Blog
Album Of The Day: Jesus Freak by DC Talk
Released 30 years ago tomorrow, this is one of the most recognizable albums among Christians who grew up in the '90s. DC Talk started in the '80s as a group that had rap verses with sung choruses, and by the early '90s, they were one of the top-selling Christian artists. But with this album, they brought some of the Nirvana rock style that was so popular at the time to their sound. There's definitely a bunch of Toby McKeehan rapping on this album, but it's more primarily a pop/rock album. Michael Tait continues to provide harmonies and vocals on the choruses, and Kevin Max Smith does more harmonies, sometimes with a wild falsetto or vibrato. The title track was an anthem for many youth groups throughout the '90s and '00s to argue that it's cool to be a "freak" for Jesus. Since one of the members of the group was black, songs like "Colored People" and "What Have We Become?" discourage racism and encourage harmony among their fans. They make "Day By Day" from the musical "Godspell" into a pop anthem, and made Charlie Peacock's "In The Light" well-known amongst Christian music fans with their excellent arrangement. And there's a few silly interludes between songs and a poem from Kevin Max Smith as a hidden track. It's DC Talk's best album, in my opinion, and one that I still do listen to regularly and have memorized. In the last few years, though, many do not look upon this group with as much fondness after terrible accusations have been made against Michael Tait, which does definitely color their popularity for me too. Still, I think it's worth honoring this album's anniversary, even though the group isn't the perfect model of Christians we were led to believe they were by the industry who put them on a pedestal.
Release Year: 1995
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Floodplain by Sara Groves
Released 10 years ago earlier this month, this is the 11th album from Sara Groves, one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time. Like on her other albums, she does an excellent job of writing very personal songs about life, love and more in her unique style which is steeped in religion and culture. As she is a resident of the river town of St. Paul, Minnesota, Sara found inspiration for a few songs from the Mississippi River which winds through St. Paul and has been a huge force for building life in the area throughout the past. This is 12 great songs, and whenever I listen to this album, I am struck by how I need to listen to this more and really listen to her lyrics, because they are always profound when you really give them a close listen.
Release Year: 2015
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Some Kind Of Zombie by Audio Adrenaline
Released 28 years ago today, this is the fourth studio album from Audio Adrenaline, a pop/rock band that was a favorite of youth group kids throughout the 1990s and 2000s. This band kept changing up their style, starting with more of a pop style and then transitioning to classic rock and back to pop with a bit of worship in the mid-2000s. But this album was definitely in their more modern rock-focused era, with songs like "Chevette" and "Blitz" being heavy with guitars as well as a positive and fun message that Christian kids and parents could handle. The title track of this album gets into industrial rock and might have scared parents a bit more with the "zombie" metaphor, but it was still trying to bring Biblical principles to the kids. (The music video is fun too.) I was never a huge fan of this band, but it's classic CCM and I consider this their second-best album.
Release Year: 1997
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Everybody Makes Mistakes by Starflyer 59
Released 26 years ago yesterday, this is the fifth studio release from Starflyer 59, a band which was known in the mid-'90s as one of the pioneers of the "shoegaze" genre. On this album their sound is getting a bit more pop/rock, though the fuzzed guitars definitely play a part on these songs. It's a short album, but it's really good. "No New Kinda Story" is one of my favorite songs of the '90s by any group or artist with its cinematic pop sound. "A Dethroned King" brings in the guitars in a big way, making it clear that the band is still a force in alternative rock. I think this may still be my favorite Starflyer 59 album, and they've made a lot of albums over the last 30+ years. Starflyer 59 has never been one of my favorite bands, but they keep making interesting music that is unique.
Release Year: 1999
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Joy Beyond The Sorrow by Indelible Grace
Released 13 years ago yesterday, this is the sixth studio release from Indelible Grace, a Nashville-based collective of musicians who work to bring the text of old hymns to today's modern Christians by setting the songs to new, modern pop/rock/folk melodies. I've heard a lot about this group and even supported their work financially on occasion, but honestly, I have not listened to their music often enough. I gave this album a first listen today and I loved it. Most of the independent artists who sing on these songs such as Andrew Osenga, Sandra McCracken, and Jeremy Casella are singer/songwriters I'm very familiar with, and it's great to hear them sing these revered English texts, many of which I am not that familiar with. This album is definitely not the same as today's modern worship, as there is talk of hardship and sorrow, but also the mystery and glory found in Jesus. I love how this makes the hymns of the last few hundred years come to life and is something that I want to listen to outside of church every Sunday.
Release Year: 2012
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: The Listening by The Listening
Released 20 years ago today is one of my all-time favorite albums, the only full-length studio album by rock band The Listening. They brought a darker, more psychedelic rock style than I had really experienced before and I love it. These 9 songs span nearly 50 minutes, with the songs averaging about 5½ minutes long, making it quite a vibe. Lyrically, it talks of love and occasionally getting high, but maybe also finding God in those things. The guitars are splendid, and the bass, drums, keys and programming build such a great sound. It's beautiful to listen to all the way through and I highly recommend you give this album a listen. I really wish we got more music from this band, and I'm sad I never got to seem them play live!
Release Year: 2005
Listen on Apple Music
(Sadly, looks like it's not on Spotify currently.)
Album Of The Day: Only Visiting This Planet by Larry Norman
Released 53 years ago today, I believe, this is the second studio album by Larry Norman, one of the earliest rock artists to be singing rock music with a "Christian" message. It fits right in with other '70s rock, featuring pounding drums, lots of electric guitar and lots of social commentary on the events of that era. "I Am The Six O'Clock News" and "The Great American Novel" bemoan America's wars in that era and talk about Christianity's relationships with racism and other cultural forces. "The Outlaw" is a great song about the life of Jesus put into the words of the '70s. And "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" talks about Jesus coming back and the rapture, maybe. And songs like "Righteous Rocker #1" and "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music" are rock anthems that are lots of fun. This album is widely considered to be his best work. I've only really started listening to Larry Norman's music in the last few years, but I really like his style. Even though the music sounds very '70s, it still feels very relevant to America today.
Release Year: 1972
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Vitals by Mutemath
Released 10 years ago today is the fourth studio album from electronic rock band Mutemath. This band is one of my favorite bands and they put on such a great show for the tours supporting this album in late 2015 and early 2016. The lyrics are sometimes love songs, sometimes reminiscing on the good times of the past or even the hurt in their lives. But even with some dark themes in the lyrics on occasion, the music is still upbeat and positive. The title track is a fun instrumental jam, and the whole album is full of even more synths and electronic elements. Their previous albums had more guitar, but I feel like the electronic vibe makes it a more dance-y than their previous albums which is cool. Many remixes of "Monument" were released around this time, and songs like "Light Up", "Joy Rides" and "Used To" are definitely highlights of this album. This is my favorite album after the band's excellent debut, I think, though I really like all their albums. I can't believe it's already been 10 years!
Release Year: 2015
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Soundtrack To A Revolution by The Insyderz
Released 22 years ago today is my favorite release from the Christian ska band The Insyderz. I love Joe Yerke's gutteral vocals and the band has a great ska-punk sound with lots of guitars and the occasional horns. A few songs like the title track and "Call To Arms" definitely refer to the Christian life as a battle against some sort of evil forces. Other songs have more of an element of praise to God. It's definitely been a few years since I've listened to this album, but it's a lot of fun to revisit this ska-punk band and their quality music again.
Release Year: 2003
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: EP by Astronaut Pushers
Released 20 years ago this past Saturday, this is the only EP release from this rock super-group, and it's just called "EP". Sam Ashworth is the lead singer and is a producer and songwriter, Lindsay Jamieson has done drums for Ben Folds and others, Matt Slocum is the primary songwriter for Sixpence None The Richer, and John Davis was the lead singer of Superdrag. They released this 4-song EP of quality rock with lots of variety in the sound. In 2022, the EP was released on vinyl and a 5th song that was recorded in 2005 was added to the digital version. It's a quick but quality collection of songs and worth a listen.
Release Year: 2005
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify