Album Of The Day: Good Monsters by Jars Of Clay

Album Art of Jars Of Clay's Good Monsters album - On a white background with a hint of a creamy green hue, four men are photographed from behind standing together, either wearing black furry suits from head to toe or maybe all with a furry black rug covering their backs. The black back of the furry costume has on top of it a mess of pipes, billows, an overturned chair, and much more. It's probably meant to allude to the complicated internal machinery of humans and/or the band. In the off-white background, above this is printed in large black letters the band's name, and at the bottom the band's name in about the same size as well.

"Do you know what I mean / When I say I don't want to be alone?" Released 20 years ago earlier this month, this is the seventh album by alternative rock band Jars Of Clay. About 5 months before, I heard that Jars Of Clay was releasing a more rock 'n' roll album and I was definitely stoked, as their last few albums had been great, but more in the Americana genre. Giving this a listen, this is definitely rock with more prominent electric guitar and top-notch bass and drums too. Lyrically, the band is struggling with personal insecurities and larger cultural issues, especially among Christianity and how it relates to the rest of the world. Though the lyrics are delivered in such fun rock/pop sounds, you might miss the depth of the lyrics on the first few listens. "Work", "Dead Man (Carry Me)" and the Julie Miller cover "All My Tears" give the album a strong, rock 'n' roll start, and the title track and the six-minute "Oh My God" make the middle of the album some of the best on this release. Though don't miss the end, either, as the whole album really is good songs from this experienced band. I love pretty much all of Jars Of Clay's albums, and as a fan of rock, I really love this one. It gives me a chance to rock out, plus it has some great lyrics and catchy songs.

Release Year: 2006
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Album Of The Day
Music

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