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Album Of The Day: The Listening EP by The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus
I've only got time for an EP tonight, but it's a good one. Released 21 years ago earlier this month, this is the last EP from The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus, or maybe it's the first EP from The Listening? I'm not sure—maybe both. The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus was a band for a few years bringing rock with classic rock vibes (think The Beatles meets Pink Floyd) and lots of Biblical and spiritual references. But after this they became The Listening, a band more interested in a moody, vibe-y rock sound, for an album and another EP. This EP introduces the latter and still has a bit of the former. "(untitled)" is also featured on The Listening's self-titled album, and is the best sample of their new sound. The rest sound more like a continuation of The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus's sound with some slight tweaks. "I Love The Rain" is a great song about feeling connection with God while standing outside in the rain and "Dead Man" is an epic closing track with religious lyrics and a spooky vibe. Sadly, this EP is not currently available on streaming, so it might be a bit hard to find if you don't have a CD of it on hand like I do.
Release Year: 2004
Album Of The Day: The 2nd Law by Muse
British rock band Muse has been making music for 25-30 years now, and this is their 6th album. Their first few albums were much more rock-heavy, but this album and the one before has a lot of rock though it definitely also has its share of pop, electronic and even classical elements. I love the epic bass/synth lines on "Madness", but other songs are energetic rock songs with a bit of a dramatic flair. I honestly haven't listened to their newer albums since this one much, but I definitely like all their earlier releases and they're a solid, entertaining rock band with a message of chaos and societal collapse and a futuristic, sci-fi edge.
Release Year: 2012
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Album Of The Day: Reinvent, Remember, Replay by Jars of Clay
OK, I'm cheating a bit today because this is not an album, but it's an EP from one of my all-time favorite bands. In 2011, Jars of Clay had been playing music for over 15 years and had released 10 albums. On this EP, they recorded new versions of 5 songs from their previous albums, and they're definitely all different than the originals, but all just as good as the originals in their own way. My favorite thing is the version of "Crazy Times" sounds a bit more acoustic, and the guitar solo that is the bridge of the song seems to be performed by a keyboard, I think. (Or maybe it's a guitar with a keyboard-sounding effect on it? I'm not sure.) These interpretations are bit more keyboard-heavy, which is not a bad thing, though I do love guitars and there's still plenty of that here. In my opinion, it's always fun to hear a band do a new interpretation of a song. And Jars of Clay definitely don't disappoint in that area, as they've re-recorded many songs in acoustic, more electronic pop, or other variations over the years. Unfortunately, it looks like this EP is not available for streaming on Apple Music currently, though I guess you can buy it through iTunes for download. I, of course, have a CD copy of even this EP.
Release Year: 2011
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Album Of The Day: NAMO by NAMO
This is the only full-length album from the NAMO music collective, which is a bunch of teens and/or twenty-somethings making indie pop music out of Nashville. Asher Peterson produces the album and I believe came up with many of the atmospheric, electronic sounds. His siblings, Aedan and Skye Peterson, all the children of Christian singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson, contribute songwriting, vocals and more. But a lot of their friends—most if not all of them also independent artists—contribute vocals, songwriting, etc. And the kids are alright, as I like this album and how each song is unique, but also works together in the whole. Songs like "Talk!" and "The Gap" are very catchy and even if not every song is an earworm, they're very listen-able experiments in chill electronic pop. I hope these kids have kept and keep on making art, no matter what they do.
Release Year: 2020
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Album Of The Day: The Stories I Tell Myself by Matt Maher
Matt Maher has been leading worship at church events and working as a songwriter/musician for at least 25 years, and this is his latest and 12th album release. Much of Matt Maher's early albums I didn't get into because it was a bit quieter and less rock 'n' roll than I liked my Christian music. But I really like this album because it's a mix of songs of praise and worship to God, but also songs of personal struggles and shortcomings and trying to understand what God is saying through them. And there's a lot of different musical styles here: "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" and "Burning Heart Of God" have a heavy Gospel bent, but other songs like "Leaning" have powerful vocals from guest vocalists and other tracks definitely have a rock edge to them guitar-heavy melodies and great drums and bass. The version I've been listening is the CD version, which seems to be tracks 1-9 and track 20 on streaming, which is a nice 37-minute, 10-track album of top-notch songs. But the streaming version is over twice as long and has some live versions of the same songs as well as six further new songs which I'm just listening to for the first time now. I'd definitely recommend giving the first part a listen as Maher is a talented songwriter and lyricist, and stick around for the rest of the streaming version if you're looking for more.
Release Year: 2022
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Album Of The Day: Offerings: A Worship Album by Third Day
Released 25 years ago yesterday, this is the fourth album from southern rock band Third Day and their first album that is a mix of studio and live tracks. Throughout the late 1990s, Third Day was one of the biggest Christian rock bands, and on occasion, a few of their slower songs worked as a worship song; as music that could be sung together in church for prayer or praise. Conspiracy No. 5 and Time were some of my favorite rock albums in the late '90s, and I still listen to them regularly. In 2000 they were asked to put together a collection of more worship-focused songs, so they put 5 live recordings of songs from their previous albums with covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Michael W. Smith, and Jacob's Trouble, and added three original studio tracks (plus an original CD hidden track which is not on streaming). "King Of Glory" is a strong, emotional original to start the album, and the other, not-so-great originals are in the back half of the album mixed with some solid live recordings. I'm pretty sure I remember listening to "King of Glory" the first time in the car with my dad and loving it. The cover of Dylan's "Saved" and the live version of "Agnus Dei" are some of my favorite songs on this album too. But unfortunately, this album found the band a new level of success and they quickly redefined themselves as a Christian pop band, much to my disappointment. Their albums after this rarely had music I enjoyed as it seemed much less rock and more pop with lyrics meant to appeal to soccer moms and not rock fans, sadly. But even though this album moved the band in a direction that lost my interest, I do still enjoy this album for it being a live/worship side project from one of the best Christian rock bands of the '90s.
Release Year: 2000
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Album Of The Day: Parachutes by Coldplay
Released on this day 25 years ago in the UK, this is the first album from the band Coldplay. It's a beautiful, 42-minute chill pop/rock masterpiece. With short, cryptic song titles like "Shiver", "Spies", "Sparks" and "Trouble", you might not be expecting much, but in these simple piano melodies and Chris Martin's vocals are uncomplicated and relatable music for the masses. "Yellow" remains one of the band's most popular songs, despite touring the world and releasing 9 more studio albums in the quarter century since this with numerous more hits. It's a perfect album for playing late at night before going to bed on a summer evening, and is one of their best albums overall even all these years later.
Release Year: 2000
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Album Of The Day: Live From The Woods by Needtobreathe
I had heard for a few years about the fun live shows that Needtobreathe put on, but it wasn't until about 5 years into their existence as a major-label band that I got around to seeing them play live. And I was hooked. Their albums are good southern rock with a bit of gospel/blues thrown in in places, but only once I heard them play live did I really like them. They're all great musicians and the band can really play, plus they know how to put on a good show with the video screens, lights, etc. This 2-CD Live At The Woods album captures the audio of their live show really well and features some of the best songs of their first 5 albums. Many songs run 5 or 6 minutes long with the band jammin' and rockin' the crowd. On occasion, lead singer Bear Rinehart shares a bit about the song before they perform it, and it's meaningful and doesn't get too old on repeated listens. Needtobreathe is a really good band, and this live recording is just as good as their studio albums, in my opinion. I always enjoy when they come to town, but this album is the next best thing.
Release Year: 2015
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Album Of The Day: Where The Light Shines Through by Switchfoot
"Your wounds are where the light shines through." Released 9 years ago today, this is the tenth album from Switchfoot, one of my all-time favorite bands. This is definitely not my favorite album from this band, but it by no means has caught the boys napping. The band are seasoned musicians, and they each play their parts making great rock/pop music. Songs like "Holy Water", "If The House Burns Down Tonight" and "Bull In A China Shop" give guitarist Drew Shirley opportunities to show off his guitar prowess, and the title track has some beautiful blues licks mixed in with it. "Float" is a really fun pop song and is a hit at concerts, plus an excuse to turn on the bubble machine. Songs like "I Won't Let You Go", "The Day That I Found God" and "Live It Well" do have some religious language which some fans like and others do not, but they're still solid slower songs from Switchfoot. It's not their best album but it's still a first-class collection of songs from five guys who like to entertain and ask some of the deeper questions about life.
Release Year: 2016
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Album Of The Day: Hello Maker by Bright City
Released 8 years ago today, this is the second album from Bright City, the modern worship team from St. Peter's Church in Brighton, UK. The lyrics are much like other contemporary praise and worship with songs of to God for church services or other events. However, this album's production is a bit more of a dance-pop sound than your average worship music, and some tracks really get the BPMs up there. "Rock Of Our Salvation" and "Come Holy Spirit" are instant classics, if you ask me, and Martin Smith of delirious? sings lead vocals on the latter song and co-writes on many others. His daughter, Elle Limebear, also takes lead vocals on a few other tracks which she also re-recorded on her solo album a few years later. There's a large group of people on the Bright City worship team, though, so no one person leads the majority of the 10 tracks, and the talented musicians provide a lush, bass-filled instrumental track under the melody. It's an engaging album that keeps the music focused on God and I think it's a bit better than most of those mega-church modern worship bands. I hope they continue to make music.
Release Year: 2017
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