Jars of Clay

The Long fall back to Earth

There are some things in the music world that are almost “dead cert”; after a new trend in the secular music world there will be a slew of Christian imitators about 12 months later; Petra and Stryper will continue to disband and then have reunions until there are no members left; and Jars of Clay will somehow create another album that’s worth listening to and owning.

Who knows what the magical formula is, but a quick run through the albums immediately recalls songs that are memorable and well crafted - "Flood", "Worlds Apart", "Liquid", "Crazy Times", "Frail", "Unforgetful You", "Collide", "Disappear", "I need You" etc.

And that’s just the first half of their career. They can be on an iPod filled with songs and probably survive the itchy skipping finger better than most songs their age. Perhaps part of the freshness of their music lies in the fact that they’ve never shied away from experimenting with their sound, but still manage to be the best at whatever style they’ve tuned their guitars to. Think of the progression from alternative rock to acoustic rock to experimental to Americana roots to deep South Gospel to modern rock. It could also be the lyrical craftsmanship that somehow pens song after song without resorting to the inane or clichéd. Whatever the reason you can be sure that there are going to be a lot of people keen to hear what they’ve come up with this time and chances are they won’t be disappointed.

What’s been added to the mix this time round is a bit of 80’s influence as is the current trend so, we have more driving beats and synths that are added to the more rock sound of the last album and somehow they once again make it “their” sound. The first proper song of the album is “Weapons”, with a message of repairing relationships laid over a driving 80’s drum beat.”Two hands” follows and is a natural Christian radio single with some honest confessions and a plea for the struggle within our selves to end in surrender to God. If you needed evidence of the 20 year old influences on the album, “Heaven” will provide that and it’s also one of the strongest tracks on the album.

The next song has been around for a while in the form of a single released more than a year ago as the first proper song of the band’s new independent era. It’s called closer and it’s been pimped for this album but still maintains the electronic whimsy of what’s essentially just a cute love song. (“I’m the tick you’re the bomb, I’m the L and the V, you’re the O and the E” = cute right?) After this lively start the album slows down to a more old style JOC vibe with “Safe to Land” and “Headphones”, but both still show that hint of the electronic in their beats and musical themes. In an ironic twist, “headphones” is a song for those who use music as a form of escapism, turning into the latest pop song and switching off to the world. “Don’t stop” is one of those ambiguous love songs that could be about a girl or sung from God’s perspective. I would tend to go with the latter one though since the love described sounds too perfect for human love and JOC have never shied away from humanities imperfections. “Boy (lesson one)” is another sweet song, and pretty close to the early Jars of Clay repertoire. It’s written from a father (presumably lead singer Dan Haseltine) to his sons, giving advice about the world and promising to always be there for them even if they make mistakes and have to start over. Things build up again on “Hero”, an anthem for the current generation searching for salvation from themselves. “Scenic Route” and “There might be a Light” keep up the strong thread of repairing relationships and while not the most exciting of the album musically they have the typical well crafted lyrics that could just hit the right spot for someone listening. The album is rounded out with “Forgive Me” and “Heart”. The first of these is about purple aliens taking over the planet and making everybody wear gumboots. Just checking you were still paying attention in the back. Yes the song title does give its theme away and the song is understandably one of those we’ll probably be seeing on WOW hits one of these days. The final song is the perfect closer to an 80s influenced record with its slow but steady beat, gentle synths and vocal arrangements, kind of like songs we heard from U2 at the beginning of their career.

If the album synopsis seems longer than usual, that’s because it is. The album has 14 tracks on it and runs for nearly an hour, which in the 2 minute itchy ipod shuffle finger era is impressive and despite the length they manage to keep up the strong quality of the songs and music and it’s an album you can listen to as a complete unit. What’s also interesting is how trends in Christian music seem to go. With the popularity of the movie, “Fireproof”, I can spot a trend of repairing relationships in many of the new music coming out lately. Not that I think they are consciously doing it but it’s funny how these things go. Anyhow back to the album and it clear the once again Jars of Clay have risen to the occasion and this is another stand out addition to their collection. They are creative and original and somehow manage to keep things interesting even after all these years. Even if this music is not your scene you could find this album growing on you given half a chance. It’s good stuff, trust me!

Previous Albums: "Good Monsters", "Who we are instead", "Redemption songs"

Similar artists: Jon Foreman, Ruth, Rush of fools

Random Fact: Lead singer, Dan Haseltine, has written a successful children’s book, “The One, the Only Magnificent Me”, collaborating with his illustrator friend. Seems that if the band ever calls it quits at least one of them might have something else to fall back on.