RELE VAN T RECOMMENDS: MUSIC
WATCH The video for “The One That Got Away.” relm.ag/18L1CBq
THE CIVIL WARS THE CIVIL WARS
VOLCANO CHOIR REPAVE (JAGJAGUWAR)
THE DIGITAL AGE EVENING: MORNING (FAIR TRADE SERVICES)
Listen to Volcano Choir in surround sound if you can. On the band’s second album, the bass and drums resonate like a Wisconsin windstorm. Justin Vernon, the brains behind Bon Iver, sings on several songs, but multi-instrumentalist Thomas Wincek also leads an ensemble cast. On “Almanac,” amid synths and soaring guitars arcing across thunderous percussion, the chorus takes on a Sigur Rós vibe. In other words, ambient expressions of emotional dissonance.
> Worship is not a passive exercise. Our praise should be symphonic. On the first fulllength album by The Digital Age, this aesthetic is on full display. The explosive “Symphony of Grace” is so rooted in a Foo Fighters mentality, you can see the plaid shirts. On “Your Name,” the guys—essentially David Crowder’s former backing band—stretch their voices in grungy unison. The best song, “Break Every Chain” (a Jesus Culture cover) is a tear-jerking ode to God’s eternal grace.
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[SENSIBILIT Y RECORDINGS/COLUMBIA RECORDS]
> Real anger can’t be controlled or diminished. On The Civil
Wars’ self-titled sophomore album, pounding guitar and explosive vocals serve as evidence. The fury here is a marked departure from the duo’s more demure debut (so much for subtlety). The Civil Wars, composed of former Christian pop star Joy Williams and the sage-like John Paul White, will be parting ways after this release, but they’re leaving this as a goodbye present. “The One That Got Away” is about how temptation is never welcome. “Same Old Same Old” is reminiscent of their megahit “Poison And Wine,” but it’s more authentic: freedom only comes when the guilt washes away clean. We hope it means a third album someday. But if that never happens, this is a testament to what might have been.
g BECAUSE FAITH AND TRUTH
Do Matter
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Great is Thy Faithfulness
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