I've listened to the TAN song several times now, and I think it's one of their best songs, if not their best. I can't wait to buy it tomorrow!
Lark: Yeah, I love the strings in it.. the chords that the violins repeat.

I enjoy the fact that they come across as normal mainstream Christian music, but they have hidden alternative leanings.

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but could you describe what exactly alternative leanings are? I mean, I think I know, just because I keep hearing the term associated with certain sounds, but I'm honestly not sure.

I'm listening to Sleep Well right now, and right now it's at what seem to be a rather lengthy guitar interlude, but I loved the beginning.
Edit: ok, nevermind, that was just the rest of the song. I didn't realize it would all be instrumental the 2nd half.

This is rather random, but Jon Schneck posted on his twitter today that his wife is going to have another baby! I'm so excited for them!!

at 11:58pm I bought TAN's new single off iTunes
I just had to get it tonight.

I also just bought MercyMe's new single: All Of Creation

yay for Jon Schneck Kat!!

so I guess I was mistaken about the ship date of the CD. I should get Of Men and Angels by the beginning of next week! yay me! I'm sooooo excited, I can't wait to get it!!!

I'll have to read your review later Kate. And listen to those songs as well, it's pretty late and the internet just came back after like 4 days absence so um yeah, I have alot to catch up on, though not necessarily on this thread (moving kinda slow, don't you guys think?)

Thanks MissAravis for the link! I just bought the Tenth Avenue North single off of Itunes, and I LOVE it! I can't wait to hear the rest of the their new album!

Kate: I couldn't find the new Mae song,but I did find "Summertime" on youtube. I started getting really excited 'cause the lead singer guy was wearing a shirt that said "Virginia is For Lovers." I forgot they were so near me.
I agree about music being a personal thing. A lot of the music I listen to now has been suggested to me here on NW. But I still listen to oldies and country.
edit: I just found "Sleep Well" on their website. I really like it! Definetly checking out more of their music.

Kat: You got to see TAN do "Healing Begins" at WJ??? Lucky. Ah,so it is violins!
John Schneck...he's like the drummer or bassist for Relient K,right?
I just looked at the comments on you FB status. "Stephen: Racheal got it when she went to their concert. Don't worry, it was legal " Made me laugh so hard.

Ali: Yay!! It's AWESOME!! You'll love it! I can't wait 'til you get it! And I've been worried about you not being on. So glad you're back.

Ditto,7chronicles. May is too far away.

^^Jon is actually the guitarist, but small difference . I'm glad to be back too I missed everyone on here . It's nice to know someone missed me too . Our internet has been down for ages. Libby hasn't been on either b/c both her computers are down . Hopefully she'll be back soon . I can't wait to get the CD!!!

Francesca Battistelli,
I just saw she released an EP-

basically it has her three singles of her debut album:
I'm Letting Go
Free To Be Me*
It's Your Life
It also has a fourth song from that same Cd: Beautiful Beautiful*

*these two also have music videos.
Does this mean that will be her next radio single?
It's my favorite song of hers, and I'd like to see it get airplay.

And she actually has a cover of: Lead Me To The Cross which is now available on her Deluxe edition of her debut Cd

Of course, I am anticipating her new Cd, whenever that's due.

I think I have some appreciation of how Kat felt when The Rocket Summer (I think it was TRS) posted a link to her cover on facebook. Today a post popped up on my Facebook newsfeed from The Classic Crime (I'm a fan on facebook) they linked my review with a blurb about how much they appreciated it. You can read what they said here. It's especially nice since they said they don't usually endorse reviews. I don't think my elation at them saying I correctly interpreted their material quite matches how Kat must have felt, but I think I got a fraction. I'm not sure how I feel about them calling my review propaganda though... My job isn't really to make artists happy, though I feel justified since it really was a pretty good album.

Lark: Try "Suspension." It should be on YouTube.

Kat: I made my track stop at 4 minutes and 11 seconds. It's still a long song, but I can do without the 4 minute instrumental section.

Kate: That is SO AWESOME!!!! Congrats! That is strange that they called it propaganda. I thought it was funny that one person commented, "That's not propaganda, it's fact!" Wow, really though, that is so cool that the very person who wrote the songs saw that you understood exactly what his intentions were. I would have been soo excited if it was my review.

Lark: Yeah, instead of Break Me Down, they played Healing Begins. Mike's falsetto was a bit off sometimes, but it was still pretty good.
Schneck is the guitarist/banjo/bell player for Relient K. Kind of random.

GtG: It's great to see you in here again! I was wondering why you hadn't posted in this thread recently.

I'm so psyched!!!! Of Men and Angels just came in the mail today and I wasn't supposed to be even expecting it until Friday! Yay me!!! I'm so glad I finally have it!!! Did anyone else notice though that he put the whole You Gotta Believe EP on the CD? I just bought that EP too, I could have saved some money

Congrats Kate! That's so great ! Btw, I downloaded that Love album by Angels and Airwaves. I have to listen to it a few more times before I decide if I like it or not

Kat:: great to be back . I was listening to the Anberlin songs you posted the links too. I think they're merely ok. With all the hype I've heard about his voice, I was expecting it to be better. He has an ok range but his voice itself I didn't really like. And their style again was only ok.

Kate: Congrats about the review! I really like the "Suspension" song. The music video is awesome too.
I really need to put some more money on my iTunes account.

Kat:banjo/bell player? lol

Gtg: Yay!! You'll LOVE it! I was gonna review it this morning,but...well,you know what happened.
Please tell Libby that I miss her too.

Sooo....last night I posted two songs on my FB wall. "Healing Begins" by TAN and "Forget and Not Slow Down" by RK. And of all people my Ninny(grandmother) writes on my wall: "I liked the Healing Begins song you posted"
My Ninny's taste in music is anything but backwards,but I was just really surprised. I'm so glad she likes it!!

^^I'm sure I will, I just put it on my iPod so I'll listen to it in a sec . lol about your grandma . Oh, and I'll tell Libby

I broke down and bought Healing Begins. I was going to just wait and buy the whole album when it came out but yesterday I was listening to O&U and decided I loved them enough to buy the single . You guys raving about it so much helped me come to that decision too . I also bought Safe by Phil Wickham.

The You Gotta Believe EP only has 3 of the 4 tracks that are on OM&A. The EP also has The Fight, which is actually my 2nd favorite from the EP, so I'm glad I bought it. Because there's not really any other way to get that song (since it's a bonus track).
GtG: I wouldn't give up on Anberlin so easily. Those songs on purevolume aren't their best songs, or at least, they're not necessarily the most accessible. (Though I think A Day Late is pretty good) I dunno, I love the sound of Stephen's voice. He has a great range, but you don't always hear him take full advantage of it in many of their songs. I would check out some of their more popular ones: Breaking, Retrace, Feel Good Drag, Paper Thing Hymn, A Whisper & a Clamour, or for a slower song The Unwinding Cable Car.
Give them another try and I think you could really like Anberlin. But if not, that's ok.

Whoa, I just realized I had never seen the music video for suspension. I love it!

Kat: yeah I'm glad I bought just for The Fight too, I guess. It's my second favorite too actually, the first being You Gotta Believe . I guess I could listen to more Anberlin. I'm sure I could find those songs on youtube, so, um, off I go

You can (legally) listen to Sanctus Real's new unreleased album here http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/albumpreview.php

Kat: I realise I never answered your question about "alternative." I'll try to answer, but if there's anything I've realized this week, it's that writing about music is hard. It's like Elvis Costello says, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." I think that Alternative music is defined by dark elements in rock music. It's usually guitar driven, but that isn't really what makes TAN slightly "alternative" (since I don't think "Healing Begins" is very guitar driven." TAN doesn't just stick to what pop/rock music usually sounds like. "This is where the healing begins" suddenly switches into a complex soundscape with some darker, more tonally minor elements. Again, I feel like I'm completely failing, but that's what I've got to offer.

My next assignment was to review Tooth & Nail's newest sign-ee dance/rock/pop band Queens Club. I listened to the album, was bored by track 3 and totally repulsed by the end. Everything was meaningless. The lyrics, the noisy instruments, the weak (and electronically enhanced!) vocals, everything made me lose my faith in modern music. It was everything bad about rock music in one album. I'm totally at a loss as to what T&N was thinking. It's like a garage band trying to sound like Jonezetta. Do NOT preorder the album.

Glenstorm: I don't actually think Stephen Christian (of anberlin)'s vocals are that amazing. There are a lot of weaknesses, but he manages to front the band powerfully. I'm not sure how, but his unique voice in the studio manages to do good things. His songwriting is stellar though.