I'll start this blog off with an explanation of my love for Tooth and Nail Records. I listen to a lot of artists and I would have to say that a majority of the artists signed by Tooth and Nail are on my list of favorites. I don't know what it is about T&N that just clicks for me, I've never really thought about it. I guess they just have a different set-up than most record labels. T&N is technically a christian record label but they don't sign "worship" bands or "christian" artists. At least not in the sense the the world views them. Tooth and Nail is an example of a new generation of Christians who don't have to force feed the world their faith. A lot of the artists on T&N have fans that aren't Christian and maybe some of them (like Underoath) are outnumbered. There's a lot of controversy over whether or not Tooth and Nail is a Christian label signing Christian bands or not. I feel as though they are Christian people who run a record label that signs bands in which their bands are Christian. Tooth and Nail does something totally different. They sign different types of artists with different stories and sounds from all across the world. I would love to meet (or be) the person who gets to go out and find all of this amazing music.
Alright. That brings me to my favorite Tooth and Nail band (and one of my favorites, period) Anberlin. These guys are just great. I've only seen them in concert twice but I met them once and I keep up with everything they do. The lead singer, Stephen Christian, has written a book on injustice and even documented a trip he took to India going into the Red Light Districts. They're just an inspiring group of guys. Their newest CD came out TODAY, "New Surrender." The sad thing is.. I really wasn't too excited about it. They re-made one of their older songs for the CD and the one song I heard I didn't really like. Don't get me wrong, it was good.. it just wasn't the GREATNESS I was used to. But early this morning I check my e-mail and went on iTunes to buy the CD. I listened to a little bit of it while eating my breakfast and I was thankfully surprised. Thank goodness because I really did not want to have to write a bad review on an album by one of my favorite bands. I'm having a lot of fun dancing in my seat right now to "Haight St." but I'd have to say my favorite song is "Breathe." It's so beautiful:
"No need to hide anything anymore, can't return to who I was before. I can finally breathe, suddenly alive. I can finally move, the world feels revived."
These lyrics simply describe a call to new life. Simple, yet very profound. How can we return to who we were before when we've found grace?
I'll make this next one short and sweet:
The Becoming. One of the newest artists signed by Tooth and Nail. Their debut CD, "Vol. 1", came out today as well. I haven't bought it yet.. I'm not really sure about it. Well, I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy it I just need to get over the guilt of spending money on my budget.. which is nothing. However, once I get past that I'm going to buy it. They kind of scared me at first, they've all got funky, black hair and piercings and tattoos, but they're really good! This definitely isn't the first time a band really surprised me and they totally have. I really like the lead singer's voice, it's deep and just resounds really well. It's kind of hard to explain. I've been listening to their full album on Purevolume.com and my favorite song so far is probably "We're Already Dead" or "The Night That Has No Morning." There are 13 songs on the CD and it's only $7.99 on iTunes (this is me convincing myself to buy it)!
Seriously, they're good though. If you like 80's rock or even just rock, you'll like these guys.
"Many times I've wandered and more times I've been lost. But You've always found me because You're never gone. Now this single requiem; a funeral in my name. It's a haunting thing to hear.. if it were not for Your grace. Your love it takes me home from all I've ever known."
P.S. That's one of my favorites too.
2 comments:
Interesting comments about Razor & Tie and some of its bands. I had an Eastern student who was (and still is) very interested in the world of Christian independent bands; in fact, she wrote a senior thesis here on the topic, and she's now in a PhD program where she continues to do research in the area of Christianity and popular culture. It's a fascinating area of interest, especially when we delve into the distinctions people make between Christian and non-Christian artists, songs, recording companies, etc.
Thanks for the comment and interesting facts!
Post a Comment