The Violet Burning – The Story of Our Lives
Aug 21, 2011 CD Reviews
the story of our lives
liebe über alles, black as death, and the fantastic machine
by the violet burning
Grade – A+
The Violet Burning is an independent project band that was born in the early 90’s and whose membership has rotated through a variety of players, but since the beginning it has been led by lead vocalist Michael Pritzl. The band has long been an underground success, playing a lot of club-like venues and an occasional festival. Their sound is referred to as traditional rock with a heavy guitar driven sound.
The Violet Burning’s latest project is a three-part, 34 track concept album called “The Story of Our Lives.” The overall project is broken up into what could be considered three separate projects. Part 1 is “The Fantastic Machine,” part 2 is “Black As Death,” and the 3rd part is “Liebe über Alles.”
Each of the 3 parts has its own particular sound and theme, but all weave together as one story. Pritzl had a very specific story in mind when he wrote this project, life, death, the journey after death, but in a general sense, “The Story of Our Lives” could be the story of any listener’s faith, with themes of struggles, doubt, revived faith, and eventual surrender.
In a figurative way, many of the songs play out like a modern day psalm. There are cries of desperation, cries for mercy, and cries of praise just like in the psalms. Lyrically, all 3 projects are very profound and introspective while at the same time the musicianship and production is equally outstanding.
“The Fantastic Machine”
On the first CD, the songs address cultural trappings in life including advertising media, social media and there connections when it comes to tracking what we do online. Hence the tracks called “br0ther” which address the big brother syndrome in an Orwellian sense. The “br0ther” tracks have a very similar sound and style of a Roger Waters album. The concept of the first part is that the main character realizes he is a part of a machine and subsequently chooses to leave the machine and in some sense chooses death – leading into the second part of the project “Black as Death.”
“Black As Death”
As the title would allude to, “Black As Death” is much darker in theme and sonically edgier. By far this is my favorite part of “The Story of Our Lives”, but when you dig into the content – it’s extremely dark and describes a place in life few would want to be. To me, in this part of the project the storyteller is wrestling with his faith. There is agony, despair, doubt and overall darkness. The theme here is “fallen.” However, in the midst of this fallen state the songs speak of Christ as a way out of the pit of despair. The song “Maelstrom” is a plea for help and mercy in the midst of the epic struggles of life. There is a lot of self-examination and doubt throughout these tracks and I can feel the agony of choosing to follow Christ or abandoning the faith for the promises of the world.
“Rock Is Dead” is a poetic description of the risen Christ and a hard-core reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for us – as the song opens with these lyrics; “These five little words, ‘I love you to death’” restate the ultimate reason God allowed His own son to be a sacrifice for all mankind.
In “Nowhere, CA” I think of the fact that no matter where we are in life, no matter how deep of a hole we’ve dug, or how low we’ve sunk, Christ will meet us there. We’re often lost, but never out of reach of God. If we turn to Christ he will “rescue” you as the song says. However, while Christ will meet us where we are, He does not want us to stay there. As the lyrics state, “You gave your life, I’ll give you mine.” God gives us hope to live a productive and fruitful life.
“In Ruin” is possibly the best example of the psalm-like construct of the songs on this project. This song represents the amazing realization of the grace and mercy of God.
“Liebe über Alles”
The title of the final part of the project can be translated as “love over all things.” This part of the project takes a more subtle approach sonically, with a more emo and traditional rock soundtrack. The theme here is one of letting go, surrendering, and I believe, the transcending peace of God – “the light poured down on me.”
The songs speak of a person coming to grip with God’s immeasurable and sometimes unphathomable ability to Love. As the title track puts it, “and in the end, all we’ve got is love and love alone.”
Aptly titled “Cardiac,” Pritzl sings of surrendering our hearts to God. And this theme of surrender is even more pressing in “Change of Heart” which iterates three small words, “Please Forgive Me.” It seems overly simplistic, but what salvation and a life in Christ boils down to can be these three words. At least it can start with these three words as the song states.
This all leads up to the closing track of the project, “Made For You.” Here the storyteller realizes that our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God, it is what we were made for… “every corner of my heart… every corner of my soul…” and as it ends, “Lord of all light, I was made for you, Lord of all creation, I was made for you, made for you.”
“The Story of Our Lives”
This is an epic project and it flies in the face of the industry that is still bent on marketing and selling hit singles. Each album could have easily been released one year at a time as a stand-alone project. I have read that the entire project was seven years in the making and I do not doubt it. An incredible amount of work has gone into crafting a lyrically profound and sonically refreshing concept album that so significantly represents the story of all our lives.
While the main intent of Pritzl was to address today’s electronic culture, and the amount of privacy we so willingly give up to “big brother,” as a listener some of the project is still open to a personal interpretation. And personally, I see, at least the second and third parts, as an epic wrestling of one’s faith that ends with the ultimate victory of the cross.
- Ken W.
Switchfoot – Vice Verses
Aug 21, 2011 CD Reviews
Switchfoot
“Vice Verses”
Atlantic
12 tracks @ 53:01
Grade = A
“I wonder why I would wait till I die to come alive?” “A warm body doesn’t mean I’m alive.”
Similar thoughts on identity from two different tracks on the latest from Switchfoot. Lead singer Jon Foreman says polarity is a reoccurring theme.
“We wanted to write about the polarity of what it means to be human, the lights and darks,” Forman says. I’m always intrigued by the tension that exists between life and death. When making Hello Hurricane, there was a graveyard right by the hotel we were staying at while we were mixing it, and I spent a little bit of time there each morning walking through and sorting it out…really Vice Verses started there. This record is as much about loss as it is about what we still have while we’re living.”
This top notch disk also features relevant social observations on the track “Selling the News.”
“I think the song is inspired by a lot of different things,” Foreman says. “We are bombarded by a lot of talking heads and salespersons in terms of billboards and televisions. I began to ponder the idea that these enormous media machines are fed by advertisers, and they are happy when there’s something sensational going on in the world. This is a new paradigm that we haven’t seen before. There’s this onslaught of information. The idea that we are raising generations that are completely accustomed to watching wars on TV is a little bit frightening to me.”
“People will be surprised when they hear it,” says drummer Chad Butler. “Jon’s rhythmic delivery is amazing. I often feel like Jon is a drummer locked in a singer-guitarist’s body. He’s incredibly aware of beats and how they interplay with the vocals. The song is definitely influenced by the hip-hop we grew up listening to, whether it’s A Tribe Called Quest or Beastie Boys.”
Musically “Afterlife,” the anthem-like “Rise Above It” and the first single “Dark Horses” smoke while “The Original” has a funky bass. Meant to be played loud!
“It’s funny because for us, we’re usually holding back,” Foreman says. “On this record we let a little bit more out.” Butler adds, “We grew up listening to soul music and Motown. We took that influence and made sure a song like ‘Restless’ has an emotional element to it.”
Rob S.
http://www.switchfoot.com/
Rebecca St. James – I Will Praise You
Aug 17, 2011 CD Reviews
Rebecca St. James
“I Will Praise You”
Beach Street Records
10 tracks @ 40:46
Grade = B+
It’s been a very busy 2011 for Rebecca St. James. Not only is this her first new music project in a few years, but she got married last spring, toured Norway in early August and has a new book coming out this fall.
Those who enjoyed her last worship disk from several years ago (2002’s “Worship God”) will appreciate this disk. The new record has some originals (“I Will Praise You”) and some covers (“You Never Let Go”), generally in an adult contemporary format, typical for the genre.
- Rob S.
Our Daily Bread – Hymns of Gratitude
Aug 17, 2011 CD Reviews
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Our Daily Bread
“Hymns of Gratitude”
Discovery House Music
10 tracks @ 30:44
Grade = A
This record features subdued instrumental s revolving around the theme of thanks. The song selections range from the traditional (“Praise to the Lord Almighty) to the contemporary (“Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart”).
The understated arrangements, with a cello, violin or piano as the lead instrument, are perfect for devotions, meditation or simply unwinding at the end of the day.
- Rob S.
Princess and the Pop Star: A Story of Trading Places
Aug 5, 2011 DVD Reviews
Princess and the Pop Star: A Story of Trading Places
VeggieTales
Big Idea
The newest adventure in the VeggieTales series is another story particularly for the girls, as was last summer’s release of “Sweetpea Beauty.” In “Princess and the Pop Start” the story is derived from the passage of Jeremiah 1:5 which reads, “Before I formed you in your mother’s body, I choose you. Before you were born, I set you apart to serve me. A very culturally relevant lesson for today’s youth.
The main characters have a canny resemblance and like many other switcheroo stories they manage to trade places with each other for a short time. While before this encounter they both wished they had it some other way, by the end of the tale the both learn something about being content with being who they are. It’s Princess Poppyseed who learns the most and aside from the verse and being content, she also learns about unconditional love with regards to her siblings. This is a very important lesson that was not mentioned in the synopsis.
“Princess and the Pop Star” is out this month (August, 2011) and the feature includes a new song by Francesca Battistelli and a new silly song called “Astonishing Wigs.” The DVD extras include sing-along versions of each of the songs as well. There will be a companion CD, “Songs for a Princess,” released in conjunction with the DVD. “Princess and the Pop Star” is a very relevant and critical life-lesson and one that I’m sure the boys will enjoy just as much as the girls.
- Ken W.
VeggieTales Live!: Sing Yourself Silly
Aug 5, 2011 DVD Reviews
VeggieTales Live!: Sing Yourself Silly
Big Idea
“Sing Yourself Silly” is a recording of the live VeggieTales show. The live show hits a limited market so it is a great idea to tape it live for a DVD release like this. At first I did not think that watching a video of a live show (that’s not animated), would not be as entertaining as a typical Veggie DVD. However, I was completely wrong. The live DVD was highly entertaining and the children loved singing along with the characters and they liked watching how the scenes and dances were choreographed with each song.
The DVD is over 70 minutes long and it includes 18 silly songs as the main feature. The extras include some backstage videos which is a very cool addition. Like I said, the show hits a limited market and having the event captured on DVD means more people get to enjoy the production.
While it’s never the same as being there live, there are pluses to having it on DVD instead. For one thing if the children get tired you don’t have to suffer through the whole show with a less than pleasant child. Simply stop the video and start it again when ready. I guess even if you were able to see the show live the DVD would still be a treasure to have as the children can look back on it later and appreciate what went in to making the production materialize.
- Ken
Matt Hammitt – Every Falling Tear
Aug 1, 2011 CD Reviews
Matt Hammitt
Every Falling Tear
Sparrow Records
10 tracks @ 41:39
Grade = A-
Sanctus Real lead singer Matt Hammitt releases his first solo record.>Encouraged by his band mates to release the album, the overall theme is to provide hope to people who are going through a crisis.
In 2010, Hammitt and his wife Sarah learned that their son Bowenwas going to be born with a severe congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.” Bowen was born Sept. 9, 2010 and has gone through two heart surgeries, an infection and other complications.
Hammitt says, “I will never forget the night of his first open heart surgery – we got a call in the middle of the night that Bowen’s heart had stopped beating. The redemption that was for me, in probably this most broken time of my life, was that all the treasure in this world, everything I put my hope in here in this life, was burned away in that moment. I could clearly see that the only real treasure I have is the hope that I have in Jesus Christ. Bowen’s doing great now, he’s making an incredible recovery and the fact that we still have him; we thank God for that every day. We’re eager to see what God continues to do through his life.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Every Falling Tear and its singles will go to benefit the Whole Hearts Foundation, a new foundation Hammitt has set up to help families going through similar challenges as himself. Providing assistance for families of children affected by congenital heart defects,additional details on the foundation will be announced soon.
The record itself is more melodic and subdued than a Sanctus Real release. “All of Me” has a depth often lacking in much of today’s Christian music while “Holding You” has the lyrics ”where will you find peace when you cry?” “Little Light” comes across as a beautiful lullaby. Wish I knew who the female lead vocalist is on that one. “This Is Grace” is a wonderful praise hymn that could be used in the church-at-large.
-Rob S.
William Matthews – Hope’s Anthems
Aug 1, 2011 CD Reviews
William Matthews
Hope’s Anthems
Kingsway
10 tracks @ 42:43
Grade = A-
Bethel Music’s singer/songwriter William Matthews releases an excellent debut. His record reflects a declaration of God’s Hope and redemptive Love for humanity.
Matthew was born and raised in Detroit, MI, where his mother directed the church choir. He was constantly surrounded by soul singers and talented vocalists.
From the joyous, toe-tapping bluegrass tinged “I’m Free” to the atmospheric “I Just Want You More,” Matthew handles a variety of musical styles. I also liked the melodic “This One Thing,” “So Good to Me,” and his rousing interpretation of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” The lyrics are fairly easy to learn as there’s lots of repetition.
- Rob S.
www.bethe lmusic.com/artist/william-matthews www.kingswayworship.com
