U2 has released two eps over the last few weeks, with the first dropping on Ash Wednesday (titled Songs of Ash) and the second on Good Friday (titled Easter Lily). The albums are quite different from one another, with the second being the catchier of the two (for me, at least). There’s more of a political undercurrent to the albums. There’s also a lot of religious imagery (definitely true for the second release). The second song on Easter Lily, “In a Life,” is an interesting song about friendship. From the band’s recent Propaganda magazine release:
It’s about friendship and while we accept how absurd it is to talk about faith and friendship in such nihilistic times, we are unrepentant … this is emotionally direct which for some will be uncool.
Here’s the song: the video is fine, the song is great.
I’ll likely share one more song tomorrow or later in the week. Both eps are worth a listen. They represent an interesting “return to form” while also adding some solid songs to an already impressive setlist.
I’ve been turning my attention to two books this break. First is Nonesuch by Francis Spufford. Spufford is a British writer best known for Unapologetic and The Boy That Books Built. Those two books are non-fiction, but most of his recent output (including Nonesuch) has been fiction. Nonesuch is a great read: lots of world-building, though not in a traditional genre-fiction way. Set in World War II, the story has been slower than normal but fascinating in its own way. Beyond that, my bus-time reading has been Henri Nouwen’s The Genesee Diary. Nouwen wrote the journal over a seven-month period at a Trappist monastery. If memory serves, I bought the book a few years ago at Laity Lodge and got through the first three chapters before putting it aside. (The only real evidence I have for this is the presence of a prayer bookmark with the Laity Lodge logo on it.). It’s been an encouraging read, particularly when he mentions the spiritual direction he received while there.
The movie of the moment is Project Hail Mary. I read the book when it first dropped a few years ago (I loved The Martian but then skipped Artemis for some reason). In many ways, PHM is the perfect movie. As always, though, the book is better. I did see it in IMAX, though I’d suggest that any big theater screen with decent sound will do. It’s very much an “experience it with a crowd” kind of movie, especially when the loud scenes go silent and you’re (almost literally) left floating there together. This looks to be the last big movie for a while.
Space Enough, and Time 