Tag: song of the day

I loved Spoken from the moment their 3rd record dropped “Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell”. The minute I heard this song, “Promise”, from the album “Moment of Imperfect Clarity”, I couldn’t shake my Spoken fandom. This band and their music came out at the perfect time post-9/11. It was uplifting, positive, and the songs were incredibly addictive in melodies. The Used, Story of the Year, Senses Fail, and Blindside all would have made perfect tour mates during this time period. The song “Promise” was really an inspirational song, one that felt like a warm pat on the back and an embrace when you feel broken and miserable.… Continued →

Ok, yes I know, I am incredibly biased toward the music and sound of Five Iron Frenzy. They are high up on my list of “favorite bands” and I hold their songs close to my heart. I was browsing Instagram this morning and saw a couple of fans cover this song in their own unique way as seen on the FIF page and I had to bust this track out from the dusty bins of my fragile mind. It’s a beautiful song in and of itself.… Continued →

Do you like playlists comprised of multiple genres featuring songs that span several decades? Yeah, maybe this was a bad idea but it’s too late now! I’ve compiled a playlist of all Song of the Day picks from our staff since we started the feature last summer. Well not all. There were at least dozen or so songs I couldn’t find on Spotify. But there is still over 5 hours worth of songs here if you fancy yourself a genre Renaissance man. … Continued →

If you’ve been following my new release lists closely you may have noticed one artist has been in every list this year. Poor Bishop Hooper is Jesse and Leah Roberts and they’ve been busy working on a new project called EveryPsalm. Over the course of the next three years Poor Bishop Hooper will release a new song inspired by a psalm every week until all 150 psalms have been covered. That’s some dedication! Tomorrow the band will be releasing Psalm 12, but in the meantime I’d like to share one of my favorites from the songs they’ve released so far this year, Psalm 10.… Continued →

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:2

Along with L.S.U. and the Altar Boys, another band that was really influential in getting me into alternative music (as opposed to straight metal and thrash of my teenage years) was Breakfast with Amy. Their debut album had enough punk rock influence to appeal to that side of me that wanted noise and aggression, but there was more to their sound than just loud, fast, and angry. There were also these weird, angular, noisy expressions and interesting metaphors about the faith that I wasn’t hearing anywhere else.… Continued →

Though a fantastic classic/doom metal band, Chicago’s Trouble were always slightly confusing. They often used Christian imagery, biblically-themed lyrics, and somewhat uncharacteristically for doom metal–a positive outlook. Take this ballad from their 1990 self-titled album: Please, take His hand The time has come to learn Please, take my hand Let me take you to learn And yet, the band played almost exclusively secular venues with other secular artists, and depending on which band members you talked to, they seemed to distance themselves from the “Christian” tag.… Continued →

Zao had already made a name for themselves, working up from the underground, with a 7″, cassette demo(s) and 2 full-lengths. They were quickly becoming known for taking hardcore in a new direction. I remember a friend telling me that although he loved the riffs on their sophomore effort Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation, he also found them really hard to dance to. With the third album, they would push the metallic limits of hardcore even further. From those opening riffs you knew this was going to be something special.… Continued →

We now approach the 20th anniversary of this now classic punk rock split release between 1 huge fan favorite band – Dogwood, and 1 lesser known, extremely underrated melodic “new school punk” band, Incomplete. I’m left feeling sentimental just looking at the simple artwork and being reminded of two extremely important bands of my youth. I first discovered Incomplete while in High School. I don’t remember who passed a demo to me but I held on to it tightly and followed the band right into “I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol.… Continued →

HEAVY METAL, Dudes! Despite popular opinions and clearly showing my lack of “scene cred”, I instantly connected with The Showdown “Temptation Come My Way” album back in 2007/2008 and haven’t changed my opinion since. David’s grit-filled voice is front and center just the way a good heavy metal band should be on the song, “We Die Young”. Well produced and placed instrumentation, with soaring vocal harmonies that really take this album completely over the top. It’s like that perfect combo of 80’s hard rock meets metal and 90’s era Metallica (Black album), solos and everything.… Continued →

I suppose that the first time you hear a band forever affects the way you think or feel about them. Although Undercover already had a long history behind them when I first heard them in 1990, I was completely unaware of it. I didn’t know the huge impact they’d made in the Christian alternative and punk scene in SoCal through Calvary Chapel, Ministry Resource Center, etc. through groundbreaking albums like God Rules and Branded. They had already morphed from a bubblegum-punk/new wave sound to darker, post-punk tones across the span of 4 albums.… Continued →

Keeping it more current because I’m known to wallow in 90’s and early 00’s nostalgia. It is time to step forward in time a little. Does 2012 count as more current? I mean it is only 8 years ago, right? Well Wolves At The Gate have been making quality music for more than a decade and have released 4 nearly perfect full length albums (+ several eps and a covers ep) in their careers with Solid State Records. The band has churned out one solid hit after another and yet go somewhat unnoticed by the mainstream crowd which is perfectly fine with me.… Continued →

This wasn’t the typical Further Seems Forever song of unbridled aggression, melodies intertwined into some sort of cosmic explosion of pure joy and instant approval by even your most jaded friend. This song was somewhat of a departure although still incorporating that classic “emo” sound they’d been pegged with for years. Something about this song evokes passion and unrelenting “worship”. Maybe it was intentional or possibly an unintentional after thought but this song leads one into contemplation and self-analyzing, directing you into a heaven’s gaze. Jon Bunch despite any shortcomings he may have had in the eyes of vicious teens and young adults who had blood thirsty claws out for the throat of this “new” vocalist, captured the attention of generations of different music fans despite genre.… Continued →

In the late 80s/early 90s I was a straight-up metalhead. Thrash was my favorite variety, but I dipped into other stuff as well. But I had started developing a taste for punk too. The pace and beat of hardcore punk was actually very similar to thrash, but with different guitar tones. Bands like Nobody Special, The Lead, The Crucified, and even Breakfast with Amy opened me up to new possibilities in edgy music. Then along came the album Poplife by the Lifesavers. I’d only been into Christian rock since ’88, so I knew nothing of Michael Knott’s history (or the many other incarnations and alter-egoes of his various projects).… Continued →

By the time Give us Barrabbas came out (the band’s 7th album), The Blamed had already gone through at least 4 different genres: punk rock, crossover thrash, hardcore punk, and punk metal. Now they were dabbling in experimental post-hardcore, which, for my money was their most successful rendering of noise to date. “1200 Stares” starts off with a punishing, repetitive riff, and then we welcome some gang shouts: “We won’t stop what we start!” There’s an urgency in the cry that beseeches one to pay attention.… Continued →

Another great example of early Christian punk/post-punk/new wave from the UK is Writz. They released one album in 1979 that would rival anything from the early CBGB’s scene, or even the stuff coming out of London or Manchester at the time. The band would later morph into the alter-egos of Techno Twins, The Techno Orchestra and the Technos, all of which pursued a sophisticated synth-pop sound. For my money though, Writz is where it’s at. Check out “Night Nurse” here. The song can often be found on 7″ for a reasonable price via online sales venues.… Continued →

I was listening to this Unashamed song the other day through one of those Daily Mix Spotify Playlists that they so graciously create for me each day and I was brought back to a different time in my youth. So much anger, rage, and hope all in one song. It’s amazing to think that an artist can channel such aggression while at the same time harnessing a profound sense of love and hope derived from a Faith in God that is bigger than oneself. “Everlasting Father” appeared on the band’s 2nd full length release, “Reflection”, released in 1996 on Tooth & Nail Records.… Continued →

If you asked me to name the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, there would be a lot of contenders, but this one would certainly be up there. Haunting melodies (courtesy of Karen Peris), cryptic lyrics that hint at familial pain of some sort, topped off with Don Peris’s intricate acoustic guitar work and some incredible harmonies as well. It’s hard not to be moved by music this gorgeous. Check out the original version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izewuu3rX8k The band reworked the song last year. Listen to that version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPbWVCGt_eM… Continued →

I listen to metal rather sparingly, but I love this song. When 1:10 kicks in, I feel like I’ve been transported to medieval times, and it makes me feel freaking epic. The drums sound like horses trotting while they pull their chariots, and the guitars bring to mind knights battling under a glow of flames. Rumor has it that drummer David Husvik recorded his parts without using a click track (but don’t quote me on that). While Extol’s most recent album was released in 2013, members of the band have been involved in other projects like Azusa, Fleshkiller, and Mantric.… Continued →

Mexico City’s Meekness have a new track out for digital download. The extreme noise genre (and all its ridiculously named subgenres: harsh noise wall, power electronics, noisecore, gorenoise, etc.) is a tough genre to get into. It’s even arguable whether it could be called music. While we won’t debate that here, suffice it to say that Meekness definitely offer something fresh and original to the genre. As impossible as it sounds they mix influences from synth-driven new wave, hip-hop beats, 80s industrial, grindcore and noise to form something entirely unique.… Continued →

I feel a supernova swooping over you and your uh / Sit and wait a minute man, seldom into sentimental propaganda / Elements of enemy headed for the pedigree / Deader than the beat or the feet of a centipede recipe / Better go retreat hypothetically… Continued →

Here’s the thing . . . Sufjan is incredible. Whether or not you like his music, one has to acknowledge the astounding amount of talent the guy has. To me, he is the musical equivalent to the literary Tolkien. What I mean is this: somewhere in the deep recesses of their brains, the creative impetus for all those ideas already existed. For Tolkien it was a myriad of languages, races and lands–each with their own histories and storylines. For Stevens, it’s his complex musical compositions alternately cloaked in folk, electronica, and baroque hues.… Continued →

Long before the Christian music industry had become familiar with industrial music via the likes of Deitiphobia, Mortal or Circle of Dust, indie stalwarts Blackhouse already had 9-10 albums out. Most of them were only available as imports or through independent mailorder, and many were on secular labels. Case in point is “We Will Fight Back,” with its provocative album cover. The crucified rabbit was done by the label without artist consent, or so the story goes. Never one to be pigeonholed, Blackhouse experimented with noise, hip-hop, electronica and more, but all functioning out of the foundation of industrial.… Continued →

Soul-Junk are one of those bands that are immensely difficult to keep up with. Incredibly prolific, they’ve released at least a dozen albums, and roughly 14 EPs. All of them are named after numbers, presumably years (mostly in the 1930s-1950s), but they don’t follow any logical sequential order. To make matters even more perplexing, often the LP releases have altogether different tracks or sequences from the CD versions of the same album. This is not to mention the way they float through styles and genres as if distinctions didn’t exist.… Continued →

Folk really has to have something special if it’s going to catch my attention. Sure, there are a lot of great artists out there, but there are so many that it’s hard to stand out. A unique vocal, guitar prowess, or lyrics that hit that spot right in your gut that makes you either want to cry out at top of your lungs, or just really and truly live. Harrod and Funck managed all of that (their Mark Heard-produced full-length Dreams of the Color Blind is worth checking out in full if you like this style).… Continued →

I don’t know what it is but maybe today’s dark and stormy skies along with a heavy downpour elicits a moody yet introspective response to music. A song such as “Handshake” really makes you stop and think. I still believe after all these years that the band Black Eyed Sceva (and later known as ‘Model Engine’) were brilliant songwriters, Jeremy Post in particular. There was something magical in their music and the way they conveyed these emotions through song. They may not have been widely known or celebrated as “Rock stars” but their music was incredibly important to me.… Continued →

Featuring ex-members of Jeremiah’s Grotto and pre-members of Rookie of the Year, emo band Farewell to Fashion disappeared just as quickly as they sprung up. They released one split EP with Inez called The Price of Fame (highly recommended), and then a full-length. Both were on Future Destination Records (Neutral Agreement, Hotshot Freight Train). “Morning Grey” highlights all that was great about third wave emo–raw, melodic, punkish, and at times sloppy, but always full of emotion. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36TfdhF6UI… Continued →

I’m a sucker for this style of hardcore–really fast, short songs, with equal parts melody and anger thrown in for good measure. For some reason, this subgenre didn’t have nearly as much of a following in Christian circles as their secular counterparts, making Hit the Deck stand out even more. They released one full-length on Facedown imprint Strike First Records, and had a couple of demos as well, all of which can be found as digital downloads if you know where to look.… Continued →

Paramaecium. Legendary. Heavy as a concrete slab, and slower than a slug. The band’s debut, Exhumed of the Earth, shocked metal fans everywhere with slow, heavy riffs, string parts, and death metal vocals that were juxtaposed with occasional operatic female vocals added in for good measure. Their sophomore album Within the Ancient Forest changed styles somewhat by cranking up the folk and classical elements and adding a technical flair. But by the time A Time to Mourn came out, the band had shifted styles again–still within the doom metal category, of course–by adding a touch of groove and including Seventh Angel/Ashen Mortality frontman Ian Arkley (later of My Silent Wake).… Continued →