Pop-punk youth favorites Stellar Kart brings all of its Dove Award-winning, chart busting, and vast touring experience to bear on simply the best record of their career: Everything Is Different Now. And they mean it. It sounds different. It feels different. The words get stuck in your head. The guitars heat up and melt your heart and leave you wanting more.
Everything Is Different Now features a diverse mix of power pop originals (“Until My Heart Caves In,” “It’s Not Over”) and SK-infused covers (“You Never Let Go,”“We Shine,”“Spirit in the Sky”)—at once amp’d up and yet somehow stripped down—all intended to lift its audience toward the ultimate freedom found only in Christ.
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Music Review: Everything Is Different Now| Posted March 23, 2010
By Brian Hall & Lydia Akinola
GENRE: POP/PUNK/WORSHIP
LABEL: INO RECORDS
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 9, 2010
BRIAN HALL’S RATING: 4 OUT OF 5
LYDIA AKINOLA’S RATING: 3.75 OUT OF 5
OVERALL RATING: 3.8 OUT OF 5
Brian Hall’s Review:
Stellar Kart won me over back in 2006 with “We Can’t Stand Sitting Down”. The sound was fun and infectious, the lyrics were heartfelt and meaningful, and the guys knew how to rock. Now, the boys are back in town with Everything Is Different Now, a guitar driven pop/punk worship album that is sure to please long time fans and maybe even make some new ones along the way.
The opening track “All My Heart” sets the tone for the rest of the album beautifully with its high energy level and vertical lyrics. “We Shine” is one of three cover songs on the album. The song originally put Fee on the map three years ago, and while SK is already very much “on the map”, it is still sure to attract fans of the worship genre to their music. The awesome, “Sprit In The Sky” is another cover song originally made popular by Norman Greenbaum and later covered by Elton John. Again, the guys manage to make this song theirs by kicking up the tempo and adding great harmonies that would make other harmony based bands proud. The last cover on the album is Matt Redman’s worship standard, “You Never Let Go” which is probably the weakest cover as it is such a well known song and they fail to really put their mark on it.
Other great songs like “Until My Heart Caves In”, “Like The Sun”, “Something Holy” and “Rescue” really showcase SK’s talent and abilities. Their live shows are full of energy and excitement, and I feel like this album captured similar elements. This is easily the bands best album to date, and I would really love to hear the band offer up more worship tunes in the future. Make this an addition to your Stellar Kart collection, or maybe you should start one here.
Stellar Kart has grown up. And, oh! what a difference it has made. Apprehensive about what to expect their latest LP, to say that I was pleasantly surprised would be a gross understatement. These guys have come a mighty long way since their debut “All Gas. No Brake”; the improvement is considerable.
Lydia Akinola’s Review:
One of the reasons why I was hesitant about Everything Is Different Now, was the number of covers I saw in the track listing, 4 in total. Casting back to their first album with its awkward cover of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”, I wasn’t sure what to prepare myself for. But, happily, things have changed- in fact, their cover of Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go” is one of the strongest tracks I have heard from the group- ever. The other covers include a magnificent take on Fee’s “We Shine”, as well as “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum and Audio Adrenaline’s “Until My Heart Caves In”. All are noteworthy performance, although nothing can quite beat the original Audio A sound.
Everything Is Different Now marks a return for Stellar Kart to worship music. Rather than focusing on relational issues, the band have shifted their efforts into creating fun, upbeat, pumping praises songs that can be sung and enjoyed by anyone who is young at heart. From the opening track “All My Heart”, the change is apparent, and their hidden of skill of packing a rock tune with powerful, worshipful lyrics becomes clear. This shake up began to get me excited.
Enter “We Shine”. It is given a little Stellar Kart treatment and transformed with electronica programming: the result is an epic power-pop praise tune. From then on, I was converted. This is party-praise, fun, loud music that is easy on the ears and good for soul. The lyrics are God-centered, the music is energetic and alive- the end result is generally fantastic. “Something Holy” is another highlight, reminding listeners that we are called to a part something of something bigger than each of us. What sets Stellar Kart apart from many other pop-punk/pop-rock artists is the way they can condense nuggets of faith in a song less than 3 minutes long.
The title track “Everything Is Different Now” is classic Stellar Kart: in pace, in structure and in sound. But for this album, everything is just a little tighter, the production is just that bit sharper, the sound has something extra- in short, Adam Agee and his band has raised the bar. The memories of just ‘alright’ music seem have been put behind us as Stellar Kart grow older and become wiser and master the trade. Change is the operative verb.
With the aforementioned “You Never Let Go”, Stellar Kart has captured the essence of the song, but has also successfully added their trademark guitar riffs, drum work, and unmistakable drive to it. It will appeal to those who look for edgier, peppier versions of popular worship songs to listen. The closer, “Like The Son” will also appeal, showing off some of the best talent musically that Stellar Kart has to offer with a resounding interlude that ties of the album magnificently.
Stellar Kart has done a lot of work, but as always, there is still more to do. It would be great for them to tackle slower, unhurried songs and I would love to see them continue to write more of their own work. Nevertheless there is plenty for the fans to love and for newcomers to enjoy. All in all, I believe that Everything Is Different Now sets the standard and is the foundation from which Stellar Kart will continue to work on. As a massive improvement on their past efforts, it goes to show how bands can develop and get better with time. This LP reminds us how far a little bit of change can go in the journey of development … I’m hoping that their next release will revolutionize everything again, and let us join them on their adventure.
Review copy provided courtesy of INO Records
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
THE EVOLUTION OF STELLAR KART| Posted March 23, 2010
Stellar Kart may be growing up. Even though the perpetually fun fab four still dole out generous doses of their hyper-energetic pop/punk/rock on stage night after night, there's a maturation process at work on their fourth full-length studio recording, suitably titled Everything Is Different Now.
Maybe trading mega-label home Word for the cozy indie crew of INO helped cast an updated vision. Maybe introducing new guitarist Jon Howard, formerly of Dizmas, during touring season last year conjured up some fresh ideas. Or maybe veteran witty-rock front man/producer extraordinaire Ian Eskelin's mad skills behind the board honed the outfit's tantalizing tunes. Whatever it was, the band's development from a largely jejune fan base to at least a later high school/young adult crowd is producing an excellent musical outcome and following a smart marketing path, considering the quartet's original tween fan base is now enrolled in college.
Kicking off the record with a duet of wailing rock anthems, "All My Heart" and "We Shine" don't stray too far from the Stellar Kart formula, with wall-to-wall guitars, possessive melodies and straightforward worship lyrics worthy of full-blown audience participation. But "Something Holy" and the title track incorporate subtler musical panache as the band lyrically skims primetime subject matter for restless young adults in pursuit of an identity.
A trio of covers complement the package's entire potential, including an accelerated interpretation of Norman Greenbaum's 1969 No. 1, "Spirit in the Sky," a viable version of Matt Redman's popular worship song "You Never Let Go," and a fist-pumping, ear-blasting adaptation of Audio Adrenaline's "Until My Heart Caves In," albeit a bit more polished. Should they consistently evolve with more records like this, Adam, Jordan, Brian and Jon are bound to make their catalog a permanent stake in Christian music chronicles. -Andrew Greer
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
Everything Is Different Now| Posted March 09, 2010
Everything Is Different Now, it’s a fitting album title for a band that has gone through a line-up and label change since its last album. The Arizona-based act, Stellar Kart has also taken a different direction stylistically with this album. Instead of the usual fast-paced, punk-influenced tunes, the band opts for a worshipful pop/rock approach.
Although the title suggests that this album is all about change, the more consistent theme is perseverance. The acoustic-based “It’s Not Over,” epic power-ballad “Like The Sun,” electronica-flavored “Something Holy,” and a cover of Audio Adrenaline’s “Until My Heart Caves In,” all revolve around pushing through trials and tribulations on the Christian walk.
Stellar Kart also incorporates a few tracks that would be appropriate in a corporate worship setting. The album’s opener, “All My Heart” is simplistic lyrically and melodically, but that’s in part what makes it a good worship song. Energy-filled “Rescue” would also work well in a congregational setting, with lyrics like “My God, my hope, my rescue/The cross has set me free/No power can stand against You/I’ll shout it out, shout it out.” The other two worship tracks on the album listeners should recognize as Fee’s “We Shine” and Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go.”
The only concerning aspect of “Everything Is Different Now” is it contains four covers (the three aforementioned and Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit In The Sky,”), which seems a bit much for an album that only has ten songs in total. However, each cover is done well and stays true to the original, thus making it less of an issue.
Closing Thoughts
Everything Is Different Now certainly was not the direction, in terms of style, that I expected Stellar Kart to take. With that being said, I’m glad it did. This is a must-have album for 2010.
Great Album.| Posted August 19, 2013
This is by far one of my favorite Stellar Kart album. It was the first album i listened to by them. They have a positive, uplifting vibe that will put you in a good mood whenever you listen to it. My favorite track is definitely Like The Sun.
Different? Yes!| Posted August 09, 2013
No pun intended with the name Everything Is Different Now. With a line up change it seemed appropriate. They have a new more mature sound but still keep it rocking and poping. Thruly a new and refined sound for them.
Everything Is Different Now| Posted August 01, 2013 You really should buy the fourth studio album Everything Is Different Nowby Stellar Kart. These worshippers will make you praise with their songs. And you really need to listen to their music. Let's adore Him!
Everything Is Different Now| Posted March 10, 2011
I've always thought of Stellar Kart as a fun, random, spur of the moment, go with the craziness band! and that's what I love about them, I believe they said this was their worship album, either way I love it! It's different, but REAL good different. I like how they started this album with 'All My Heart' but it starts out with a real good piano intro, I like how they remixed some old songs like 'Spirit in the Sky' and 'My Only One', those also came out pretty good. I like the lyrics in 'Everything is Different Now' and I like how they did sumn a lil different with 'Something Holy' I tell you, that song can get stuck in your head all day, and it's something good to keep in mind cause "we were born to be a part of something holy". This whole album is something new and fresh and amazing, I didn't know that they could pull off some of the things they did in this album, but I really DO like how they did 'You Never Let Go' even though they barely changed it, it came out real good, and I liked it better than the original artist did it. Like this album, waiting to see if the next one is even more mind blowing... :)
I'm A Warrior!| Posted December 13, 2010
This album honestly makes me me happy! It's full of high powered, fast-paced fun worship songs, then it also has beautiful slow songs. It's a great mix of things, fun to listen to, fun to sing along with, just amazing all together!
Awesome Album| Posted May 14, 2010
this is a great worship album for teens, from "we shine" to "until my heart caves in" you will be pleased with their new rock sound. this is definately a step up for stellar kart and i must say that i actaully liked them better live than on the CD so if you get a chance catch them live!
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