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One of the Best Pop/Rock and Contemporary Christian Music Albums Ever Made Apr 26, 2009
Jars of Clay's Good Monsters (2006) is the type of album that a reviewer should both look forward to, and, paradoxically, hesitate to, review. It's one of those rare albums that's so good that the potential reviewer knows that any writeup composed by him or her inevitably will fall short in describing the joys associated with a deep, rich work. Albums like Good Monsters demonstrate clearly why individual song downloads can never replace a collection of songs that a band puts together into one package. At their very best, albums can show the depth and artistry possessed by a band in a way that individual tunes never can, and this one shows Jars of Clay in full flight, at the height of its talent. All other Jars of Clay albums, both past and future (including 2009's The Long Fall Back to Earth) -- and every single one has either been excellent or just missed excellence, so the band had set a very high bar -- must be compared to this one, including the band's much-loved previous benchmark, its slightly overrated debut release.
Significantly, Good Monsters is the band's darkest album to date. You know you're going to be in a rough ride from the very opening song, "Work," when the band turns its most popular hit single, "Flood" off of the debut album, on its head. In the latter song, the speaker repeatedly pleas with God to "keep me from drowning again"; in "Work," it's not depression or despair, but everyday living that's the problem: "I have no fear of drowning/It's the breathing that's taking all this work." The melancholy mostly only grows throughout the album, although hope is the prevailing mood in one-quarter of the album's songs ("All My Tears," "There Is a River," and "Take Me Higher"), and a few signs of it are sprinkled elsewhere.
While it's not directly stated, the possibility of divorce seems to be the main culprit behind the bleakness. A husband urges his wife, "Please don't weep/Not tonight," indicating ongoing troubles ("Even Angels Cry"), while a father compares his children's dreams to drugs and "placebos/That make us feel all right" ("Surprise"). The first segment of the 3-part epic "Oh My God" significantly concludes with the lament, "Weddings, boats, and alibis/All drift away while a mother cries." Another tune compares love to "Mirrors and Smoke" (the song title), and the album ends with the muted, tentative hope that a couple can stay together the rest of their lives ("Water under the Bridge").
Lyrically, then, Good Monsters represents a significant departure for the band. True, the main theme for every album has always been human frailty, and much of Good Monsters is concerned with this topic, but only the title track expresses this sentiment in ways similar to the band's past work. Even recurrent imagery and themes from previous albums are used differently. Lead singer and lyricist Dan Haseltine has often sung in the past about how uncomfortable and piercing God's "eyes" are, but on this album the only similar reference comes when a human father studies his children's eyes for signs of "Surprise." Also, while this album is concerned with human relationships to an extent that hasn't been seen since If I Left the Zoo (1999), this time such relationships are painted in much darker hues.
This album also is well linked thematically: after the emotional devastation of "Work" and the utter helplessness expressed lightheartedly in "Dead Man (Carry Me)" (Jars of Clay's Reformed theology pinnacle to date, and that's saying something), we get three songs about weeping. Here, the near despairing heartache of "Even Angels Cry" is framed by hope both eschatological ("All My Tears") and Christological ("There Is a River"). We then get the title track, which, like "Dead Man," provides humorous examples of total depravity. Given all of this, what can we do? "Oh My God" lists troubles on both personal and global scales, surprisingly concluding that the often casual or flippant cry is actually humanity's "greatest defense." But since we rely on "illusions" that "make our feathers flow less high" ("Surprise"), an individual must turn to God to "Take Me Higher" into the stratosphere. Back on Earth, relationships on both a personal ("Mirrors and Smoke") and international ("Light Gives Heat") scale are in need of mending, and the album ends with a hope that grace will last as long as the final drop of "Water under the Bridge".
On a song level, "Oh My God," "Mirrors and Smoke," and "Light Gives Heat" are the band's most mature and greatest accomplishments to date. "Oh My God's" 3-part structure is a wonder, moving from a country-tinged recitation of personal woes to an almost spoken laundry list of character types that ends up including virtually all of humanity; and finally to an increasingly intense, drum-propelled lament over heartbreaking issues on a global scale. "Mirrors and Smoke" portrays couples as continually failing each other and ultimately finds comfort in the weeping that ensues. The incredibly moving "Light Gives Heat" finds the band apologizing to Africans for Americans' haughty attitudes toward them and leaves the attentive listener very uncomfortable; while Jars of Clay has not been afraid to use irony or critique groups before, this type of cultural criticism is a first for the band.
Musically, Good Monsters is also a considerable step forward for the band, with a slight tendency toward harder-edged rock but much musical variety throughout. "Dead Man (Carry Me)" channels 1980s pop/rock, opening with a riff seemingly directly stolen from the Police and paying homage to "Der Kommissar" and similar tunes throughout. "There Is a River" takes Jars of Clay's continuing love affair with 1970s pop/folk band America to probably the greatest heights that it will ever reach, with the beautiful guitar sonics two-thirds of the way through lifted almost directly from the conclusion to America's "Tin Man." "Take Me Higher" bears both musical and lyrical similarities to U2's "Even Better than the Real Thing" and is aided by gospel-styled backing vocals from the always incredible Ashley Cleveland. "Mirrors and Smoke," with its clear Johnny Cash homage marked by driving guitars, sounds like it could have been written for the film Walk the Line (and Leigh Nash's awesome duet with Haseltine evokes a June/Johnny Cash collaboration). The slow lament of "Light Gives Heat" gains a world music feel, if only from the welcome presence of the African Children's Choir.
Make no mistake, Good Monsters is a pinnacle for Jars of Clay, leaving all of its previous albums -- despite their high quality -- in the dust and making it difficult for newer albums such as The Long Fall Back to Earth. It is arguably the best CCM album since Amy Grant's Lead Me On (1988), an album with similar themes and no less talented musicianship that many still consider to be the best CCM album ever made. Even more, in some of its themes (particularly the divorce angle), its harder rock, and its being a turning point for the band, the album evokes comparisons with the U2 classic Achtung Baby (1991). Good Monsters is, without hyperbole, one of the very best pop/rock albums ever made, one that any band would be proud to have as the shining star in its catalog.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
old friends, still strong Feb 22, 2009
I dusted off my old Christian music collection to load up the new iPod. I realized 2 things: I haven't listened to any new Christian music since 1997, and Jars of Clay was the only CD I where I wanted to transfer all the songs. It's been a main-stay in the car and a sound track over the last dozen years of my life. Were my old friends still around?
Were they! I've missed too much by neglecting their blossoming career. This album is deceptively simple and undeniably beautiful. Once again, all but 1 or 2 songs will end up on the iPod. I don't care much for the title song, but the rest are keepers. Oh My God lingers in the mind all day long, and not in that annoying stuck in your head bubble gum song way(thank you, Madonna and Borderline).
This one goes in the car too, next to the original Jars of Clay. Michael W. Smith and his saccharin brethren (you know who you are Steven Curtis Chapman and Rich Mullins) go back on the shelf. Petra, you still make me smile and I will blast your All Fired Up occasionally for nostalgia's sake. Sandi and Twila have a place in my heart as my mom's old favorites. But I have some catching up to do with Mr. Haseltine and friends. This is as good a place to start as any.
I Love This CD!! Dec 01, 2008
I Love this CD."Work", "Dead Man(Carry Me)",and "There is a River" are great songs, as is "Light Gives Heat".I think my favorite may be their version of "All My Tears", which I wouldn't mind having played at my own funeral.What a message of hope.This CD is worth checking out!!
Its about time Nov 29, 2008
Its about time Jars of Clay comes out with a good album. I think it is the best they have put out in a long time. My favorite song is Dead Man Carry Me, but then again all the songs are my favorite. If I were you I would hurry up and get this album before it goes away!
Excellent Album, Top 10 of Decade! Aug 07, 2008
I've been a huge Jars of Clay fan since I first heard Flood over 10 years ago and I credit them for leading me to become a Christian. The self-titled debut album is one of the all-time best, and I've loved everything in-between, but Good Monsters is my 2nd favorite overall by Jars of Clay and one of the top 10 albums of the decade in my opinion.
What I love most is that Jars of Clay has managed to keep growing as a band. From the opening guitar riff of Work, I've been hooked by this album for the last 2 years. I just listened to the album for at least the 20th time and between Dead Man (Carry Me), All My Tears, Good Monsters, There Is A River and Oh My God, this is the strongest album since the amazing debut. You can't help but be challenged by the introspective lyrics and uplifted by the alternative folksy rock that Jars of Clay pioneered.
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