Ok, I don't have any great new music for you this week, at least in terms of what is new and fresh and was released just yesterday. But I would like to share with you the albums that have shaped me and my musical tastes. Spanning 8 years and every genre from jazz to punk to psalms. While there are a lot of albums that I really enjoy and could listen to on repeat for days on end, not all of those have really changed me, and not all of them really work as an ALBUM. They don't tell a complete story. These ones here, however, are the albums that I will ALWAYS listen to.
Yellowcard - "Paper Walls"
One of the few albums from my college years that made the list. I was a big fan of Yellowcard's second album, "Lights & Sounds." But that record was a bit dark, sometimes ranting against the war in the Middle East ("Two Weeks From Twenty"), other times commenting on the confusion of relationships ("Gray"). "Paper Walls," however, took a turn for the better; much better. The lead single, "Light Up The Sky," makes the movement towards optimism very obvious, while the theme of breaking out of the "paper house" we've built for ourselves pervades the album.
Stand out tracks: "Light Up The Sky," "Shadows and Regrets" and "Dear Bobbie"
Thousand Foot Krutch - "Phenomenon"
Already being a pretty big fan of Linkin Park, and looking for Christian alternatives to the sounds of secular bands I liked, Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK) immediately appealed to me. Mixing rapcore and hard edged grunge, the album had a crunching impact like few albums I had heard before. I kept it on repeat for weeks. Low on content, but high on the fun factor, this album still makes me happy and reminds me of my middle school days.
Stand out tracks: "This Is A Call," "New Design" and "Bounce"
Project 86 - "Truthless Heroes"
When I first picked up this album, I don't think I had ever heard anything quite so angry before. And the more I listened to it, and the older I grew, I realized I had not heard many albums quite so on target. The first and last album that Project 86 ever made with a major record label, the angst is through the roof. The lead singer, Andrew Schwab, levels criticism at everyone from Hollywood to the modern evangelical church. Who says that Christians can't stick it to the man too?
Stand out tracks: "S.M.C.," "Another Boredom Movement" and "Soma"
The O.C. Supertones - "Hi-Fi Revival"
Along with "Lift" and "Building a Better Me," this was one of the first albums that I ever bought, and greatly influenced my tastes for quite some time. The Supertones, sick of the angst and hatred in rock music, were out to make something fun, clean, and that your pastor would approve of. Well, they succeeded... in spades. And yes, that's a good thing. While many other Christian rock acts sought to simply copy/clean/paste what the secular music industry was doing, the Supertones made something new. Utilizing a horn section with huge rock beats, they made a praise and worship album and a punk album at the same time. Positive, energetic, and in the end, exhausting; it is totally worth every penny. Don't worry, it's that good exhausted feeling you get after a hearty belly laugh, or a good run.
Stand out tracks: "Go Go Go," "Just a Man" and "Glory Hallelujah"
Mae - "The Everglow"
One of those rare albums that really does take you on a journey, that tells a story. You can't really listen to one of the songs from this album, it's meant to be listened to as a whole... with the beautiful watercolor paintings in the artwork. If you do end up buying this album, make sure you buy a physical copy, or you will be missing half of the experience.
Stand out tracks: Just listen to the whole album.
The Gabe Dixon Band - "The Gabe Dixon Band"
For a sound this deep, it's hard to imagine that it's only three guys with a drum kit, piano and upright bass. But there you have it. Soulful, moving white boy blues and jazz. I don't really have much to say about the album, except that the single "All Will Be Well" is my favorite song of all time, and has been for the past 9 years.
Stand out tracks: "All Will Be Well," "And The World Turned" and "Baby Doll"
Audio Adrenaline - "Lift"
Audio A. truly was the U2 of the Christian music world. Boasting an enormous fan base, and having one of the best live shows around helped. Creating this album helped even more. They even created "The Hands and Feet" project, not unlike U2's "One" campaign... from a Christian worldview, of course. Audio A. only put out two other albums after "Lift," due to lead vocalist Mark Stuart's tearing vocal cords, but "Lift" is by far (in my opinion) one of their best.
Stand out tracks: "Ocean Floor," "Summertime" and "Tremble"
Good Charlotte - "The Young and the Hopeless"
High school is confusing. Who do you listen to? What do you listen to? There are so many ideas competing for your attention that often times it seems a lot easier to block it all out, maybe even give up. The boy's from D.C.'s Good Charlotte aren't about to let that happen. Blending satire with perseverance, they touch on everything from suicide, to jealousy, to materialism. Life is hard, reconciliation is hard, but "The Young and the Hopeless" wants you to know that it's not nearly as hopeless as it seems.
Stand out tracks: "The Anthem," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Movin' On"
Audioslave - "Audioslave"
After Rage Against the Machine's rapping madman Zack de la Rocha left the band, Chris Cornell (former lead singer of the 80's grunge outfit Soundgarden) took the reins, and took the band in a completely different direction. It became much less angry, and the lyrics improved greatly, while maintaining the guitar magic of Tom Morello. Audioslave introduced grunge to a whole new generation and catapulted Cornell to a near legendary position in the world of rock and roll.
Stand out tracks: "Show Me How To Live," "Like a Stone" and "Exploder"
Dogwood - "Building a Better Me"
Punk is my favorite genre simply because it was the first kind of music that I found. I don't really remember how, but there you have it. It started with the early days of Tooth and Nail Records and MP3.com... when it still legally offered free mp3s; before most people knew what music piracy was. It was back then, early 2001, that I discovered Dogwood... one of the original Christian punk rock bands from So Cal, who along with MxPx and Slick Shoes spearheaded the movement. Blending skateboard culture and heart on the sleeve Christianity, they created a hardcore blend that Tooth and Nail nearly put a trademark on... paving the way for bands like Under0ath and Kutless. But let it be known, Dogwood started it all. To this day, their "Building A Better Me" video makes me smile.
Stand out tracks: "Building A Better Me," "Truth About It Is" and "Nothing New"
Foo Fighters - "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
Yet another example of a rock supergroup that became a respected band in their own right. Their last album came out just as I was finishing up high school and spoke to me on a very deep level, specifically the last track, "Home." We all long for home, whatever form that may take... and Foo Fighters take you on a trip through a summer in the south eastern U.S. to find that home. Darned if they don't do a good job.
Stand out tracks: "The Pretender," "Summer's End" and "Home"
The Classic Crime - "The Silver Cord"
The Classic Crime's "The Silver Cord" is the winter to "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace's" summer. It takes you to the other side of the continent, to a cold and bleak Washington state, as the singer searches for meaning, hope and (like David Grohl) a home. He finds it. He finds that peace and solace in only one place: complete and totally surrender to Christ.
Stand out tracks: "Salt In The Snow," "Everything" and "The Beginning"
Entire Relient K catalog
Just like my parents and Christ, Relient K has always been their for me. When I got back from Peru, right after discovering rock and roll, girls and Christian culture... there they were with "Two Lefts..." Entering high school, dealing with broken relationships and looking for hope, they released their major label debut: "Mmhmm." "Five Score..." was bigger, louder, fuller, and ended with an 11 minute epic that made my mom cry. Well into my college career, they put out "Forget and Not Slow Down," reminding me that people fail us, but God does not... and He is what makes life worth living. He is the only one in whom I can find my identity. Relient K has grown up alongside me, and I and deeply thankful to them for the stories they've told and the encouragement they've given me.
Stand out tracks: "For The Moments I Feel Faint," "Breakdown," "Mood Rings," "Trademark," "Getting Into You," "High of 75," "I So Hate Consequences," "More Than Useless," "Up and Up," "Deathbed," "I Don't Need A Soul," "Savannah" and "This Is The End (If You Want It)"
THESE NEXT THREE ALBUMS ARE MY TOP TOP FAVORITES. I OFTEN LISTEN TO THEM ALL IN TANDEM. I WON'T BE GIVING YOU A STAND OUT TRACK LIST FOR ANY OF THEM EITHER. THEY ARE ALL AMAZING AND MEANT TO BE LISTENED TO AS COMPLETE ALBUMS.
Fernando Ortega - "The Shadow of Your Wings"
When I'm down and out, when there is no other direction to look but up... I pull out this album. It reminds me who I am, and where, ultimately, my hope lies. Completely composed of Psalms and hymns, it's all scripture. It's Scripture with music. David, a shepherd several thousand years ago did something similar. He was able to calm a king down, a king who was crazier than a sack of ferrets. The word of God brings peace, the word of God set to music... need I say more?
Rise Against - "The Sufferer and the Witness"
It's hard to find a secular band that really takes justice seriously, who really wants to do the right thing, and has a purpose. Avoiding the stereotypical "sex, drugs and rock and roll" image, Rise Against stands out amongst a crowd. Most of the members of the band are married, believe in the sanctity of marriage, refuse to smoke or drink, and generally shun most of the vices of the rock and roll world they live in. But they don't skimp on the rock. Righteous anger, redemption and perseverance are pervasive themes on the album. "Injection" calls out for to God for help and deliverance from addiction, "Prayer of the Refuge" sings of hope and longs for justice for the downtrodden, "The Good Left Undone" begs for salvation, "Bricks" is just plan angry and "Survive" lets you know that it sure as hell isn't over yet.
Steven Curtis Chapman - "Declaration"
The most influential album in my life. My mom listened to Steven Curtis Chapman when she was in college, and now I'm in college and I am still listening to him... even though I was introduced to him long before any of the other bands or musicians in this list. It is very probable that I listened to music by Steven Curtis Chapman while still in the womb. And this album has lifted me up more times than I can count. It has made me laugh, it has made me cry, it has caused me to worship our Lord more than ever before. And it has always reminded me that "God is God."
Cheers,
JSTT
Posts
