Freedom Souls
by
Burlap To Cashmere Burlap to Cashmere has long been considered to be at the top of the music field for numerous solid reasons. From their early days in the mid-nineties,...
Birmingham, AL based Dorean Lives has broken out of the EP recording stage as the band releases it’s first full length, A Cold Fire From The One I Loved, November 5th on the Red Cord Records label.
Dorean Lives began as a healing process for frontman, Logan Freeman, who used his music to heal a loss in his life. Venting his angst on A Cold Fire From The One I Lovedwasn’t enough for this artist who expanded his artistry into an “audio/film project to create a fully immersive world where the stories found in the songs live and breathe”.
Number One Gun, Disciple, RED, Dead Poetic, and Pillar all come to mind as the album progresses, yet without the uplifting bent typically found on those artists work. A dark tone is created in the opening track, “Shiver Breathe Repeat” on A Cold Fire From The One I Loved. That darkness pervades the album from beginning to end without reprieve.
Freeman’s vocals are perfect, with a range and drive beyond most artists. That, plus the big guitars and huge hooks on A Cold Fire From The One I Loved grab you and won’t let you go. Yet it’s not enough, as the disheartening lyrics drop the overall effect down a few notches. A Cold Fire From The One I Loved may have been healing for Freeman, but the album remains as being out of place with today’s musical reality. 10 years ago the emo music of A Cold Fire From The One I Loved, would have stood far above the crowd, but today stands as a testament to a bygone era.
From the ashes of the metalcore band Hands has arisen Phoenix, the debut release from Everything In Slow Motion. As the former frontman of Hands, Shane Ochsner, is well know for the experimental vibe he imbues into his musical craft. But don’t think of Everything In Slow Motion as Hands – part 2, Ochsner has brought his music to an entirely new level.
Ochsner has described the new album as “a therapeutic way of working through my issues with my faith”. Phoenix is a brutally honest, somber, and revealing work. Fashioning a tale of an addict, it brings despair and misery into a context that any of us can envision.
Musically, Phoenix ranges widely through, rock, post-rock, hardcore and even into worshipful moment found on “Numbers” and “Proxima”. Even through these various style changes the album remains as a cohesive unit.
While the entirety of Phoenix is outstanding, there are three songs that stand out from the rest:
Christian Lindskog of Blindside, brings his distinctive style to “Speak” as guest vocalist. Blending his unique vocals with Ochsner’s carries this track into the the upper reaches of greatness.
The second guest vocalist found on Phoenix, Holly Ann, may not be on everyones “must listen to” list, but she should be. She adds her beautiful and ethereal vocals to the worshipful final track “Proxima”.
Unquestionably, the best song found on Phoenix is “Most Days”. Musically, the song climbs a hill that becomes steeper and steeper, until the climber reaches the apex and drops of the peak as the last few soft notes are played. Lyrically it describes the nature of addiction and the hunt for relief from it’s grip. My opinion is that “Most Days” is the greatest song released, in any genre, during 2013.
Phoenix is artistically outstanding and stretches both musical and lyrical boundaries. Phoenix, is is an outstanding achievement from a uniquely talented musician. Kudos to Ochsner for breaking the staid and predictable musical norms by raising the bar for his own music and for all others creating music.
Whosoever South - Goin' Home review | Posted June-17-2013 Christian music is filled by artists who produce music that could be best described as “same old, same old”. It’s a distinct pleasure to find artists who wants to break the musical norms and share a vision that is new and fresh. And so enters Whosoever South with a unique infusion of country and old time gospel blended into their rap/hip-hop sound.
Frontman for Whosoever South, Rowdy Eunice best describes what they sound like:
“It’s like a genre all its own because we don’t fit into any one genre, iIt’s not really been done before, but it’s not all that complicated either. It’s just a combination of good music: country, bluegrass, gospel and rap music all mixed together.”
While their lyrical content can best be described as straight ahead faith and worship, it’s the music that takes what could have been ordinary and brings it to a new level.
The Georgia based Whosoever South was founded in 2008 with the husband and wife team of Rowdy and Sarah Eunice along with Mike Mitchell, have released a few EP’s over those years. Now they are poised to deliver their first full length effort, Goin’ Home come May 14th.
Some of the outstanding tracks from Goin’ Home include:
The popular opening track “Where We From” gives the listener some obvious clues as to the work, values, and musical background of Whosoever South.
“All The Time” finds it’s basis in bluegrass then gently heads into an interesting hip-hop mix.
The stand out track from Goin’ Home is the blues inspired “ That’s Life”. A wonderful blending of hip-hop and blues as Rowdy vocals take us to the roots of our faith in Christ.
“Give My Life To You” defines many of the potential obstacles Christian’s share their faith to non-believers and their own family, but emphasizes the blessings provided by Christ.
Whosoever South offers up a number of genre blends through Goin’ Home, but the reggae inspired “He Loves Me” still comes as a musical surprise.
Goin’ Home has to be considered one of the outstanding albums released in 2013. Accolades go to Whosoever South for stretching the musical boundaries of Christian music as they take music to a whole new level.
Over the Ocean – Be Given To The Soil review | Posted April-27-2013
Very few artists who produce music from a Christian perspective can provide the lyrical honesty with that found from Over the Ocean. This five piece band is comprised of the three ‘J’s, Jesse Hill: vocals and guitar, Joshua Bogart: guitar, Joshua Whittle: drums. Nate Crawford is the third member of the Over the Ocean guitar trio and Ben Crumrine follows on bass. The band hails from the musical hotbed of indie music, Norfolk, Virginia. Whether Over the Ocean is truly post-rock or not will have to be determined by the masses. Musically they follow a traditional post rock path, but Hill adds his superb and subdued vocals to expand Over The Ocean’s sound.
Over the Ocean was a four piece when they recorded their attention grabbing debut release,Paper House, in 2011. Two years later it was time for their sophomore release. The difficulty for any band with their second recording is to guide their fans on a musical progression without alienating them. Be Given To The Soil, reaches down into a depth of feeling unheard on Paper House. At times this album drives the listener from a simple melancholy state to the edge of despair and back again. This is where the honesty aspect of Hill’s lyrics comes to the forefront.
Let’s look at just a few of the musical gems found on Be Given To The Soil.
BGTTS begins on a sombre note on the opening track, “Herons”:
you can see the herons
fly across the lake
you can hear those lonesome
wretched sounds they make
I have seen my own soul
reflected on the water
I have seen the sky turn black
and a storm is coming, a storm is coming on
and I say to myself
I have always been a good man
never hurt anyone
but I can be cruel, I can be cruel
just push me now and see what I can do
there’s a distance my legs will never cross
between the sacred and the obscene
Artists with a Christian faith regularly offer lyrical content that describes life on the “mountaintop” where the world and life experiences are wonderful. Mature Christians realize that they live world where troubles and trials remain a reality. Over the Ocean has this maturity and offer it on the morbid lyrics of “Riverbed” as lyricist, Jesse Hill, describes the accidental death of a close friend:
my friend died
in a car crash
spun out on the ice
rolled into a riverbed
it’s a hard thing to understand
A recent topic in a number of churches has centred on whether our view of Christ and God is accurate or whether our views are simply a result of tradition teaching. This is a topic that can be both revealing of ourselves and challenging to our faith. Hill explores this theme in “God In My Image”, where the song begins with a post hardcore vibe (think of Thrice), then drops back in post rock.
I don’t want to worship a god
I made in my own image
and what’s the use of a savior
who depends on my righteousness
maybe I’ve been seeing things wrong
maybe I don’t know you at all
maybe I’ve been seeing things wrong
maybe you’re not so much like me
oh holy ghost
please unravel my illusions
How often, as Christians, have we put a wall between ourselves and those with a differing view when it comes to a matter of faith. Jess Hill shares his thoughts on “Arguing Philosophies”.
I come here
to find you
to let you speak
whatever is on your mind
I will not interrupt
I will not twist your words
I will not plug my ears
and tell you that I can’t hear
The album also offers the worshipful “Kiss The Ground”
you are my home
I kiss the ground
you’ve walked across
I throw my body down
across your muddy path
you have shown to me
the way of life
I have no love outside of you
there is no love
outside of you
Decades ago a new album meant sitting in a comfortable chair and spinning an LP at 33 1/3 as you listened to the entirety of the record. Those days are returning. Be Given To The Soil, is an album that deserves to be listened to in a single sitting without a break. Appropriately, Over the Ocean has elected to have Be Given To The Soil, initially released exclusively as a gatefold double vinyl. Look for the album April 2nd, 2013 on Seattle’s Spartan Records. The album will be available later this year as a digital release.
Without doubt the songs formed by Over the Ocean are both superb and thought provoking.Be Given To The Soil, will challenge the listener to look at ourselves and our relationships with God and others with a challenging perspective.
Stryper – Second Coming review | Posted April-27-2013 Old-timers may remember the days of K-tel records. These compilation albums featured up to 20 heavily edited songs squeezed onto a single 45 minute LP. Years later music fans purchased compilation CD’s with songs by “the original artists” in discount stores. The CD covers neglectfully failed to mention that they were, in fact, poor renditions recorded decades after the originals.
On March 26th, Stryper releases Second Coming, on Frontiers,with a series of re-recordings of fourteen of their older hits and two new songs, “Bleeding From The Inside Out” and “Blackened”.
Second Coming follows on the heels of a series of albums released by Stryper in the past decade. In 2005 they released an embarrassingly poor reunion album, Reborn. During 2009 Stryper redeemed themselves with what may have been their greatest release, Murder By Pride, followed in 2011, by the interesting, The Covering, which found Stryper recording covers of some of the bands who musically influenced their sound.
On Second Coming, Stryper reunites the original ’80′s band line-up of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Is Second Coming anything like those K-tel records or compilation CD’s? Absolutely not. The only similarity is the term “original artist”. After almost 30 years together, the musicianship of Stryper is superior to their early days. Vocalist Michael Sweet still hits the high notes even though he is fast approaching the half-century mark. Robert Sweet pulls out all the stops, as he nails the drumming and flaunts his technical prowess. Oz Fox, known for his legendary guitar skills, brings his abilities to an all new level. Tim Gaines leaves nothing to the imagination with his bass.
I met with Michael Sweet of Stryper recently and asked about the reason for re-recording these classics:
We did this for ourselves; we didn’t do it for the fans. We set out to re-record these songs because we wanted to own the masters. We have a label that owns the catalogue, which is Disney/Hollywood. We signed a publishing deal with Songspub and, you know, the middle man is Disney. So, whenever Songspub pitches a song for a movie or television, they gotta get approval from Disney. Most of the time that’s a very difficult task. They don’t return calls, or if they do, they want more money, or if they don’t want more money, they want this or that. A lot of times it makes the deal go south. So we grew tired of that and said ‘OK we’re going to re-record these songs and then there will be no middleman, ‘cause we’ll own the masters’. And that’s what we did.
That quote is only part of the picture painted by Stryper on Second Coming. The quality of the new recordings, tweaking some of the inconsistencies and improving the continuity found on the original recordings, has breathed new life into these metal classics. The greatest change is the incredible energy, equivalent to what fans would hear when seeing Stryper live.
While the albums Reborn and Murder by Pride gave a more updated metal sound, the two new tracks found on Second Coming are reminiscent of the early days of Stryper and mesh with the classics. ”Bleeding From The Inside Out” has already been sent to radio. Unquestionably it is “radio friendly” with an approachable metal vibe that even the non-metal masses will catchy. It’s ”Blackened” that has grabbed my attention with it’s a rawer, harder edge.
Stryper’s music became famous with both Christian and non-Christian audiences alike. A band that was both reviled by Christian conservatives and adored by those who recognized a new way of expounding Christian faith in music. All of this delivered by an amazing musical talent. The days of yellow and black striped spandex suits may be gone forever, but the new and old music of Stryper, found on Second Coming, will continue to delight for decades to come.
White Collar Sideshow – The WitcHunt review | Posted April-27-2013 Both an audio and visual extravaganza, The WitcHunt is the follow-up to White Collar Sideshow's 2007 self-titled EP.
The band has taken their unique performances to a whole new level with a recording and video loosely based on the seven deadly sins. This 2 disc release contains both the music CD and The WitcHunt film.
Audibly and visually stunning, The WitcHunt is also graphic and disturbing. The album and film take the listener/viewer through the pitfalls found in our modern society as it uses the seven deadly sins as the basis of The WitcHunt.
The WitcHunt is an eye-opener for those who are used to the more refined and “correct” music released by the majority of Christian artists.
RED – Release the Panic review | Posted April-27-2013 RED hit the music scene with a bang back in 2006 with the release of End of Silence. Stylistically ranging from hard rock to metal, RED featured violin and cello along with their driving drum beat and gargantuan guitar riffs.
Now seven years and 3 albums later, Release The Panic hit the airwaves and download sites February 5th. Michael Barnes delivers what is undoubtedly the greatest vocal delivery of his career. Ranging from the low, raw screams found on “Damage” to the beautiful flowing vocals heard on “Hold Me Now” Barnes’ vocal talent that has never gone unnoticed and it takes the forefront on the new album.
Not content to sit comfortably on their past successes, RED has brought out a varied sound with Release The Panic. Gone is the emphasis on strings to the disappointment of early RED fans. A greater emphasis has been placed on guitars and vocals. The keyboard also finds a key central place on Release The Panic.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment of Release The Panic is the lack of a defining, attention grabbing single. While the new tracks are solid, none grab you like past hits such as “Breathe into Me”, “Feed the Machine”, or “Fight Inside”.
RED will surely continue to hold their past fans enthralled with their latest endeavour. It remains to be seen if any newbies come into the RED fold with this album. Many of the songs seem to be headed into the bottomless pit of the “radio friendly” generic music that remains so popular with Christian music top 40. A pleasurable aspect to Release The Panic is the daring of RED to drop their tried and true approach and to create a work that is significantly different from their previous efforts. Only record sales will determine if it was a worthy change.
Set Sail and Seek review | Posted December-14-2012
The Kings Kids are a Christian punk rock band out of Salinas, California. The band started in the summer of 2004 when Jason Martinez was inspired by the lack of punk bands at Spirit West Coast that year. Soon he teamed up with guitarist Josh Galvan, and the songwriting process gave fruit to more than a dozen songs that would later make up their debut album Urgency!, released in June 2008. By that time, Lupe Gutierrez had joined on bass, and Milo Zavala came on board for the drumming duties in early 2010. After a number of changes to the line-up, The Kings Kids currently consists of Jason, Josh, Lupe, and Milo.
The Kings Kids boldly deliver a message of faith and truth while standing firmly on the musical shoulders of Rancid, Swingin' Utters, Ramones, Street Dogs and The Clash.
The Kings Kids have now released their second full length, Set Sail and Seek... Produced by Cliffy Huntington, yes the same Cliffy Huntington of Main Line Riders and Huntingtons fame. It's a joy of listening to this band. They maintain the definitive old school punk sound that was prevalent in the '70's and '80's. Not that I don't mind the current pop songs that are passed off as being 'punk', but The Kings Kids put out the real thing. Christ shines through on the lyrics of the 14 tracks found on Set Sail and Seek… The numerous Scriptural references in The Kings Kids songs are treasures to be discovered.
My favourite tracks include:
- "So Much More" the lyrics snap out and are bolstered by great guitar and powerful drum bridge section on the song.
- "6 AM" is the catchiest song on the album. I often find myself singing along with the chorus, "6 AM in the morning ..." as I drive down the highway.
- "Jim Braddock", a tribute to the "Cinderella Man", James Braddock. A capsulation of the story of the career of the famous boxer. It recounts the trials and difficulties Braddock had and how he rose above these challenges. An apt analogy of our journey to and with Christ.
- "Hoisted Anchors" carries a fishing metaphor "down on the docks, fishing away for the King of the rock...raise your cross and sail away"
- "The Lighthouse", an acoustic track that is out of chracter with the rest of the album, but one that draws you into a quiet and reflective time with with Lord.
The Kings Kids, Set Sail and Seek… is earnest, raw, fun, and awesome!
Mutemath "Odd Soul" review | Posted November-29-2012
MUTEMATH has been a favourite in our household since their Reset EP, which included the outstanding track "Peculiar People". We were familiar with MUTEMATH's style as the band carries musical similarities over from their previous band, Earthsuit.
MUTEMATH has continued to gather critical acclaim for each of heir releases, not to mention their live shows. Alternative Press has declared MUTEMATH as "the #1 band you need to see live before you die."
MUTEMATH's self-titled 2006 album nears the top of my list for most listened to recordings. From their first EP, MUTEMATH has continued to modify their sound, while maintaining their renowned musical complexity. While not reinventing themselves musically, they have created enough of a change to form a unique sound to each of their albums. Their self-titled CD offered a touch of funk infused alt-rock with an electronca bent. Armistice, from 2009, has more subdued electronics and a pop feel on the vocals.
Their Oct 4/11 release Odd Soul, may prove to be MUTEMATH's most outstanding album. This CD has continued the legacy of unique sound the band has developed. The band has given a gritty sound and strong blues styling to the new album. The bass takes precendence on many of the songs. This is likely due to the departure of orginal guitarist Greg Hill. Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas took on the guitar duties for Odd Soul. Todd Gummerman has sinced taken over guitar duties for MUTEMATH. Paul Meany, vocalist and keyboardist for the band, utilizes his vocal talents to take the songs from a raw and gritty feel to controlled and smooth. Drummer Darren King abilities are outstanding.
The first track and single, "Odd Soul", uses the sound distortion that is so evident on MUTEMATH songs. I was astounded by the song when I first heard it earlier this summer. I continue hitting the repeat button on my ipod to replay "Odd Soul" over and over. The band also generously offered the vocal and instrument tracks from "Odd Soul" to fans for a remix contest.
"Blood Pressure, the second single from Odd Soul, is another outstanding track. It delivers lyrics describing the pressure that parents and society in general place on individuals.
The bluesy instrumental "Sun Ray" was a great choice to lead into "Allies" which is, musically, in a similar vein.
"Nice try, cross enemy lines,
Look out for the mines, buried in the mirror.
Fall out, target on the move,
Coming into view, coming in clearer.
By now, no one else around,
Narrowing it down, guess I got to figure.
One war, is all I can afford,
No more."
"All or Nothing" has an intro that is very reminiscent of songs created by Arcade Fire.
Psychedelic rock comes to the forefront on 'Walking Paranoia" as the band takes a shot at televangelists.
"Preachers are on the prowl
And they got me on the TV dial
Say your prayers or burn and rot
Gotta move fast when you're on the spot"
Be sure to pay attention to the outro of "Quarantine". Darren King shows off his excellent drumming capabilities.
Beautiful lyrics are found on the final song "In No Time". It contains a message that should speak to all of us.
"When the war starts falling on the world you had
Just hold tight, in no time we can get it back
When the skies come crashing on the world you had
Just hold tight, in no time we can get it back
Oh, oh,
We can get it back
Oh, oh,
We can get it back
We can get it back"
While MUTEMATH and the Odd Soul album in particular, may not be to some listeners taste, no one can dispute the band's musical and lyrical capabilities. This album is a brilliant melding of genres by a band that has great experience to pull it off with finesse. Odd Soul is a true highlight of anything produced in the past year. It's anyone's guess as to how MUTEMATH can do a follow up to this superb album.
Project 86 "Wait for the Siren" review | Posted November-29-2012
Critically acclaimed Project 86 has produced their stylistically broadest work for their eighth studio release, "Wait for the Siren". The new album is scheduled for release August 21, 2012.
The relatively recent departure of the uber-talented Steve Dail and Randy Torres left vocalist Andrew Schwab on his own. Their roles have been aptly, while perhaps not as capably filled, by newcomers, Scott Davis - drums, Dustin Lowry - guitar and Mikee "Norman" Williams handling bass.
Promotional material for "Wait for the Siren" stated that this "finds the band returning to their roots". This doesn't seem to be referring to their musical roots, but perhaps their ancestral background. This album sounds like no previous P86 album.
A large number of new influences and sounds are brought out on Wait for the Siren. Uilleann pipes and mandolin have been added to the P86 mix providing a Celtic twist to a number of tracks. This is most noticeable on "Fall, Goliath, Fall", "Ghosts of Easter Rising" and the instrumental title track "Wait for the Siren".
Wait for the Siren delivers the broadest range of music ever produced by P86. The softest track ever recorded by the band is the ballad "Blood Moon". It also offers up one of their hardest tracks ever with "SOTS".
"Wait for the Siren" included a plethora of guest talent in the studio. Andrew Welch (Disciple), Blake Martin (A Plea for Purging), Rocky Gray (Evanescence), Cody Driggers (The Wedding), Bruce Fitzhugh (Living Sacrifice) and Brian “Head” Welch (Korn, Love and Death).
When I first heard the 13 track album I had mixed feelings. Initially my thoughts were "this isn't Project 86". After numerous listens my exuberance has grown for the new sounds found on Wait for the Siren. After 16 years producing music, P86 is willing to shake both themselves and their fans up with a vibrant, passionate, and reinvented Project 86.
theoldguyinmillbrook's Music and Book Reviews 
