Reviews

It was a grim, overcast Friday afternoon when I first listened to Luke the Band (not to be confused with Luke, the book of the Bible, or "Luke, I am your father"). For an indie band, they managed to catch my attention with the quality packaging of their Entertain Us EP. What impressed me even more, however, was the quality of their music. Equipped with nine solid rock/pop offerings, my dreary ride home from college was soon painted with energetic reds and oranges, deep, relaxing blues, and unfortunately, a few glaring black smears.

It has often been argued that getting one's big break in the music world is equal parts raw talent and personal connections. While such a premise is debatable, those holding such a view could certainly point to the hard rock sextet Falling Up to make their case. Formed by vocalist Jessy Ribordy and guitarist Tom Cox during their freshman year in high school, the Albany, Oregon group spent several years touring with longtime friends and fellow Albany natives Kutless.

People talk of traveling through life on a road toward some distant destination. As Christians, our destination is Heaven, but the journey rarely seems short or easy. In fact, it is often fraught with disappointment and frustration. Fortunately for us, trusting in God's plan and His grace can make the path a little smoother. "What we believe makes a difference in our walk through life," says Mark Robey of Jacob's Road, whose debut album The Journey encompasses this important concept.

Denison Marrs quote Ecclesiastes in track # 6 on their latest album: "there is nothing new under the sun." Though they doesn't do it themselves, it's easy to apply that verse to rock music today. One of the more popular new stars in my corner of Canada is Sam Roberts (a more obvious Beatles plagiarist cannot be found), and it seems that most other bands are a variation on some theme born in the middle of the last century. Even the retro blah of the '90s has been topped by most rock offerings in Century 21.

It's probably safe to say that more than a few budding musicians secretly hold the notion that the life of the average rock and roll artist is nothing but first-class travel, legions of adoring fans and an instant and endless flow of income. Of course, those most familiar with the music business can tell you that, for every band that hits the big time, there are probably ten more groups whose day-to-day experience revolves around fast food, substandard lodging and playing to near-empty houses.

Dogwood's brilliant sophomore project Building a Better Me established the band's rep as hard-hitting punk outfit with an intriguing edge. However, recent projects have failed to make as big an impact. While the submissions have been solid, nothing has topped the 1999 smash hit. Dogwood fans will testify that what endears them to the solid but not spectacular efforts is vocalist Josh Kemble's ability to consistently write thought-provoking lyrics—which he achieves again on Seismic.

Roughly 30 minutes by car from the home I grew up in sits Goderich, Ontario. It's a pretty little town, sitting on the coast of Lake Huron and sporting the county's main courthouse, most impressive museum (which, admittedly, isn't saying much) and one of its few movie houses (a uni-plex that usually doesn't get ahold of films until they've been out for two months everywhere else). And to be honest, I was pretty sure that nothing much ever happened there.

Let's rewind to September 2001. I was sitting in front of my laptop, much like I am now, typing up the review for Skillet's fourth album, Alien Youth. My goodness, what a grand album that was. I listened to it seventy-hundred times, salivated over it until my mouth was dry, and bought copies for all two of my friends. My closing comments went something like this: "When it all comes down to a point, this album is FLAWLESS. Cooper and Co. have done everything perfectly this time around, giving them a tough challenge to top in the future…" Yes, I remember it well.

Delirious? has long been the heavyweight champion of rock, let alone rock with a spiritual theme. In my opinion they're the only band that holds a chance of meeting the level of U2. The music industry as a whole would be at an extreme loss if these five English boys had never decided to invest years into making songs. Their influence spans nations, bringing aggressive guitars, passionate lyrics, and bold vocals into the limelight.