Music Monday: Family edition

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I’m resurrecting the Music Monday feature with some rather cool news: Russ Taff’s new album, Faroe Islands, was nominated to three Dove Awards the other day. What’s cool about that, I hear you ask? Well, it was co-produced by my brother, Jákup Zachariassen. Additional producing credits go to my second cousin Óli Poulsen. If anyone meets them at the award ceremony in April, tell them you know me and they’ll give you a special hug or something.

I’m a proud little brother, that’s for sure. It’s a really good album and rightly deserves the recognition.

The song I’ve listened to the most on the album is above. It’s one of my absolute favourite hymns, “Day By Day”, by Swedish Lina Sandell. You can read the lyrics below. As fittingly underlined by the minor chord melody, it’s one of those bittersweet, but ultimately hopeful hymns pietistic Lutherans are so good at writing. You can hear how it was born out of difficult circumstances. Only broken hearts can write so tenderly. It’s almost an OT-style lament in that sense. There’s something special about hearing such a quintessentially American voice like Russ’s sing the song, especially given it’s very Nordic production.

Oh, and that guitar solo? That’s my brother. Best slide player I know.

1. Day by day, and with each passing moment,[break]
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;[break]
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,[break]
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.[break]
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure[break]
Gives unto each day what He deems best[break]
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,[break]
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

2. Ev’ry day the Lord Himself is near me[break]
With a special mercy for each hour;[break]
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,[break]
He whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r;[break]
The protection of His child and treasure[break]
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;[break]
“As your days, your strength shall be in measure,”[break]
This the pledge to me He made.

3. Help me then in ev’ry tribulation[break]
So to trust Your promises, O Lord,[break]
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation[break]
Offered me within Your holy Word.[break]
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,[break]
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,[break]
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,[break]
Till I reach the promised land.