We Are Young | FUN.

Glad to see these guys making music again [formerly The Format].  They were always good at painting a picture with words and putting you into the middle of their story.  The message of the song isn’t good but it’s definitely reflective of our culture.  I liked the acoustic version better so I could her Janelle stand out but the full video is really creative.   Janelle Monae’ is definitely not getting the attention she deserves in the pop music world right now so it’s good to see her partner with Fun.

Give Us Rest | David Crowder* Band

I finally got my hands on the album and had a chance to give it a good listen.  If you have followed Crowder’s music, experimentations, books, awkward interviews, side projects, 3+4=7′s, simple praise songs, crafty grassroots to synths style changes, 20 sec songs, musical interludes, elaborately crafted satyrical blog entries, long song names, comical stories, and REASON beats…you should love his final masterpiece: Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass In C [the Happiest of All Keys]) is truly a masterpiece.

Crowder has always had a powerful way of arranging his songs, stylistic changes, and genre crossing into a cohesive theme that tells a story. This is not limited to just the individual albums either.  Whether it was intentional from the beginning or not, Crowder has successfully orchestrated a concept spanning every album over his entire career that ends in this grand finale.  And, although he is typically credited for many of the fun, catchy, pop-worship songs being sung in churches today, there has always been a haunting depth that reminded listeners that there was an unsettling aspect to the God these songs were written for.  I think Crowder would be pleased to know that we had fun but we felt the tension along the way too.

As the final album moves forward you can’t help but catch a sense of weariness from the songs.  Not that the songs are tired in any way but that the writer and band are ready to lay the burden of these songs down after carrying them on a very long journey.  It’s been a great ride Crowder Band…it is finished.

Heart Cry

Heart Cry

My soul, it thirsts for more of You.

My heart it longs to be with You.

These eyes, they wish to gaze Your face

…and be with You my King.

                       -Haendel Balzora