Our Vision For This World Will Not Die When We Are Dead

Oh hai! This post has been in the works for a while now, but deciding on only 10 albums and songs for an amazing year isn't easy. But, lo and behold, its done. Let us not waste time, and begin!!

Top 10 Albums of 2009

10. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

If this album listing was based solely on technical skills, Dream Theater would win, hands down. Very few bands can pull off what they have done consistently: Write epic tracks (and by epic, I mean 10+ minutes) that seem fluid, and don't drag on and on forever. While only 6 tracks, it doesn't feel short. From the opening thunderstorms of "Nightmare to Remember" to the epic "The Count of Tuscany", nothing feels overdone. Unisons are abundant, and Jordan Ruddess continues his mastery of the Hakken Continuum.

Recommended tracks: Nightmare to Remember, The Count of Tuscany

9. August Burns Red - Constellations

August Burns Red is back with vengeance, and they've discovered guitar solos. Blistering metal, breakdowns, and intense double bass runs are abundant, including new epic guitar solos, all to create a brilliant new metal album. Tracks such as Indonesia, a track written about a missionary who died in a plane crash, explore new lyrical territory. My only issue with this album? The best track, Meddler, sounds kinda like Composure, from the previous album.

Recommended tracks: Meddler, Crusades

8. mewithoutYou - Its All Crazy!! Its All False!! Its All a Dream!! Its Alright.

I initially had mixed feelings about this album. mewithoutYou is known for dashing headlog through tracks, with frontman Aaron Weiss yelling, talking, and doing everything but singing as his fellow band members played. And yet, it worked. Somehow, despite recklessly running, everything felt in control and well thought out. But with this album, we are slowed down and given a more mellow, almost folk-y (read: almost) album that could easily be sung around a camp fire. And hey, songs about vegetables are cool.

Recommended tracks - Allah, Allah, Allah; Every Thought, a Thought of You

7. The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above, and Branches Below

The Devil Wears Prada is a take-no-prisoners style of metal, busting out of the door screaming, going track to track with seemingly no breathing room. Nothing has changed here. Its just better. Synth is everywhere, providing epic strings and even a few lead riffs. You can't help but scream along (assuming you're into that) as Mike screams out "I know a ghost" or sing along with Jeremy as he belts out "All of love can be traced to a Maker". And hey, let's not forget the oddly named tracks. And what's this? A piano song with no screaming? Oh snaps.

Recommended tracks - Assistant to the Regional Manager, Ben Has a Kid

6. We Came as Romans - To Plant a Seed

It feels weird putting two synthcore type bands next to each other, but hey, I don't make the music. I just listen. We Came as Romans begs for a new genre though. Not necessarily synthcore, but rather, Orchestralcore. Never before have a listened to a band use such string arrangements in a hardcore song. The growls and screams are brutal. The clean vocals are pristine. The strings are alive. The breakdowns are brutal. And some call it generic. Pfft, whatever. This is one of the most positive albums of the year. So let us restore each other. For an empty cup cannot fill another.

Recommended Tracks - To Plant a Seed, Intentions

5. The Glorious Unseen - The Hope That Lies in You

Wait, what? Who? I'm not gonna lie, until I saw these guys live, I had only given them a passing listen, and that was just to get a decent idea of what they would be like. I had heard of them, but never listened. HUGE mistake. The Hope That Lies in You is pure emotion in its most raw form. Ben Crist sings about the loss of his beloved life on "We Can Be Renewed" and even through the questioning of life, finds hope and strength in God. If someone wanted to know what emotion was, I'd be tempted to point them this way. Best worship album EVER (though Abel gives them a run for their money with their EP).

Recommended Tracks - The Hope That Lies in You, Falling Into You

4. Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down

Relient K has consistently put out record after record of pop-punk goodness, and now we come to the 6th full length (although I would argue that last years "The Birds and the Bee-sides/The Nashville TennesseEP was not an EP/B-sides, but a full length). They've mellowed a bit, and they aren't as silly, but let's not forget: Matty-T just got his heart broken. Yep, folks, what we have here is a breakup album. We plow through as Matt reminiscences his past love and finds the strength to move on and be positive, rather than dwell on the past and be bitter with his former lover. As the chorus says, "I'd rather forget and not slow down, than gather regret for the things I can't change now." By the time "This is the End (If You Want It) rolls around, we feel as though we've experienced it all with him. The ups, the downs, and the end.

Recommended tracks - Forget and Not Slow Down, This is the End (If You Want It)

3. Emery - ....In Shallow Seas We Sail

I've technically already written about this album (but then again, I wrote about TDWP as well), but oh well. I mentioned that it was up for album of the year, but had to worry about Owl City's "Ocean Eyes". Well, it did. However, don't get me wrong. Emery is back with biting force. Bitter emotion, heartache, and betrayal, all how they were meant to be expressed. Emery exploits their dual frontmen to the max, giving a stark contrast between screams and cleans, back and forth, as they wrestle with their own inner emotions, before finally realizing, "Just hear me out. This was all my fault."

Recommended tracks - In Shallow Seas We Sail, Dear Death (Pt 1 and 2)

2. Owl City - Ocean Eyes

Wait, what? Anyone who knows me knows that I love Owl City more than any other band. And didn't I just say that Emery only had to look out for Owl City? Hm hm, sneaky sneak!! Anyways.

Owl City is, quite literally, happiness in musical form. From the kick off of "Cave In" we are treated to synth-y beats, a mix of live and more organic percussion, and layers about layers of intricately developed tracks. Everything from love to dental care is covered, and from track to track, we have direct hits. Adam explores his more faithful, God oriented side with "Meteor Shower" and "Tidal Wave" while exploring his fun side (Fireflies, Umbrella Beach) and romantic side (The Salt Water Room, Vanilla Twilight). European electronica influences are everywhere, especially in the percussion, and that makes me happy. Of course, so does Owl City.

Recommended tracks - Meteor Shower, On the Wing (haha, I didn't recommend Fireflies OR Vanilla Twilight, though they are both great.)

1. Deas Vail - Birds and Cages

Deas Vail is CRIMINALLY underrated, and that's a cold hard fact. Wes Baylock's vocals and falsettos are flawless, Laura's keys are haunting and ever present, and the rest of the instruments fill out what is the best album of the year. Haunting tracks are abound, as well as odd time signatures, tempo changes, and time signature changes (normally all reserved for more alt/progressive rock bands). Haunting pianos. Yes. I said it again. Honestly, it took one listen to leave me speechless. For an album that almost never saw the light of day, I was shocked. Goodness.

Recommended Tracks - Atlantis, Birds.

But wait, there's more!! My list of top songs of the year!! These won't get detailed posts, but you'll find some bands that didn't have albums in my top 10. Sometimes bands NAIL it with a track, but the rest of the album just can't compare. Not that the albums are bad. In fact, all songs not on a top 10 album were in the running for the top 10.

10. Life on Repeat - Southern Girls
9. August Burns Red - Meddler
8. Oh, Sleeper - The Finisher
7. The Glorious Unseen - We Can Be Renewed
6. We Came as Romans - Intentions
5. Mae - The Fisherman's Song
4. Relient K - This is the End (If You Want It)
3. Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail
2. Owl City - Hot Air Balloon
1. Deas Vail - Atlantis

And let's not forget the special mentions!! These bands are either unsigned and deserve mention, or had a good chance at making the end of year list, but because of time restraints, simply weren't listened to.

The Forever Endeavor - Poppy electronica ala Owl City. Indie. Excellent.
Sent By Ravens - My favorite unsigned band signs to Tooth and Nail? Win.
Poema - Acoustic music is amazing. And I have a mini-crush on their pianist.
Doubting Benefit - Hmmmm, unsigned post-hardcore goodness with a dash of pop.
Life on Repeat - Oh Life on Repeat. If only your EP was more than 4 songs long.
Seabird - See, this is what you get for releasing an album at the end of December.
John Reuben - Ahem, see Seabird.
LIGHTS - Amazing album. Why did I not listen? I don't know.
Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane, as I understand, is amazing. I wouldn't know. Yet.
Between the Buried and Me - Since when has BTBAM let me down? Never. I let them down.
Abel - Sadly, I didn't listen to this until 2010. Rivals The Glorious Unseen.
Lorien - Deas Vail meets Far-Less meets Brand New. Sadly, 2010 again.

And finally! Albums that I'm looking forward to in 2010.

Onward to Olympas - This World is Not my Home. Out now. Runner for best of 2010
Poema - Early Spring, EP. Sing it Now. Front runner for top 10 of 2010.
Sent By Ravens - Spring, 2010, Full Length. Graceful Words. Front runner for top 10 of 2010.
Embracing Goodbye - February? Full length. Possible best of 2010.
Owl City Re-release - Out now. Deluxe addition. New songs!!
Living Sacrifice - Out now. Full length. Hm, metal goodness. The Infinite Order
Toby Mac - February 9. Full length. Tonight
Demon Hunter - Full length. March 9th. The World is a Thorn
Sanctus Real - Full length. March 9th. Pieces Of A Real Heart
Switchfoot - Vice Versus. Full Length
The Rocket Summer - February 23d. Full Length. Front runner for top 10 of 2010. Of
Angels and Men
Family Force 5 - 2010. Full Length.

Intermission: The Lamb Knocks

So, I'm debating about what to write about next. Honestly, I'm afraid this thing is gonna die before it really gets off the ground, because I'll run out of ideas. However, I got a nice jump start today, with a slew of new music news that's pumped me up.

-August Burns Red's new album is DONE and the guys are predicting late June to early July for the release. I'm excited to see what Bible verses will be in it. Apparently, they'll be spoken word, in order to make sure that people know what's being said.

-The Devil Wears Prada's new album is out on May 5th. They've already posted a new song, "Dez Moines", which is pretty awesome. I like the guitar hovering over the breakdowns, rather than being mixed in. And now, they've got a live version of "I Hate Buffering", which too, is good. I still want to hear "Assistant to the Regional Manager" though....

-Techno Rock band And Then There Were None are shooting two videos, one for "Reinventing Robert Cohn" and one for "Thank the Watchmaker". Its been a while since I saw a decent techno video.

-Grindcore act Impending Doom is recording a video for "Serpent Servant". These guys are beast, but their videos are kinda lame. Hopefully this is better.

And now for the three things I'm anticipating the most:

3. Everyday Sunday is releasing "The Best Night of our Lives" on June 16th. Their last album, "Wake up! Wake up!" was awesome, and I have high hopes for it.

2. Relient K is recording a new album, and they've put up their first of four studio videos! I tell ya what, if I ever record an album professionally, I want to work with Mark Townsend. The man is amazing. And being in the studio with his would be so much fun. So yeah. My only problem is that all you get to hear in the video is some bass lines and a few drums. No doubt, it sounds good, but its difficult to gather anything about it. I don't care though. I'm excited. Also, Ethan Luck (the new drummer) seems so out of place, physically. He's all tattooed, he looks gruff, and he's got some piercings. But I love the man. His work with Demon Hunter (as their guitarist) is awesome, and he seems to really fit with the Relient K guys.

1. As Cities Burn will be releasing "Hell or High Water" on April 21st, and in celebration, they've got a new song up. "84' Sheep Dog". Its easily recognizable as an ACB song, complete with the distinct chord progressions that I've yet to hear anyone else utilize. However, its definitely still progress. Progress, but within the same, unique style. I'm not sure what's best about the song. The orderly chaos, the signature ACB guitar riffs, the faint bit of synth going on, or the guest vocals by previous vocalist TJ. TJ originally did the screams, but left after the first album to be with his family, so his brother Cody took over full vocal duty(as opposed to just doing clean vocals), essentially eliminating screams. However, TJ's signature scream is back, if only as a guest, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm interested to be able to distinctly learn the lyrics, other than the repeated "They fixed your brain, when you were young". I'm interested to hear what they're talking about. They always have deep lyrics. "What is love without trust? At my bid, would you bring your Isaac?" Oh yeah, I'm pumped.

Now I just figure out what to write about next. I was planning on doing something more light and happy (as opposed to the darker ABR post I did). Maybe The Rocket Summer, or Relient K. Seabird is also a potential choice, and Sent By Ravens. I dunno. As Cities Burn have officially thrown me into chaos. Go listen.

As Cities Burn Myspace
Relient K Studio Webisode

Your life fell apart in your hands and you've got the scars to prove it

I never really got into hardcore music(note, when I say hardcore, I'm referring to it as a very very broad term, not a specific term) until college. Sure, senior year of college, I had one song by Underoath, and it was pretty awesome. "Reinventing Your Exit", off of the album "They're Only Chasing Safety". But really, let's be honest. That album was definitely on the lighter side of hardcore. Especially that song. However, in college, I was introduced to a variety of bands by a man named Jon, who would later go onto be a major influence in my life. Somewhat of a mentor, if you will. He introduced me to such bands as Haste the Day, He is Legend, and August Burns Red. Over time, he's introduced me to many more (the latest probably being Mychildren, Mybride). August Burns Red is the subject of this post.

August Burns Red, henceforth referred to as ABR, encompasses a few genres, like all hardcore music. I believe that most people, including myself, tend to refer to it as “technical metalcore”, aka, “mathcore”. Yes, mathcore. I wonder what kind of math sometimes. Calculuscore? Non-Euclidean Geometrycore? Algebracore? Either way, it doesn’t matter. What ABR does is technical, to say the least. The guitars are spot on in their riffs, the drummer hits with precision(and has a really nice set of cymbals), and the breakdowns are amazing, to say the least. The vocals, too, are amazing. An all around success. And unlike many hardcore bands, I liked them on the first go through. Haste the Day, for instance, was the first hardcore band that I really listened to. And I hated them the first couple times through. Same with Blessthefall, He is Legend, and others. But no, ABR hit me from the start.

Their first big album, “Thrill Seeker” was put out by Solid State Records. While not as good as “Messengers”, it’s still an amazing album. Especially four of the tracks. The opener, and single, “Your Little Suburbia is in Ruins” kicks things off. Like most of their standout tracks, it’s a brutal crushing song with a message. In this case, it’s simple. “Lend a hand and break the chains of regularity that you lean so closely upon.” The song is about getting caught in the routine of things. I know it may not be immediately apparent, but ABR is a Christian group. Their music speaks for itself. Regularity is a big problem nowadays. People go to church because they’ve been their whole lives, but they don’t go because they love Christ. They pray meaningless prayers because that’s what they were taught, not because they want to grow closer to Christ. It’s no surprise that they’d write this. Nominalism is rampant throughout the states, and it’s not good. We’ve made a suburbia that consists of white picket fences. What we need is love, and devotion, not routine.

Also noteworthy is “Barbarian”, which contains one my favorite lyrics. “Dance until the end my friend, and find joy in every living thing. Optimism, it’s not a choice, it’s a belief.” There’s a lot of junk going on in the world, and a lot of mistakes. But we can make it through.

“Eve of the End” is a sweet instrumental track that busts into the epic ending, “The Seventh Trumpet”. If there was any doubt on ABR’s beliefs, it ends here. It’s a call to end the obsession with temporary pleasures and focus on the world to come. “Something big is going to happen, something so big it could forever change the world.”

Moving on to “Messengers”, but favorite of the two albums, we get some more amazing lyrics. The instrumentation is better, and the message is still there. We have a problem, and Christ is the answer. “The truth hurts, but denial’s what will kill you.” Once again, they present a problem that we in America struggle with. “Materialism”. Glen talked at aCRe one night, and told us a story about a man. The man said that he would rather have a son addicted to pornography than be materialistic, and would rather have his daughter get pregnant before marriage than to have her be materialistic. I think he’s kinda right. It’s a big problem, and it breeds bigger problems. We’ve got to get rid of it, but we cling to it strongly. We buy things that we don’t need, things that are useless and won’t last. We buy it on a whim. I’m guilty of this, I know. It’s not something I’m happy with. But it can be fixed through Christ.

American Dream” follows the same theme. But it’s not all gloom and doom. “Composure” talks about something we all go through. Despair and trials. “Your life fell apart in your hands, and you’ve got the scars to prove it.” But it’s not hopeless. “Composure” is probably the best track on the album, possibly the best song that they’ve written. It keeps presenting problem after problem, much like what we go through in life. “More and more your demeanor looks like quicksand. It seems like you’re giving up on everything you worked for. It’s pulling you under. It’s gripping around your throat.” And then, it hits you. Don’t turn your back on the strongest crutch you’ve ever had. There’s hope. You’ve got friends who’ve been through the same thing. And you’ve got Christ. We’ve been going through Revelation in aCRe, and the first thing we covered was the pictures of Christ presented in the book. One important thing is that Jesus knows what we’ve been through, because he went through it all, and more. He knows our struggles, our trials, and our falls. Because he too went through it. “They have always been there to brace your fall”. If I could use one word to describe this song, it would be “hope”. Christ didn’t put us here alone. He gave us brothers and sisters to help us through our struggles, and he himself is there for us. “It’s time to gain some ground.”

I suppose the last track I want to talk about it, once again, the epic ending. In this case, it’s a humble cry for help. They’ve presented the problem. Now, they admit fully that they suffer with the same thing, and I think that’s important. They aren’t some group of preachers who roam around on college campuses proclaiming that we’re all horrible people, but they are perfect. Strange as it may seem, I’ve witnessed guys proclaiming that. Luckily, there’s at least one good guy who goes from campus to campus preaching. But I have literally heard a guy say that he never sins. And that’s a flat out lie. ABR puts in simply. They need Christ as much as we do. They aren’t above us, they are right there with us. That’s why they hang around after shows and talk with people. “I am just a man with a heart and sinful hands. I am a fallen victim. Lord, show me the way.” Powerful stuff. The song is filled with it. “Be my strength, be my voice, my glory.

So yeah, that was longer than it was supposed to be. But that’s beside the point. ABR is an amazing band, but what really puts them out there is this: This isn’t just music. This is a message that we need to here. We have a problem, and we have to face it. Christ is here for us, and he’s going to continue to be with us until the end. The Bible tells us the same thing. Romans tells us that we all fall short of the glory of God. Thankfully, we have Christ, because I know that I wouldn’t be anything without him. And that needs to be told to the masses. I think one of the reasons that ABR uses this style of music is because we need to reach the people out in the clubs, in the bars, getting drunk and listening to horribly negative music. Take that style, and change the message to hope. They’ll listen to it. I’ve seen it happen. Sure, ABR loves this style of music, and God has blessed them with a talent to play it. But it’s a tool to spread God’s love. And that folks, is the end of my first blog post thingy. Watch the video if you want.

August Burns Red: Composure