Jars of Clay

By Brenden Kirch • Sep 8th, 2010 • Category: Album Reviews

Remember the height of the worship album craze? Every artist who wasn’t already planning on doing a worship album seemed to be pressured by their label to churn one out and cash in on the latest trend. One instance of a band’s refusal to do that was that of Jars of Clay, who didn’t want [...]


Plumb

By Brenden Kirch • Feb 1st, 2010 • Category: Album Reviews

If you haven’t heard much from Plumb, that’s probably because she doesn’t get the attention she used to back in her heyday. This explains why, on her greatest hits album, Beautiful History, the songs focus on only two of her five albums. The albums in particular are 1999’s candycoatedwaterdrops, and 2006’s Chaotic Resolve. It’s strange, [...]


Downhere

By Brenden Kirch • Dec 7th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Let’s face it, the influx of Christmas album every year is often pushed by a record label eager to cash in on holiday spirit. It’s enough to make anyone who thinks about it too much a cynic, since many sound like the band going through the motions, without much spark or joy or real sincerity, [...]


PureNRG

By Brenden Kirch • Nov 13th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

It seems that the world of CCM can’t go without a band of teen pop artists whose message is safe enough to be totally inoffensive and their music peppy enough to appeal to tweens and, well, not much of anyone else. For a while it was Jump5 before the members moved on to other things; [...]


Mr. Del

By Brenden Kirch • Oct 30th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

You probably have a friend like this, especially if you know musicians. They think their music is important and carries a strong message, but then it sounds like they’re trying way too hard and sometimes it just makes their inane lyrics seem even worse. Know somebody like that? I do; that person is one, Mr. [...]


Paranormal Activity

By Brenden Kirch • Oct 28th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Horror is in a very sad state these days. For every movie that tries to play on human fears, there are a dozen that substitute fear for unlikable characters, gratuitous gore, and needless sex. The thing is, none of that is scary. The classic horror films, like The Exorcist or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, are examples [...]


Starflyer 59

By Brenden Kirch • Oct 21st, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Jason Martin, frontman of Starflyer 59, has had a long career. Thus, there comes a time when it is good to look back and see where he has come from. This is where his new album, Ghosts Of The Past, comes in. It’s a collection of covers, demos, and b-sides, collected together in one double [...]


Bogs Visionary Orchestra

By Brenden Kirch • Oct 2nd, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

What’s in a band name? It can tell you something key about the artist, the musical style, or it could mean nothing at all. Which is the case for Bogs Visionary Orchestra and his new album, Mean Old World? Well, it will tell you that, yes, this is an artist who is trying to be [...]


The Lads

By Brenden Kirch • Sep 30th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

If there’s one thing that the Christian industry loves, it’s being hip. Well, it loves what it thinks is being hip and will sink to any level in order to appeal to a younger demographic, even if it means doing things no kid will ever believe to be cool. Take New Zealand artists The Lads [...]


Neon Horse

By Brenden Kirch • Sep 28th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Neon Horse is a band that was shrouded in mystery when they first appeared in 2007. Nobody knew who the members were, and the band wasn’t telling. This was an interesting way to go about marketing, because at that point it was all about music and mystique, no big names to draw people, just a [...]