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...
Ruth is out of Hibernation | Posted October-29-2008
Anorak: A heavy hooded jacket. That definition is probably not the one Ruth had in mind while naming their sophomore project but it is probably a reference a person who has an unfathomable interest in something, and feels compelled to talk at length about it. But leaving the title behind good things are expected from the band who gave us the single “cross this line” and a very successful debut Secondhand Dreaming.
Modern pop/rock is a good start on the way to classify Ruth’s music but a comparison to Switchfoot is far more helpful and accurate. The opening song “Hibernation Pieces” has a light pop rock chorus which is very reminiscent of Switchfoot and lead singer Dustin Matthew Ruth’s vocals sound like a softer version of Jon Forman’s voice. Also there are songs that sound like the Afters like the melancholy “Who I Was and Who I Am” and light electric sounding pop tune “Hearts On Sleeves”. “Rolling with the punches” has a catchy tune to go along with a very infectious chorus that has a punk hint to it.
Fans of Switchfoot will love the older school light rock “pure concept” where the bridge sounds uncanny like Switchfoot while the acoustic “Miracle Photo” sounds very much like Jon Forman’s solo EPs. Nevertheless it’s originality that grabs fans to Switchfoot and the same is true about Ruth. “dead giveaway” is a nice smooth light rock tune with a great guitar and a violin; the song also changes tune to add more boost to the final track. The one epic song is “Nothing to hide”, which is a great emotional rock song.
Making a case that the album title, Anorak is about the heavy hooded jacket is the first song “hibernation” which is a longing for God (‘Oh and I've been thinking this year maybe ill be something better/Maybe I'll lose some of this selfish skin…But I don’t mind these changes that time and age might bring us/As long as it brings me closer to you’) and along the same lines "Who I Was And Who I Am" has lyrics about the putting off the old man for the new in Ephesians 4:22-24.
Of course on the other end of the spectrum is “back to five” which the singer spends all of its time lamenting the decision to take his career for God ‘Now I'm stuck here in the Midwest./Try and remember all the things I love/And I'm thinking bout a girl back home/But I know I'm not our here alone’. In “pure concept” the singer’s journey to be pure results in his asking God to ‘Please search my heart make it new’. Ruth does not spend all of their time singing about God as their themes vary from wanting to remember the good things "Miracle Photo" to wanting to love their significant other the right way.
While the light rock tunes are enjoyable and, in a way, original, they are not terribly complex. Throwing in the fact that some of the tune are short some fans may be disappointed and want more. However, very fun lyrics and positive messages propels Ruth, leaving Anorak a great way to enjoy a lazy afternoon.
Deluxe Edition left the 'Deluxe' part behind | Posted October-22-2008
Before Skillets latest album, they were a below average rock band who was not very popular, but now with the release of Comatose, their first three singles of their album (“rebirthing”, “the last night, and “older I get”) have been smash hits, as Comatose was the best rock album of the year. And with all great albums, what would it be without the special edition, or as this one is called Comatose Deluxe Edition.
In the past Skillet had used some techno music, but had mainly been a harder rocking band, but Comatose has a much more refined rock sound, but a main reason the album was so popular was lead singer John Cooper’s lyrics. It’s clear that from the first song to the title track that the music is incredibly good. “Rebirthing” and “Comatose” are very impressive rock songs. But some of the rock is a little too hard as Cooper resorts to yelling on “better than drugs” and “falling inside the black” which fall into the back of the album.
A sturdy rock song “whispers in the dark” shows fans that Skillet can offer solid rock music without sounding the same as the previous track. One song that doesn’t quite fit is “those nights’ which is a punk song, and it does not go well with John Coopers voice, but is still a cool song. “The last Night” is also a great rock song about However Skillet saved the best rock tune for last on “looking for angles” which is brilliantly done I everyway and is the highest point of the album.
Another part of what distinguishes Comatose, aside from their rock sound, is their lighter music, which is brilliant and adds the perfect balance to the album. the lighter songs are: “older I get”, “yours to hold” and “don’t say goodbye”. Each one is great, having their own sound that makes them flat out amazing which really makes them the rock on which the album is built.
The bonus content is centered around the new song “live free or let me die”, an intense rock song where John Coopers vocals and the base take too much of the chorus and take away a little bit out of the song. Skillet’s interpretation of “acoustic” isn’t the same as most artists because “rebirthing” and “whispers in the dark” still retain much of their intensity, but it’s fun too hear the former without its booming intro. A mistake would be adding three acoustic versions of already soft songs (“Yours To hold (Acoustic”, “The Older I Get”, and “don’t say goodbye) because little changed during the transition.
The lyrics are another fantastic part of the album, and the most important. “Rebirthing” (‘Tell me when I'm gonna live again/Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in/Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside/Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive’) and Comatose has similar messages about wakening up to God, though if criticism was taken to its extreme neither mention God and neither necessarily has to. “Older I get” is a great song about relationships with people and putting aside someone pride for friendship )‘It's been way too long for the times we missed/I can't believe it still hurts like this’).
The good rock tune “The Last Night” is the powerful song about a friend who talks someone out of suicide. The epic “Looking for angels” has some of the best lyrics you can find in a song. “Yours to hold” and “don’t say good bye” could be looked at as somewhat pathetic but there is no wrong doing. The extra song “live free or let me die” is vague with some edgy lyrics: ‘There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)/You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.
Skillet has emerged as a top Christian Rock group by making every song, from beginning to end worthy of a listen. “Comatose” gets high marks for when the music fades there will be the strong messages they send. But the deluxe part in the special edition isn’t much more than a way to get fans to get a little extra at the same price.
Relient K: Employee of the Month EP | Posted October-19-2008
(NOTE) In the song “wits all been done before” Lead singer and song writer writes: ‘Cause repitition's just so safe/And repition is just like prison/And I prefer to be out of place/Cause I'm not really into prison’. So to shake things up I have tried a new format for this CD)
Relient K: Employee of the Month EP Label: Gotee Genre: Punk/rock/power pop Positive Elements: The EP is leading up to Two Lefts don’t make a Right, but Three do, which leads to a brief two song preview of what to expect. “Trademark” has some gritty guitar riffs, and while the song doesn’t have a great overall tune but it does have a good chorus; the song all so puts emphasis on human nature to fall away from God, but it also offers hope (‘It's my, my trademark move/To turn my back on you/And sometime soon after that/You'll see me come crawling back’). The cleverness of the band is shown “In Love With the 80s (Pink Tux to the Prom)” with blending a 80’s atmosphere with a very friendly tune; also the humor is very good as it is on “A Penny Loafer Saved, A Penny Loafer Earned”. Even with all of Relient K silliness the very serious “Failure to Excommunicate” has to be one of the greatest accomplishments as it covers the rejection that Christians will face in this age (‘Jesus loved the outcasts/He loves the ones the world just loves to hate’). The bonus’ that await those who get the EP include the energetic punk “Wit's All Been Done Before” and the snappy “for the band” which includes a great chorus. Both have great messages about originality and putting ‘the band’ before friendships. Negative Elements: Even with the brilliant guitar and a spectacular beat to an incredible rock tune, “Failure to Excommunicate” seems to have little place on the EP since it was on Relient K’s past record. Both “In Love With the 80s (Pink Tux to the Prom)” and “A Penny Loafer Saved, A Penny Loafer Earned” are pointless and the latter is only two minutes and eighteen seconds long and changes tune often to make it disjointed. Overview: Relient K’s music has steadily gotten better and so has their art of making an entertaining EP. Mixed among the fun tunes and witty lyrics are some great musical bits and some solid messages. The Employee of the Month EP is a tremendous six song disc that will please those who choose to pick it up.
Bringing Building 429 to life | Posted October-17-2008
Despite a dove award and being a popular artist in today’s contemporary music, Building 429 never took off as their singles often took a back seat to artists like Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Jeremy Camp, and Aaron Shust. A few months before Building 429 self titled release is supposed to come out, the band put out Glory Defined: The Best of Building 429, with only three albums under their belt (which speaks to how some inane things management could do to hinder the band’s success). Instead of leaving the best of CD to be their lone work for the year, Building 429 worked to continue a career that this writter thought was over.
Despite what hard core fans might say even the best of Building 429’s songs were only pretty good (“glory defined”, “space in between us” and “I believe”) while some were just dry. The first song off their self titled project, “Not Gonna Let You Down”, draws from the energy well to create a fun pop medium worship rock which came from out of the blue from this normally mellow worship band. The up-tempo don’t stop there because the next two songs, "end of me” and “erase” both are medium rock tunes, while the music may not be diverse, it is for Building 429.
Songs like the ballad “bring me to life” represent the older sound that was dry but some clever echoes after the chorus gives a standard song “back to you” real life; it those small things like that give new life to Building 429 . “Shoulder” has a nice pop tune to go along with a refrain that makes no mistakes, plus the energy is a good fit for a song with some southern hints. Both “Your love goes on” and “overcome” have moments of real enthusiasm, the bridge of the former gets very fervent and the last chorus on the later is very animated. “Always, always” is a solid ballad which utilizes the violin well.
Not much has changed with the lyrics. “Shoulder” is similar to an earlier single “when no one else knows” but the prospective changes to a friend rather than from God’s point of view (‘And if you're on top of the world/And you fall down/You're shaking inside /And you can't find your ground/When you lose yourself, God will find you’). The tale of the prodigal son is retold in “home” while similar messages arise on the lyrically weak “bringing me to life” and “back to you” (‘I'm tired of the mess that I've become/I want to see the world the way you do/So bring me back to You’).
The tenses’ are a little odd on “Not Gonna Let You Down” (‘Please don't run from me now, ooo/I won't leave you… He is the hope that heals the world/We're almost home’) and “your love goes on” is a pretty shallow song. But some old, but good messages are solidly repackaged like "end of me” (‘And like an answer to a prayer/Jesus you were there/Calling me to live, to die/to give to gain/And I'll never be the same’) and “always, always” which deals with the pain and loses people endure; the answer ‘God knows our pain and His promise remains/He will be with you always’ is worth talking about.
Some may find the blend of medium rock and worship music a rough mix. But it does help because the song writing before was not enough to carry the songs and Building 429’s music was nothing close to cutting edge. It’s good to know that the self titled release isn’t the end of Building 429 and hopefully the musical advances will bring brighter days.
Dizmas may want to stop playing it safe | Posted October-13-2008
Dizmas released their sophomore album Tension in June of 2007; now their latest self titled album is out in less than a year. Fast workers? Not exactly. Out of the ten songs on the disc only four are new cuts, the rest are merely five from Tension and one lone track from their debut On a Search in America.
Among the older songs, which none are redone in any way, is the single and possibly their most famous song from their first album, “Redemption, Passion, Glory” a light rock tune with a worship atmosphere that isn’t very impressive. There selection could have been a little better on Tension because repetitive “shake it off” is reckless rock song with an unattractive tune and riffs and the heavy “dance”, while it avoids screaming, is disjointed. “Play it safe” is a decent alternative rock tune but thankfully “jealously hurts” is a solid tock song with a fine bridge.
Their new music centers around the single “yours” which has some electronic sounds in the pop rock is far from cutting edge, though some of it sounds like Lifehouse. ). Unfortunately the first two new songs sound rather stale especially “save the day” which doesn’t take any risks and fails to do anything special. However no everything goes wrong on Dizmas, “Different” matches lead singer Zach Zegan’s vocals very well in an energetic pop/rock tune that has a very good beat. “Worth fighting for” is a breath of fresh air which blends some 80’s throwback with upbeat rock.
One thing about Dizmas that is so encouraging is that they have a no compromise attitude that too few faith fueled modern rock bands have today. Playing in front of a mainstream crowd or a youth group doesn’t change the powerful lyrics contained in every song (excluding “dance”). The singer realizes that the closer he comes to God he is closer to becoming himself on “different” (‘Take my life/Change my heart/Make me different’) and “save the day” centers on how even in tribulation his trust in God will be justified ‘When it feels like life is chaos/You'll be there reminding me that/You will save the day ‘.
Topics vary and don’t get repetitive whether dealing with finding God (“yours”) contemplating how God would die for us (“Redemption, Passion, Glory”) and even defecting hurtful words (“shake it off”). “This is a warning” counsels ‘This is a warning for all of us that are falling/For the lie that we could bigger than God’ while “play it safe” centers around the simple truth “No one seeks God, no, not one” and while demonstrating his point further the song says: ‘Seeing is believing/But belief is not like faith/Faith takes chances/Faith moves mountains’.
It’s odd that this CD isn’t an EP because you could hardly call any of their older material classic, which means that only new fans will pick up the album leaving those faithful followers of Dizmas confused and irritated that their self titled effort isn’t the real thing. Very solid lyrics aside Dizmas' album falls short of any expectations.
Love Like This is still in need of some Refinement | Posted October-08-2008
Give the people who decide what songs become singles for Ayiesha Woods a round of applause. The up beat and radio friendly “happy” was a great way to introduce Woods, was a brilliant way to get her name out in a good way. Throw in “big enough” with tobyMac, and you have a great start to a career, but a solid sophomore effort certainly key as well. And Love Like This unquestionably rose to the occasion.
The opening single to Wood’s latest is the title track, which is a simple song with the light pop being just enough to keep the song from becoming too slow, which sets the tone for a mostly soft adult contemporary album. If some wanted a more energetic CD with the majority of songs like “happy” Love Like This is not the place to find it since only “love can’t wait” and “fight” are the most energetic songs on the record. The foundation of the album is light pop and adult contemporary with a hint of hip hop to keep the ball rolling. The ballad “Take me there” does an effective job of remaining inspirational even with a chorus, for the most part, doesn’t follow suit and “one day” is basically adult contemporary.
“Alive” is a diverse song which mixes pop with a hint of techno with a retro style which may or may not be bad. The whole problem with Love Like This that it borders on boring, because little on the CD is spectacular and even less than that is original. Still Wood’s does have some moments on “transparent” a funky pop song where the drums play a big part; The music really plays to the lyrics of the song which is a good thing because the song is far too simple otherwise. Another daring song is “Never” which also has a retro tune and a upbeat snappy pop tune.
Six out of the eleven songs on Love Like this mention love multiple times, which would lead one to believe that it is the main topic of Wood’s album. The lyrics are not incredibly complex and they get their point over, plus with the exception of “love like this”, the lyrics steer clear of clichés. “Refine me” is a fine song that is about not settling for less with a relationship with God that is rampant in American Christianity (‘You're my God and my Father / I've accepted your Son / But my soul feels so empty now / What have I become / Lord come with Your fire / Burn my desire / Refine me’).
Songs like “fight” and “new beginning” make for a strong album lyrically but Simplicity does shows up on “Alive” and “because of you”. Love Like This is an album with good things to say that may not do enough trail blazing enough for fans who want something more complex on the music side. All in all Ayiesha Woods puts out a solid album.
Anberlin's Surrender on the lyrics continues | Posted October-06-2008
It’s pretty safe to say that Anberlin make a big impact with their breakout release Cities. The band took it up a notch to create something new, yet with an uncanny sense of maturity behind the alternative music. The change caught many eyes. It caught fans attention in a big way because it sold 34,000 copies of their album in the first week. Second it caught the eyes of mangers of tours that soon set up Anberlin to open for successful mainstream bands like My Chemical Romance, Simple Plan, and Fall out Boy. The it caught the eyes of the big secular Universal label, leaving behind Tooth and Nail records behind because “there was no way to get our music to all the people we wanted to reach” (says lead singer Stephan Christian).
With dumping Tooth and Nail behind and star producer Aaron Sprinkle, Anberlin apparently decided to get rid off of their old bio which contained quotes about the bands Christian roots and beliefs for a new bio which is more professional and much more secular leaving no indication to those passing by to read what the band is about. Such drastic changes suggest that what Christian means when he says “reaching people” could mean obtaining popularity for earthly means. On the off chance he is talking about reaching people with Anberlin’s lyrics, which would be strange statement that doesn’t line up with Anbelins declining strong moral messages.
However not much has changed much about the music, that is to say they are as good as ever. Anberlin still brings their A-game in alternative rock and it still runs along the same lines but New Surrender incorporated a more electronic music instead of a more organic feel that fueled Cites (the change isn’t bad, but it’s different). The album’s first single, “feel good drag” is really a slightly mixed version of the original song released first on Anberlin’s sophomore album, Never take Friendship Personal; The intense rock song is phenomenal from the aggressive electric guitar intro to Christian’s vocals which he takes up to the next level. The rock tracks stand out more on New Surrender, possibly because of the increase of ballads, so when “disappear” appears, it stands out as a harder rock song than “feel good drag” but not quite as smooth; Another thing about “disappear” is that Christian’s vocals does a small dose of screaming and his voice is very moody.
The mellow rock song “breathe” uses the electronic sound well, plus the emotion is high though the tone of the vocals is a little moody, and the heavy ballad, “breaking” contains a hint of electronic music and the tune is slightly reminiscent. But Anberlin does serve up big guitar riffs in “Haight Street”, a song which doesn’t sound too much like an alternative song but it holds more of a party atmosphere. The times where Anberlin sounds off is on “younglife” which features an odd alterative pop tune, and while it’s original it doesn’t quite fit the feel of the album plus unusual pop tune “Blame me! Blame me!” doesn’t have any intensity that the title would suggest. “Soft skeletons” is a great example of the maturity that Anberlin has because every stage of the melancholy light rock song follows a great formula. For any further proof look no farther than the last and most artistic song "Miserabile Visu (ex Malo Bonum)".
The issue is not the music of this album or even in any of Anberlin’s CDs, but it has been with their spiritually vague and occasionally disturbing lyrics. There is plenty on New Surrender that is though provoking, like “resistance” a song that deals with people coming together even against those who want “bring” and “take down” them; the only disturbing thing is the lack of sympathy towards the aggressive parties ‘You crash where you stand/You've got a riot on your hands…we set your walls to fire’. “Feel good drag” was edgy when it was first recorded and not much has changed ‘I'm here for you" she said/and we can stay for awhile,/my boyfriend's gone,/we can just pretend…Your lips/Your lies/Your lust/Like the devils in your hands’. “Disappear” is another disturbing song although the singer is looking not to be left along but ‘wait for me will you wait for me/with arms wide’.
The songs that deal with reminiscing are “retrace” and “young life”. The former suggests that the past is worth more to the singer than the present, and the latter fondly recollects staying up all night’ and ‘We would dance in your apartment/Til neighbors would knock on your door?’ and the desire to return to them. "Haight Street" promotes youth messing around without care for the future or consequence (‘Let's, you and me, make a night of it./Old enough to know, but too young to care.’) and although the man steps away from a bad relationship, “breaking” is about a girl who breaks hearts all the time and uses people. But good things do come up like “soft skeletons” which focuses on the destructiveness of drugs and the importance of a will to fight and “breathe” which could reflect Ephesians 4. “Burn out better” is really good but it only hints at what is worth living and dying for is (‘Live; I wanna live inspired./Die; I wanna die for something’) so that means the only real spiritual song is "Miserabile Visu (ex Malo Bonum)" which is about the end times.
Woven into the lyrics is angst, regret, despair, and poor relationships; not the kind of substance that is desirable among an album that already lacks a focus of God in the lyrics. Not that it should come as any surprise since Anberlin has hit the big time and there was nothing to indicate a reversal of what was already in past lyrics. New Surrender may be a slight degrade in terms of music but its mainly different and still top notch. Sadly that will be the standard on which Anberlin’s latest will be judged.
Don't be Afraid of Jars of Clay | Posted October-06-2008
The follow up to perhaps on the most key albums in Christian music, Jars of Clay’s second album dives into alternative pop rock and complex, but still faith fueled lyrics. Much Afraid is clearly among Jars of Clays biggest success with hits like "tea and sympathy” and “fade to gray”.
Opening the album is “Overjoyed”, a catchy pop song with an almost flawless tune, until the outdated guitar riffs in the bridge, but still a strong song with an impressive finish with the echoes. The album doesn’t extend its musical boundaries much, as Jars of Clay mixes their ballads with some light rock tunes with is starched out occasionally(and even then not very far), however by no means is the music insipid. “Portrait of apology” is a solid pop song which has engaging music enough to entice listeners while even the relatively simple “Five Candles (You Were There)" is nice.
Although “frail” isn’t a ballad soon to be forgotten that song, plus the ballad, “hymn”, are rather basic opposed to the emotional guitar driven “tea and sympathy”. The most intense song on Much Afraid is “truce” there pop rock has an aura of sheer excellence which is spiced with some piano notes. “Fade to grey” has a strong amount of originality in its fast paced medium rock; throw in the fact that the pre chorus is genius and its energy level and it’s a clear hit. “Crazy times” rounds the album out with its aggressive medium rock which includes a wild bridge that features plenty of electric guitars.
Those who want something simple to chew on will enjoy the worship track “hymn” and the honest title track (‘Oh, sweet Jesus, never ever let me go’) but Much Afraid includes more than milk. In the midst of doubt and insecurity, “fade to grey” realizes that God’s ‘love is willing /To turn me inside out’ and “Overjoyed” deals with finding one’s identify in Christ. The man on “Tea and sympathy” recognizes that relationships are worth saving, and "Five Candles (You Were There)" song is about relying on a friend ‘who was there when I needed you’. Those who want to go the extra mile will find plenty of depth in “Truce” and “frail”.
Perhaps the biggest problem is the lack of overall quality in Much Afraid; don’t be mistaken though, the music is good but it’s not quite cutting edge even though Jars of Clay does offer a pretty refined unique style. Well balanced out lyrics is the icing on the cake for a very satisfying album.
Alternative energy | Posted September-26-2008
(NOTE: the rating has nothing to do with this review)
The end is the end… Or is it? The quartette from Columbus, Ohio called House of Heroes is determined not to sound like something else or be like anyone else. The band wants to win over people because of the music they write and the emotions they inspire. For a band whose career was suspect for a time they sure have the first part down: not sounding like something else. The indie rock band’s latest album The End is not the End is definitely complex and original.
I’ll be honest up front, I found the album musically incoherent and difficult to enjoy because of the awkward riffs and disjointed tunes, but there is no question the amount effort and complexity that House of Heroes put into their album. From the first rock song, “if you were mine”, it’s obvious the music unorthodox and it doesn’t get any more traditional with “drown” where the tempos switch from a Men in Black style to an odd light rock beat with bad background music. “Lose control” is a solid alternative rock tune, where the vocals are impressive and guitars riffs are reminiscent of Thousand Foot Krutch, but only somewhat. There is a hint of some 80’s throwback on “baby’s a red” which features light rock which is very showy; perhaps it’s very creative or it might just lack actual depth.
“Journey Into Space, Pt. 1” is disjointed but clever at the same time, with a deep chorus of voices in the refrain, and “faces” is just odd clearly deserving the title of ‘alternative rock’. The acoustic guitar driven “by your side”, is a great change of pace proving that House of Heroes are unpredictably unpredictable because the ballad is normal but still top notch with some southern hints mixed in. “Leave you now” and “In The Valley of The Dying Sun” are both alternative tracks which both switch tunes erratically while the solid rock “sooner or later” sounds vaguely like Anberlin, with a bridge that sounds like Capital Lights. Very little on The End is not the End is traditional it starts off strangely and it stays that way most of the way but House of Heroes really solidified their album as alternative rock with the final song, the outstanding “field of daggers”.
If you thought the music was complex the lyrics are going to make listeners head spin ten times worse. House of Heroes takes faith, politics, and life experiences and puts them into fascinating songs that are so complex that no brief summery would do the lyrics justice. There are some occasions, few but they exist, where the messages seem obvious and rather weak like “Journey Into Space, Part One”, “sooner or later”, and “if you were mine” which revolve around girl/guy clichés (but the first named track does stress commitment to his significant other). “In The Valley of The Dying Sun” contemplates Jacob boxing match with God (‘i wrestled the angel. to undo the curse. that burdened me all of my life. and for the first time i could see. that God was not my enemy… i’m living to shine on’); with such skillful song writing and good lyrics it’s hard to picture that same band writing “faces”, a dark and dreary song with no light at all.
A timeline that takes up space is World War II in “Code Name: Raven", a story song about a French spy who sees his homeland invaded, while no apparent theme or propose is clear the prospective is interesting and well written. “By your side” is set in the same time frame which focuses about two brothers drafted in the military. Move a few years forward and “baby’s a red” looks on the issue of communism and man whose lover is a communists, once again the man’s commitment is to be commended but the song does take a whack at McCarthyism a topic that is often misused. “Leave you now” is about a man who is ‘breaking his back’ trying to get to America but being persecuted by his homeland. Though it’s vague the meaning of “voices” could be awe at God’s incredible mercy (‘the ears of God hear everything. and he hears them still. every cry, every breath. in every land that i have slain, cause. just to save myself. how can God show mercy? i was merciless to them’). From the confusing “lose control” to the faith filled “field of daggers” (‘oh God. bring forth your colored beauty … i long to bring my father to glory’) The End is not the End is virtually packed with worthwhile views.
Their narratives are thoughtful; the music is original and compelling, but The End is not the End is just so strange and so much is unexplained that is it fair to call it one of the best albums of the year? I don’t know but House of Heroes certainly has my attention from now on. Whether or not this is one of best album of the year is unsure, but it is among the most notable.
Jon Forman is “equally skilled” | Posted September-24-2008
Jon Forman is mostly known for his allegedly incredible work as the singer/songwriter for the secular-rock-band-with-Christian-roots Swicthfoot. But the San Diego native should and will know be known for his fine acoustic efforts in his recent seasonal side line EP’s beginning with Fall and ending with Winter.
Although Forman’s music could be categorized as folk rock, acoustic pop seems a better choice for the six track EP, though there is an abundance of southern music twisted in. Fans, who marvel as Forman’s voice, even when his high notes sound rough, will get a heavy dose especially in the haunting piano ballad “my love goes free”. Forman keeps his unplugged EP from getting boring by keeping things up beat in a melancholy atmosphere with acoustic pop songs like “the cure for the pain” which has an enjoyable tune.
“Southbound train” is aptly named because the music comes from that part of the country which has a key musical entrance of a harmonica; the second verse of the song is very emotional and the hooks at the end chorus are good. The quirky “love is magnet” is a lame song that just thrusts acoustic instruments together for nearly two minutes and “Lord save me from myself” is a simple song which is upbeat even in its solemn face. Although “equally skilled” could have used a little something extra to its mainly basic acoustic southern pop, the tune is nice and the ending is exceptional.
The Winter EP doesn’t contain as much diversity as the Fall EP, but it is high on emotion especially on the simple acoustic “learning how to die” and the sobering ballad “somebody’s baby”. The light up beat good acoustic “behind your eyes” is the most energetic song on both EPs and it sounds faster than it really is. “White as snow” is boring and an song which could provoked ‘Zs’, and after a long intro, a Asian style acoustic foundation makes “in love interesting”
No longer tied down with the restrictions that might come with a full length hyped album which gets mainstream airplay as Forman is with Swicthfoot, the Fall EP sheds light on the more personal and spiritual side of Forman’s writing. Although spiritual issues don’t show up in “my love goes free” which details the end of a rough relationship, or “southbound train” (a tale of longing for home) “the cure for the pain” admits the futility of searching elsewhere for the cure for sin (‘Oh my Lord! to suffer like you do.../It would be a lie to run away’).
While “love is a magnet” vaguely suggests that searching for salvation in romance is useless, “Lord, Save Me From Myself” paints a clearer picture (‘And sex is a grand production/But I'm bored with that as well’). The setting of the biblically smart “Equally skilled” could be found in the Old Testament, where men are very wicked and God is just. The only caution for the Fall EP is Forman does a very artistic job of describing the depravity of man.
Forman borrows from Psalm 51 on “White as Snow" (‘Create in me a clean heart/Oh God/Restore in me/The joy of your salvation’) and “in love” makes references to sacrificing the things we hold dear for God. Unfortunately A mild profanity, substance abuse and death by suicide are used to illustrate the life of an unlovely person, but the sobering ballad does remind us that even the outcasts are “somebody’s baby”. “Learning how do die” is about preparing for death and loss.
While Winter and Fall go together like wings and flying the Fall EP does tip the balance with its superior ballads and spiritual messages. Getting both EPs is fine but if you want to pick just one pick Fall EP for it’s fresh acoustic tracks and artistic lyrics. It’s a pleasant surprise for Christian music fans to see the spiritual depth of Switchfoot still remains even with their mainstream success. It’s interesting that it took Jon Forman and solo EPs to show us.
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