A Solid Album | Posted June-05-2010
It took me awhile but I am won over to Decyfer Down's sound after hearing them on The Awake and Alive Tour with Skillet. Many accuse their sound of not being original enough, and perhaps that's true, but I still think it is overall enjoyable.
The album may suffer lyrically in places like with "Ride With Me" but some efforts like "Best I Can" are commendable.
Sound-wise, there is a lot to love in terms of rock. "Crash," "Desperate," "Fading," "Wasting Away," are all good highlight rock tracks. And the aforementioned "Best I Can," "Moving On," and "Forever With You" work as the album's slower tracks.
"Ride With Me," and "Over My Head" aren't quite as memorable but are still enjoyable rock tracks.
"The Life" is the only song I don't really get into. It isn't bad exactly, it just isn't really memorable when compared to the rest of the album.
All in all, Crash is a solid effort from Decyfer Down. It isn't a contender for the Greatest anything, and it likely won't be remembered as Decyfer Down's best effort assuming they continue to produce more solid music in the years to come, but for what it is, it is good.
Awesome, Absolutely Awesome | Posted May-22-2010
Arguing With Idiots is arguably a sequel to An Inconvenient Book. Fans of that book will instantly recognize the quirky style in which the book is written: comedic takes on political issues with lots of humorously distracting pictures, charts, and cartoons to give the book that unique feel.
This book isn't going to be the most professionally written political commentary ever. But that doesn't make it any less thought provoking or interesting. It's an excellent read and helps to truly articulate arguments against the left in this country.
All in all, I love it and recommend it to any open minded conservative who isn't afraid to get a little entertainment in with their enlightenment.
Downright Funny | Posted May-22-2010
Glenn Beck brings a humor to the political world that only he can deliver, while at the same time, still provoking thought about many of the country's current issues.
"An Inconvenient Book," a spoof title of Al Gore's "An Convenient Truth," shows the many issues with our liberal and politically correct culture, and offers some(often comedic) solutions.
Now, not every chapter is about politics. Some are just about funny things like watching movies with your wife.
But ultimately, the book is a hilarious read. And don't expect a typical book. This book has lots of humorous pictures and cartoons which some may feel detracts from the read, and maybe it does. But it creates such a unique and upbeat feel that many readers won't care.
All in all, Beck delivers again with a funny and interesting, and thought provoking take on America.
True Blue | Posted May-16-2010
Manic Drive's Blue is an interesting release. It's not exactly a re-release of their previous album Reset and Rewind. But it uses 8 of those songs, one of which is slightly altered from that version(more on that in a minute). It also has 4 new songs.
But Blue is an album that is taking the band to new heights due to better distribution. And that's definitely a good thing as it's a strong, if imperfect, album.
The album opens up with a catchy stringed intro that erupts into the rocking "Music." The mix of strings and a technoish sound is a unique and satisfying experience. The electric "Walls" follows next, and then the title track, which is the track I mentioned earlier as being altered from it's Reset and Rewind version. The former version has Kevin Max singing backup but this time around, they got the lead singer of Storyside:B, Lu Rubino, to do it. Other than that, the song is unchanged and Rubino backs up the vocals nicely.
The ballad "Closer" follows next and has a piano-driven hook that easily makes it an album highlight.
Other highlights include the Reset and Rewind hit "Eleven Regrets" and the final new track for this album, "Rain."
The rest of the albums is hit or miss. "Hope," "December Mourning," and "Change" are good but fall short of the quality of the aforementioned highlights.
"Dancefloor" did nothing for me and "NYC Gangsters" just wasn't for me. But I could see how they'd be popular as well.
All in all, this is a good release from Manic Drive and quality I hope they build on with their next release.
Awesome EP | Posted May-16-2010
This EP released by the band afterEight just before they became Capital Lights is kind of a bridge sound between their screamo full length release and their poppy debut as Capital Lights. 2 of the tracks from the latter are actually on this EP in an earlier version.
This EP offers a nice rock sound that's a bit more intense than what the band offered as Capital Lights. "Spreading Rumors in the South" and "Now You Can Show So Show Up" are nice rock tracks that got you moving. The EP closed with the memorable and album highlight "Can I Get An Amen?" (Which was included on a Japanese version of the Capital Lights debut I believe.)
This album is a nice treat if you can somehow find it. The rock is good and it's interesting to hear what the poppy rock Capital Lights sounds up with the energy amped up a bit.
Downhere's National Debut is Amazing | Posted May-16-2010
Downhere first entered the national scene in 2001 with their self-titled national debut. Little did we know at the time the great music the band would make in their later years. But this release isn't by any means bad at all. It's actually quite AMAZING, just not as amazing as their later work.
The album opens up with the catchy rocker "Larger Than Life" which is followed up nicely by "Free Me Up." "Protest To Praise" also offers more great rock later in the album.
"Raincoat" and it's catchy harmonica is bound to remind you of something from decades past, but it's good.
Jason Germain is much more prominent on this album than in subsequent albums. With calming gems like "Great Are You" or "Calmer of the Storm" in addition to some upbeat light rockers "Making Me" and "Breathing In," he provides some great tracks for this album.
Marc and Jason's vocals are so different yet blend together so nicely.
The final track is a hidden track called "Rockstars Need Money," which has become pretty famous from the band, and is still popular with their fans. It is a song that every band could relate to. It's a funny song but well done.
Ultimately, there is a lot to love about Downhere's debut. Listening to this isn't just some nostalgic "let's see what they sounded like back then" type of thing you do with many other bands. Sure, they sound a little different now than they did here, but you aren't just listening to this to see the band in their early years. This still is really darn good music and well worth listening to even if it was the only thing the band ever did(which it thankfully was not). So if you like Downhere, or CCM music in general(in which case, why aren't you Downhere's biggest fan already?), track this down and enjoy the musical greatness it contains.
Strong Release By Downhere | Posted May-16-2010
Downhere's sophomore release saw them taking their sound in a slightly rockier edge than their national debut, more reflective of their live show.
As a result, Marc Martel does most of the singing on this album, but Jason still offers a few great numbers, however, even his are slightly more edgy than one would expect from listening to his more famous hits.
On to the songs themselves, they are just plain good. "What It's Like" opens up the album with an upbeat hook that leads to a stellar song which is definitely an album highlight. The rock goodness continues for songs like "Stone," "Breaking Me Down," and "Comatose."
Jason Germain's songs are the upbeat "Starspin,"(which has a stunning and relaxing outro) and "In America." He also writes the slower hidden track, "Home," which is so good, you wonder why it is hidden at all(seeing as it's not silly like the hidden track from their debut).
Marc Martel also slows down for some ballads such as the moving "Iliad" or the closer(minus the hidden track) "Last Night's Daydream."
All in all, this is a solid and enjoyable sophomore release from Downhere. It wasn't the best they'd ever put out but it was pretty great in it's own right.
Skillet's Rebirth Makes For An Epic Release | Posted May-16-2010
Skillet took the Christian rock scene by storm in 2006 with their landmark release, Comatose. Forget any adjectives you had used to describe them previously, they blew them all away from the first notes of the amazing album.
Collide had gotten them some well-deserved attention, but Comatose built on that base and launch Skillet higher still.
From the opening orchestrated notes of "Rebirthing," the listener knows that this is something special and that feeling continues throughout every song. As you listen, you wonder when the 'bad' or 'filler' tracks are coming. Cause when one great track ends, another begins. It's like a Greatest Hits collection, only it isn't.
"The Last Night," the title track, "Those Nights, "Whispers in the Dark," all of these and more create splendid musical variety. These tunes will be stuck in your head for a long time.
The orchestrated stringed music mixes well with the crunching and intense riffs of hard rock music. Skillet has bypassed good rock music and landed well in the Unforgettable Musical Experience(yes I said experience) territory.
So if you like hard rock and haven't picked this one up yet(it's been years now, what are you waiting for?), DO IT! This isn't just something to pass the time, this here is MUSIC! Amazing, unbelievable, epic, MUSIC!
One of the Best and Most Unrecognized Albums Ever! | Posted May-16-2010
Seriously, this album is great from start to finish. Every song is amazing and memorable. Every note and lyric has meaning. Why this album didn't make Downhere the next Household Name in Christian music is a mystery to me.
From the opening upbeat riffs of "The More," to the amazing piano driven ballad on how deep God's love for us is, "A Better Way," to the standout "Dying To Know You," to the rocking "Stir" or uplifting "Little is Much," to the thought provoking lyrics of "The Real Jesus" or the worshipful "Remember Me," to the nostalgic feeling "1000 Miles Apart," to the rousing finale "I Miss You Here." All of this tracks and everything else are just plain amazing. Downhere has crafted an amazing album, one of the best of the year when it was released, and in retrospect, one of the best of the entire decade, maybe even of all time.
It may not have been the most legendary in the industry, nor broken any sales records or brought Downhere into prominent status. It may not have gone Gold or led to No. 1 singles, but as you listen to each and every note, you'll wonder why the heck not. It's THAT good and even if the industry as a whole didn't take much notice, that doesn't mean this still isn't one of the best records to come out of the Christian Music industry in a long time.
Brilliant PopRock Effort | Posted May-14-2010
Capitial Lights may not have been around long, but they definitely left a strong impression during their short stay in the industry. This Is An Outrage was one of 2008's standout Christian rock releases and will definitely be memorable for a long time.
From the opening intro of "Outrage" and the closing notes of "Frank Morris," this album is just one good track after another. The catchy "Out of Control," the aforementioned "Outrage," and "Work-it-Out" are only some of the many standout tracks on this album. "Mile Away" is a brilliant pop effort that gets you singing along in no time, and "Return" is a blatantly spiritual song about the end times that is perfect for radio.
Some tracks may run together a bit but all in all, there is a lot to love about Capital Light's debut, definitely enough to make one lament the fact that they didn't put out at least one more album.
JJFrancesco_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
