In 2007, Jars of Clay released an impressive modern Christmas record with a classic feel, titled Christmas Songs. As someone who was weaned on the kind of Christmas music my parents grew up on, I’m a sucker for any new Christmas music that even has a hint of what resembles real “Christmas music” […]
Category: We Recommend
We Recommend: brave Saint Saturn, “so far from home”
Part one of the trilogy about the USS Gloria, So Far From Home was the first album from astro-rock, Five Iron Frenzy side project, brave Saint Saturn. More emotional than most Five Iron Frenzy songs, So Far From Home explored love (“Moon Burns Bright”), losing a loved one (“Two-Twenty-Nine”), as well as the personality and […]
We Recommend: Listener, “Wooden Heart”
Dan Smith, formerly known as Listener as a part of the Deepspace 5 collective, got together with guitarist Chris Nelson, and then applied the name “Listener” to the duo’s band name. Listener’s latest offering Wooden Heart is a treasure amongst indie rock albums. The music doesn’t really follow any rules of music, unless it […]
We Recommend: Blindside, “About A Burning Fire”
Ah, Blindside. These Swedish hard rockers arrested my attention in 2002 with the release of Silence. That album was an intriguing mix of hardcore elements with a melodic rock sound. While it may still be one of my favorites by the band, their follow-up About A Burning Fire further developed the sound they […]
We Recommend: Heath McNease, “Straight Outta Console”
If you looked up “hard-working musician” in the dictionary, and for some reason it was actually in there, you might find Heath McNease‘s name somewhere in the definition. When he’s not touring, he’s working on his next project. He’s dropped two so far this year, and has at least one more […]
“I Hate (Most) Talking Childrens Toys” by John DiBiase
One thing I’ve noticed as my 10 month old is growing is just how obnoxious his toys can be. Of course, I’m not saying the toys themselves have their own pesky attitude (That would be silly, wouldn’t it?). However, the voices recorded for the children are some of the most […]
We Recommend: Ivoryline, “Vessels”
Among the musical surprises of 2010 was the sophomore release from Tooth & Nail Records rock band, Ivoryline. While their debut album There Came A Lion was an admirable debut, it didn’t quite leave the impression that Vessels does. Some records impress at first listen while others slowly grow on you with each following listen. […]
We Recommend: David Crowder Band, “Church Music”
Anyone who’s been reading JFH faithfully for a number of years has probably noticed that I’m picky when it comes to worship music. I’m not proud of it, because I find it very difficult to find worship music that I enjoy listening to AND that can spark my heart to […]
We Recommend: Lifehouse, “Who We Are”
Although their faith somehow got a little shuffled and disconnected with their most recent record, Lifehouse still remains one of the larger examples of Christianity in the mainstream today. This couldn’t be any truer when speaking of their 2007 release, Who We Are. From the stark imagery of Jesus rescuing us from drowning […]
We Recommend: Sixteen Cities, “Sixteen Cities”
God kind of has a funny sense of humor. The first time I ever heard anything by Sixteen Cities, I was doing Christmas shopping in Hollister (a clothing retailer known for their heavily secular values); “Sing Along” was playing and its lyrics and catchiness intrigued me. That was December of 2009, […]