The Forest & The Trees

The Forest & The Trees

Joel and Linnea Edin, known as The Forest & The Trees, are a Swedish folk pop duo. They live married life in an apartment in Stockholm and compose lulling, full-bodied folk anthems. This life sounds pretty idyllic; indeed, this album sounds a little like something out of a dream.

The eponymous album speaks about growing up, falling in love, and escaping. Opening with the rippling rhapsody “Mother”, Linnea lyricizes a tale of watching her mother age, also realizing that she is herself becoming the woman whose place her mother used to occupy.

For a folk-pop album, The Forest & The Trees starts with a bang. Fast-paced drumming on “To The Forest (I Need Some Peace)” highlights a message of escape from hectic city life into nature’s serenity. Then the album takes a soothing and atmospheric turn, characterized by tinkling chimes and mellifluous pump organ, banjo, guitar, percussion and bass. Most of the tracks on this album emerge like butterflies wriggling out of a still, motionless cocoon to erupt into the airwaves in a flurry of colourful activity. Final track “By The Trees” begins with an ambling glockenspiel, is joined by strolling bass and strings and suddenly somersaults into a surprisingly James Bond-worthy theme.

Like an all-weather tire, this is an album fit for a range of seasons and conditions. From sunny driving jams to mellower rainy day melodies, there are fixes on this album just waiting for lovers of both stripped-down and hearty, imaginative folk-pop styles.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The perfect poster child for the Twitter generation, Kanye West seems to invite his listeners deeper and deeper inside his own head with his every movement. Appearing both self-confident and self-conscious, he’s showcased his own inner workings, including his spiritual deliberations with the “Jesus Walks” saga (from his album The College Dropout). Now with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye opens the door wider for us to watch him process his victories and blunders in areas like relationships and image.

Singers have long put their lives on display through their lyrics, so an introspective album is not exactly new. However, Kanye takes self-awareness to a new level. Many of the tracks on this album monologue against (a.k.a. thoroughly spank) his critics and defend Kanye in one way or another. Existentialism runs rampant as tracks like “Blame Game” cleverly use different voices panning from one side to the other to simulate an internal conversation about a woman.

The album is big. In fact, it’s huge, spanning genres, harnessing the power of rock, hip-hop, electronica, neo-classicism, and Afro-beats. The tracklist is incredibly catchy, though many of these tracks contain dark lyrics filled with statements of resentment, frustration, or dismissal.

Kanye’s wit, convictions, and success have come along with some infamous actions and high profile meltdowns. Getting empathy has been a mixed bag for Kanye, yet he remains one of the most influential figures in hip-hop. There are many public figures like Kanye who long to be truly understood; this is a world where private lives are publicised to overexposure, misrepresented and misinterpreted.

Do people want to hear singers come clean about the dark, twisted corners of their mind as they attempt to figure themselves out? It’s up to you to decide, but the record sales and reviews indicate that many do. Our world is dominated by people publicizing their thoughts and actions via social networking, and Kanye somehow keeps up intrigue. His razor-sharp lyrics and fearlessness for experimenting with music mean he continues to create music people want to listen to.

NB: This album contains a lot of explicit content.

Future Of Forestry with Kye Kye

@ The Tapestry, Richmond, BC, 11 December 2010. Click here for video clips!

Unfortunately, I lost half of my footage in a mysterious digital mishap... interviews with Kye Kye and Future Of Forestry are a possibility in the New Year.

Who is willing to rock?

My roommate and I were discussing the other day the unfortunate lack of good, old-fashioned rock in our lives; is it that we have been listening to mellow music for too long, or is rocking out just not as cool as it used to be?

Whatever the truth is, here are three bands who are unafraid to rock out, and rock well:

Black Mountain










The Whigs

The Datsuns

Interview with Amber Brooks, musician and worship leader

I had the very special opportunity of interviewing Amber Brooks about her album "Still I Rise", out on Morningstar Music. There is so much passion in this album and it's not only beautifully assembled with plenty of musical diversity and a tangible Southern edge, but the lyrics are deep and powerful. Read on!

CK: As I listen to the album, I'm hearing echoes of contemporaries like Mute Math, Misty Edwards, John Mark McMillan, and Jason Upton, to name a few. Tell me about some of the influences you have had in songwriting (musical, lyrical, theological, philosophical, thematic, etc).

Amber: I grew up on a lot of different genres of music, from rock, to rap, to gospel, to classical. The list goes on. I love style and diversity. Anything from Radiohead to Ella Fitzgerald, you can hear glimpses of them and everything between somewhere on the album as far as sound is concerned. Lyrically, I'm wanting to learn how to say things the way they've never been said...but still make sense. I'm trying to learn to communicate things that make people think. Sometimes, we sing and say groups of words that roll off our tongues very quickly because we're used to saying certain things a certain way. I want words to get their meat back. That's a learning process for me, I'm getting there slowly. Philosophically and thematically, I was expressing my heart towards God and understanding His heart towards His kids. I might not always get it right, but like I said, I'm learning :)

CK: I hear the incorporation of different genres too. There's some really gritty southern rock flowing through the album, but it's interpolated with contemplative piano, folksy and country vibes, and such. Who contributes to the sound of the album? You've a number of musicians playing on the album - did you open up your compositions to their creative play, had you determined the scoring of the album at the start?

Amber: I went into making the album knowing that I wanted a lot of diversity, and I knew I would get it with who all played on the album. I always like to hear what people bring to the table based out of their own creative ability. The producer, Elijah Mosely, and I just wanted to let the creative musician be themselves and interpret the sound the way they felt it. 9 times out of 10 it was absolutely incredible and added more personality to the song. It was honest and raw, which is the way music is supposed to sound.

CK: Describe the preparation, rehearsal and recording process behind the album. This is your debut album - what was it like?

Amber: It all started with me sitting down with Elijah for a few days just hashing out my influences and getting acoustic cuts of each song. We basically treated it like a science project from there. Throwing away some sections of songs and moving things around; writing lines that make you think and so forth. The songs were already breathing but a lot of the album arrangements were built organically. The recording process was meticulous, which I appreciate in the long run. We would literally spend hours on sections of a song that ended up lasting 30 seconds or less. I had been in a studio before doing backing vocals for other artists, but I never realized how complex making a studio album could be.

CK: What instruments do you play and what are the favorite and less favored features of each? What do you compose on?

Amber: I play piano and acoustic guitar. I pretend to know how to play other things but those are my main instruments. I mainly compose on guitar, I've been playing guitar for about 6 years and I've never had lessons. I just play out what I hear in my head. I enjoy playing piano much more. It's my "happy place". I could get lost sitting at a piano for hours just making up little things and learning classical songs by ear. I remember being 2 years old and beating on a piano and screaming at the top of my little lungs having the time of my life. Nothing has changed really.

CK: Could you open up some of the thematic content of the album? There’s all kinds of stuff in here: a rendition of a classic hymn (Lord Of My Heart), some lyricized parables (Vagabonds, Why Are You Weeping?), and praise and worship songs (Make Way), and some communicative/conversational pieces (To Whom It May Concern, Heavenly Places).

Amber: Essentially, the album is a compound of 2 years of my life. 2 years of living is a lot of experiences that can seem to last a while. Out of those experiences came a song. The songs weren't meant to be thematic in nature, it's just where I was in my walk with the Lord at the time.

CK: What have been some of the most significant teachings or revelations that have shaped you as a worship leader (and thus shaped this album)?

Amber: I think the most amazing thing that was taught to me as an artist was "write like yourself, sound like yourself, create like yourself and don't be afraid to be honest about it" When we start to walk in the slightest glimpse of who God created us to be, that in itself is worship. It's not just the 3 or 4 songs we might sing on Sunday morning before the offering is taken up. What I do when I lead worship (as it is with every worshipper) is a direct result of my relationship with the Lord. It's honest, it's raw, it's vulnerable, it's beautifully terrifying, it can be wild; but that's what Love does to people. We are individuals for a purpose. We all interpret things differently, and that's okay. God loves diversity; if He didn't, we'd all be robots.

CK: What do you hope this album brings to its listeners?

Amber: The title itself hopefully encapsulated the mood of the album. It's about the overcomer. Overcoming fear, heartache, disappointment, false responsibilities, loss, fear of failure, thru knowing God's heart for His children, not only as a whole but individually. The attitude of "circumstances won't shut my voice down from loving the Lord". My hope for the album the whole time was and is intended to bring hope itself. Encouraging people that life is going to be life and sometimes it's not fair and sometimes we won't understand everything; but God's love is bigger than our understanding. His love is bigger than any circumstances and the whole time we are walking out our relationship with the Lord and learning how to love more, He is cheering us on the whole way, even when we mess up...no...especially when we mess up.

CK: What do the words "worship" and "worship arts" mean to you? What’s your take on those concepts?

Amber: Worship is a loaded word in my opinion. It's complete adoration to something that you put your faith, hope and trust in. It's not just an outward expression; it's a posture of your heart, mind and emotions towards a God that we don't always understand. Worship is loving and trusting God when it's hard to. Worship is believing and honoring God when it feels hard. Worship is adoration. Like I said before, it's not always music and it's not an experience in a moment. It all boils down to recklessly messy love for God in who He is. Worship Arts is individual expressions of that.

CK: You are a graduate of MorningStar University. What was the MorningStar experience like? What has it opened you up to? I know you lead worship with the ministry and you've had some media opportunities.

Amber: MorningStar was literally life changing. It taught me how to search the deep things of God out for myself in a safe place and encourage me to step out into giftings and experiences that I never thought I would have. Worship leading is a prime example of that. Since I was 13 years old, I was always a back up singer. When I came to MorningStar, I decided I'd audition for back up singing, since that was what I always did; and Leonard Jones (the worship leader) saw potential in me, and encouraged me to dive a little deeper in writing and music. And I've continued to grow ever since. It's opened up a lot of opportunities for me, an album being one of them as well as ministry trips and being on GodTV. I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to share my heart towards God with the masses. It's very humbling.

Have You Heard? [Fall 2010]

Chris McClarney

Love Never Fails [Kingsway Music/EMI]

www.chrismcclarney.com

When a songwriter is renowned for their humility, which seems to be the spirit that Chris McClarney operates out of, there’s a good thing going. While unpretentious and even unaided by a website of his own, (chrismcclarney.com simply redirects you to a widget on the Kingsway music site) his songs are used in worship across the globe. Praised by voices such as Jeff Deyo (worship leader and former SONICFLOOd vocalist) and Bill Johnson (pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California), McClarney’s music has been described as refreshing, sincere, and passionate. Lines from some of his songs have provided launching points for others to write songs exploring concepts further.

The writer of the popular worship song “Your Love Never Fails”, Chris McClarney’s music has spread to churches worldwide – but you might not be familiar with his name unless you read the song credits. The original version of “Your Love Never Fails”, found on the EP Introducing Chris McClarney, is soulful and flowing, containing a brilliant groove reminiscent of Sting & The Police.

Love Never Fails isn’t cheap talk. The album really is about the power of divine love (as the cover art makes plain). As a worship arts medium, this album draws the listener into meditation upon God’s steadfast love, and its lyrics vocalize thankfulness and adoration. “Your Love Is Everything” speaks of the healing, cleansing, and filling power of God’s love. “I Need You More” confesses our need for greater and deeper encounters with the Trinity.

Merited indeed for its worshipfulness, Love Never Fails is fun, raw, and skilfully composed. Six original tracks are set amongst gospel-rich covers of greats by Hillsong, Keith Green and Bob Dylan. McClarney’s unique, rich and soulful voice masterfully helms the album’s soundscape. Love Never Fails is easy on the ears but deep in heart.

Brenton Brown

Adoration [Survivor Records]

www.brentonbrown.com

Coming from a prolific music artist who has been writing worship music for years, many of the songs on Adoration, such as “Holy”, “All Who Are Thristy”, and “Our God Saves” precede the album’s arrival on store shelves. Filled with tunes heard in the worship music of many churches, Adoration contains material that will be familiar to many listeners. Musicians can play along without much difficulty. But played and uniquely styled by their original composer, the songs take on new meaning as the listener gets to know more about the experience and heart of the artist.

Amongst these songs is a fresh new recording of Brenton Brown and Glenn Robertson’s veteran chorus “All Who Are Thirsty”, featuring reverberating slide guitar, cymbal washes, beautiful acoustic countermelodies, and several minutes of Brown’s own spontaneous worship.

Beginning the album, as one becomes immersed in the warm tones and shimmering treble of the first few tracks, the accompanying lyrics are balm to soothe the soul. “Sorrow turns to gladness / when our God is near / you speak light into our darkness / and heal the brokenhearted / wipe away our tears” (“Amazing God”). It is a joyful album that reminds the listener of the hope, wholeness, and power of God.

Worship is not a once-a-week experience or an act reserved for a particular timeframe. Brenton Brown challenges us all with title track “Adoration” as he sings “You have our hearts...now take our lives. Receive our adoration, Jesus lamb of God”. Clearly we are meant to sing songs that resonate with our life experience, testifying to the truth of the songs.

An album that brings new material as well as renewal to older songs, Brown’s plea “come and visit us again” in “All Who Are Thirsty” is symbolic for this song’s re-release. In each new passage through seemingly familiar territory, the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to bring new perspectives and new lessons.

Amber Brooks

Still I Rise [MorningStar Music]

www.myspace.com/ambernbrooks

Amber’s debut album, Still I Rise, is passionate, beautiful, and a cry of the heart for one and for many. One will find a love story in the lyrics; a love story about the pursuit of God, knowing not only that He will not disappoint, but that he has already been pursuing us.

The album’s sound is beautifully intense and intensely beautiful. The lyrics communicate an experience with God’s overpowering love. The music boasts a rich diversity of sounds and styles. Piano, guitar and percussion are the staples of this album but Amber’s soaring voice is paired with many creatively textured instruments. Listeners of John Mark McMillan, Mute Math, and Misty Edwards may enjoy some of their musical similarities. Loud and driven moments include the wailing guitars and crashing cymbals that accompany the chorus of “Like You Promised”, the growing wall of sound that comes in like a tidal wave in “Branded”, and album closer “Heavenly Places”. Tight discordant harmonies segue into richer resolved ones as they accompany a farewell to unfulfilment in “To Whom It May Concern”. Intricate rhythm patterns fill “Hallelujah, Still I Rise” and “Vagabonds”.

Out of Amber’s aim to put words to the experience of God’s consuming love come lines like, “I don’t have all the right words to say / to provoke you to want me / any more than you already do” (“Like You Promised”) and “why are you begging him for mercy / when you could be rejoicing? / The love of a Father has brought you home” (Why Are You Weeping”). God is near, she reminds us, and his heart towards us does not grow cold because what we do or do not do. His heart is always set towards relationship and reunion.

(I had the very special opportunity of interviewing Amber about this unique and powerful album. Please see the prior post for the interview.)

http://branchesmusic.bandcamp.com/

BRANCHES - FOR MY SON

Ambient, atmospheric soundscapes from Branches - alter ego of indie/electronic artist JDH (Jonny Dylan Hughes). Designed for his infant son as lullabies - and good for your grown-up ears too.
Download from http://branchesmusic.bandcamp.com/

Have You Heard? [Summer 2010]

Gungor
Beautiful Things [Brash Music]
www.gungormusic.com
The album title refers to the beautiful things that God does, but in a way it is self-referential; this is a truly stunning album. Lyrically, it is a celebration of many central and tender tensions in the Christian faith. The vision of this album seems equally inspired by the beauty of God’s works and the realization that there is yet much restoration to take place. Doubt, faith, joy and solemnity are all given their due as the listener makes his or her way through the tracklist. The heart and mind come away nourished.
The album begins with “Dry Bones” and in great anticipation; the music holds back to match the lyrics perfectly. Next, a major cadence is introduced. Then the song bubbles forth a torrent of statements of faith: “only you can raise the dead, can lift my head up / Jesus, you’re the one who save us, constantly creates us into something new / Jesus, surely you will find us, surely you’re messiah, you’ll make all things new / Life is breaking out”.
Who is Gungor? Formerly the Michael Gungor Band, the band has decided to simply go by “Gungor” to reflect greater unity and to draw the focus away from one particular person. Michael says that the choice reflects seeing their place in God’s much bigger picture. The album unfolds some of their realizations of God’s infinite scope, his love, and his works.
Though the album contains many moments of driven intensity, the latter part of the album was recorded in a rural Rocky Mountain setting, bringing about a set of hushed, almost minimalist alt-folk songs. This vein runs deep throughout the album but is fleshed out in the earlier songs with a more jubilant sound, especially in gospel-blues track “Heaven”. This quiescent turn is powerful. “Please Be My Strength” and “Higher” are weighty and richly psalteric.
This is Christian music at its finest. Gungor employ a multiplicity of styles and master them. This album is highly enjoyable. What Gungor presents to their listeners with this release is an album that is sophisticated but unpretentious; deeply refreshing in many ways and reflective with meditation upon many key Biblical tenets. What it expresses is the band’s growing understanding of a grander and grander God and it dares the listener to allow God to open their mind too.

Bethel Live
Here Is Love [Bethel Music]
www.ibethel.org
Bethel Church, known for its vibrant music scene and its teaching on worship and ministry, is the creative domain of artists like Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Leah Valenzuela, and Kristene Mueller, who feature as the leaders of this inspiring live worship recording.
The album is entitled Here Is Love because it speaks of the love of God that we can experience in the moment, but also because worship is a love offering to God. This concept is really distilled in “I Love Your Presence”.
New listeners might enjoy this album because it contains several astounding tracks that are coming to eminence within church/worship arts circles. Hopefully everyone can enjoy it because the whole project is so inspired by the adoration of God. If the tracklist is new to you, this album is a good purchase because it contains songs that focus on God and celebrate encountering Him. It is filled with a lot of joy and a lot of free expression, including spontaneous songs led by the Holy Spirit.
Although there has been a veritable landslide of worship music recorded in the past three decades, Here Is Love is a recording that stands out for its quality and its intensity (in both its loud and still moments), and it is definitely one worth having.

Secret & Whisper
Teenage Fantasy [Tooth & Nail]
www.myspace.com/secretandwhisper
Secret & Whisper hail from Kelowna, BC, but because of their contract with Tooth & Nail, the bulk of their tours and airtime take place in the US. Sonically, Secret & Whisper bridge genres and strike comparisons to bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, The Mars Volta, Saosin, Thursday, Thrice, Extol, and The Used, but the band stands alone with a unique sound which they are proud to pioneer.
Inspired by older bands that produced thematic albums, Secret & Whisper see Teenage Fantasy as a little anachronistic considering that in an age of track-by-track MP3 downloads, it was produced with the idea of a unifying concept behind it. The themes include “weird stuff” out of vocalist Charles Furney’s own life experience, like his old bedroom, the movie Dune, alien abduction, native warriors and depression. This is the band’s sophomore release.
What’s behind a title as peculiar as Teenage Fantasy? Charles discloses on the band’s MySpace page that, “[We] called it Teenage Fantasy because we all had a dream when we were young to be rock stars, famous and making millions. However at this age and being the music industry as a whole is in a state of depression; we’re coming to the thought maybe it was just a hollow fantasy”. For a band with old dreams like that, it is encouraging to know that they rarely fight. They all have a hand in the songwriting process and are all concerned about the aesthetic of their art, which continues to integrate airy and surreal treble tones as well as highly overdriven crunchy guitar and drum parts. The drumming is technical and complex. Rapid fills and intricate patterns characterize the entire album.
Secret & Whisper have a lot of creativity to offer. This, their second album, is unafraid to be experimental and exploratory, and the band does not have a problem defending its artistic choices. Besides pushing the tight and explosive drive in their music that was a hallmark of their first full-length disc Great White Whale, there are songs on this album that reveal the band’s ability to pull off placid tunes too. If you purchased Great White Whale, chances are you will enjoy Teenage Fantasy. If you are interested in progressive, experimental rock or post-hardcore, head over to their webpage now.

Adie
Just You And Me [BEC Recordings]
www.myspace.com/adiecamp
Genuine worship makes no distinction between what is done in private and in public. Just You And Me is a special album because it is essentially an invitation to participate in this worshipper’s personal concert for God. Adie is a congregational worship leader and has built this album with songs that resonate in her heart. Not all the songs are hers; the disc features Adie’s renditions of worship pieces from the likes of Kim Walker-Smith and others.
Adie, wife of Jeremy Camp, hails from South Africa, and came to America at age 19 with The Benjamin Gate. They had toured extensively and so after The Benjamin Gate disbanded, she took a break from music to recover from burnout. Now 28 years old and the mother of two, she has partnered with Jeremy on many of his recordings and this is the second of her own. She speaks in this recording from her personal experience with God which has developed with changing life circumstances. In former interviews, Adie has spoken of the effect her daughters have on realizing the heart of God, and her involvement in initiatives like this year’s Extraordinary Women Conference, or working with Jeremy in their ministry have brought her many opportunities to see God move and love in amazing ways.
The sound of Just You And Me is slightly more serene than Adie’s 2006 release Don’t Wait. It exhibits a lovely blend of acoustic folk, pop and rock, comparable to pop icons Michelle Branch or Sheryl Crow, yet with a true orientation toward the divine. The musical set-up is fairly standard for the better part of the album but Adie’s rich voice floats amongst well-placed instrumentation: arpeggiated electric guitar, keyboard, and strummed acoustics. “Redemption song” makes use of some beautiful organ tones as well as violin.
Overall, Just You And Me is a good album. It is not particularly innovative but it is heartfelt, reverent, and tender.

Thrice - Beggars

Thrice

Beggars [2009]

Vagrant Records

Though it’s already been through the review mill, I’m willing to argue that Beggars is worthy of greater critical acclaim. If it’s been shunted at all, it’s due to the incredible success of prior releases Vheissu and The Alchemy Index. Now Beggars, though musically appearing slightly less potent (though there are echoes of each of their albums within), it does contain the band’s boldest lyrics yet. The topics the band has chosen are controversial and seriously challenge society: defining the meaning of true love, emphasizing the seriousness of marriage vows, questioning the notion of progress, and living in light of eternity. These are signs of the band’s own growth in confidence and sophistication.

A band that has come this far could easily sell out, bowing to the demands of a label, a fanbase, or critics. Instead, Thrice continues to show their independence, highlighted in their choice to move from major label Island Records to indie label Vagrant Records. It’s widely known that indie labels, at the risk of smaller distribution, allow their signed artists greater freedom.

Thrice has never been a band to shun their values. They wield a powerful Christ-centered axiology that goes beyond stating the problems they see in the world, and declares how they want to see the world.

Opening track, “All the World is Mad” skilfully paints a picture of human corruption with, “we can’t medicate man to perfection again/we can’t legislate peace in our hearts/we can’t educate sin from our souls/it’s been there from the start” and sets it against the notion of progress with “Circles”, saying, “true progress means/matching the world with/the vision in our heads/we always change/the vision instead”.

Dustin Kensrue’s vocals carry the poignant messages with intensity. Yelling from the heart, he promises “I won’t abandon you or leave you behind/love is a loyalty sworn, not a burning for a moment” in “The Weight”, a song about the gravity of the marriage vow. Halfway through the album lies new fan favourite “In Exile”, its lyrics taken out of Hebrews 11, lyricizing the hope of Abraham thus: “My heart is filled with songs of forever / a city that endures where all is made new / I know I don't belong here I'll never / call this place my home I'm just passing through”.

Thrice is a rare band whose faith has become more overt over time. Fans should be able to respect that their growing sophistication is linked to growing faith. Thrice have garnered a loyal and enthusiastic following among Christians and non-Christians alike and with the release of this excellent album continue to be salt and light spiritually and musically.

Spiritronica

Inspired by my friend and musician Jonny Dylan Hughes, I just made up this name for a genre of music that incorporates danceable synth-infused music that is filled with the Holy Spirit.

I bring you Spiritronica. So it looks a little like Spitronica. Get over it. Get into it.

Other bands that might fit into this genre are Paper Tongues, Joy Electric and select Soulcleansed (they lean more towards a house/dance vibe).

More general Christian electronica artists to be found at myspace and wikipedia

If you find an artist that fits with the spiritronic theme, help us all out by leaving a comment below!