Technically, this album was released in 2010, but late that year, THATH got picked up by Sub Pop Records, they went back in the studio to rerecord some of the songs, add some new ones, and remaster it for a 2011 re-release. And it is spectacular for a debut release from this Seattle sextet! They've been making their rounds across the nation, touring extensively and tirelessly promoting their blend of indie, folk, and pop. The album is full of backyard roots ditties that showcase their songwriting chops. I think THATH shine the best when they are grooving with driving percussion, syncopated saloon style piano, background "oohs" and "ahhs," and harmonies that drip with folk sensibility. I love the lazy vocal delivery from lead singer Josiah Johnson, "oh all the things people do for the ones that they love." This record will keep your toes tapping all the whole way home, and make you wonder why you left in the first place.
4.) David Bazan - Strange Negotiations
David Bazan comes off the high that came from 2009's critically lauded "Curse Your Branches" to write a new page in his confessional songwriting journal. This time, he comes with questions and criticisms of the current state of discourse in the media, the government, economy, and the flaws and repetitive nature of man. As only Bazan can, he writes with intensity, full disclosure, and an intimacy of his inner thoughts. His stories are heartbreaking, and while he doesn't fully rely on his dissatisfaction with religion this time around, he rails against falseness, inability to change, and still the beast of belief. He brings the full force of a backing rock band, giving each song its own unique pulse, from the fast paced openers "Wolves at the Door" and "Level With Yourself" to the quiet moments of introspection and longing in "Virginia" and "Won't Let Go." Bazan's ebb and flow in duality is ever evident, and makes him provocative and beautiful, one of the best songwriters today.
3.) John Mark McMillan - Economy
2011 was the year of John Mark McMillan for me. His new record dropped, he toured prolifically with the David Crowder Band, Gungor, and Christ August, and I got to see him live twice! McMillan earned every single one of his new fans while on tour. He is the Boss, of Christian culture, pulling similar musical styles into his music as Springsteen. "Economy" is a robust release and a unifying experience to sing along with. McMillan has a way in his writing that rallies worship, his words ringing true for people across the board. He often sings in the collective "we" instead of the exclusive "I," as the audience joins in his praise, belting that "we live on the edge of a darkness, but daylight is coming on!" With such beautiful imagery contrasting darkness and light, one can only get lost in the solid hooks and sweeping guitar fills, as John Mark leads the anthems of ragtag believers just looking to praise "God's murdered son." Tune into JMM, turn it up, and shout at the top of your lungs. You won't regret a minute of it!
2.) Gungor - Ghosts Upon the Earth
Like a piece by Monet or van Gogh, "Ghosts Upon the Earth" is auditory artwork at its finest. The meticulous details that Michael Gungor, his wife Lisa, and the rest of the band infused throughout the record can be discovered by poring over the notes, lyrics, instrumentation choices, the quiet and intimate or the raucous and extravagant. "Let There Be" starts with a completely unstructured opening, mimicking the nothingness before creation, then morphs to an eruption of noise to showcase God's creativity. Just when songs seem to want to explode with distortion laden rock, Gungor pulls back to tie the audience into their tale. And in a loose conceptual way, the record accounts the story of grace, from creation, man celebrating nature and God's goodness, "The Fall" from grace and leaving the close bond with the Lord, God pursuing His unfaithful bride, the recognition of salvation from a kind Savior, and the triumphant celebration that greets us with Christ. "Ghosts" takes the listener on a profoundly heartbreaking yet hopeful adventure. I wish I had to the time to go song by song with my thoughts and emotions, but I'll end with the simply complex lyric, "when death dies, all things LIVE!" (Edit- If you pick up the record (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), read along with this, from the band themselves.)
1.) Bon Iver – Bon Iver
If there is one word to describe Justin Vernon's second release under his Bon Iver moniker, it would be grandiose! The self-titled record is full of life, pulsing with its own aura of authenticity and beauty. I remember the day this record came out. I was driving to work, and the sky was gray with a little rain. And then "Perth" slowly crept its way through my speakers with its reverb guitar trills, military snares, and faint echoes. It built upon itself with Vernon's strained falsetto harmonizing with itself until the boisterous midway point with syncopated percussion and blaring horns. I knew this album would stick with me and reveal something new about itself and about me with each listen. Bon Iver has come a long way from "For Emma, Forever Ago" which was basically Vernon alone, building songs from his scratchy acoustic guitar. While that album was lovely and personal in its own right, "Bon Iver" kicks down the doors of a possible sophomore slump with authority, a full band of players backing him up in the process. There are layers of saxophones, brass, flutes, strings, and woodwinds that all weave in and out of the almost soundscape-esque compositions. With folk inspiration, indie execution, and a jazz background, "Bon Iver" is a pastoral place to be, where "I can see for mile, miles, miles."
DOWNLOAD ONE SONG FROM EACH ALBUM HERE!
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