Bible Verses from The Life of the World To Come

09 Sep 2009, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Music, Playground, 1 Comments

John Darnielle has never been easy to read. But his latest album, The Life of the World to Come, is a bit surprising. In my superficial early listenings to the album (not the leaked version, but the real version), it sounds like a Mountain Goats album–which is certainly a good thing. All 12 tracks are Bible verses. That is, they are the passage citations of Bible verses. In light of this recent interview (sample quote, “One way you can get really close to God is to sin as hard as you can.”), I decided to investigate what each verse said, turning to the King James edition (bible.com version–who doesn’t love the Internet? ) of the good book for answers.

1. 1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
2. Psalms 40:2 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”
3. Genesis 3:23 “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.”
4. Philippians 3:20-21 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
5. Hebrews 11:40 “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
6. Genesis 30:3 “ And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.”
7. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
8. 1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
9. Matthew 25:21 “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
10. Deuteronomy 2:10 “The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;”
11. Isaiah 45:23 “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
12. Ezekiel 7

Durham Is So Hip.

13 Jul 2009, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Durham, Music, Playground, 0 Comments

(Via my friend, via her other friend) Back when Jamie Stewart played a Xiu Xiu show at the Coffeehouse, John Darnielle was in attendance, and it was great. Now, the two Durham denizens are popping up on Flickr, spending summer evenings on swinging benches. Check out the photo here.

Darnielle/Vanderslice EP available at Chaz's

17 Apr 2009, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Music, Playground, 0 Comments

John Darnielle and John Vanderslice have wrapped up their Gone Primitive tour, which made a stop at the Duke Coffeehouse a few weeks ago. At said show, they played some selections from their joint vinyl-only EP Moon Colony Bloodbath but no copies were available at that point in the tour.

Well, the record was made, and Pitchfork is reporting that all remaining copies of the album will be sold at Vanderslice solo shows (there’s a relatively newly announced one at Local 506 June 17), through Beggar’s Group and at Chaz’s Bull City Records. Since tomorrow is Record Store Day, why not support one of Durham’s finest musicians at its best record shop?

LIVE: John Darnielle at the Coffeehouse

20 Mar 2009, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Concert, Playground, Review, 1 Comments

John Darnielle. Courtesy The Varsity.

Part of me thinks John Darnielle is a really complex guy and part of me thinks he should be pretty easy to read. I’m not really sure if either is true, but I’m pretty sure there’s no one else like him, and his show at the Duke Coffeehouse last night certainly proved that point.

Darnielle played a lengthy set that included newer, older and never-before-heard songs to a capacity crowd at the Coffeehouse. Per usual, the show was interspersed with banter from the songwriter, much of it mocking his older material and highlighting his eccentricities as a person.

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TONIGHT: Vanderslice and Darnielle at Duke Coffeehouse

19 Mar 2009, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Concert, Playground, 0 Comments

San Francisco-based John Vanderslice and hometown boy/the only constant Mountain Goat John Darnielle will play the second show of their 13-city Gone Primitive tour tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse. Doors are at 9, the show is at 9:30. Unlike most Coffeehouse shows, there were pre-sale tickets but there are still tickets available at the door ($12 Duke students, $15 general). Check today’s recess for Kevin Lincoln’s preview of the show.