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Album Of The Day: Colour by Andy Hunter°
Andy Hunter° is a DJ that spins long, epic dance tracks to bring a party vibe but also a spiritual message. Lyrics are sparse, but the bass and the beats are always there. Some of his more recent work is more "lo-fi" or "chill", but Colour was the last of his album-length, full-on EDM albums on a major label. I like the variation of sounds throughout and songs like "Miracle" really get your subwoofer going. Play this one loud to turn your house or vehicle into one of those dance club scenes in the movies where you can feel the music rumble the building.
Release Year: 2008
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Album Of The Day: Interrobang by Switchfoot
Recorded during 2020 and released 3 years ago today, Interrobang is Switchfoot's 12th and latest studio album of new songs. Instead of bringing their usual pop/rock sound they've been doing for fans for years, the band decided to try something new. Producer Tony Berg pushed them to make songs that were more artistic and lyrics that are deeper, that speak to the human condition even more than before. It still rocks, but a much more cohesive album that longs to be listened to from the start to the end. From the five-minute opener of "Beloved" to the closer "Electricity", the lyrics address what the world was struggling with in 2020. The songs still speak to the struggles today of relationships, social media, and loving those around us. Though the music sounds a bit more experimental, there's tons of great guitar work throughout and the whole band pushes themselves to do things they haven't done before. I think it might be my favorite Switchfoot album.
Release Year: 2021
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Album Of The Day: Crazytalk by Mat Kearney
Mat Kearney has been making music for about 20 years now. Kearney's style is mostly acoustic singer-songwriter/pop with a bit of spoken word verses on a few songs. After 4 albums on major labels, Mat went independent and released Crazytalk, where he switched it up by bringing a more electronic, dance vibe to his music. On a few tracks, he worked with producers/EDM artists like RAC, Filous, and AFSHeeN. I really like this more edgy music from Mat Kearney, though I certainly don't mind the more traditional acoustic pop of some of his other albums either.
Release Year: 2018
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Album Of The Day: Glo by delirious?
In the early 1990s, the "Cutting Edge" band started leading worship for youth events at churches. By the late '90s, they had turned into modern rock band delirious?. In the 2000s, they made worship albums with a very mature rock band sound. Their first album of this style was Glo, which starts with a brief choir intro and ends with an orchestral outro, but has lots of rock 'n' roll and spiritual lyrics in the middle. "My Glorious" and "God's Romance" bring the rock, while songs like "What Would I Have Done?" and "Awaken The Dawn" bring the more worshipful sounds, though they have their rock moments too. And "Investigate" rivals their earlier "Obsession" for the most epic delirious? song ever. Delirious? is still my favorite band of all time, and it's because of these types of guitar-fueled anthems and their love of God that keeps them at the top of that list.
Release Year: 2000
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Album Of The Day: Live At The Wetlands by Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Robert Randolph and his Family Band started playing music in their church, but then started playing in clubs as more of a jam band. I've enjoyed seeing them play their mix of rock, blues, Gospel, and even country a number of times and it's great live music if you can catch them in a city near you. This, their first album, is definitely a jam band album with the average track being over 11 minutes long. Recorded at a New York City club called "Wetlands Preserve" which closed shortly after recording, it's a fun night to listen in on. Sadly, this album does not seem to be available on streaming services currently, so you might have to seek out a CD release to listen to it.
Release Year: 2002
Album Of The Day: Sessions by Lauren Daigle
Just released today is this new EP of 8 songs recorded mostly acoustic—half at the SirusXM studios and half at Apple Music studios. With the stripped-down, intimate live setting, Lauren Daigle's vocals and lyrics shine even more than usual. Most of the songs are from Daigle's 2023 self-titled album, but her previous album's "You Say" and a cover of "You Are So Beautiful" are included in the Sessions as well.
Release Year: 2024
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Album Of The Day: The Burning Edge Of Dawn by Andrew Peterson
I think Andrew Peterson said once that he writes sad songs about Jesus's love. That's about right. Andrew's ninth studio album mixes his thoughts on life and love with reflections on God's love, God's beauty and the peace of God. It's a tight 10 songs—only 38 minutes—and the musicianship is impeccable. It makes my heart long for what is to come and calls me on to make it come about.
Release Year: 2015
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Album Of The Day: All That You Can't Leave Behind by U2
If The Joshua Tree made U2 a popular band in the late '80s, this album pushed them through the stratosphere 13 years later. After going through a dance rock phase in the '90s, All That You Can't Leave Behind went back to the more guitar-oriented rock band sound, though keeping a bit of the electronic. Bono's vocals get into the falsetto on songs such as "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" among others. Although the first four tracks are the memorable singles, the rest of the album is great music too, from a love song to "New York" to a call for "Peace on Earth".
Release Year: 2000
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Album Of The Day: The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman
Since the mid-'90s, Matt Redman has been writing modern songs for churches across the world to sing that express praise and worship to God. Released in the UK and internationally in 1998 under the title "Intimacy", this album was released in the US with the title of Matt Redman's most popular early songs, "The Heart of Worship". This studio album has a jazzy feel to it and the lyrics long for a closer relationship to God as well as thanking him for what He has given. It's a great listen from the raucous open to "Let Everything That Has Breath" to the extended ending of "The Prayers Of the Saints".
Release Year: 1999
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Album Of The Day: Beyond These Shores by Iona
Iona mixes traditional Celtic sounds with rock/pop. The Irish band weaves together beautiful instrumental tracks with Joanne Hogg's heavenly vocals taking the lead on others. This album is centered around Irish historical figure St. Brendan and his exploration of the seas around Ireland. I love to have Iona's albums playing in the background while reading a book on a quiet weekend day; they're so epic in scope.
Release Year: 1993
Note: On streaming services, it seems like this is the 2-disc, 30th anniversary of Iona release which includes bonus tracks from the studio sessions. The original album is the first 15 tracks, about 70 minutes in total. The later tracks are just demos and unreleased tracks which may be less interesting.
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