The Forge

Not to say it wasn't before, but right now is a good time to be paying attention the Christian music scene. In particular, it's a good time to be paying attention to the Christian music scene and the iTunes music store. The last few months have seen the release of not one, not two, but three iTunes exclusive EPs. October 3rd, Until June sneaked onto the scene with a self-titled EP. November 28th saw Relient K's "Must Have Done Something Right". December 26th gave us our first glimpse of Anberlin's newest release, with the EP "Godspeed."


Let's tackle these in reverse order. I'd heard the name Anberlin before, but it wasn't until a month or so ago that I actually got around to buying one of their albums, partly (if not wholly) because I so greatly enjoyed the song 'Paperthin Hymn' on Tooth and Nail Records' 30-song sampler "One Dark Summer" (available through purevolume.com). You'll get my full take on "Never Take Friendship Personal" sometime soon, however a long story made short is that the album blew me away. In an effort to figure out how I'd missed these guys for so long, I stumbled across news that Anberlin's newest album, "Cities," was right around the corner, and (perhaps more exciting, since I've little patience) that there would be an iTunes exclusive sample any day now. Well, that day came, and I didn't hesitate to slip Apple the 1.98 it cost to get Godspeed and Haunting. The latter of these tracks is slower-paced, so fans of 'Dance, Dance Christa Paffgen" will be ecstatic to hear front man Stephen Christian's melodious vocals once more as the emphasis of an Anberlin song. 'Godspeed' is a bit more volatile, (my style), although its similarity to many of the band's previous tracks is both a blessing and a curse. It still sounds great, but if you turn the volume down enough it's hard to distinguish it from Paperthin Hymn. Maybe that's just me. Overall, however, Cities has cemented a spot on my "must have" list.

Then there is Until June, an emerging group under the banner of Flicker Records. Ever since I heard the opening of their song 'Sleepless,' I've been interested in what this group straight out of Arizona can do. To be sure, the three songs on their rather obviously titled 'Until June' EP are mellower fare than I usually partake in. But whatever. Their lyrics are such resoundingly truthful cries to God that it's hard to dislike them. Every once in a while a band comes along that just sounds like something I ought to like. This is one of them. 'You Do' says: "It's hard for me to understand how You could die for me when I fall short sometimes...If only I could see the way You do. That sentiment permeates the entire song, which is mostly repetition of the 'if only..." part, and strikes me as a worship song that a leader might incorporate into a service with little or no friction; its simplicity and earnest work together to make it much stronger than I at first expected it to be. Next to Sleepless, which isn't included on the EP, 'What I've Done,' is perhaps my favorite song thus far from UJ. "I'm alone, and I'm ashamed, hold me in Your arms, and now I'm sorry for what I've done." Again, the lyrics are simple and to the point. But the harmonies are incredibly capable of taking simplicity and turning it into sublimity. 'The Saddest Song' on the EP (though it is actually more upbeat than You Do) is a call from God to man, supposedly a man who has already died (now you're gone). This lesson might serve the rest of us (not yet gone) some good. Perhaps the realization that God is "waiting here for You" is something we rarely reflect upon.

But not all is failure. Relient K reminds us how good life can be with God: "Everyday that I spend with You is the new best day of my life," proclaims 'Must Have Done Something Right." I forgot how enjoyable Relient K is to listen to (their last few albums have had a rather dark side to them, and my life while listening to Two Lefts... was darker still) but this EP reminds me why I got into them. It seems that RK has decided to remember that it is a Christian group, as the lyrics to Fallen Man greatly illustrate the 'out with the dead man' image so commonly associated with baptism and dying to oneself for Christ. The song, interestingly enough, is from the point of view of a Christian, talking to a nonbeliever, saying "Because the judge of you is someone I could never be, is why you should thank the Lord that it is Him, and it's not me" but never forgetting to point out "don't give up, it's not the end, there's hope for every fallen man to pick themselves up..." Oh, by the way, the RK EP is a two-for-one deal. 99 cents for these two songs is great, especially considering the waiting period that we must transpire in preparation for the next studio release.

I should also mention that Andy Hunter, Mae, and Amber Pacific (three bands I'm fond of) are all in the recording studios at the moment. 2007 promises to be a great year for the CCM.