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#7
Luna Halo - "Shimmer"
Year: 2000
Label: Sparrow
Favorite songs: Superman, Forgiveness, So Far, Wait For You, Running Away, The Way To Your Heart
Lyric sample: "My skin feels strange / Like there's something underneath / Locked in these chains / How I ache to be free / Dancing shadows / Call me closer but still I'm waiting // Until the sun stands still again / Until the earth reverses / Until my eyes can see the wind / I'll wait for You"
One of the truly exquisite recordings on this list, Luna Halo's impressive debut album Shimmer is practically bursting with dynamic, creative expression. It moves deliberately, never rushing, always giving its passages room to breath and progress at a natural pace. The songs tend towards the long side, but not unnaturally so. The band simply allows its ideas and motifs to play out properly. In so doing, they make sure that even the quiet sections have enough interest and are leading to or from something. Shimmer is a densely packed album. Every song is painstakingly assembled with just the right mix. The sound is guitar-laden, but it rarely feels heavy or bracing. In fact, one of the most notable features about Shimmer is its atmosphere. Luna Halo made a space for themselves in the industry with their brand of moody alternative rock owing to British bands like Radiohead and Delirious? for inspiration. They even cover a Delirious? song - "Hang On To You." It set them apart from the skin-and-bones bands of the 90's that were still hanging on to vestiges of the grunge movement. I don't have a lot of patience for meticulous sub-genre labeling, but I have no doubt that Luna Halo is post-something. Their guitar work is covered in effects and serves to blend the elements of the songs together rather than stand out in a flashy sort of way. The guitar solos, if you want to call them that, are frequently noisy and chaotic (see: "Running Away" and "The Way to Your Heart").
Their approach may not be new to British bands (Luna Halo is from the states) but it hadn't been heard much in Christian music, certainly not with this kind of quality. If they wanted to make a splash with their first record, you can tell they decided to do it by going over every track with a fine-toothed comb and making sure it was perfect. There's not a weak song in the bunch. The opener "Aliens" is probably the least interesting, but it gets by on atmosphere and sets the tone for the record. Luna Halo's sound is radically different from the funky rap-rock of Reality Check, from which several of its members have come. Front man Nathan Barlowe's voice has a spectacular range and a floaty quality that is superbly supported and complimented by Shimmer. I can't imagine any other timbre of singer being appropriate. And fortunately, they make use of his talents. The intelligent song structures give rise to a number of superb melodic and harmonious moments. The chorus of "Wait For You," the pre-chorus of "Forgiveness," the bridge of "Way To Your Heart," the ending of "Superman"... all these are gorgeous passages, among the best the record has to offer but by no means the end of its charms. The lyrics are predominantly small and simple but effective.
The new Luna Halo that was released last year is for all purposes a completely new band. It has lost the Christian themes which are prominent throughout this first record, it has abandoned their signature atmosphere in favor of a more straightforward rock, and Nathan's voice has roughened quite a bit in the last 8 years. He's never sounded better than he did on Shimmer. Beyond that, the songs simply don't compete. There isn't nearly the depth and subtlety found here. When I first listened to Shimmer, I recognized that it was good but wasn't immediately sold. It's not impenetrable at all, but it doesn't have the quick riffs or blazing solos that catch people's attention right off. It does, however, have an enduring quality. If you love one song enough to listen to the rest, each one in turn unveils its secrets until you see the beauty of the whole. Or at least, that's the way it worked with me. I'm still finding new things to love about Shimmer. That's why it sits proudly in my top 10.
I have scoured the internet to find this music vid because it is one of my favorites and it's one of the best songs on the record. I finally found it, albeit in a low quality form. It's been difficult to find. Seemingly, the band or someone involved with their label/marketing has been destroying access to the remnants of the old-era Luna Halo. If you want to watch it, you should do so immediately, because it will probably be pulled from YouTube. I didn't tag it with the band's name or the song title in hopes that it won't be easily searchable and that this will delay its removal. Without further ado... Superman.
#8
The Juliana Theory - "Love"
Year: 2002
Label: Epic
Favorite songs: Do You Believe Me?, White Days, Jewel to Sparkle, Repeating Repeating, In Conversation, DTM
Lyric sample: "Conversation is amazing when we're free to be things people often won't because they hate themselves / These situations almost daily have a way of making people understand that all of us are one / But isolation and division will be our destruction if we can't communicate / So as I contradict myself, and forget all I've said, I am free"
The dark horse of Juliana Theory albums, this one probably upset a lot of fans by varying drastically from the emo-pop formula that they had established. I suppose I've never been much of a purist, as I tend to love the records that veer from a group's established norm. With something of a concept album in Love, the emo band goes hard rock, and what a joy it is! Especially since they do it better than most hard rock groups. In my mind there aren't nearly enough rock records like this - lots of guitars big in the mix and singable vocal melodies combine into a tasty concoction. The dingy, thick-sounding electric guitars have a real presence here. They buzz and float and even crash, thanks to some dropped-C tuning on songs like "Congratulations" that make this by far the most aggressive album in The Juliana Theory's canon (which, by the way, is now forever closed thanks to their disbanding after the release of "Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat"). The consistency of the instruments and the value of melody over pure energetic recklessness reminds me quite a bit of some gothic rock groups like HIM. Their signature piano is still present ("Shell of a Man," "The Hardest Things"), and with the big-label mixing power they've established almost a tangible airy-ness, a space in which the music exists. As a guitar player I can more easily focus on the six-strings, but I would be remiss if I did not remark on the work that the rhythm section does. Drums and bass play a huge part in the mood and style of the album, and both have a chance to shine on Love.
Bret Detar's vocal performances have been steadily improving since the unsteady start on the first record. On Love they sound fantastic. He still has the smoothness he possessed on Emotion is Dead but he takes the range and power exhibited there to new levels. They've also found new creative ways to juxtapose his screams against seeming unfitting music - listen to "In Conversation" and you'll understand. The really impressive bit about that song, though, is the way he segues from a note into a scream and back in the same breath. Quite a set of lungs on this man! This shows him building up his endurance to the point where he was able to muster that 30-second gut-buster on the next record's "French Kiss Off."
"In Conversation," aside from being a welcome change of pace, is an example of the record's songwriting strengths. The band shows what is probably the greatest complexity and maturity of their discography. Take, for instance, the brilliant "White Days" with its mesmerizing undercurrent, rhythmic lyrical structure and crisp arpgeggiated intro. You can just feel yourself staring, absorbed, at the oncoming road as you drive through the night. The tasteful "Jewel to Sparkle" cleverly presents a subversive melody. "Trance" and "DTM" pick things up in the second half with some continuous rocking out. Neither is as memorable as something like "If I Told You This Was Killing Me..." but in many ways they are better songs. If you want memorable, look no further than the deliriously hooky "Do You Believe Me?" with its fun "woa-oh-oh" background vocals that hearken back to the 80's (Michael W. Smith's "All You're Missin' Is A Heartache" comes to mind). This song has it all. Punchy guitars, a nice buildup, and a satisfying introduction of additional vocal harmonies in the final chorus.
Probably hoping that with their new label they would be reaching new audiences and making first-time fans, TJT decided to re-record one of the best tracks from Emotion Is Dead and place it on the album. The updated version of "Into the Dark" is still a good song, and the new presentation was necessary to make it feel like it fits on Love. Yet, to me, it doesn't really add anything to the album and I think the first recording is a superior vision. Other tracks that aren't as successful are "The Hardest Things" and the final track, "Everything." "Everything" simply doesn't work on the same level as "You Always Say Goodnight" or even "Constellation." It's not really poor; it just closes the record with a sputter rather than a bang. It's a fitting wrap-up lyrically, but it's not as creative as most of the other tracks. "Trance" is actually a great jam song, but it has potential to be a lot more interesting in the final minute or so and doesn't reach for that.
The Juliana Theory is one of my favorite groups, and in my opinion this is their strongest release. I keep Love close to my heart (*groan*) and close to the top of my list.
I apologize for the video - they didn't have any professional videos from this album as far as I can tell and the concert footage is of characteristically poor quality. So this is just the song, but it's a great song and you should listen to it anyway. Do You Believe Me?
