One can easily argue that the 2000s were the peak of Christian rock. There were boatloads of artists both popular and obscure at just about every end of the rock spectrum. Falling Up was a unique outfit. Starting as another rock/rap hybrid from Tooth & Nail Records in the mid 2000s, they slowly evolved into a Sci-Fi rock outfit with story-based lyrics that veered closer to an Indie Science Fiction epic soundtrack than standard rock songs. The band called it quits a few times but always seems to rise from the ashes. Now they're back (sort of), rebranded as The Chilling Alpine Adventure (which some might remember as a song from their album, Fangs!) with a new full-length album. To celebrate, I'm taking a look at some of my favorite songs of theirs through the years from each of their main albums.
Crashings - "Broken Heart"
To hear Falling Up as they'd ultimately become, going back to this first single is almost surreal. While Jesse Ribordy's haunting vocals and signature melodic style make this unmistakingly Falling Up, this style is so much more direct and familiar to Christian rock styles than their later ambiguous Sci-Fi stylings. The song is a direct prayer that name drops Jesus to "deliver me from broken love." It's an effective rock song that stands as a highlight of the era, with only hints of the artistic twists that were to come in the band's career.
Dawn Escapes - "Exhibitions"
The experimental influences get dialed up considerably on the band's sophomore album. While the lyrics got more abstract and metaphorical, that just made them all the more rewarding when one could properly interpret just what these increasingly science fiction influenced lyrics meant. This song in particular was an album highlight. With an epic piano intro, the song explodes into an anthemic arena rocker. The song seems to speak of the healing power of the Blood of Christ.
Captiva - "Hotel Aquarium"
"The lesson in breathing is never using control." This was a big hit for the band on Christian rock radio. The song's got an epic rock feel to it and encouraging lyrics about the hope and revitalization Christ can bring to us. The Captiva album sees the band leaning further into their more mysterious inclinations, and produced many engaging rock songs that required a deeper dive lyrically. It was one of my first rock albums and my official introduction to the band.
Fangs! - "Streams of Woe at Acheron"
Fangs! took the band's sci-fi lyricism to the next level with a full fledged story album. (Not even a concept album but a soundtrack to the first part of a whole story written by frontman Jesse Ribordy.) This would be the band's last album signed to a label, with this song as their last charting on Christian Rock radio charts. It was a soaring and dynamic epic song, with cryptic lyrics that would be hard to interpret outside of the plot. Still, there was something so captivating about the execution that you can't help but be drawn in.
Your Sparkling Death Cometh - "Circadian"
Your Sparkling Death Cometh was the last time Falling Up returned from being ended to gift us with more music. Blending the sci-fi concept album story of Fangs! with more traditional rock song structures, this album was a treat that offered fans some of the band's strongest work yet. Cinematic opener "Circadian" always stood as one of my favorite rock songs. With a slow-building intro that explodes into an epic rock track, this song is the best of everything Falling Up excels at. Falling Up always rewards listeners who invest more in a song than just passive listens, both with intricate musical details and their vague and cryptic sci-fi stories that point to profound theological truths.
Hours - "In Echoes Forever"
Another album, another epic rock track standout, and even more cryptic story-based lyrics. Once again, Falling Up cannot truly be enjoyed by the casual listener. Sure, the songs are musically great on the surface, but there's such a deep and rich story and lyrical truth in this poetry that you truly need to invest in this to appreciate it. Epic guitar lines and beautiful rock harmonies make the songs beauty, but it's Ribordy's unmatched and mysterious lyricism that makes Falling Up a treasure. With ties to other songs in their discography, this song like so many others rewards listeners paying attention.
Midnight on Earthship - "Greying Morning"
Midnight on Earthship was released alongside the Hours album, and served as a softer and more reflective companion to the more electronic rock stylings of the latter. (Both together made up the Machine De Ella Project.) "Greying Morning" is one of the more memorable cuts on the album, speaking of the human desire to find love that can only be found in Christ. The song's quiet hopefulness tinged with melancholy makes for an effective and emotional track.
Falling Up - "The Woodworker"
With a chime-driven hook, this was one of my favorites from Falling Up's self-titled final (at least, at the time) album. The song takes on an almost lullaby-anthem like quality that manages to be both anthemic and gentle. Enigmatic and cryptic lyrics have become Falling Up's signature, by this point. It's easy to write songs like this off as beautiful and elegant nonsense. And yet, beneath the mysterious poetry lies both a story and an allegory on faith and grace.
The Chilling Alpine Adventure - "Tall Grass In The Lobby"
Jesse Ribordy has released some tracks since the end of Falling Up, but this is the first full fledged "return." In an interesting choice to release this both as Falling Up and as The Chilling Alpine Adventure, this album takes the listener deeper into the mysterious science fiction universe from the mind of Ribordy. Billed sort of as a bridge to a new project, the album is still unmistakingly a Falling Up project. While the driving guitar rock of albums past makes few appearances, the etheral electronic soundscape is back and as entrancing as ever. These songs don't immediately strike me as being as accessible as albums passed (if Falling Up could ever be accused of being accessible), but songs like "Tall Grass In the Lobby" remind me of the melodic genius Ribordy is capable of. Here's to whatever lies next.
I suppose the hard-to-follow story and vague lyrics might make some question whether or not such theological heft wouldn't be better delivered in a more straightforward manner. There's a conversation to be had there. But like some of the greatest art in our history, sometimes the allegorical can make the theology all the more appreciated than spoonfeeding easy turns of phrase. Tolkien and Lewis are remembered for the rich worlds they built that taught us deeper truths. Even Jesus spoke in parables. I think that's what makes truly good art. Art where there is so much more going on than what it seems on the surface, and how even amidst something that seems chaotic and disordered, there actually is a very real and profound theological truth. And this is why Falling Up will always remain a treasured part of my A-tier of Christian rock.
J.J. Francesco is a longtime contributor to the NRT Staff. He's published the novel 'Because of Austin' and regularly seeks new ways to engage faith, life, and community. His new novel, 'When Miracles Can Dream,' is out NOW!
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