The basic formula to keep in mind this week is Flyleaf = Rise Against minus Politics + Religion. Along the same lines of the question of whether politics belongs in music, I ask you does religion have a place? Religion is probably the strongest emotion generating concept in the world today, and as a result, I say absolutely.
While I am not religious myself, I can certainly appreciate the concept and understand why one would feel strongly about it. With Flyleaf, lead singer Lacey Mosley puts her heart and soul into spreading her beliefs and the word of God. While I don’t generate the same emotion that she does, I feel that emotion and transfer it to those items that I am passionate about.
On the self-titled album, track number 4 titled "Cassie," is about Cassie Bernall, victim of the Columbine massacre. Either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold put a pistol on Cassie’s forehead and asked her if she believed in God. She responded with a not so simple “yes” and was then shot and killed. This song, while it is not very strong musically, gets me thinking about things in my life that I would be willing to die for. My wife and child are the obvious answers, but is there a belief or concept that I would be willing to sacrifice my life for when staring at a pistol?
On the self-titled album, track number 4 titled "Cassie," is about Cassie Bernall, victim of the Columbine massacre. Either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold put a pistol on Cassie’s forehead and asked her if she believed in God. She responded with a not so simple “yes” and was then shot and killed. This song, while it is not very strong musically, gets me thinking about things in my life that I would be willing to die for. My wife and child are the obvious answers, but is there a belief or concept that I would be willing to sacrifice my life for when staring at a pistol?
Songs like this really help prioritize things in my life. I sometimes wonder why my talents have led to me sitting in a cube helping a blood sucking insurance company make money and not doing something for the greater good of humanity. When I walk down my newfound priority list, number one is providing for my family, and somewhere in the top 10 is enjoying what I do. I guess this was a long-winded example of how I transfer Lacey’s passion. Bottom line is that Cassie is someone that deserves to have a song written about her and have her story told for everyone to hear.
The first album overall was solid, but not one that left me thinking that it was one of my favorite of all time. The most memorable track is probably "I’m So Sick" which you may recognize from Rock Band.
The first album overall was solid, but not one that left me thinking that it was one of my favorite of all time. The most memorable track is probably "I’m So Sick" which you may recognize from Rock Band.
Upon listening to "Memento Mori" last year when it released, it immediately struck me as one of the best Christian rock albums I had ever heard and ended up in a tie for my favorite album of 2009. A lot of these songs take concepts that are usually hush hush in our society today and throws them right into your face without any fear of judgement. The passion and stones required to throw yourself out there like that is something that I greatly respect and support. One last note is that the final track in "Arise" is probably the most inspiring song that I have heard. The ending itself is probably my favorite ending to an album ever.
Suggested listening:
Suggested listening:
- Flyleaf (2005) – I’m So Sick, All Around Me, Fully Alive
- Memento Mori (2009) – entire album, tracks 1 - 14
Sorry Thomas, I edited your post. Force of habit. I promise I will post again and finish before Saturday this week.
ReplyDeleteI know it's early but I got an early start on the first album -
ReplyDeletePerhaps not surprisingly, I heartily disliked "I'm So Sick" at the start of the song. The lead singer's wail made me cringe. The song seemed to improve over its nearly 3-minute playtime. My first thought when she actually started singing was that she sounds a lot like Avril Lavigne. Take that as you will, but I usually like Avril's voice, not so much what I'm hearing here. She seems to be playing with her words to make them sound weird on purpose, which I never like. I doubt this is what she sounds like when she's talking.
I will say this, this is one of the first of Thomas' weeks where I've found the lyrics incredibly easy to understand, and I liked that for a change. I will also say I've never given Christian Rock any kind of credence whatsoever, but I didn't think it was as horrible as I expected. Most of the songs have obvious religious overtones, but I didn't feel like they were throwing God at me like one of those bands you might see playing a "show" at one of those non-denominational "we're cool because we use big screens and sound system technologies in church" kind of churches around here.
Putting it into that perspective, I wonder what my roommate's parents would have thought about this kind of thing when she was growing up. She's always told us they wouldn't allow her to listen to "secular" music, which begs the question - was it the screaming, loud noises or inappropriate sounds they didn't like? Or was it the content. This seems to point to the latter. Either way, I've always thought it was a little weird to be a rock band and have a lead singer that screams and be talking about God all at the same time. Maybe that's because I was raised Catholic, I don't know. Screaming to me means angry. Unless someone is pissed at God, I don't see the point in all the attitude. The only music I ever think of connected to religion includes Christmas music and the hymns I used to sing in church. Mostly solemn or thankful, or full of praise, those songs are in a different league than this kind of thing.
That being said, this kind of music does make religion seem a bit more entertaining. (Reminds me of the movie "Saved" with Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin.)
I get that religion is an emotional subject, like politics, but I just can't find myself getting excited about it. If I was really religious, or if I felt all that strongly about one way of thinking, I could see it I guess. I guess when you're comparing religion to politics, you're comparing abstract to concrete. We have have beliefs about both, or either, and feel strongly one way or another, but we never really find out who's right and who's wrong about religion, do we? Unless there is an afterlife, in which case we wouldn't know until after we die. In politics, we can back a president or politician, and back or condemn their actions - but unless we die before those scenarios play out, there comes a time when those actions are proven to be right or proven to be wrong, as we know from history, which can spur even more emotion.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think anything that's worth feeling is worth putting to music. If that thing is politics - so be it. If it's religion - so be it. It's like I said in my late comment for Beatles week. Musicians who are worth a damn aren't making music to please the fans or to see what they can get away with according to the fans - they're making music that is personally important to them and/or personally challenging to them. Real music should be a form of expression, not a product, so who cares whether I think politics or religion have a place there? If the musician feels the inspiration, then I say go for it.
I'm glad Thomas told us about "Cassie" because I was looking forward to hearing that song more than any other - and I wasn't disappointed. He's right, musically, it's not the strongest, but me and my Columbine obsession really hit the jackpot with this one. It's pretty impressive that a high school student (usually self-absorbed and questioning everything they've ever been taught) believed in something so strongly to give her life at such an early age for it. If there is a heaven, I hope she's there. If there isn't, then I can at least rest assured that although her last moments on this earth were undoubtedly terrifying, she was able to find comfort in her happy place. That doesn't change regardless of what you believe personally.
"Breathe Today" was kind of bold, and a little offensive for me. Maybe it's because religion is a touchy subject, or maybe I don't like being basically told that I'm suffocating or ignorant because my beliefs don't align with these guys'. I know not to take it personally, just expressing my opinion.
Rounding out the CD I found online (special edition), there is an acoustic version of "Fully Alive." Still not a fan of her voice, but without so many instrumentals to stifle the emotion, you're at least able to hear the conviction in what she's saying and in what she believes.
Of course I'm still working on album 2...
ReplyDeleteUpon the opening riff of “I’m So Sick” I get the feeling that I’m walking right into a Kittie song, and that’s before I hear Lacey’s voice. Kittie was one of the nu-metal bands that I liked despite my pickiness for female singers/screamers. I’m not immediately put off by Flyleaf, so we’re off to a good start. There is that alt-rock radio sound that immediately hits me, but there is a uniqueness they possess that I’m figuring out by the third track. There is a grungy, early 90’s sound that resonates in “Perfect”, very Veruca Salt-ish guitars. Given the back-story on “Cassie”, it is hard for me to listen to it more than once because of those horrible images of Columbine that race through my head when I listen to the lyrics. There is a seamless segue into “Sorrow” with Lacey proving she can hold her own with her contemporaries like Amy Lee or Hayley Williams. “Red Sam” is the first song that blatantly stands out as a religious song, with lyrics like, “You are the truth, saving my life…You speak the truth and I hear it”. It’s followed by the repentant “There For You”, which displays the guilt suffered by devout Christians. This is not the hokey Christian-rock that I despise; it’s certainly music with a message, but it doesn’t pander. The name Jesus isn’t uttered until the final song. I feel they have a good balance of music and message with this album.
ReplyDeleteMemento Mori immediately puts a bad taste in my mouth, with the overtly religious “Beautiful Bride”. The heaviness doesn’t lend to the lyrics for me, they contradict themselves; this may be because of my Roman-Catholic upbringing and the reverential and solemn way that hymns are sung in the church. “This Close” stands out musically with Sameer and the rest of the band constructing a wall of sound on the hook. “In the Dark” takes an interesting approach with the echoing song title at the beginning that is very post-Fleetwood Mac Stevie Nicks. Besides “Set Apart This Dream”, the majority of the second half of Memento is a lot of Lacey singing and feels like the rest of the band is forced to stifle themselves creatively; I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Lacey took a break from recording with the rest of the band to venture out on her own. I definitely enjoyed their self-titled album more than Memento because it was musically more concise whereas Memento didn’t maintain an identity. As for religion in music, I have no problem with anyone expressing musically their religious beliefs or any subject for that matter because ultimately it is your choice what you listen to. As with Rise Against, music is one of the strongest ways to convey your convictions and ultimately share your views with likeminded individuals.
Not sure if you can edit comments or not. If not, then I apologize if my grammar in this comment 'urks' you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura that the term 'Christian Rock Group' is a bit sketchy. It seems like all you have to do is prove that you attended church once, sign with a christian label, and they let you have that title. Then you have the right to sing about whatever you want in any style that you want in a church basement.
For the self-titled album, I feel that it has a very raw sound to it, that gives the band a sense of honesty. I was on the fence about this album, but felt that component pushed them over the top.
They are much more subtle with their message in this album. It definitely exists throughout the tracks, but it is at a very deep level and is often told through analogy.
The second album does not hide anything and comes right out with it. I agree that Lacey dominates this album, but I think her voice and beliefs help bring that honesty factor that the self-titled album had. The production of Memento Mori was much more polished and I think that may have taken away from their message.
While it may be unfair to this group to come after the Beatles, everyone's response is still right in line with my expectations. This content is often a 'no-no' in everyday conversation and can often 'turn-off' an audience.
I am already familiar with the song I’m so sick. Lacey’s voice is very childlike, sort of in a creepy way though. The other word that comes to mind when I think of her voice is smooth, because even though she can belt it out, it sounds like she does it with ease. This song definitely rocks out and even though the band is religiously based I can see the appeal for Thomas. So far I enjoy the song “Perfect” it is quite catchy, and can enjoy the message that the band is trying to get across. The song speaks of how we are all perfect in God’s eyes, yet when it comes down to it we are very flawed. “Cassie” is a little too “Real” for me. I keep thinking about what the parents would think when they heard this song. Since having Madden, I personally would not like the tone of the song and the lyrics are a haunting reminder of the sacrifice their daughter made in the name of her religion. While I can appreciate that they are glorifying what she did, I almost think it is taboo to make a song about it. The more I listen to the album I really see Lacey as such a standout vocally. It is so interesting to me that she is 28 years old, yet has such a youthful voice. “All Around Me” I have heard on a few occasions with my honey. I have to say this is probably my favorite song from this album. I like the escalating tempo, and can definitely feel the passion that Lacey is exuding in the lyrics. “Red Sam” stands out for me in the fact that this is the first song I really think the guitarist leads the way of the song. I like the intro and think it flows nicely. The rest of the album was solid, and I liked the more mellow turn the band took on “So I thought.” I think this album was very interesting in that when you think of religious music, this is not what I would normally envision. Flyleaf has done a great job at being a Rock Band that hints in Jesus just enough to entice the religious crowd, while leaving him out just enough as to draw attention to people who just want to rock out. Very well played Flyleaf!
ReplyDeleteI thought "Memento Mori" started off well. A little bit of the high school Laura left in me kind of liked "Beautiful Bride." *I think it was more the music and the notes Lacey's voice hit more than the words. I didn't really pay attention to the words, so I didn't catch what Justin called "overtly religious." I agree that this seems a little more polished than the first album, but I still prefer the first to this one.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, her voice is starting to grow on me. It's not usually the kind of thing that I like, but at least she sings with conviction. Like Justin said, they seem to focus more on her voice on the latter half of this album. I don't know that it so much stifles the creativity of the others as lets her shine.
None of the other tracks really stood out to me after the first - but none of them really offended me either. I might dislike myself after saying this, but I might listen to this again.
I've liked it more than most of Thomas' weeks to date, which is a stretch for me with the label Christian Rock. Although I once really liked the song "More" by Matthew West, which is VERY obviously religious (I mean, he puts it out there). Back to the discussion of religion in music - I think if the topic doesn't bother you or if you choose to ignore the message and listen to the music for what it is, you can at least see that these people put their hearts and souls into what they're doing. I think that's what always attracted me to "more." It's pretty inspiring to love anyone that devoutly.
Although, the girl I work with said she saw them perform live and that it was terrible. Apparently, Lacey screams closely into the mic and then pulls it away so far you can't hear what she's saying, and it sounds like a trainwreck. This came from someone who loved their albums, so take from that what you will.
And Thomas, please don't take offense. I just edited it to make it more consistent with the rest of the posts on the blog (made the photo smaller, that sort of thing). I think you do a great job :)
ReplyDelete“Beautiful Bride” really reminds me of Avril Lavigne’s voice, which I know Laura made reference to. I did not notice it quite as much on their first album, and maybe it is just the punk vibe I get from this song that reminds me so much of her. I really like the song “Again” the lyrics are great, and to me they speak of when people pray for forgiveness for the bad things they have done, but then they go right back to doing the same things they just prayed for forgiveness for. This is probably my favorite Flyleaf song overall, just the mild tempo that leads into the rocking chorus is a nice touch. The other thing I wanted to comment on about this album is the album cover, and booklet. They are quite scary if you ever get a chance to look at them, which is quite interesting from a band like this. While the album is a lot about life and death, I think they are trying to depict a war between good and evil, thus making the images of the evil quite freaky. They aren’t trying to sugarcoat anything, and for that I admire them. “In the Dark” is where I can really see the religiousness pouring out of the band, in the chorus saying for Jesus to raise them up and live again. I do like the quiet beginning, and the dark atmosphere it builds into. This album is really interesting for me since there are some really great songs on here, but then it seems every other song is easy to pass over. The only other song I really liked was “Circle” for the overall vibe of it. I really appreciated Thomas picking a group that is really setting the way for future religious rock bands. They have figured out the way to appeal not only to Christians but to anyone interested in rock music.
ReplyDeleteDavid... are you still there? ;)
ReplyDeleteI apologize for my lack of a comment so far...I wasn't home much all weekend, and when I was I've been studying for a test. I've got time now, however, so my response is in the works.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'll admit that Lacey Mosley has a pretty good voice for this kind of music. I can definitely hear the Avril Lavigne comparisons that others have made, I despite my dislike of her music, I always thought she had a pretty decent voice herself. With that being said, I definitely prefer the bands self-titled debut album to the follow up, even though the first album had the problem in which every song basically sounded like a carbon copy of the song before it. Every song has a pretty generic verse structure, followed by a big chorus where she belts out whichever lyrics fit into the chorus for that specific song. There are a few songs where this structure works to create a pretty decent song, in particular "Fully Alive" which in my opinion contains the best chorus that the band has written. I honestly really didn't like the song "Cassie", despite acknowledging that it's subject matter is pretty important, especially for a Christian rock band. I was really just turned off by the vocals at the very beginning of the song and it ruined the rest of it for me. Another song I comparatively enjoyed was "All Around Me".....for whatever reason, the guitars reminded me of an A Perfect Circle song, which is a band I like (although not as much as Tool), so this earned it some extra points in my book. "There For You" really sounds like a Christian rock song to me, however it's much better than the typical song from this genre. Lacey's voice really shines on this song....she even sounds like she might have had some radio potential if she had gone in a different musical direction. I really enjoy the instrumental guitar section on "So I Thought" around the 2:40 mark, and I really liked the song despite the message. (I've really just never liked the idea of promoting religious beliefs through music, even though I have no problem whatsoever with religion in general.) As I've said in the past, this kind of music really isn't my cup of tea, but the final rating I've given it of 46% really isn't bad for the type of music it is. There were some high points and some low points on the album, but I found myself wanting to skip through the album much less than I would on those by other similar bands (and on the next album).
ReplyDelete'Memento Mori' starts off terribly for me, as I really just didn't like anything about "Beautiful Bride" whatsoever. From the overtly religious message, to the really bad sounding backing vocals, this is one song I just can't get behind. It wasn't until the 4th song on the album, "Missing", until I found a song that I didn't really completely dislike. This one rivals the best songs on the bands previous album, and kicks off the best stretch of the album, in my opinion. "This Close" is my favorite song by the band...like Justin said, the guitars on the hook are pretty great, and are the best thing that the band has ever done. "In the Dark" has some interesting moments to it, but it changes too much to find any consistently good sound. The shift from the really heavy "Swept Away" to the really light "Tiny Heart" is way too jarring to work for me, although the latter is the better song of the two. My favorite part of the second half of the album is actually the interlude.....it gives off a pretty creepy vibe that I enjoyed a bit. "Arise" is a pretty good way to end the album, bringing me back after I'd drifted through the last 4 songs or so that didn't really contain anything special. I can hear why Thomas thinks it's so inspiring, and once again, that's why I love this project....it's great to me to hear what inspires other people, even if it doesn't do exactly the same thing to me. In all, this album scores a 37% from me, although once again, there were some high points. The low points overpowered these, though, and at times made it hard for me to push through.
ReplyDeleteDespite not absolutely loving the music, I really do appreciate the pick. I love being exposed to new music, whether I really like it or not, and it's fun for me to de-construct it and pick apart the things I really liked about it, and those that I didn't. This was a perfect band for that, as there were some elements I really enjoyed, and some others that I didn't. Like others have said, I think that Lacey might do better to split off from the band and venture out on her own, but that's always a difficult decision for someone to make. She has a nice voice, though, and I think she could be fairly successful in a Christian-based music market by herself someday if that's the avenue she chooses to remain on.