A lot of things have been said about music. For example:
"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy." - Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music is well said to be the speech of angels." - Thomas Carlyle
"Music is Love in search of a word." - Sidney Lanier
"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland." - Woody Allen

But how about the idea that God is like a song that we are called to play along with and in tune with?

When the folks over at Nooma were making a short film called Rhythm, that is the very point they were making. But they of course didn't just say it, they went so far as to give you a song to hum along with while considering this.

And where did they find a song that could stand up the test of being compared to The Tune we are called to know and play along with?

I was looking at a human body, a woman sliced in cross-sections no more than an inch thick and pressed between glass so that curious people like me could see their insides up close and personal, learn how it all stacks up. This, of course, is expensive but standard science, like drilling into glaciers or carbon dating. You can tell the age of a tree by counting its rings, but first you have to cut the tree down. These sorts of experiments are irreparable, we call it knowledge. If cut or broken, even if just bruised, the human body can only heal during sleep. This is because rebuilding takes so much energy and such incredible concentration-much like forgetting. My friends who have had children cannot remember the pain of giving birth. When they talk about it, their eyes go wide as if to say Isn't it a miracle?

What does love do? Better yet, what does love "do" to us? Recently, the majority of U2's attention does not revolve around their music, but rather as a result of their relentless participation in social causes. Bono's celebrity label has practically shifted from "lead singer" to Africa's biggest fan, advocate, and poverty combatant. (Visit: One.org and MakePovertyHistory.org ) In addition, The Edge has put the majority of his time and energy lately into rebuilding New Orlean's musical culture through his MusicRising organization.

The "Window in the Skies" music video was released in December of last year in conjunction with the U218 Singles album. (And featured in our favorites of 2006 write-up). Though the initial fascination with this video lies with whoever sorted through the immense amount of stock footage used, there seems to be something transcendent left to experience with this short piece.

There are many clues that the film Once is an unconventional storytelling medium, but let’s start at the end. The credits-mercifully short- at the end of the film come very quickly to songwriting and performing credit. Lo and behold the actors and performers are one and the same. More incredibly, the actors, performers, and songwriters are one and the same. This tidbit is relevant because Once is essentially a film about music. Critics have had an understandably difficult time attempting to categorize a film that is so musical but that is most certainly not a “musical.”