Gift of Song: Six Songs for 2013

If I were to choose six songs that made up my 2013 soundtrack, these would be it. I’ve either let them run a million times in my playlist; sang them out in the car, in my living room, or in my shower; or just loved them to bits. Again, you will see how diverse my taste is when it comes to music (though I do lean towards those with folk-y, acoustic-y feels). But I do hope you enjoy these tunes as well.

1. Today (Steve Moakler). Because today is a revival. So send your fear away, let it slip away and listen to this really positive, feel-good song.

2. Blood and My Bones (Elenowen). I told you I lean towards folk music.

3. Love Like This (The Likes of Us). If I could be born into another era, I’d want to be born into the age of flappers and cool, jazz sounds. But since I’m living in 2013, I’m just going to listen to The Likes of Us’ self-titled album. And I’d listen to this song. Because a love like this comes only once in a lifetime, once every thousand years.

4. Keep Hope Alive (Jason Yost Band). I listened to this song a lot when I was in Bali. You just gotta keep hope alive.

5. 10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman). Ahh, the ICPM Takeaway. Am I still singing like never before?

6. Oceans (by Hillsong United). Hillsong surprised me with their Zion album. Surprised me in a good way. I loved every song but this one has to be my favorite. It speaks so much about what I’m going through now. And so I will call upon His name. I will keep my eyes above the waves. Because I am His. And He is mine.

Those are my 2013 songs. I’m excited for the new songs I’ll be singing this 2014!

via https://mariscribbles.com/2013/12/11/gifts/

Thoughts on Elenowen

It’s called ‘chemistry’, an elusive quality that can be part history, part mystery and all intangible until the moment that you feel it. It’s a meant-to-be melding of the emotional and creative that can happen between songwriters, performers, best friends or life partners. For Josh and Nicole Johnson – the duo Elenowen – that connection is all of the above and much more. And on their self-titled EP, the chemistry they share is as rare – and real – as it gets.

via http://noisetrade.com/elenowen/elenowen

And we are back with our weekly “Thoughts on…” segment. This week, we shall be featuring Elenowena husband-and-wife musical duo from Nashville, Tennessee.

Image from http://noisetrade.com/elenowen/elenowen
Source: http://noisetrade.com/elenowen/elenowen

Listening to the couple’s self-titled EP is like soaring high above mountaintops. It’s like flying through lush green forests; like going on an enchanting journey filled with ethereal harmonies. Though composed of just five songs (five songs do not seem enough!) the Elenowen EP something that I can listen to over and over and over again.

Some snippets:

  1. Flying for the First Time – “I’m driftin’ / Closer toward the skyline / Lookin’ down on my life / Tryin’ to get just one thing right / The second I start second guessing / Let go like a confession / Seeing what I was born to find / Flying for the first time”
  2. Blood & Bones – “My heart, was hiding in a cage / Keep it far away from anything that would shake it / Oh fear, it was my closest friend / It would paralyze me everytime that I started tryin’ / That’s where you came in”
  3. Head to My Heart – “Bring me back / Strong and sweet / Make the dream my reality / Lead me to my heart / Lead me to the beauty that will never fade / I will long to feel its true embrace”
  4. We Were Better Off – “We were better off when we were little children / When our faith came as easy as breathing / When we dreamed we could fly / Hope was shining in our eyes / We were better off when we were little children”
  5. Bittersweet – “Your lips taste like honey / Your kiss burns like salt / Your touch feels so foreign / Your love is like home”

Blood & Bones and Head to My Heart are my personal favourites. I tried doing a cover of the former, but it just wouldn’t do without a second half of a duo. So I’ll just leave with you the couple’s official YT video (oh, the rhymes).

Oh to find, be with, and even sing with that person you can call your blood and bones. :)

You can read more information about Elenowen here.