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| ><> CMR Album Review <>< |
'Perceptions'
[Release Date: August 19, 2008] (ForeFront Records)
Track Listing
1. Pain [Listen]
2. Surrender Saved My Life [Listen]
3. Learning To Fall [Listen]
4. Beautifully Broken [Listen]
5. No Turning Back [Listen]
6. My God [Listen]
7. For The Life Of Me [Listen]
8. Last Second Chance [Listen]
1. Pain [Listen]
2. Surrender Saved My Life [Listen]
3. Learning To Fall [Listen]
4. Beautifully Broken [Listen]
5. No Turning Back [Listen]
6. My God [Listen]
7. For The Life Of Me [Listen]
8. Last Second Chance [Listen]
| [ Main Review ] |
| [ Writer's Closing Thoughts ] |
| Throughout the album, Perceptions offers listeners serious questions that are asked and struggled with by most Christians, young and old. The last few songs deal with grace, second chances, changing the world, and death. Sometimes life seems desperate and we feel quite lost, but the answer always needs to come back to Jesus. Looking at ourselves and others the way Jesus does will make all the difference, no matter what circumstances life brings. This CD has something to offer everyone that will listen. It’s a great album, and I highly recommend getting your copy right away. |
Just over a year ago, This Beautiful Republic debuted with their album, Even Heroes Need
A Parachute. Their newest album, Perceptions, deals with the difference between how we
see ourselves and how God sees us. About half way through trying to critique this album, I
stopped in my tracks, sat back and said, “Wow, they’re good.” Not only are the lyrics
honest and thought-provoking, but the music is exciting and unique. Sophomore albums
have a tendency to sound too much like the first albums, or all the music sounds the same.
But Perceptions has decidedly shown some serious growth in musicality and message.
Members of This Beautiful Republic are Adam Smith, Jeremy Kunkle, Brandon Paxton, and
Andy Smith, and lead singer Ben Olin. The style could be classified as anything from pop
to hardcore. In a press release, Olin says that “the title deals with the idea that there are at
least two sides to every story. Things inevitably appear different to each individual based
on their experiences, predispositions, prejudices, or vantage point. When we understand
this—that what we see may not be the whole truth—we arrive where grace and love
prevail.”
The first song, “Pain”, is a beautiful parallel of our relationship with God; a love song to
Him. He’s always there, ready to love. It’s us who are hesitant and unsure if we want to
open up our hearts. We’re too afraid of what we might lose, or what pain we might go
through. But He’s always there, waiting. “We won't fall again, / if you will let me lead / We’ll
fall in love, / if you will hold to me / Never let go, / endure the pain to find no pain at all.”
Tracks two and three, “Surrender Saved My Life,” and “Learning to Fall,” are both about
personal surrender. We’ve all got at least one war waging inside of us. Like the apostle
Paul said in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this body of
death?” Sometimes we are so disgusted by ourselves we just want to cry out. There is no
getting out of our self-dug pits without surrendering to God. But the passage continues on
in verse 25 saying, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Surrender
Saved My Life” tells us to wave our white flag, give ourselves up, and give it all to God.
“Must I open up again? / I don't need this / Healing hurts a little more, / but I'll be stronger
than before…”
Track four, “Beautifully Broken,” is about being broken and made new by Jesus, and also
how Jesus was beautifully broken on the cross for us. There is a lot of scripture filling
these words. This song comes back to the theme of perception: difference between how
we see us and how God sees us. “So You see me as Your own / Holy in the light of Your
redemption / By the blood and by the thorn / We’re called to life.”
Track seven talks about how overwhelming the love of God can be. We can’t understand
truly that Jesus loved us individually enough to die for us. We are so undeserving.
Basically, it’s saying, I am such a sinner, how can I ever love enough? Why did Jesus die
for me? It’s so beyond what we can understand. “For the life of me I can't explain / The
reason You died and the reason You came / was for the life of me.”
A Parachute. Their newest album, Perceptions, deals with the difference between how we
see ourselves and how God sees us. About half way through trying to critique this album, I
stopped in my tracks, sat back and said, “Wow, they’re good.” Not only are the lyrics
honest and thought-provoking, but the music is exciting and unique. Sophomore albums
have a tendency to sound too much like the first albums, or all the music sounds the same.
But Perceptions has decidedly shown some serious growth in musicality and message.
Members of This Beautiful Republic are Adam Smith, Jeremy Kunkle, Brandon Paxton, and
Andy Smith, and lead singer Ben Olin. The style could be classified as anything from pop
to hardcore. In a press release, Olin says that “the title deals with the idea that there are at
least two sides to every story. Things inevitably appear different to each individual based
on their experiences, predispositions, prejudices, or vantage point. When we understand
this—that what we see may not be the whole truth—we arrive where grace and love
prevail.”
The first song, “Pain”, is a beautiful parallel of our relationship with God; a love song to
Him. He’s always there, ready to love. It’s us who are hesitant and unsure if we want to
open up our hearts. We’re too afraid of what we might lose, or what pain we might go
through. But He’s always there, waiting. “We won't fall again, / if you will let me lead / We’ll
fall in love, / if you will hold to me / Never let go, / endure the pain to find no pain at all.”
Tracks two and three, “Surrender Saved My Life,” and “Learning to Fall,” are both about
personal surrender. We’ve all got at least one war waging inside of us. Like the apostle
Paul said in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this body of
death?” Sometimes we are so disgusted by ourselves we just want to cry out. There is no
getting out of our self-dug pits without surrendering to God. But the passage continues on
in verse 25 saying, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Surrender
Saved My Life” tells us to wave our white flag, give ourselves up, and give it all to God.
“Must I open up again? / I don't need this / Healing hurts a little more, / but I'll be stronger
than before…”
Track four, “Beautifully Broken,” is about being broken and made new by Jesus, and also
how Jesus was beautifully broken on the cross for us. There is a lot of scripture filling
these words. This song comes back to the theme of perception: difference between how
we see us and how God sees us. “So You see me as Your own / Holy in the light of Your
redemption / By the blood and by the thorn / We’re called to life.”
Track seven talks about how overwhelming the love of God can be. We can’t understand
truly that Jesus loved us individually enough to die for us. We are so undeserving.
Basically, it’s saying, I am such a sinner, how can I ever love enough? Why did Jesus die
for me? It’s so beyond what we can understand. “For the life of me I can't explain / The
reason You died and the reason You came / was for the life of me.”
9. Stay With You Tonight [Listen]
10. Change The World [Listen]
11. A Point Between Extremes [Listen]
12. The Ones [Listen]
13. Say Goodnight [Listen]
| ><> Review Written By: Liz Zelinski (liz.zelinski@christianmusicreview.org) <>< ><> Date Written: August 12, 2008 <>< |
| 4.0 |
| 2.4 |
| 1.5 |
| 1.0 |
| 8.9 |
| 89% B+ |
| [Additional Review by: Jay Heilman] I was actually quite impressed with This Beautiful Republic. After listening to a few music samples of Even Heroes Need A Parachute in early 2007, I was thinking, 'I don't know about this'. But having listened through to the entire record, I became an instant fan. Not only were they something fresh musically, but lyrically they had a message to carry their music. It's uncommon in a lot of today's rock and hardcore music to actually have a message. I don't mean everything out there, but it just seems that the harder the music is, the lighter the message becomes. This is not the case with TBR. They appear to be in it for the right reasons. I was highly anticipating Perceptions. Liz pointed out in her review that sophomore albums often bring somewhat of a repetitiveness musically, so I was happy to see that the band had grown and produced a second project definitely worth listening to. I especially liked the tracks, "Surrender Saved My Life" and "A Point Between Extremes". Be sure to check TBR out at Rock The Universe on September 6, 2008 at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. For those of you who loved their debut, you can expect even more from Perceptions. It is an album that you will want to get! |