newsboys: born again

looks like there has been another shake up in the newsboys line up! newsboys is a group that has been changing members for a long time, back when i first started listening to them, right around 'take me to your leader', it was five guys with lead singers were john james and peter furler. over the course of their career the band has gotten many different members and even some different lead singers. i thought they hit their stride around the 'step up to the microphone' and 'love liberty disco' phase, which are my favorites. as the years went on they lost some direction as a band, putting out some pretty generic work, but they found their direction again with their worship albums. after that they floundered again with a couple forgettable albums (especially 'in the hands of God', very bland). turns out, it was time for them to change it up again. this time their lead singer, peter furler, left the band. it looked like it was time for the 'boys' to wrap it up and call it a career. then they found a new lead singer in the form of michael tait, one of the former lead singers of d.c. talk. i wasnt sure what to make of this radical change. even though they had mixed up their line up before, they still kept their basic sound. this was going to change everything! i had loved tait in d.c. talk, and even enjoyed a couple of his solo albums under the band name 'tait', but i wasnt sure if his sound fit with the newsboys. turns out, i didnt have anything to worry about! the latest album, fittingly titled 'born again', shows the 'boys' back at it, and the influence of michael tait has reinvigorated all of them, it seems. this album is fantastic! the first single 'born again' is so catchy and wonderful that you cant help but love it! well, it looks like that song wasnt a fluke- the whole album is amazing! as i look through the song list, i cant even pick out a favorite. 'one shot' is a lot of fun, 'way beyond myself' is really catchy, 'when the boys light up' is good old fashioned newsboys fun, and the rest are great as well. the only misstep on the album was the choice to rerecord an old d.c. talk song 'jesus freak'. that one was great for its time, but has not aged well... and if you are going to rerecord it, at least give us something new- it sounds exactly like the original. fortunately, the other 11 tracks are so much fun that one misstep can be forgiven. the newsboys certainly have been 'born again', and better than ever!

relient k: forget and not slow down

these guys can do no wrong! their first studio album since 'five score and seven years ago' finds these guys a little older, a little wiser, and life a lot more complicated. the lyrics on this album are just as amazing as the rest of their stuff, but there is a bit of a shift from light hearted word play, to more soulful introspection. the title song sounds breezy, but the lyrics about breaking up and forgetting to examine yourself and learn from it are very poignant. the rest of the album flows from this well, examining life from different situations and trying to understand what it means. there are quite a few transition songs that lead from one tune to the next, making the whole album one that must be listened to all the way through. the highlight of the album is the song 'sahara' and its transition into the beautiful 'savannah', which feels like a trip from the desert into a beautiful prairie, as the names would suggest. the vocals from matthew theissen (who is also the chief songwriter) seem more matured and poetic this time through. gone are the vocalizations that the band started with in its pop-punk sound, they are replaced with the melodic yearnings we now hear from a band that has more than hit its stride, they are at an all out sprint! can these guys possibly get any better? i, for one, am more than willing to find out!

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.

joy electric: my grandfather, the cubist

ah, yes. its time once again for a joy electric album! truly the happiest time of year!!! i was very excited to get this one, considering that the last album, 'the otherly opus', was their best since 'the white songbook'.
in this album ronnie has once again gone in a different direction. with his last album the focus was squarely on the vocals, which led to some beautiful layered harmonies. but this time, he shifts back to an equal weighting between vocals and music. the singing on this album is not quite as melodic and airy as his last effort, but the vocal shift is not too drastic, there was a bit stronger vocals similar to this on 'red will dye these snows of silver'. its a bit of a change, but still good.
the thing that continually impresses me about this band is its ability to write a catchy tune. as i listened to it through the first time i had a bit of a strange feeling- though it was only the first time i had ever heard them, they felt like songs i had known all my life! as i listened i wondered 'how could this have never been written before?!?' i guess that just speaks to the amazing gift ronnie has with writing a catchy melody.
the tune that immediately struck me as a favorite was 'whether by horse, or horseless'. it is a beautiful melody, and surprisingly deep lyrics. this is true of the entire album, ronnie seems to have taken his songwriting to a new level. gone are the constant references to lilly pads and gumdrops, replaced by honest critiques of love and relationships. i always loved the light hearted aspects to his lyrics before, but it is a welcome change to hear some deeper thoughts.
the pinnacle of the album is definitely the title track. the song is actually a trilogy of songs, bookended by instrumentals that echo the melody and guide us to the song and out into the bigger picture being presented.
an impressive addition to the joy electric catalogue. it will spend many many months in my cd player...

hymns?

you ever have a hankering for a type of music and you dont know why? for some reason i cant quite figure out, i have been on a hymn kick lately. the other day i was walking around walmart and was just checking out the cheesy collections cds at the front of the store. i was actually looking for a cd of irish drinking songs, but i happened upon a collection of 100 inspirational hymns, and on a whim, i bought it (it was only five bucks). i popped it in and have been totally loving it ever since. strange. i guess they just remind me of church growing up and i think i like that. i feel like im listening to my moms music or something...

jon foreman: fall, winter

jon foreman is the lead singer of the band 'switchfoot'. i have been following the band for a few years now. i, like most people, got my first taste of them from the movie 'a walk to remember'. they had a couple songs in that movie, and i just fell in love. especially 'dare you to run'. so i really enjoyed their album 'beautiful letdown'. it was certainly beautiful, and anything but a letdown. the same cant really be said for their follow up albums though. their next record 'nothing is sound' was decent. not exactly as good as their last, but it was passable. i got their latest, 'oh! gravity', and i can honestly say ive listened to it through only once. it wasnt terrible, just very forgetable.

so, it was with trepidation that i picked up the new solo singles from the lead singer jon foreman. actually, i didnt hesitate to get it, mostly because i was at the bookstore with my mom and she was offering to buy me something. who would pass that up, huh? since then i have been giving it a try. i figured that i should take a break from my month long obsession with the second 'black lab' cd anyway

the concept is this: foreman is releasing a six song single for each season (say that five times fast!). so far he has released 'fall' and 'winter'. i saw them at the bookstore packaged together. im not entirely sure, but im assuming that the songs on each disc follow the theme of the season. i cant tell much difference between the 'fall' and 'winter' discs, but im guessing that the 'spring' and 'summer' discs will be a bit more upbeat!

i have really been enjoying the 'fall' disc so far. especially memorable is the song 'equally skilled'. all of the songs carry a melancholy feel to them. they mostly consist of just an accustic guitar and jons voice. there is an occasional stringed instrument as well as a harmonica. the songs are slow, melodic, and sad. there are some really great lines, and as a whole it stirs a longing for something. what? im not sure. but it moves the soul.

andrew osenga: letters to the editor volume 1

time and time again andrew osenga has surprised and impressed me. ive been a fan of his music for a long time now (as described here), and i have been a reader of his blog since he started it. he always has interesting and thoughtful posts (funny ones too). he started as the lead singer for the band 'the normals', but when that went bust he started a solo career. he currently is a member of 'caedmon's call' and still does his own solo stuff too.

he is constantly thinking up new ways to get his music out there. his latest idea was to ask readers to email him different thoughts or ideas for songs. then, he wrote six songs based on what people submitted. he currently has them posted here on his website for free (donations are welcomed...). the songs are wonderfully creative and catchy. be sure to check them out, and while youre at it, go ahead and buy his other albums too- you wont be disappointed!

relient k: five score and seven years ago

finally, a new album. i got into these guys a couple years ago when i got their last album 'mmhmm' for christmas. i wasnt very interested in it, but i was told that i should be. ok. so i gave it a try and it started to grow on me. i began listening to it incessently and quoting the lyrics to friends every chance i could get.

well, the boys have finally released their next album. i am expecting mediocrity, so my sites arent set too high. after getting into 'mmhmm' i went back and checked out some of their older stuff. i picked up 'two lefts dont make a right...' and was sorely disappointed.

i picked up the new one earlier this week. i havent had much time to listen to it yet, but so far i am liking it. it doesnt seem to break any new grounds musically, most of the songs sound similar to the last album, but im going to give it some time and take a good look at the lyrics before it decide if its going on the 'heavy rotation' pile, or the 'at least it makes a good coaster' pile.

brothers martin

a couple weeks ago i picked up an album i had been awaiting for quite some time: the brothers martin. if you are unaware, then i will explain who this is: it is the collaboration between the lead singer of joy electric, and the lead singer of starflyer 59. the reason they are collaborating is because they are brothers. and their last name is martin. clever, huh?
the album is very enjoyable (i like both bands seperately, so it wasnt a big surprise that i would like them together...) and the sound is exactly what i expected. there are mellow guitars, like sf59, and there are blippy synths, like joy electric.
the way the collaborated is a bit interesting. it seems that there is only one song that they sing together on, and the rest of them are split up every other song. its clear that they each took turns coming up with the skeleton of the song, and the other one was in charge of filling up the backgrounds. its sounds strange, but the two styles complement each other quite well.
the songs are very catchy, and i look forward to getting more and more familiar with them and singing along (loudly) in my car!

newsboys: GO

over christmas i got the new 'newsboys' album called 'go'. ive always had a soft spot for this group, it being one of the first to get me interested in christian music in the first place. i was in high school and my friend nathan brought a few new cds over for all of us to listen to. the highlights were 'take me to your leader' from newsboys, and the first album from audio adrenaline. we all totally loved them! i convinced my mom to get them for me (i figured she would be ok with footing the bill since it was 'christian' music).
i listened to the newsboys album all the time, we even went to go see them in concert a few times. what i liked about them was that their music was catchy, but the lyrics were also witty and a bit silly. (a song about how they dont serve breakfast in hell? rediculous...) over the next few albums of theirs i still loved their sound and catchy hooks, but i grew tired of the lyrics which grew more and more forced in their attempt to be quirky. i still got some of the later album of theirs but i kept them on rotation in the player for less and less time. finally when they totally sold out to jump on the worship music bandwagon, i decided it was time to part company. all the best guys, but this is the end of the road for me...
but then they released this album. i was sceptical at first, but the more and more i listened to it the more and more i grew to love it! there are some really great songs that change up their typical sound and bring into play some new elements that they havent really used before. there is a song called 'your love is better than life' that has an element of spoken lyrics (actually, it kind of reminds me of u2's song 'numb', only happier), and the title track even has a bit of a club sound to it. all of which adds up to some exciting songs and fresh takes from these guys. as far as the lyrics go, the are still thoughtful and well written, but that forced quirkiness is thankfully gone.
its good to see an old favorite return to form and surprise with such a great album!

bleach: farewell, old friends

back in college a good friend of mine, joel, was totally obsessed with the band bleach. he would always talk about them and try to get everyone else to listen to them and try to see in them what he saw (ive never done that with bands i like...) i tried, but i just never got into them.
a few months ago i was in bakker bookhouse (a christian bookstore in gr) and saw their latest cd, 'farewell, old friends' in the cheap bin, so on a whim i picked it up. i gave it a good listen and really enjoyed it. come to find out, it was their last cd because they broke up. great timing, as always. i guess i owe joel an apology...
since i am back in town i headed back over to bakker bookhouse, and much to my surprise, there was another cd by them in that same bargin bin! its called 'audio/visual' and its actually a best-of type of album. its got 18 songs, and it comes with a full concert dvd with it! i guess i can check out the old stuff that joel obsessed over all those years ago.

an oldie, but a goodie

as a teacher i am always looking for teaching aids. usually that means movies or music that will help get across the ideas that i am teaching. a while ago i found an aid in the most random of places: a band called pegtop. dont feel bad if you dont know who i am talking about, i would actually be more surprised if you knew who they actually were... let me explain:
back in college i found myself with an oportunity to see a band i had never heard of. we were already at the place, it was free to get in, and there was nothing else to do. so we figured why not? i ended up actually liking the band a lot, but my friends didnt really care for it. i ended up buying their album called 'the great reverse'. in the following weeks i found myself, much to my friend's annoyance, playing the cd alot and really loving it. soon after i found their first album 'just us' and picked it up.
fast-forward 5 years... was looking through my cds and was feeling a bit nastalgic. i spotted those pegtop cds and popped them into the player. as it turns out there are a couple of great songs with lyrics that fit perfectly into a couple lessons that i teach! who would have thought, a local folk band from minnisota with no record deal and a 50 gallon drum for a kickdrum would have helped me so much in my teaching!

the lure of a good tune

no matter how hard i try, no matter how much i listen to new music, no matter how many new cds i buy, i am still drawn back to Monarch. there is something magnetic, perhaps even carnal, about that music.
i was introduced to them a few years ago in a very strange way. i was checking out this record labels website and there just so happened to be a music player playing songs from all the different bands on the label. (if you must know, i was checking out a joy electric side band cd on northern records) and there it was: the most shockingly beautiful music my ears had heard in many moons. it took me a minute or two to discover who it was that was playing on that player, but once i did it toon me about thirty seconds to speed to the online store and buy a copy of it! and, fortunately, it is one of those few gems: the rest of the songs were actually better than the one that had caught my attention!
as far as i can tell they only released one album, the promptly broke up. the name of the album is 'the grandeur of rome', and you can buy it here. the sound is unique- something special to be sure. it has guitars, drums, a piano, and a string section. there are heavy beats, strong hooks, and a piano that will break your heart. the vocals are airy- but not in a breathy way (try and make sense of that...)
im not sure if there is any way to listen to it online, but if you get the change, give it a listen. or just buy it.

joy electric: ministry of archers vinyl

one of my favorite bands in the whole world is the genius known as joy electric. my passion for them cannot really be explained. so i wont bother. the reason i even bring it up is that i finally (after about 3 months of waiting) have received their latest full length album on vinyl! i already have the album on cd, but the vinyl one has two extra songs on it, so i of course had to buy it. i am really excited to finally have it. the only problem now is that i dont actually own a record player. oops. probably should have thought that one through, huh?

reliant k: apathetic ep

i know that reliant k has a certain image among many people. most people see them as a group for 12 year old girls. and for the most part i would agree with you. i would, at least, until i got their last cd "mmhmm." it was actually given to me by one of my student for christmas last year (at the time, she was a 12 year old girl. oh the irony...) and i figured id give it a try. im glad that i did. ive heard their old cds and dismissed them as bubble-gum pop that was trying to be silly. for the mmhmm album they totally grew up! there are amazing songs about love, life, death, and taxes. a fantastic album. probably one i would put on a list of must-haves if stranded on an island.
anyway, they just put out a follow-up ep called "apothetic." i picked it up yesterday and its pretty cool so far. there are three accoustic versions of old songs, and four new songs. one of them , called in like a lion is inspired by the narnia books. (actually, im not really sure if it is, but it sure sounds like it...) on first listen, i would say that its a good ep, but it feels really lopsided. the first two songs are more agressive and rocky, but then there are three accoustic songs, and the last two new ones are fairly quite as well. ill keep listening and write again when i have a better feel for the disk.

kevin max: the imposter

i got into christian rock when i was in middle school. my first introduction was the self titled cd by audio adrenaline. (i know, i know, i apologize, but back then i thought it was cool...) another band i thought was cool (and i will still defend this one) was dc talk. i got into them with the jesus freak cd, but really loved the supernatural album. when they announced they were breaking up i was pritty disappointed. then they all released solo stuff. like most people, i was first drawn to toby mac. his song extreme days totally rocks. but i thought the rest of the album was crappy "i want to be a hip hop star" filler. so i moved on. next, i checked out tait. i dug it actually. i really enjoyed his first album, and rather liked his second. i liked it, but never really got into it. on a whim i decided to check out kevin max's album. i gave it a listen, and decided it sucked, so i tucked it away for about 3 years. this spring i happened across it again after all this time. figured id give it a spin, an fell in love! wow! for some reason, all these years later, it really connects with me. i tracked down his short 7 song cd, and now have just gotten his latest from northern records. ive only been through it a few times so far, but i really like it! ill keep listening and get back to you about some of the details...