OK, so I threw this Tweet out this morning:
And I’ve had more responses than I expected. So, I thought I’d open the discussion here. Thus far, we’ve had the following albums listed as “The Greatest Christian Album of All Time!”:
- Stryper’s “To Hell with the Devil” by @mxbx
- Petra’s “This Means War” by @thejakers (as a joke)
- Michael W. Smith’s “I 2 (Eye)” by @therwreck
- Daniel Amos’ “Bible Land” by Lyle Wallace on FB
- Switchfoot’s “Beautiful Letdown” by @garthbostic
- Delirious’ “Cutting Edge” and Derek Webb’s “Mockingbird” by @seanmortenson
- Gungor’s “Beautiful Things” by @i61Lee
I’d love to keep this running. Add voice to the conversation, and tomorrow I’ll compile the top votes.
What’s the Greatest Christian Album of All Time?
I’m ashamed to say that my little sister is the one who introduced me to The Distillers while I was in college. Who can keep up with the kids’ music these days? I wasn’t expecting much since I generally listened to sappy Indie music (as most of this list attests), but I did have a punk streak back in my high school days. The first riff of the first song had me hooked. It’s not often so much angst can be captured so melodically in the punk genre, and so much anger can be undergirded by so much sadness. The album was not like anything I’d heard before. Oh, and the lead singer, Brody Dale, is a girl…I know it doesn’t sound like it. And really her energy and passion make the record. If you like punk at all, you have to give this a spin.
If I were going to be a member of a heathen rock band, Queens of the Stone Age would be it. I mean here is a band that pretty much epitomizes everything I’ve come to expect a rock band to be. Drugs, sex, band blow outs…they’re all here. But beyond their less than desirable moral example, these guys know how to rock. They balance raw, emotional rock and roll with sheer fun. And Songs for the Deaf is their best work by far. Crisp guitar riffs, a driving old school rock style, and incredible arrangements bring to mind a modern day Black Sabbath. And Josh Homme’s voice is simply awesome.
I remember the first time I ever heard Arcade Fire. I was working for Tully’s Coffee in Seattle, managing one of the downtown stores. Because I had just graduated from college, I didn’t have a car, so I was borrowing my dad’s bright-red Pontiac Fiero. As I was driving to our company headquarters in Georgetown, a run down industrial neighborhood on the south side, the dj on The End introduced this band as the most unique band she’d heard in her entire life. Needless to say, I was intrigued. And when she powered up “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, I was hooked. Arcade Fire juxtaposes happy sounding indie pop with such gentle melancholia, that if you weren’t careful you’d think that life was grand for the band. The album is heavily orchestrated with nuanced and extremely interesting instrumentals that create distinct listening experiences for me almost every time. Arcade defines intelligent rock, and Funeral is their best.
I grew up in Seattle and quite frankly wasn’t that into Modest Mouse. I found them to be too angular for my taste at the time. But that all changed when I took a chance on Good News For People Who Love Bad News. The angularity was still there, but it was also tempered with some really impressive melodies and their famous angst and rebellion nature had matured into the ennui of our generation. It was an album that, at the time, I could greatly relate too. I was fresh out of school with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And the temptation was just to “Float On”. The lyrics of this album are much more approachable than other albums, and the orchestration added great depth to their sound – while ostracizing many of their old fans.
Words can’t really describe the sonic experience it is to listen to a Illinoise. The songs “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” and “Casimir Pulaski Day” alone place this album on the list. Stevens is a composer, not just a musician. And to listen to one of his albums is to have an experience. This isn’t a good album for passive listening. Everything is meticulously planned from the art, to the lyrics, from the orchestration, to the song titles. The first time I heard the album I was speechless. I still am today.
I know everyone loves A Rush of Blood to the Head, but my first exposure to Coldplay was hearing “Yellow” on 107.7 The End. I bought the album expecting more of the same, but was so pleasantly surprised to hear a much more introspective and beautifully simple album. The energy, emotion, and rawness that is displayed in this first album is amazing, and a stark departure from their later, more well-known work. I bought this album in 2000, and I haven’t stopped playing it since.
I’ll be honest. The first time I heard The Shins was while watching Gilmore Girls with my wife. I feelso much better now! Rory (yes, I know her name) was attending a party at Yale, and The Shins were playing “So Says I” on a stage in the background. I thought, here’s a band I could really get into. After all, they just redeemed a horrible night of television watching. I went over to State Street Records the next day and picked up Shoots Too Narrow. There’s no one thing about The Shins that make this album great. It just is. The lyrics are introspective and thoughtful. I mean what depressed twenty something can’t relate to, “Of course I was raised to gather courage from those lofty tales so tried and true. If you’re able, I’d suggest it because modern thought can get the best of you.”? The music is fun, light, but intelligent. It’s really a great indie rock album. If you don’t own it. You should.
The first time I heard Fever to Tell, I had a smile on my face the whole time. Mostly because my wife hated it, and she was letting me know. I bought the album because of their awesome song, “Maps”, as I’m sure many people did. It was a radio ready single that really didn’t capture anything that the album was about. Instead, my ears were greeted with a manic sound of post-punk explosion. I think it’s an unbelievably good album. Karen O’s voice and energy carry the band without a doubt. But it’s a spectacle worth watching and one that won’t disappoint again and again.
The story behind Bon Iver’s album was what initially intrigued me. Justin Vernon broke up with his long time band of good friends, moved to a cabin the backwoods of Wisconsin during the winter, suffered depression, and wrote an album on a three-track recorder. Ok. I’m in. On first listen, I knew this album would forever be a part of my life. The raw simplicity of the music is absolutely beautiful. And the deep sadness that Vernon was feeling at the time oozes through the speakers. As far as I’m concerned Bon Iver is the king of the neo-folk movement.
The first time I heard We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, I was sitting in Hoyt’s on Queen Anne, a bar that no longer exists, having been torn down in favor of new condos. I didn’t know who they were, so I asked the bar tender, the only time I’ve done something like that in my life. He looked at me like I was stupid. But the truth is, they were still relatively unknown back then, and I kind of wish they were still. The early music of DCFC has a honesty and hunger to it that I just don’t hear in the later albums. I don’t begrudge them their success, I just miss the old days. When ever I want to reach indie rock heaven, I put on this album. And if I want to reach the 7th level of indie rock heaven, I put on “No Joy in Mudville”.
