Good Monsters
Posted July 29, 2008
By thirdsaint,
This being my introduction to Jars of Clay I have had somewhat of a rollercoaster experience with Good Monsters. At first it was all I knew from them and I loved every moment of it. But as I dug deeper into their back catalogue I found that it was actually the worst album they've put out. It's not a bad album by any means, quite the contrary. It's just...different compared to their older work and overall not as consistent. That's the main problem with Good Monsters. Unlike past albums, this one has a few great songs followed by an average one or two ('Surprise' and 'Take Me Higher') and then a few more excellent tracks.
But enough of the negative, let's look at the positive. I love the melodies, the vocal hooks, the pop beats, all of it. The vocals are very strong and passionate, both things I love and look for. The music can also be very atmospheric and truly set the tone of a song as in 'Even Angels Cry'. Above all, there's a sense of urgency on this album and it's never shown better than on the song 'Oh My God'. The song just constantly builds and builds towards a high peak of a climax at which point it ends. They speak some truth that I think most bands would be afraid to voice. The lyrics are mostly cryptic except on a few songs, like 'All My Tears', which is a cover song. They definitely took a bold approach to this one to fill out the last of their initial contract with Essential Records. I look forward to seeing where they go on their own label now that they have all the creative freedom in the world.
Gems of this album are: 'All My Tears', 'Light Gives Heat', 'Dead Man (Carry Me)', 'Oh My God'
Overall - 8.8/10 View All Music And Book Reviews By thirdsaint | View thirdsaint's Profile
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