relient k: birds and the bee sides

wow! with each new release from the guys from relient k are raising higher and higher in my list of favorites! i had barely taken their last album, 'five score and seven years ago' out of the player, and then they released this one!
this is a single disc with two albums on it. first is a new ep titled 'nashville tennis ep' which has some really great songs on it, the best of the lot is 'the lining is silver'. they try a few different things in this group of songs, and are able to pull it all off wonderfully. the second album on the disc, called 'the bird and the bee side', is a collection of b-sides and unreleased stuff. it includes a couple of acoustic versions of previous songs as well. this side is filled with more great songs, from the silly, such as 'five iron frenzy is either dead or dying', to more experimental stuff like 'the stenographer'.
over all an incredible collection of 26 songs. im guessing it will be a year or so before this one leaves my player...

jon foreman: 4 seasons

this past fall jon foreman released a double disc single set. this past week i got the other set, completing the series of four (explained further here).

after spending some time with it, i must say that the series is quite good, if uneven. the first set, 'fall and winter', is the better of the two. its filled with songs of longing and realizations. the best of this first set is 'equally skilled' and 'learning how to die'. both capture the search and discoveries that are a part of the christian life. this first set has been a recent favorite of mine, and is the direction i had wished from switchfoot after 'beautiful letdown'.

the second set, 'spring and summer' is not as engaging. the set is filled with guest vocalists and what seems to be an almost forced variety of music. we get a whole bunch of different instrumentation, but it just doesnt feel as focused or as personal. the lyrics seem a bit awkward too, as in the song 'love isnt made', and 'baptize my mind'. its also upbeat, which is good, but its upbeat in a way that doesnt sync well with jons voice, in my opinion. but i have been accused of liking 'slow and boring' songs before, so maybe this is just my bias coming through.