging retirement. Here's the schedule...

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oklahoma State at Washington
UCLA at Texas
USC at Oklahoma

Friday, December 5, 2008
Arizona at Texas A&M

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Baylor at Washington State
Oregon State at Iowa State

Sunday, December 7, 2008
Kansas State at Oregon
Nebraska at Arizona State
California at Missouri

Outside the four-day series window
Colorado at Stanford (Sat., Nov. 29, 2008)
Kansas at Arizona (Tue., Dec. 23, 2008)
Texas Tech at Stanford (Sun., Dec. 28, 2008)

Yes, I like bragging on the Big 12--but realistically, Colorado, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Kansas State will probably drop their games against Pac 10 foes. The Jayhawks have already waxed Washington in a November match-up, so count that as a go-ahead run in the unofficial tally.

Now, as a warm-up for March I'm going to pick the winners in the upcoming games. Agree or disagree in the comments...

Thursday's winners: Texas over UCLA, Oklahoma over USC, Oklahoma St over Washington.

Friday: Arizona over Texas A&M.

Saturday: Baylor over Washington State, Oregon State over Iowa State

Sunday: Oregon over Kansas St, Arizona St over Nebraska, Missouri over California

Outside the 4-day window: Stanford over Colorado, Kansas over Arizona, Texas Tech over Stanford.

Best game in the series: Texas vs UCLA - two Final Four caliber teams battle it out before the Longhorns' superior depth take over.

Final tally:
Big 12: 7
Pac 10: 5

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