Thanks so so so much for mentioning the Deas Vail songs, Kate! I haven't bought them yet, but my brother is actually going to get them, and send them to me. I can't wait to hear them!

check this out! John Cooper and Ben Kasica of Skillet do acoustic songs! so cool!
Monster acoustic:

... oQ&h=fa056
It's Not Me It's You acoustic:

... jw&h=fa056

I was at Starbucks yesterday and I picked up one of those cards that has their Pick of the Week download on it because it was "Go Do" by Jónsi. I already have the song but I thought maybe someone in this thread would like it. So if you are interested, PM me and I will give you the activation code to put into iTunes and get it for free!

That was thoughtful Kat. I already have it though.

I've been given a really cool opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Seth Roberts from the band Lakes (formerly of Eager Seas and Watashi Wa) for The Album Project. They have a new album called "The Agreement" that is due out this week. I'd call them sort of folk-influenced indie rock. I'll admit that I wasn't crazy about them to begin with, but they really work their way into your head. (Or, mine, anyway). They appear to be a secular band of Christians who aren't afraid to write surprisingly honest songs about God like my favorite song "Lifting Me Up". I've been listening to them nonstop to prepare for the interview.

I really respect Lakes' music for it's integrity. The lyrics are honest, uncontrived, simple, and so is their music and the production.

EDIT: The moment I have been waiting about 23 months for finally came: I got to hear Dark is the Way, Light is a Place. It is great. It is short, but it is great. It's dark, gritty, melodic yet experimental. I think this one will stick around on my iPod for several years.

Here are some thoughts I typed up:
"The album shows a firm commitment to creating music founded on strong melodies that often feature the melodic surprises that distance Anberlin from the rest. At the same time, Anberlin can experiment with the best of 'em and this album is no different. While less innovative, perhaps, than previous work, 'Dark' dabbles in plenty of instrumental and structural surprises that, with lots of layered vocals and harmonies, give the album a lush atmosphere well worth returning to over and over."

All right, it's Christian Music month for me, as I seek out various Christian music I like to counterbalance the more secular stuff I tend to download the rest of the time... or something like that.

Anyways, I'd like suggestions, particularly studio albums (if you tell me to get a "greatest hits" album, I'll give you one of my "greatest hits" Okay, not really ) from your favorite artists. I'm normally a big fan of musicality, but Christian music being what it is, I can take some music that isn't particularly high on musicality if the lyrics are really good and inspiring.

I've already got albums from Skillet, Kutless, Steven Curtis Chapman, and a ton from Michael W. Smith (cool guy; he basically led this week's worship service for our church and it was awesome).

I also already have some interest in Fireflight and Jars of Clay, and some good albums from those two would be nice... although any album from any good artist is good.

Y'all have until the end of September to recommend me some albums. Get going.

^^ coolness!

here's some of my favs:

"Albatross" by The Classic Crime
"Comatose" by Skillet
"Awake" by Skillet
"Love At The Core" Run Kid Run

I'll think of more soon!

stardf29: Either of the Tenth Avenue North albums("Over and Underneath",and "The Light Meets the Dark"), "The Outsiders" by Needtobreathe(they're one of my absolute favorite bands,and this album actually won album of the year at the Doves this year. Their song "Garden" is really beautiful),any Leeland album(they have three: "Sound of Melodies","Opposite Way",and "Love is on the Move"),and that's all that comes to mind right now.
Hope I helped!

Lately, I've been listening to a lot more Copeland and Underoath. Yeah,you read that right,I said Underoath. I honestly didn't even think I could get past the screaming,but once I did,I found that their music was really good. They're Only Chasing Safety is a pretty awesome album.

Switchfoot recently released an iTunes seesion. Did anyone else get it? I LOVE it. A few of the songs feature Sara Watkins on violin and Keith Tutt II on cello. Also, Ruddy Gracia, the winner of the bidfire auction, is featured on this version of "Your Love is a Song".

This is my attempt at catching up

You're welcome! If you listen to Air1 you can hear "Constant" (the song inspired by LOST!) I heard it yesterday and its amazing! And HoH also released "Love Is For The Middle Class" a few days ago. I love it! Really fun song!

Well, this is pretty late (considering the CD's out now ) but I really like Love is for the Middle Class! On Suburba my favorite songs are God Save the Foolish Kings, Love is for the Middle Class, Galveston, and So Far Away. I also finally got "The End is Not the End" and I completely agree with you, it's an AWESOME album! I got the EP for free on Amazon before I got the whole CD, and just the EP was fantastic! My favorite songs are Code Name: Raven, Sooner or Later, Leave You Now, Lose Control, Journey Into Space (Part One) (This may be one of the most awesome song names I've ever heard) and Dangerous.

Exactly! You explained it better than I did! Yeah, I think I'm gonna get to go. I can't wait!

Actually, I remember someone explaining it like that before, so I can't really take credit for it How was the concert?

greenleaf23: that would be so awesome if they were! I need to post a question about that on their Facebook page and see if they answer!

Awesome!

House of Heroes is almost out and their new music video for "God Save the Foolish Kings" is awesome: West Side Story--House of Heroes style. Tim Skipper is a remarkably attention-grabbing frontman.

Haha, I was thinking of "The Outsiders" too It's such a fantastic song!

Random question: What is the longest song in your music collection (that you rather like)?

My three longest are all LotR: "The Fellowship Reunited", "The Fighting Uruk-Hai", and "The Days of the Ring". After that it's "Deathbed", "Waterloo" (from the Bourne Ultimatum soundtrack) and "Jefferson Aero Plane".

Yes,I think the rest of it is pretty good. It's pretty upbeat. I think DCB sounds kinda like Owl City because of all the electronica bits.

My favorite song from O!G is "Let Your Love Be Stong".(even though now Jon plays it at his aftershows.) Hehe,I used to be obsessed with "Burn out Bright".

I hope they do Goodbye Hurricane,I heard somewhere(can't remember where) that it wasn't going to happen.
With all the song's Jon's written and keeps writing,they should probably release three albums.

That's cool (I love how they use the electronic music in "Oh, Happiness")2

Haha, it's just such a great song! I like "Let Your Love be Strong", "Head Over Heels" is another good one. I just love the upbeat so much, I feel like the slower songs never make it on my favorites lists.

I know, I read somewhere that sometimes he writes a song a day I think they said that when Switchfoot recorded "Hello Hurricane" they recorded enough for 2 or 3 albums too...but I'm not sure.

Thanks for the link to the House of Heroes album! I got the EP for free too

Switchfoot recently released an iTunes seesion. Did anyone else get it? I LOVE it. A few of the songs feature Sara Watkins on violin and Keith Tutt II on cello. Also, Ruddy Gracia, the winner of the bidfire auction, is featured on this version of "Your Love is a Song".

I saw that! I didn't end up buying it, but it was a great selection of songs.

"Albatross" by The Classic Crime

I've only heard a little of The Classic Crime, but they sounded really good

@Stardf- That's a great idea! If you like Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, you'd probably like David Crowder Band (I don't have any of their albums though...their newest is "Church Music") Seabird is pretty good too, they use a lot of piano and their music is kind of jazzy. I have their first album "Till We See the Shore", and it's really good.

If you like harder rock, Thousand Foot Krutch and Red are great bands. They might be just a little harder than Skillet. I would recommend the albums "The Art of Breaking" and "The Flame in All of Us" by TFK (I don't have "Welcome to the Masquerade", their newest album, but I've heard it's pretty good) , and "Innocence and Instinct" by Red.

And also House of Heroes They're probably my favorite band at the moment. You can get one of their EPs free on Amazon, and if you like that I'd definitely get "The End is Not the End". Their new album "Suburba" is really good too.

Okay, so, Anberlin's new album. I've only listened to it twice now on their myspace, but it's definitely not one of those "grower" albums that I feel sort of "meh" about (don't you just love my language ) after hearing it once. I really liked immediately.
I LOVE Stephen's vocals throughout the whole thing. He sounds fantastic. I don't know that it's necessarily he improved but I think its timbre just lent really well to the material he sang on this album in particular.
Also, like Kate already sort of mentioned, the various instrumental textures are so cool. I really like the way in which the textures grew gradually thicker with certain elements as a song progresses. A lot of the intros/outros are pretty sweet too. The opening of Closer is AWESOME, and the little instrumental bit before the last chorus sends chills down my spine. As with the opening of You Belong Here. Which has totally awesome vocals and piano, ahhh.
I can't pick a favorite yet, but the one that didn't really stand out to me was "Down." For some reason it seemed a little more blah than the others.
Take Me (As You Found Me) and You Belong Here are SO pretty, even if a little generic. And I think the placement of We Owe This To Ourselves and Depraved works really well.

Stardf29: if you want some good Jars of Clay, most of "Good Monsters" is outstanding and "Long Fall Back to Earth" has some goodies.
I saw Firelight live and just isn't quite my preferred "sound", so I won't comment on them.

Just downloaded Tenth Avenue North's new CD!! (also saw them live, with Firelight and Newsboys Healing Begins is my favorite so far, Oh My Dear is good too. Can't wait to listen to the rest.

Agree about Tenth Avenue North. My favorites of theirs are 'By Your Side' and 'Hold My Heart.'

Newest bands I've started listening to recently and really like:
Anberlin
Deas Vail
Regina Spektor
Coldplay

...Most of those in the past few months. Deas Vail in the past week.

Oh yes, and I'm looking forward to Lecrae's new CD coming out this month: "Rehab"

Awesome Queen Susan. I love all of those artists.

I have to take back what I said earlier about the song "Down" from Anberlin's new album. I think it actually might be one of my favorite songs on the album. It's just so beautiful and soothing.

yes yes yes! my mom got me Skillet's CD "Comatose" for my birthday!!!!!
now I own all of Skillet's CDs! yay! I am SO happy!
she also got me a CD I have been wanting for a while:

Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out

this CD means a lot to me because I have this on tape (yes I said tape ) and this was the first rock music I ever heard (heard this when I was 6, but the tape came out first in 1989)! and my mom got me the CD! yay! yay!
if you have not heard this CD, it's awesome!

*peeks into the music thread*

Hello, everyone! So, today I checked out Mae for the first time and I've discovered that I really like them. I particularly love Suspension, but everything I've heard off their purevolume I like. Are there any other songs I should especially listen to? And if I were to get an album of theirs at some point in time, which one would you guys recommend?

I also want to say that I love looking in here and seeing what all of you are listening to. I got into Deas Vail because of this thread, so I'd just like to thank you all for recommending such quality music!