An Album That Definitely Grew On Me | Posted May-14-2010
I didn't like it much at first but now I definitely think quite highly of Falling Up's sophmore release. With great melodic and rock tunes, what's not to love? Not every track is golden but what is golden more than makes up for it.
"Expedition," is definitely a favorite of mine and is one of the strongest tracks on the album. "Fearless," "Flights," and "Cascades" follow a similar formula, and it works.
"Exit Calyspan" is also a highlight of the album, giving some nice rock energy into the mix. "Contact" is a slower ambient tune that has a unique enjoyable quality to it.
Dawn Escapes is definitely a worthy album for Falling Up. I had initial reservations but I love it now.
Sanctus Real Debuts Strongly | Posted May-14-2010
Sanctus Real's national debut was definitely a strong and memorable release. It may not have been the band's strongest effort, but it was still good.
It's easy to enjoy rockers like "Captain's Chair," or the title track. And songs like "Audience of One," and "All I Want," earn their place on your playlist.
The band can slow it down too, with gems like "Hey Wait," and the stripped down "I Love You." The closing track "After Today," also offers a look at the band's slower side while eventually building in intensity as the song progresses.
Stay until the end, there's a comedic little 'hidden' surprise after the last track.
All in all, there is much to love about Sanctus Real's national debut. It isn't their best, and is arguably their least exciting record, but with a band this good, even their least exciting work is still awesome.
Sanctus Real Offers Some Great Rock | Posted May-14-2010
Sanctus Real's national sophmore release shot them into Christian Rock fame, and rightfully so. The album is a nonstop fun ride.
It kicks off with the exciting riffs of the energetic and praising single, "Everything About You" and proceeds to go into hit after hit, with awesome rock songs like "The Fight Song," "Alone," "Things Like You," and "Closer." Sanctus Real really has a winner on their hands.
The rest of the album is great too, providing musical gems like "Change Me," and "The Show," as well as the thought provoking "Deeds." Every song is good, even if not all measure up to the highlights.
It's easy to see why people started to notice Sanctus Real after this album. It was just that good.
A Darker Sanctus Real | Posted May-14-2010
Sanctus Real took a dark turn with this album, which makes the heart theme of the album art a bit ironic. But the darker turn did some great things for their music.
The album opens up on the intense side with "I'm Not Alright," one of the band's most iconic tracks. The song about acknowledging that we're not alright and that's why we need God should be relevant to every Christian and was a great way to kick off the album.
The album continues on with the melodic "Fly," the radio-hit title track, and the rocking "Don't Give Up" about not giving up on a marriage and into divorce.
Other highlights include the catchy hooked "We're Trying" and the passionate "Where We Belong."
"Benjamin" closes the album out on a somber and quieter note. But it's a good track nonetheless.
Some of the tracks in the album's second half do begin to run together, but all in all, the album is very good and earns a worthy place in Sanctus Real's discography.
We're Taking Over The World! | Posted May-14-2010
Skillet returned to a harder rock sound with Alien Youth, and little did listeners know then that it would be Skillet's last album before storming through the musical gates of mainstream and into the household name of Christian rock they are today. They were always popular, but back when this released, the fame wasn't quite as strong as it would later become.
The album begins uniquely with the phrase, "It's beenm confirmed that the aliens have landed," and then the intense rock track kicks off.
Skillet slams into the fierce "Vapor," next before going to "Earth Invasion," which is very similar in theme to the title track.
"You Are My Hope," is Skillet's first slower song on the album and was a CCM radio gem that still gets a lot of airplay.
Intense rockers "Eating Me Away," and fan-favorite "Kill Me, Heal Me" follow. "The Thirst is Taking Over" serves as a slowbuilding track that eventually bursts into an epic finish. It's musically stunning but way too repetitive and overlong. Then, another slower track, "One Real Thing," which is the most rocky of the slower tracks.
I must admit, I am not a big fan of "Stronger" at all so me at least, it was a big miss for Skillet on this album. "Rippin Me Off" is great lyrically with it's militant stand against atheists, but musically it leaves me a little flat.
The album ends with two quiet and worshipful tracks in the form of "Will You Be There" and "Come My Way."
All in all, Skillet did a great job with this release. It isn't nearly as good as their later albums, and a major flaw in many songs is that they are overlong. But this is a great album for Skillet fans to see what Skillet sounded like right before they released the famous Collide and showed the industry what they were really made of. But even without that factor, this album still stands as very good on it's own merits.
Falling Up Makes Some Nice Music | Posted May-14-2010
Captiva is the CD that introduced me and Falling Up and is still my favorite from them. It's got a nice balance between some ambient-sounding music and rock. It definitely makes for a good listening experiences.
I can't make much sense out of the lyrics or many song titles, but a few are easy to read, such as the radio-ready "Maps," offering cries of help to God.
"A Guide To Marine Life," the lead single "Hotel Aquarium," "Goodnight Gravity," and "Good Morning Planetarium, are all among the great rock tracks on the album. But every song is great. "Arch To Archilles," is a great slower song that builds up into a memorable conclusion.
Stellar Debut from Leeland | Posted May-14-2010
Leeland made a name for themselves back in 2006 when they stormed onto the CCM scene with a unique sound and impressive lyrics and melodies written by the then-17-year-old lead singer and band namesake, Leeland Mooring. People were impressed that a mere teenager could write such deep, meaningful, and passionate lyrics.
And just one listen to the album shows any listener why. The album kicks off with the passionate title track singing out praises to God. The awesome songs continue into the upbeat "Reaching," and the memorable "Yes You Have." "Tears of the Saints," is next with a passionate promise to God to bring sinners home.
Those may be the best songs on the album, but the rest of the album is hardly throwaway. Songs like "Can't Stop," and "Hey" are unbelievably catchy. "Carried to the Table" is a slower song but goes out in a nice fashion.
Ultimately, this is a great debut from a great band and definitely among the more memorable debuts in recent CCM history.
Good, But Not As Good As Their Debut | Posted May-14-2010
Leeland's sophmore release was really exciting for me when it came out but over time it lost quite a bit of magic for me. Sure, it's still a great album but it doesn't have the epic feel their debut had.
The album opens with the catchy hit, "Count Me In," but the real gems of the album come in the form of the three following tracks, "Let It Out Now," "Enter This Temple," and the title track.
The rest of the album is filled with hit or miss songs that are either upbeat or reflective. Songs like "Brighter Days" and "Don't Go Away" are catchy and memorable but other tracks are forgettable.
All in all, a good release from Leeland but one not without it's flaws.
A Good Album That Caught My Attention | Posted May-13-2010
I was a bit skeptical about all the hype this album was getting when it was released, and I still don't have the intense praise for it that many seemed to. But, with that said, I think it is definitely a good album and a great step ahead for House of Heroes.
The album dances between PopRock and Rock throughout and it's a pleasant mixture. The sound has a sound reminsicent of recent decades past with a modern tough, in my opinion. But it sounds good.
"If," "Journey Into Space Pt. 1" and "Sooner or Later" are darn catchy PopRock songs that earned their place on my playlist. "By Your Side" is an emotional ballad about brothers both drafted into war. "Lose Control" is a thrilling rock track and among the albums best. "In The Valley of the Dying Sun," "Codename: Raven," and "Field of Daggers," all provide more rock excellence.
Some missteps like "Baby's A Red," keep the album from perfection, but there's not much to complain about here. I don't think it was 2008's album of the year, but I definitely think it is a good release.
An Okay Release But Not Falling Up's Best | Posted May-13-2010
After the wonder that was Captiva, I thought Falling Up's fourth album "Fangs" would be amazing, and when I heard lead single "Streams of Woe At Acheron" and then later "Goddess of Dayspring, Am I," I thought I was going to be right. Unfortunately, I was misled.
Now, don't get me wrong, this album is not BAD. I'd even go as far as to say it's a decent album, definitely interesting and it has many memorable moments on it. But when all is said and done, it's forgettable and I feel that Falling Up could've done a LOT better. The album definitely has it's highlights and all songs have some good moments, but if I were going to recommend an album to somebody to introduce them to Falling Up, I'd direct them to "Captiva" or "Dawn Escapes."
JJFrancesco_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
