Garage Hymnal - A Review

OK, I admit that buying this album was an extravagance. But it was so totally worth it that any momentary repentance I might have had, has pretty much disappeared.

I really like this album.

One of the reasons I like it is that it doesn't 'sound' like Christian music. A lot of Christian music sounds kind of sentimental or soppy or So Very Meaningful, and while some of that is OK, I really don't go for it. So, having Christian music where the lyrics are the real difference to secular music, so you can enjoy them and the music simultaneously, is seriously a good thing. The style, for those who care, is probably slightly alternative (think Sarah McLaughlin, Dandy Warhols or whatever they're called, kind of thing).

It's not all like that - some of the tracks definitely have more of a Christian music feel (especially the 'group sings', I think) but this just shows that the sound changes a bit in the album and it isn't the same all the way through. They mix it up a bit with having guys vocalise sometimes and girls at other times (and different singers within that). I like that!

The lyrics aren't trying to be more than they are. They aren't the best ever songs written, but they are songs which mean something to the people singing them, and they aren't the cheap 'dial-a-lyric' stuff you get with some (especially pop) songs. Having said that, there are a few forced rhymes, which is always, well, trying. But in some Christian music the lyrics really don't make sense. They're fun to sing or whatever, but if you had to explain what they were saying, you'd probably find yourself saying "It's the vibe of the thing" and such. Whereas I don't mind having these songs stuck in my head.

I saw them perform at CMS Summer School, and have to say that they aren't primadonnas. Which is probably why I was tempted to buy the album. I respect musicians for their talent and expertise, but eschew the Romantic Ideal of the artist as a kind of demigod. These guys were genuinely Christian artists in that sense; they were there to serve not to be served, and their presence was the all the more powerful for that.

So, Garage Hymnal? Totally rocks!