1. Phos Hilaron (Hail Gladdening Light) - 2:05 
2. Alleluia, Sing - 4:29
3. The Nearness - 3:54
4. Shadows - 3:25
5. Eastern Hymn - 6:26
6. SMS (Shine) - 3:18
7. The Veil - 4:19
8. We Are Loved - 4:16
9. All Around Me - 4:36
10. How He Loves - 5:18
11. Can I Lie Here - 3:30
12. Birmingham (We Are Safe) - 3:38
13. Church Music - Dance (!) - 3:51
14. What a Miracle - 3:40
15. Oh, Happiness - 3:17
16. God Almighty, None Compares - 6:50
17. In the End (O Resplendent Light) - 6:52
At first blush, this album was—there's no other way to say it—too young for me. Spastic electronic beats, clubby synths, affected vocals... how is an oldster to cope? But with more listens, I gradually got on board as the artistry began to bleed through the hipness.
First off, most of the songs flow into each other nicely. It's not quite a single piece of music, but it's an impressive suite. The tone is also consistent: amidst the electronic youngness, there can be found elegant, mysterious piano work, delicate harmony vocals, and even honest-to-goodness guitar pyrotechnics. Whether it's the lyrical swells behind the bridge on "Alleluia, Sing," the wailing solos lurking behind "The Nearness," or the neo-classical shredding of two guitars in glorious harmony on "God Almighty, None Compares," there is a lot of admirable playing on an album that sounded at first like a programmed, over-produced style fest.
Hot on the heels of that realization, I found there were several songs with more than a passing resemblance to progressive rock. The aforementioned "God Almighty, None Compares" could be the Book of Revelations-inspired praise song Rush will never write. It even has a section in 5/8 time! "Eastern Hymn" and "Phos Hilaron" both have progressive elements as well, such as creative song structure, impressive ensemble playing, and musical eclecticism.
For me, the highlight is the centerpiece track, "How He Loves." It starts as a spare, quiet vocal over piano. A harmony voice joins and other instruments enter until the song builds to a huge chorus/bridge: "Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss / and my heart beats violently inside my chest / I don't have time to maintain these regrets / When I think about the way he loves us." The lyrics are more poetic than most of the other songs, probably since this is a cover song. I'm curious to hear the original, but this version is quite outstanding too.
Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 unforseen kisses
2. Alleluia, Sing - 4:29
3. The Nearness - 3:54
4. Shadows - 3:25
5. Eastern Hymn - 6:26
6. SMS (Shine) - 3:18
7. The Veil - 4:19
8. We Are Loved - 4:16
9. All Around Me - 4:36
10. How He Loves - 5:18
11. Can I Lie Here - 3:30
12. Birmingham (We Are Safe) - 3:38
13. Church Music - Dance (!) - 3:51
14. What a Miracle - 3:40
15. Oh, Happiness - 3:17
16. God Almighty, None Compares - 6:50
17. In the End (O Resplendent Light) - 6:52
At first blush, this album was—there's no other way to say it—too young for me. Spastic electronic beats, clubby synths, affected vocals... how is an oldster to cope? But with more listens, I gradually got on board as the artistry began to bleed through the hipness.
First off, most of the songs flow into each other nicely. It's not quite a single piece of music, but it's an impressive suite. The tone is also consistent: amidst the electronic youngness, there can be found elegant, mysterious piano work, delicate harmony vocals, and even honest-to-goodness guitar pyrotechnics. Whether it's the lyrical swells behind the bridge on "Alleluia, Sing," the wailing solos lurking behind "The Nearness," or the neo-classical shredding of two guitars in glorious harmony on "God Almighty, None Compares," there is a lot of admirable playing on an album that sounded at first like a programmed, over-produced style fest.
Hot on the heels of that realization, I found there were several songs with more than a passing resemblance to progressive rock. The aforementioned "God Almighty, None Compares" could be the Book of Revelations-inspired praise song Rush will never write. It even has a section in 5/8 time! "Eastern Hymn" and "Phos Hilaron" both have progressive elements as well, such as creative song structure, impressive ensemble playing, and musical eclecticism.
For me, the highlight is the centerpiece track, "How He Loves." It starts as a spare, quiet vocal over piano. A harmony voice joins and other instruments enter until the song builds to a huge chorus/bridge: "Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss / and my heart beats violently inside my chest / I don't have time to maintain these regrets / When I think about the way he loves us." The lyrics are more poetic than most of the other songs, probably since this is a cover song. I'm curious to hear the original, but this version is quite outstanding too.
Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 unforseen kisses
I wrote a big comment, but it got deleted because I wasn't signed into Wordpress. Bah. Anyway, good review, much more detailed than I could ever dream of being when listening to music. I'll have to try to catch the details you mention.
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