M2 - Josh Garrels

If you know me well at all and my musical influences – you would know that Christian music is not something I listen much to. I don't count groups like Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, and the like don't really count in that. I'm talking about bands that you would listen to leisurely or groove to as you're driving. I went through a phase where Third Day, Kutless, Skillet, and even Shawn McDonald held my attention for a while but as a band matures – I guess I have the expectation that their musical talent should too. Albums should be fresh and sometimes surprise you. If the Foo Fighters sounded the same now as they did back in 1990 – I'd be a little bored. Some bands can get away with it or I should say – I'm bothered less by it. Like U2. Their stuff sounds sort of similar...not to me, of course, but I've heard people say it but there's something untouchable about their music. Something a little more ground floor classic than the stuff that is rock now a days. There are bands that have somehow found their way into a time-warp where I think they could produce anything and still be successful...Rolling stones, U2, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi.

But this rant isn't about them. It's about the lack of great Christian bands. Those guys that are Christians who produce music. They all sound the same. You could put on nearly any Christian band, not even play the lyrics and I would be able to identify them as Christian. There's some unwritten sort of code that all Christian music needs to be lame-ish and sounds all the same...NEVER FRESH or new. Sorry if you're reading this and are a die-hard Needtobreathe, Kutless, Leeland, Third Day, Relient K, blah-blah-so-on-and-so-forth fan. Yes, Needtobreathe is not technically on a Christian label but they're overtly Christian and I could even agree with you that they have some very good songs...about 2 or 3 per album...TWO or THREE??? Come on people. That's not even enough to justify buying an album. I guess I'm just tired of not being surprised by a band that is “Christian”. I've been searching without success for years. 

And then...it happened.

I was caught ... ranting (about the above) ... and surprised.

Not only was this dude overtly Christian on a non-Christian label (coodos!) but he didn't suck. Not only did he not suck...but he was quite good. And not only was he quite good...his latest album is a free download here.

So people...drop what you're doing and download his free album. Then atleast we'll be able to talk about this from the same page.

Here's my first favourite...Farther Along (Which will be part of a whole thing called the Soundtrack of my Life - but that's for another time)...

I didn't expect this...him. His tunes are original and genius. Each song surprises you from the easy rapping on The Resistance to the instrumental Sailor's Waltz. 

 

Here's The Resistance (sorry about the lack of videos...I couldn't seem to find anything except low quality personal live videos)...

His voice reminds me a little of Alexi Murdoch which is a checkmark in the “yes” column but then there's the musicality of Mat Kearney in there too with the slight RnB, Hip Hop (sort of...I use that designation loosely), folk variations. Maybe even a little Citizen Cope feel...Perhaps? Everything feels original – I can't say that he's like one particular artist – I love it. He's been the only one recently that has been able to pull me away from Joe Purdy.

Not much is known about Josh Garrels. He's not a headliner which makes me like him already. Not that I'm anti-headliners - that would be a big fat lie. I love U2 and Foo Fighters, I'm going to see Coldplay in April. I don't have anything against headliners. But the quiet musician brewing a poetic storm in the underground has a strangely attractive nature to it. It's like Pedro the Lion or Stabilo Boss (now just Stabilo...I went to TWU with those guys when they were just starting to brew their storm...when they were recording their albums in the residences at the Uni). I'm a firm believer that if you self-produce and self-record your first works then there will almost always be something grounded in what you do. The process began rooted. Though it makes the journey hard - I think that it breeds a quality that you won't see many other places. Hey, it's where U2 began. Josh Garrels is from Portland, Oregan. I like Oregan...it's got pretty trees. The last fact that I want to share about Josh that doesn't carry much for me but I thought it was interesting...the album that these songs came from (Love & War & the Sea in Between) was rated the top album of 2011 by Christianity Today.

The Last one I'll leave you with is Beyond the Blue. I think this is the one where I made the Alexi Murdoch connection.

Well, there's your excessively late M2...on Friday. I hope you have a stellar weekend...I should have some rugby news to update pretty quick!