Live Life Loud
Posted September 22, 2009
By piano89,
Less than a year and a half after Hawk Nelson’s third release, the Ontario boys are back
with their fourth project, Live Life Loud. This time around Hawk Nelson crafts a more
musically diverse album by including non-conventional instruments in the mix (bagpipes,
church organ, ukulele) and pushing genre boundaries.
The title-track is typical Hawk Nelson- punk flavored guitars, energetic vocals, pulsing
rhythms, and lots of “whoas”. “Live Life Loud” exemplifies the album’s core theme of
being bold and living life to the fullest. “Never Enough,” “Eggshells,” and “The Job”
(think “Friend Like That”) also encompass Hawk Nelson’s usual pop/punk qualities.
Expanding upon the album’s theme, “The Meaning of Life” emphasizes the importance
of change and making a difference in the lives around you- “Gonna find a new
beginning/Lately, I’m tired of the life I’m living/Find a way, to make a change in the lives
of all of us who need to find the meaning of life.”
Live Life Loud takes a few detours in other genres along the way (alternative rock on the
hopeful anthem “Alive” and reggae on the interlude “Ode To Stanley”) before evolving
into acoustic pop/rock. But, it’s a seamless transition due to acoustic elements in
previous tracks (“Eggshells,” “The Meaning Of Life,” and “Long Ago”).
One acoustic-driven track, “Shaken” is particularly stirring. Frontman Jason Dunn dares
to step outside his own world and be the hands and feet of Christ- “Lord use me, take
me where You want me to go/I can’t help it, my heart has been replaced with a face/I’m
ready, these hands are dedicated to change.”
The finest track on the album is Hawk Nelson’s rendition of the traditional hymn “’Tis
So Sweet.” The hymn features bagpipes throughout, a bit daring perhaps, but it fits
nicely. Jenn Helvering (Sandi Patty’s daughter) provides angelic vocal harmonies, a
perfect compliment to Dunn’s vocals.
Hawk Nelson maintains a healthy balance of fun (“Live Life Loud,” “Ode To Stanley,”
“The Job”) and maturity (“The Meaning Of Life,” “Shaken,” “Lest We Forget,” “The
Final Toast”). All together Live Life Loud is an album relevant to today’s culture both in
sound and message.
Closing Thoughts:
I have to admit, I wasn’t too fond of Hawk Nelson before Live Life Loud. They still
haven’t completely won me over, but I did enjoy this album. Maybe I’ll be a full-fledged
Hawk Nelson fan with the next release…
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