I cannot stop listening to this album by Mute Math! I am SO thankful, however, that I didn’t ever win on my more-than-twenty-dollar bids on eBay for this album before it was available on their website (www.mutemath.com)! The day I finally gave up bidding on the last-available CD on eBay was the day they released the album on their website for sale! They had previously ONLY been selling the album at their sold-out shows in towns too far away from ‘ol Warsaw! So, some smarty-pants Mute Math fans bought a “few extra” and put ’em up on eBay and sold them for over $30/each! Way to go Mute Math fan!

Anyways – the album is incredible.

First – the sound. Mute Math is so distinctive in their own way that I cannot explain what they sound like – though you can hear a few of their tracks on their website. Their website, by the way, sadly redirects to their MySpace account which is pretty lame for a band like this!

Second – their lyrics. Incredible lyrics surround this album (again)! Their EP release also had VERY Christ-focused lyrics and that has always pleased me about ANY band that professes their Faith in Christ.

Third – the album artwork. This is BY FAR one of the best CD cases I have ever had my hands on. With this new-age of buying music on iTunes, I would have missed out on this artistic representation of an artistic band if I would have been able to buy the album on iTunes – thankfully I couldn’t and I got my hands on some great visual art as well as musical art with this album!

I seriously have NOT stopped playing this album on my computers and in the car since it came in the mail early last week!

If you’re interested – check out the website and get this album ASAP!

Our old friend Michael W. Smith makes his debut as an actor in Steve Taylor’s “The Second Chance” – a movie about two pastors from two backgrounds who find themselves working together to serve the Church (capital “C”).

I was surprised tonight to find the PG-13 rating for “The Second Chance”. Reading “Plugged In’s” review of the movie showed that there ARE at least 12 vulgarities uttered during the movie and plenty of drug reference to get the PG-13 rating.

Steve Taylor – one of Contemporary Christian Music’s “shotguns”. He never really conformed to the “right” way of doing CCM and made a lot of Christians uncomfortable with his satire and over-emphasis on some of the negative sides of Christianity in today’s culture. This movie is DEFINITELY right up Steve Taylor’s alley with the over-emphasis of the mega-church mentality being a bit too concerned about money and too unconcerned about ministering to the needy (in this case the urban culture).

I enjoyed the movie – even with it’s cheesy-parts and at-times mediocre acting. I think it will give Christians something to think about in their OWN view of ministry and the church.

If it’s playing in your neighborhood – or closeby, check it out and have your own opinion!