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Album Of The Day: Leonard, The Lonely Astronaut by Andrew Osenga
In the fall of 2011, singer-songwriter Andrew Osenga got together a bunch of friends and they made a small recording space that also looked like the inside of a spaceship. There, Andrew recorded this album about a man named Leonard who left his loved ones on a lonely mission into space. It's a lot of love songs, pining for something that he cannot reach and waiting for things to happen. This is a fun rock/pop album full of heart and the occasional instrumental between songs. Even the album artwork photos was shot in this spaceship set where Leonard was recorded. It's not exactly a concept album in that it doesn't tell one continuous story, but it does have a bunch of songs on these themes of love and distance. Give this album a listen if you've never heard it or if it's been a while and make sure to support independent musicians like Andrew Osenga if you can.
Release Year: 2012
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Single Of The Day: What A Time To Be Alive by The Elms
The Elms are one of my all-time favorite bands. They just create timeless rock 'n' roll that champions the life and grit of everyday Americans like themselves. In 2010, they announced they were retiring from being a band full-time after a full 10 years doing so. In 2015, they reunited for 2 nights only in Indianapolis, Indiana, and they are doing it again this fall. Released this past Friday, it's my first ever Single Of The Day (a much shorter version of my regular Album Of The Day series) and the first new studio recording from The Elms is over 15 years. "What A Time To Be Alive" finds the band back at it without missing a beat, with excellent guitars, bass and drums and great vocals. Fans of the band might be surprised by the band wearing their politics a bit more on their sleeve than in the past, but I think it's accurate and apropos for them to have a character say, "What the hell, man? Times are wild," because it's true. The song is not epic like "Speaking In Tongues" or "The Towers & The Trains" and it's not my favorite song of theirs, but it's still fun to hear new music from artists who have been doing other things for years. I'm looking forward to seeing them live again this fall!
Release Year: 2025
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Album Of The Day: When I Was Younger by Colony House
Released 11 years ago today, this is the first album from Colony House, the band I've seen play the most times live in the last 10 years. Some fans consider this their best album, and while it set the bar for this rock band pretty high, I like their newer albums even better. If you're looking for rock, it's here with "Keep On Keeping On" and the "2:20" jam, among others. Slower, heartfelt songs like "Waiting For My Time To Come", "Learning How To Love" and "Moving Forward" about, and they point to the band's desire to connect with fans and speak honestly about life's struggles. And I consider "Lose Control" one of those epic closing tracks, though it's not even 5 minutes long. It's a beautiful debut album and the band has become even more of a rock 'n' roll band since then, while also losing none of their heart. The deluxe, 10th anniversary LP version includes a second LP of rarities, remixes, new orchestral versions, and more with a lenticular cover for the ultimate fan of this album.
Release Year: 2014
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Album Of The Day: Brother's Keeper by Rich Mullins
Released 30 years ago yesterday, I think, this is the 8th album from Rich Mullins and the final studio album released before his death in 1997. Rich Mullins is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard, and songs like the title track, "Cry The Name" and "Let Mercy Lead" are so good. And wow, "The Breaks", "Hatching Of A Heart" and "Wounds Of Love" are just beautiful as well. It's not my favorite Rich Mullins album, and I feel it probably could have sounded a bit better had it not been self-produced, but like any Rich Mullins album, the songwriting and his performance is definitely worth a listen. Really, it's all good songs, even if I have some minor quibbles about the way it was recorded or that it started getting a bit more country than I prefer. If you've not given this a listen or if it's been a few years, I recommend you try giving this album a play, though I could say that for almost every album I mention here. Maybe I just can't wait to hear what Rich Mullins is writing in heaven, I guess.
Release Year: 1995
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Album Of The Day: Burlap To Cashmere by Burlap To Cashmere
Released 14 years ago today, this is the second album from Burlap To Cashmere and their first full-length album since their 1998 debut. Though not as beloved as their debut album, it's again beautiful folk rock that includes a lot of world music, including Greek/Mediterranean music influences. When I first heard this album, I wasn't that much of a fan, but it's definitely grown on me over time. Some of the best songs are "Love Reclaims The Atmosphere", "Closer To The Edge" and "The Other Country", and "Seasons" is a favorite of mine though it first appeared on lead singer Steven Delopoulos's debut solo album. It's hard for anything to match Burlap To Cashmere's first album, in my opinion, but this certainly shows that over a decade later, the band can still write some great songs and record beautiful music.
Release Year: 2011
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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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