Pieces of a Real Heart
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Sanctus Real Since releasing Say It Loud on Sparrow records Sanctus Real has been a consistent voice is CCM. Hits like "Things Like You (Everyone's Everything)," "I'm Not Alright," and "We Need Each Other" have...
Breaking The Silence EP
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The Letter Black Known as Breaking The Silence, The Letter Black or a Flyleaf/Fireflight re-make, one Tooth and Nail’s newest artists have now provided fans with their first project, Breaking The Silence EP. The band is...
Forget And Not Slow Down
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Relient K Forget And Not Slow Down sis not a Relient K album. Yes, on the side of an album is says ‘Relient K’, but comparing this release to Relient K’s career is difficult. This Relient K uses five new weapons...
On the Cover of another album | Posted March-30-2009
Seventeen years of making music has enabled MxPx to accomplish many different things in their career. One of them was covering eight mainstream songs on their second project in 1995 called On the Cover EP. Most recently, the punk rock band has manufactured On the Cover II, which originates from the original concept of their first cover project even down to an updated version of the album cover photo.
One difference between the two album covers is that the second edition has better quality. However, quality is more than face value for this record, as many of the tracks that MxPx covers resound with cutting edge beats and top notch punk rock. Some of songs that MxPx decided to cover are more often pathetically ridiculous ("Suburban home" rhymes 'home' with 'clone'?) than questionable, although there are some moments of that also. Although we don't see the worst products of bands like the GoGos or the Clash, there might be some head scratching as to why those bands made it on to the disc.
Seeing that the album is a boat load of covers, there are very few surprises, but MxPx does a fine job making things interesting and fresh. The first time the music makes an innovative turn is "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" which features Agent M's (of Tsunami Bomb) vocals, which adds lots of diversity to an already infectious tune. The other significant moment where the music sticks out is an English version of "Linda Linda," where MxPx offers some unexpected Japanese inserts into a relatively ordinary pop song originally done by The Blue Hearts.
Rarely does MxPx take away anything from the original song (with the possible exception being U2's medium rock song "I Will Follow"). Actually in most cases, MxPx improves a song more than just enhancing the quality of the 80's music. "Punk Rock Girl" is drastically improved from the geeky punk tune by Dead Milk Man, and the catchy upbeat punk "Vacation" flows better than its predecessor. The band truly does a spectacular job representing The Proclaimers with the cover of the old school punk tune "(I'm gonna be) 500 miles," and although "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)" isn't quite as good, it's still an infectious song. Unfortunately, with all the stars featured on the finale (Ethan Luck of Relient K and Bryce Avery of Rocket Summer), "Somebody To Love" isn't much of an ear-catcher, even though the piano intro is nice.
Tossing aside more than a few songs which have little or no meaning to their core, there are a few noteworthy lyrics which potential buyers might like to be aware of. It would be interesting to know if the line on "I Will Follow," 'I was blind, I could not see. I was lost, I am found', was a prop for the love song or a tribute to "Amazing Grace." While fans might not get much out of the political statement that "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down" makes, it's worth paying attention to the cover of "Fallen Angel," which shows the unforeseen consequences of leaving family for fame ('Just like a lost soul/Caught up in the Hollywood scene/All the parties and the limousines/Such a good actress hiding all her pain/Trading her memories for fortune and fame').
Sadly, though, On the Cover II does contain a few grey spots, and while fans should keep in mind that MxPx didn't write the lyrics, they did decide to cover the song. The most offensive song is "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" which drops and repeats the line 'When I wake up, well. I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next you' without any marital context. "Punk Rock Girl" features the singer answering 'punk rock girl's' theft of an item with 'you look so wild' and although "Heaven is a Place On Earth" is hopeful, the song's premise is misguided.
It's annoying that MxPx couldn't have cut a song or two to make the album friendlier, but since the goal of On the Cover II seemed be just to have another album that's catchy and loud to sing to in your car without caring about the lyrics, it should go over well.
She may not be Afraid but the album needs a little work | Posted March-25-2009
In a year where albums from Superchic[k], Krystal Meyers, Fireflight, and Brooke Barrettsmith highlighted the girl pop rock it’s easy to overlook someone like Stephanie Smith. One of the bright stars to come out of Gotee Records, Smith’s debut album, Not Afraid, is built off of song about real life experiences that she has faced.
Sadly, to cut to the chase, nothing is new on Not Afraid. Smith plays it safe and enjoys the trail that has already been trail blazed for her. However that is not to say that Stephanie Smith doesn’t deserve any credit as she does put in an admirable amount of work, but she borrows from her peers a little too much. The opening song “beauty” is a fun upbeat pop song that starts off terrifically but steps back when it hits a less smooth chorus. A flaw in the album is that while the stanzas of tracks sound great the chorus doesn’t flow as well as revealed in “waiting on you”. The fun “love out loud” is a upbeat pop song that uses the synth controllably to add an electric spin in the melodies but the electronic twist on “superstar” gives the song an over the top feeling.
All of the songs before mentioned songs are solid but nothing spectacular, but Smith’s vocals rise to meet “renew me” and it’s one of the better girl rock songs. “In my eyes” leaves the big riffs of the opening verse behind for a very solid girl rock tune. Her youthful voice adds emotion to her light pop ballad like piano driven “you alone” but especially in the passionate “what if I made a mistake”. The one song farthest from mediocre is the aptly named ‘bonus’ track “last words”, where the music is brilliantly rolled together using music similar to that of Hawk Nelson’s “one little miracle” and combining it with the emotion of an Natalie Grant smash to complete the epic.
Alas the lyrics for the most part are predictable and almost intentionally borrow from other concepts and songs. The comparison with Jaci Velasquez “love out loud” with Stephanie’s being the most prominent: ‘Love out loud, let your love be your voice (Everybody come on))’ and ‘Listen up (listen up)/Everybody… Love out loud’). Smith’s stress that beauty should be on the inside rather than outside on “beauty” (‘Beauty is in you/You don't have to make it, you don't have to fake it’) is forgivable but the same and even weaker message on “superstar” was inexcusable.
Still admirable themes pop in the form of “waiting on you” as She decides that God’s timetable is the best since he sees ‘more than I do’ while both the title track and “what if I made a mistake” look to God as the only way to take away sin (‘It’s real relentless and it won’t let me go/I can’t fight this, this dirt on my soul’). Some flexibility shows up in the songwriting when Smith lets go of some angst on “in my eyes” but the best song on the album is “first words” which deals with the gripping tale of Stephanie’s broken relationship with her father and forgiveness.
Some diversity would have been appreciated, but it’s easy to see why Stephanie Smith and label stuck to the script. Not afraid might not be a smash pop rock album but it will be interesting what will be on the table the next time around for this talented young woman.
First Look | Posted March-30-2009
The progressive efforts of Falling Up that fans have noticed have originated from heavy rock (with the occasional rap tunes) on their debut disc Crashing to their light alternative latest Fangs. While no one expected a pure rock album from Falling Up, Fangs may take many fans by surprise by the lack of energy displayed.
Songs like “Streams Of Woe At Acheron” and “Goddess Of The Dayspring, Am I” seemed to indicate that the music would be a more organic direction but still draw from the bands very impressive third album, Captiva. However lead singer/songwriter Jessy Ribordy took the album on a very different and, depending on how you look at it, less complex journey which hit it’s lowest spots on “the kings garden” and “Magician Reversed” where the music could be seen as artistic boring or both. Fans of Falling Up are sure to appreciate “Panic and Geo-Primaries” which includes a nice throw back to Captiva, but the change was soft in origin.
One thing that we did know about the album was the lyrical direction was going to take a closer look into the ‘intriguing world of fiction and fantasy’. However the ‘vivid metaphors’ that were supposed to ‘draw poetic parallels to spirituality’ to indicate ‘unquestionably anchored in faith’ of the band was lost in transition thus Fangs has become the most vague Falling Up release.
Fangs isn’t a bad release, in fact it’s rather good but the end result is different than we might have expected. Some changes will generate a new love for bands while other changes might be setbacks rather than leaps ahead.
Freedom | Posted March-30-2009
Mandisa has quickly grown in popularity since her days on American Idol, and the fact that fans are still coming back for more after her debut best selling project True Beauty proves that her early days simply wasn’t a brief craze. Her sophomore album Freedom, centers on that theme; whether freedom from sin, fredom from fear, or, on the more personal note for Mandisa, freedom of weightless.
The album plunges into a pop sound quickly with “my deliverer” with some gospel rolled in to preserve expectations of an inspirational pop/urban sounding CD. And Freedom rarely strays from that genre as it puts up anthems like “freedom song” which is an upbeat hip-hop dance tune that utilizes the choir to give it a southern style. Mandisa’s biggest weapon is putting inspirational music into any style of music; for example “he is with you” is piano fueled adult contemporary/inspirational pop song which tries to be an epic track early and does a fair job. The ballad “Not guilty” secures plenty of emotion for the four and a half minute song.
Freedom doesn’t take musical falls, which is to say that there are no obviously weak songs (except for the upbeat hip hop dance tune, “dance dance dance” which was originally done by MaryMary). Except for “The Definition of Me”, which has the most aggressive urban pop music on the disc along with a daring stanza with Blanca from Group 1 Crew, the album takes no risks which may disappoint some fans as the music is somewhat predictable. Mandisa does take a different approach with “victorious” with its light adult contemporary/hip hop/pop tune but the execution is flawed. The inspirational finale “you wouldn’t cry”, is good if not just a little unsurprising.
Although no one excepts Mandisa to give listeners deep looks into theology she does a fine job of giving fans everlasting truths, even when they have already been covered. Even though “victorious” may not be a new concept, its one that never grows old (‘I want the one that you can't see…Jesus, I want You to be/Living inside of me’) and “The Definition of Me” condemns the fading gems in this world for inward beauty and ‘the truth’. Matthew West’s song writing on “how much” echoes his own song about God’s love: “more” Strong moments arise but there are a few low lyrical spots such as the repetitive worship cover of “dance dance dance” and an originality lacking “freedom song” which borrows from “my chains are gone”. The most disappointing song is “not guilty” where Mandisa awes at forgiveness but fumbles the ball as she makes no mention of those who are guilty.
It’s the lack of risk taking on Freedom which ultimately holds back the album from greatness as both the musical and lyrical sides of the CD rarely emerge from safe territory. But Mandisa’s sophomore project will likely not disappoint fans and will, in fact, probably increase respect for this Christian artist whose American Idol roots grow more obsolete each year.
One of William's Days | Posted March-16-2009
‘It’s just been one of those days’; It’s been a lot of those days for fans of Joy Williams. Fans of the now independent pop singer haven’t had anything new to sing to for nearly four years (excluding ‘Any More Sure’ which was featured on the Best of Joy Williams) but her new EP, One of Those Days, could set the stage for her comeback.
After a few spins it’s hard to picture this Joy Williams putting out hits like “hide” and “we” with her soft pop tunes and natural sounding melodies which may signal a new direction for her music. For example the title track’s upbeat, piano driven, pop sound has a very mature contemporary sound mixed in, meeting Williams’s soft voice very well. “What can I do (but love you)” identifies more with adult contemporary genre than pop as natural piano beat leaves Williams sounding like Leigh Nash. The semi fast paced music doesn’t make the light pop music up tempo “charmed life” but the emotion filled song is heavily influenced by the brilliantly utilized piano and is thoroughly the gem of the album. The weakest song on the four song EP is “I’m going to break your heart” which is uneventful and the repetitive lyrics heavily hang on the music.
Joy William’s exodus from contemporary Christian music resulted partly because of limitations on songwriting. Williams says: ‘I connected with the most was honest and open and broken—and mostly written by the artists themselves’. The lyrics spiritually vague with the exception of “what can I do(but love you)” which takes a very cozy love approach with ‘Lord don’t you know that I love you… what could I do but love you’ and sating that she had someone to hold when it was cold. Williams comments on the stresses of life (‘it’s all going perfectly wrong’) articulating that it’s just “one of those days”, but “charmed life” at it’s core is an empty anthem which says nothing. The most distressing (or artistic depending on how you look at it) song on the album is “I’m going to break your heart” which almost nonchalantly states ‘Just so you know, I’m gonna make a mess’.
The one thing that’s really obvious is how much Joy Williams’s music has bloomed into maturity but at so brief a glimpse into her music it’s hard to tell if this is a definite style. The theme backstage though is the lyrics on One of Those Days EP and her attitude toward life and God. Surely Williams takes a positive outlook on her EP, but her journey to ‘discover a faith that is more my own’ should caution fans to await more lyrics before diving into her comeback.
An encouraging and underrated album | Posted March-13-2009
One of the many noticeable things about Jeremy Riddle’s new album right off the bat is the cover: sitting in front of presumably apartment buildings is a lion and a lamb. This picture clearly represents the latter part of Riddle’s new album title, The Now and Not Yet, where the peace between the animals may come from Isaiah 11:6. But there is a more significant meaning behind the cover: the architect of the hit single “sweetly broken” has broken his silence with his sophomore album.
One of the biggest mistakes a person could make while scouting this CD out is assuming that the song titles portray the depth of Jeremy Riddles album. This could not be farther from the truth. It’s true that the CD does have downfalls musically with “prepare ye the way of the lord”, a pretty weak upbeat worship song which makes Lincoln Brewster look like a master, and the weak ending song “I am redeemer” which is almost as dry as toast. But beyond some other simple and unoriginal praise and worship songs (“as above so below” and “one thing”), there really isn’t that much to complain about considering the probable low expectations on complexity.
Furthermore there are some unexpected highlights which show up and peak with the piano fueled “prayers for the Church”, a surprisingly good, emotional, adult contemporary ballad. The emotion in “The one the only” may lack haunt and a major distinguishing musical component it’s a fine song like guitar driven “one thing” where Riddle’s vocals shine. The most up-tempo song in the album is “joyful noise”, (which is on par with a Lincoln Brewster song) a song which cleverly starts with nothing but Riddles voice before taking the same words and speeding them up.
“Bless His Name”, “Prepare Ye the way of the Lord”, and “surrendering in praise”; with song titles like these a person (the same person) would assume ‘been there done that’, however the messages of The Now and Not Yet are more complex than face value. The singer in “Surrendered in praise” wisely puts his faith in Christ (‘My strength it fails and my courage fades /In my distress I cry aloud to You’), and “the one the only” represents Riddles very passionate and reverent approach to song writing.
Surrender to God is a reoccurring theme on the album with “as above so below” (‘Whom else can we look to' /There is no help but You’) and “to be like you” (‘Broken am I /Full of discord am I /Hungry for change’). Whenever Riddles mentions himself it isn’t a positive as he leaves that for the God of the universe; a God which he yearns to know on “the one thing”: ‘This one thing I much desire /And to this end to never part /A devoted and simple life /A focus of mind and heart… I want to know Jesus’.
The Now and Not Yet is good sophomore album, but one which lacks a wide selection of solid radio singles. And Jeremy Riddle does fall for clichés and runs into lyrical shallowness (“joyful noise”, and “bless his name” among others) but the overall theme of this CD is God is everything, He is worthy to be worshiped, and we are helpless without him. Those are lasting messages that we should never forget.
A good chorus | Posted March-09-2009
Revive owes more to Third Day than a simple thank you for letting them tour with the veteran southern worship band but for helping the band to where they are now: on the verge of putting out their debut with essential records, Chorus of the Saints. Although Revive has been touring in the states since the beginning of the year, it wasn’t long ago Revive was opening for Third Day in Australia in 2006.
Setting the table for this Aussie foursome’s first debut in America is the title track which may start with awkward riffs and a rough tune the chorus is present blend of upbeat pop and medium rock with worship flair. The one song from Trafalgar Street, the bands actual sophomore project from overseas, is “can’t change yesterday” another semi-fast paced medium rock song which follows in the footsteps of “chorus of the saints”. After the first two tracks come the lighter songs but before the album ends Revive revs up the CD with “stay”, an innovative and impressive refreshment from some of the dry songs which occurred earlier.
And speaking of the dry pop/worship tunes, the southern influenced “Don't Look Anywhere Else” has an almost annoying pop sound and while Mac Powell’s vocals show up on “You Know” his vocals don’t make much of an impact for the guitar led ballad. When Revive tries their hand at worship (“power” and “the truth is”) their music tends to be simple, unoriginal, and uneventful. In fact the best on Chorus of the Saints are the more up tempo songs like “promise of tomorrow” and “distant memories” with the lone exception belonging to the soft 80’s sounding ballad “sit with me”.
Not only do the harder songs portray the best side of Revive musically, but they tend to be the strong spots of the album lyrically. If you contrast the words and message of “your all I need” (I lift up my hands and give You it all My life, my heart/my hope it’s all Yours) with “stay” and it’s more in-depth look at God being father for the fatherless (Can’t forget the day you left and never came back home/How can you turn and run from your daughter and sons?.. Love from the heavens that died on a cross /For the fatherless, for the hopeless’) the latter is far more convincing and real.
The album as a whole focuses on glorifying God with the title track (‘Hallelujah our God is faithful!... And see the beauty of your God/Who has never left your side’) leading the way. Although the lyrics may not have very diverse messages, the CD does offer insight into the meaning of life (“wonder why”), contemplating eternity while looking back on our lives when we live (“distant memories”) and not lingering on past mistakes ( “can't change yesterday”). Among some uncomplicated songs “You know” takes a practical look at God’ provision: ‘You keep the sparrow flying in the sky /Why do I question You /The flowers of the field are beautiful /I’m a child in the arms of my Father’.
Overall Chorus of the Saints is a very present release as Revive shows us verity of skills that the band possesses. But there is still room for improvement particularly in making their softer pop songs and guitar driven ballads more eventful. However this is a good start for the Aussie boys and we hope they stay in the states.
Who Will Speak for animals? | Posted April-15-2009
Since And Then There Were None is a relatively new band here are three fun facts about one of Tooth and Nail’s latest artist: 1. the band was once a heavy rock band before converting to techno/dance/pop. 2. They are vegetarians and, as a band, are very vocal about the ‘wrongs’ of killing animals for-gasp!-food! 3. They also are kicking off their musical career with their finely tuned debut Who Speaks for Planet Earth.
For those who heard Code of Ethics CD, Lost in Egypt (which released three weeks before And Then There Were None’s disc), and wanted something more energetic and creative well this is certainly their album. Representing the album’s whole sound is “John Orr the Arsonist” which quickly jumps into a fast paced techno pop/rock tune with plenty of synth and continues throughout the entire song with some sprinkles of punk to help the extremely catchy song. The first half of the CD is strong all the way with the muffled vocals and artistic background music on “Action Is The Anecdote”, the smart use with the piano to help the melancholy sound on “the atmosphere”, and “cloak and dagger” which sports an intense techno sound with an alternative influence.
Although the overall strength of the music is great, the changes made to make the second half of the eleven track CD diverse wasn’t as crisp. The different vocals are distracting and prevent the alterative leaning techno “the Alamo” from becoming an epic it was probably supposed to be. The negative change that encased “right here waiting” is that there was no change as it faded simply to a fun techno punk song and the light sound of “bed of nails” is pretty weak. But the overall potency is high with “insozzz...” and "Reinventing Robert Cohn", wa hich is a tremendously catchy and explosive as it represents the pinnacle of the album and probably where the band will go: more emo rock influenced techo, punk rock and.
The record label held a contest that challenged fans to send the exact lyrics of "Reinventing Robert Cohn" back to Tooth and Nail. Meaning that their electronic music was so fast paced that it’s difficult to pick up what the band is saying much less understand the messages. It would be nice to say “the hospital” means Christ with ‘just ‘say you will take me/and I’ll be happy’ but it’s unlikely when the songs constantly talk about ‘she’. The tale of John Orr’s life as an arsonist, while posing to be a heroic firefighter is detailed in “John Orr the Arsonist” and shares the message of the destruction of pride.
Who will speak for planet earth? Good question, but a better one might be what does the word ‘Earth’ represent? The sinful people of this planet or a planet we must save from global warming and the animal life who are ‘disgustingly’ killed. What the band is passionate about doesn’t really amount up to God and neither do their lyrics. So will fans flock to the infectious techno dance beats and fluff of Who Will Speak for Planet Earth, or will fans simply replay the less-exciting Eleventyseven’s Galactic Conquest over again for the wholesome lyrics.
Happy Napping | Posted February-25-2009
There are times when you listen to an unfamiliar or unpopular album and have no expectations. More often than not a CD lives up to those expectations. But there are times when you get knocked off your horse in awe in the midst of an unknown artist and their spectacular music and lyrics. Although Cool Hand Luke has previously put out four albums, the indie rock band probably doesn’t register very high on the popularity list. Thus their latest album, The Sleeping House, fits perfectly into the latter half of the no expectations category with their outstanding fifth studio effort.
The album starts off with the instrumental “fast asleep” which introduces the next song, “cast your bread”, much better than it begins the album. But when “cast your bread arrives” the artistry of the piano driven alternative rock sticks out right away, which carries well into slightly upbeat chorus and eventually the bridge, which employs an electric guitar to add some diversity (which really isn’t necessary but who are we to complain about the extra spice?). Cool Hand Luke may not fulfill all rock satisfaction but their alterative beats get intense on “buy the truth”; although the song may sound a little too gritty for some before it straightens out near the end. “Falling in love” isn’t a phenomenal alternative rock tune as lead singer Mark Nicks attempts to raise his voice to the level of Jeremy Edwardson of The Myriad and Wes Blaylock of Dais Vail in electric alternative rock chorus that isn’t great. However “The city prevails” is a strong song with its intense, but artistic, ambient rock tune where the piano is used brilliantly, and while “spirit sing” may not have a lot of poise like other alternative bands, it doesn’t lack a solemn haunting tune.
A good portion of The Sleeping House are piano driven which display the best side of Cool Hand Luke. The light rock song, “the mirror”, is a good change of pace considering the previous three tracks and the emotional music sound surrounding the near epic track. “The eye of the storm" starts out a little dry with its fine, but un-complex, instrumental intro but by the time the song ends the ballad is cemented as one of the top songs on the album. Unfortunately some of their softer tracks could have used a little spark like “wonder tour” which has haunt with the melancholy music but could have used a little something extra. The moody and solemn “Incomprehensible Sleep” is an odd song to end the album with (the final track “wide awake” was beautiful but piano driven instrumental) because the sound, which very complex, is has a very alterative sounding melody.
When it comes to song writing and talking about spiritual and Biblical messages there are two prominent styles: one is that God is obviously the center of most every song and the theme is obvious. The other is a more complex, yet vague, way at looking at spiritual matters but avoids coming to grips with a clear confrontation with Jesus Christ in their lyrics. Few bands find a happy medium between the two but Cool Hand Luke’s lyrics are a rare and pleasant exception which captures the struggles of this life while linking them back to God clearly without appearing cheesy. “The eye of the storm” is a very touching song which capturers the pains of loss, God’s faithfulness and the fact that we should make each moment count with people (‘God is good all the time/Even when little girls die’).
Every song is rich with priceless messages about the important of wisdom among the distractions of the city (“the city prevails”), the value of Truth (“buy the truth”), and the longing for God (“the mirror”). Don’t for a second assume that the song writing is simple, but rather Nicks’ song writing is simply well-crafted as “cast your bread”, (among others) offers an artistic but clear view of John 6:35. Taken at face value “wonder tour” is a call to listen to God rather than the world who tries to tell you that you are unloved or money is everything but the story behind the song is a chilling tale about a vile town where the lead singer visited and eventually realized they need salvation to. “Spirit sing” is more complex take on the war between the spirit and the flesh than most other artist’s songs, while “the house” could be a worship song on the radio (‘You made me trust in You/You, O God/I need You’).
The drawbacks of the Sleeping House are all musical—a very rare and positive exception. Minus the instrumental songs, the album is only ten tracks long (although Cool Hand Luke makes the most of every song), a few of their ballads need a little something extra to be completely awesome, and somg of the alternative rock is a little lacking. However overall the music is very satisfying but what are even more satisfying is the outstanding lyrics in every single song which are some of the best that this writer has ever seen. One of the best album of the year, The Sleeping House should end the no expectations of Cool Hand Luke from now on.
They might be Children, but their music is already grown up | Posted February-21-2009
(NOTE: the rating has nothing to do with this review)
Ever wonder how Family Force 5 would sound if they did punk music? I haven’t either, but if they did there is a chance that it might sound like Children 18:3. Although the band doesn’t have quite the same techno influence as Family Force 5 the trio punkers from Minnesota looks scary also. Taking their name from Matthew 18:3 (‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’) this family of rockers takes one of the most energetic authentic punk acts to their self titled debut.
Right off the bat it’s clear that Children 18:3 has something a pretty special going on, or at the very least unique. The first single “you know we are so fond of dying” is low tempo compared to most of the album with its consistent, but repetitive, punk/rock beat which stands on its own. Most of the time David Hostetter has the lead vocals, but with the most notable exception “search warrant” is driven by his sister Lee Marie who generates a Superchic[k] like atmosphere, only on ten cups of coffee. However most of the meat is mad up of songs like “ditches” where the main guitar riffs sound partially like a cat being scorched by a flame thrower and “all of my balloons” a very wild punk song which at times echo’s Last Tuesday on steroids.
It’s pleasant to see fourteen tracks show up on the band’s debut disc but it’s sad to see “Even sleeping”, the fifth song on the CD, top the first thirteen tracks with its 3:16 track length. Song lengths drop as low as 36 seconds on the pointless “balloons reprise” and 53 seconds on “Samantha” the light guitar led ballad. But still Children 18:3 is efficient most of the time pumping out the intense punk/rock “final” which has a very distinct bridge. With the exception to the 80’s punk style “The city” when the music slows down Children 18:3 still retains their poise in their softer punk tunes like “a chance to say goodbye” which has a pleasant pop/punk sound which adds depth to the album.
If only all of Children 18:3’s messages where as easy to figure out their bands name, but other than a few notable exceptions the surface of their first album is an enigma. “Homemade Valentine” ponders the unbelief of the Disciples during Christ’s time in the tomb and “final” takes the stance that to die is to gain (‘Go ahead and show yourself/As you were born to do/Their fathers killed the prophets/Hallelujah! They're going to kill us too’). However “you know we are so fond of dying” has an unclear message but it’s possible the singer is tired of being used for bad proposes as band states ‘Maybe Jesus could take it away’. Among other cryptic songs “Samantha” seems discourage suicide.
But is Children 18:3 point on “LMC” to live life with more urgency or is it complicated with no purpose (‘They're coming/You know you can't run with the death squad shooting’). It probably has purpose but none that easily reveals itself and along with “LCM's” strange theme follows half the album. Nevertheless this is a good start for Children 18:3 and its clear good things are in store of them if they can continue their outstanding extreme punk tunes along with clearer messages.
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