Published November 1st, 2006 by hrabbach
Jars of Clay - Good Monsters
Since I classify a lot of CDs as “the best I’ve bought in the last 10 years”, you should probably take this review with a grain of salt. But seriously, “Good Monsters”, the new Jars of Clay album, is the best CD I’ve bought in the last 10 years. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten about all the other great CDs I bought in the last 10 years. Anyway, I guess you can tell that I’m excited about this one. First of all because it’s a “real” Jars of Clay CD again, with all (well, except one) original songs - and second of all because it’s not like any other Jars of Clay CD I’ve heard before.
Listening to the first track, I was stunned. Where was the typical Jars of Clay sound, the percussions, the banjo…? If it wasn’t for Dan Haseltine’s characteristic voice, I might have thought I’d put the wrong CD in the player. But the surprise wasn’t at all negative - “Work” is just a much rockier song than what I would have expected. In fact, the first three songs don’t sound much like the typical Jars of Clay material of previous releases… which is great because it shows the band isn’t so set in its ways that they can’t develop their style anymore. But don’t worry; if you liked their trademark sounds, there’s enough of them on the CD as well - 12 tracks and more than 50 minutes is more than you get on most recordings nowadays.
The rockier tracks at the beginning of the CD are not the only surprise, though. The lyrics are the other big surprise. The lyrical depth is remarkable and these are probably the most honest lyrics in the whole CCM scene, matched only by Casting Crowns in their critical view of church and christian exclusivism. You can be sure to see some of those lyrics featured in one of the “think about…” articles here later this year. “Good Monsters”, “Oh my God” and “Surprise” seem to be good candidates for that.
It’s hard to try and name my favorite tracks, but I’ll try anyway. “Oh my God” stands out, kind of in a league of its own. “Surprise” is great, as are “Work” and “Mirrors and Smoke” (the latter featuring former “Sixpence None The Richer” singer Leigh Nash). Actually, the rest is great as well… not a single disappointment on the entire album. No wonder CCM Magazine gave it the first A+ rating in years…
