Great New Music

I think I commented a few blogs ago on what I thought of the current state of pop music. Even now, you’re hard pressed to find a trend-setting, mind-changing record come out that totally sweeps you off of your feet. Well, while some of these releases may not have changed my world of music, there have been a few that I thought necessary to mention; everyone loves a good listen every now and then. Here’s what I’ve been listening to lately and what’s been prompting me to write a bit differently and influence me as it pertains to recording the next JSB record.
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Thrice – Beggars

At first listen, “Beggars” is not your typical Thrice record. Although, you’ve got a light “scream” or “yell” here and there, Thrice haven’t completely left their post-hardcore sound behind. The prototypical pop-rock and Brit-pop influences have been subtly added to the familiar hard-rock/prog-rock sound in songs like “The Weight”, “Beggars”, and “Circles”. Add Teppei's soothing electric piano sounds, Dustin ethereal guitar textures and soaring melodies, layered vocals, and tight bass & drum grooves and you get a great body of work by Thrice whom also self-produced/engineered the album. Although I wasn’t as blown away with Beggars as I was the “Alchemy Index” volumes, Beggars is not a far cry from what you’d expect from the ever-evolving band of uber-talented Orange County countrymen.
Akthough I would never consider Thrice a Christian band, singer and primary lyricist Dwight Kensrue is open about Christian influence in his life. Again, Thrice's lyrics are immersed in a lot of biblical imagery and examples of Christ's teaching. "In Exile" hints has a Psalm-like longing for Jerusalem, "All the World is Mad" takes notice of man's fall from sinlessness to its loss of perfection, and "At the Last" seems to reflect teh thoughts of the Prodigal Son. Whether the lyrics are truly biblical annotations or not (I believe they are), the lyrics are just as thgouth provoking and true while the music takes you on many levels from loud to melodic ballad. While it sits second or third on my list of fave Thrice albums, I still reccomend it to anyone looking for seomthing loud, yet melodic and musical.

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mutemath – Armistice

Honestly, who wasn’t waiting for this record to come out? It’s been a long wait since 2006’s self-titled release. I’ve been following the various scattered vlogs, blogs, and youtube vids since the beginning of the recordings, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting to hear it. Paul Meany said two interesting things during the making of this record that made me question whether I’d like it not. First, he said, “Our goal is to embarrass the first record, that's what we're trying to do here, and I think we're on point to pull it off” then adding, “Anyone who thinks first album is perfect will hate this [new] record”. I quickly became cynical in the possibility that MM “sold out to the man” and made a record the labels and MTV-cronies would want while leaving behind the sound that make them who they are. I was wrong.
While some of Armistice’s song structures follow a familiar pop-formula, MM still take you to sonic territory that not many other bands do. I am certainly interested to see how some of these will be performed live; I don’t doubt they’ll deliver one of the greatest lives shows. From the opening statement of “set it on fire!” on the opening track “The Nerve”, MM light it up on every track. From a Stevie Wonder-esque “Armistice” to a jazzy “Pins and Needles” to the Brit-pop rip-off track “Goodbye” to the Radiohead-like outro in “Burden”, mutemath take you on a roller coaster of soundscapes. Though not extremely known in the mainstream, I can’t see how Armistice gets passed by for some Grammy nominations as this record has certainly surpassed their previous release and EP.

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Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome

This is another album I was following the progress on through Derek Webb’s Twitter account. What makes this release so interesting is the controversy that came along with it despite Webb being a well-known Christian song-writer and member of Caedmon’s Call. Derek’s INO record label wouldn’t let him release the album based on some controversial content, and some particular lyrics found in the song "What Matters More" (which contains the words "damn" and "shit" which, ironically, came from a popular quote by well-known theologian Tony Campolo). Derek and INO decided to agree upon releasing the record with a censored version after Derek took the liberty of making a digital copy of the album (along with other goodies) available on his website.
Lyrically, Stolkhom Syndrome doesn't stray too far from Webb's other albums where he often dances the line between what is spiritually acceptable in the Christian music market. Songs like What Matters More, What You Give Up to Get It (about the prominence of materialism) and Freddie Please (which is a response to anti-gay activist preacher Fred Phelps) contain material that often offend the squeamish of Christian cynics. Musically, however, Webb takes a 180° turn. Derek, along with co-writer and producer Josh Moore, trades in his guitar for midi controller, samples, techo-beats and many electronic sounds. While its boggling to imagine how Webb would re-create this album to his regular coffee-house crowd, Derek creates something really different and special with this album. There's a lot of toe-tapping grooves (Spirit vs Kick Drum) while also taking you on fragile soundscapes (The Proverbial Gun). If you enjoy blending sounds from the likes Radiohead, Wilco, and Muse then you might like Stockholm Syndrome. However, if you are hoping to pick up a singer/songwriter acoustic album from Webb, buy something else; this is not for you or the light-hearted Christian for that matter. Webb has some really challenging things to sing about, especially for the conservative dogmatist.

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Leeland - Love is On the Move

Leeland's debut album, The Sound of Melodies, took everyone by surprise with its mature worship-rock style of writing from a mere 16 year old Leeland Mooring. However, their sophmore album, Opposite Way, was mediocre in my opinion as they left a lot of their worship-tinged tunes behind for some straight up rock ballads (which are pretty good, mind you). Luckily, Love is On the Move returns to a more worship-centric genre and really create some great tunes including the hymn-like Via Dolorosa, Weak Man, and My Jesus.
Taking a familiar step with having well-known Christian-music producer Ed Cash come on board to engineer the album (and even help write a few songs), Leeland continue their quest to make great worship music while also entering the heights of great worship writers like Tomlin, Hughes, Redman, and the Neufeld brothers. This album is a great pickup if you liked Sound of Melodies, yet does bring some sparkle left behind by some great gems from Opposite Way like "Count Me In" and "Enter This Temple". I'm not overly gaga over it yet, but I've only given it one or two listens straight so the more I listen to it, the more the melodies will stick with me.

Trading comfort for human life; that's not just murder, it's suicide.

I called this blog "an inward audio" because I believe in this innate sound that we all have inside of us. I'm not necessarily talking about our "conscience" (although, I believe that's probably a part of it) but there's a sound that is found in us that only we can hear. It's universal to us yet sounds differently to each of us. Consequently, this inward audio has the same denouement for everyone; the same ending and means to an end. What makes it different to each of us is how often we listen to it, what it says/sings to us, and how much white noise masks the correct sound. I long to hear an inward audio that speaks/sings louder than all the other noise in my heart, soul, or whatever else is contained in your upper thorax.

There's a fella named Derek Webb who, for lack of better definition, is one of the most controversial Christian artists/writers ever. I also believe that alone propels him to the upper-echelon of Christian artists. You may know him as part of the folk-rock band Caedmon’s Call, but his solo work is what really defines him as being an exceptional writer. I believe Derek Webb has a unique sense of listening to that inward audio I speak of. While I'm sure, like many of us, he has to discern between the inward audio and the noise that surrounds it, but I believe Webb is one of the most disgustingly honest and potent writers out there. That's a good thing. In fact, that's a great thing.

He writes songs of all kinds, from comedic to truth that makes you cringe, but I find he particularly excels in writing songs of social commentary and social justice. On one hand, he pens great phrases like the ones seen here in the song “I Wanna Marry You All Over Again” which recounts the story of meeting and falling in love with his wife:

I wanna marry you all over again/I’ll meet your parents at the airport bar/I’ll take you out in my rental car/I wanna court you on the record label’s dime

I wanna buy you an old upright/I wanna accidentally stay all night/I wanna read the Bible and I wanna make out.


Then, just as quickly, he can move into something much more serious and thought-provoking like the disparaging (but poignant) remarks made in “Rich Young Ruler”:

Poverty/ is so hard to see/ when it’s only on your TV/ or 20 miles across town/Where we’re all living so good since we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood/ where He’s hungry and not feeling so good from going through our trash

He says “More than just your cash and coin/I want your time, I want your voice/I want the things you just can’t give me”

So come on and follow me/Sell your house, sell your SUV/Sell your stocks, sell your security/ and give it to the poor

I was listening to Webb’s latest release called “The Ringing Bell” at work this morning. I honestly can’t say I’ve consciously made it through the whole album (that is, really pay attention to the lyrics), but there's a song called “This Too Shall Be Made Right” which talks a bit about the way we treat each other, ourselves, and the earth. I believe it also speaks a bit to the exclusion of things like oppression and poverty in Heaven. It’s a short song, but is totally worth a read (let alone a great, simple melody). Check it out here.

I really encourage you to take a listen to Derek Webb’s stuff. In fact you can download “The Ringing Bell” FREE @ noisetrade.com. It’s a site that Derek highly supports which distributes free digital downloads of music from independent artists. It’s an important site as it doesn’t necessarily promote the “anti-download” side of the spectrum, but encourages a way for seldom-heard artists to get their great music and important messages out to listeners... for free.

All this to say… Sometimes our inward audio isn’t always rainbows & butterflies. Our inward audio wants to direct us on a path that is righteous and holy… and brutally honest. Webb’s inward audio informs us that we, as Christians, aren’t doing a good enough job exemplifying the life of Christ in our actions. I know I’m not. Not just socially, but personally. There’re always changes that need to be made. Thus, there will always be “that sound” inside of us and listening is really just the beginning. What’s it saying to you?