Music Reviews

FEAR NO MORE - The Afters (Self published)

/ SINCE BURSTING ONTO the scene in 2005, The Afters have crafted a sound all their own. A big fan since their debut album I Wish We All Could Win, I’ve always felt they were a punk band that left all their punk songs on the cutting room floor but released their softer, pop/rock tracks. That tension still remained and it created something special.

Back for their sixth studio album, Fear No More is a welcome antidote in an age steeped in mistrust and social media anxiety. Throughout, the band point listeners back to the unshakable joy of knowing that Christ has overcome the world and shared that great victory with us.

On “I Will Fear No More” lead Joshua Havens sings, “No darkness can overwhelm me/ ‘Cause You have already won.”

However, the danger of leaning into this theme is making light of suffering, which is tempered by songs like “Wait” which speaks to our eventual face-to-face reunion with Christ, or the picture of comfort in our current sorrows as on “Forever and Always” as Havens sings, “I wish I could say it’ll be okay/But I don’t have all the answers/I just know He is close to the broken hearted… In silence I will share your hurt.”

Needless to say, my fandom continues.

HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET - Danny Gokey (Sparrow Records)

/ DANNY GOKEY RETURNS now a decade on since his debut on American Idol, settling into his most comfortable and confident sound.

To borrow a phrase from Gokey, his latest album, Haven’t Seen It Yet, is bursting with hope, making the case to the jaded and downtrodden that “love hasn’t given up on you.”

As he sings on the title track, “Good things are coming even when we can’t see/We can’t see it yet, but we believe that/He is moving with a love so deep.”

All of it could’ve come off as pat answers, but the truth hits too close to home. On ‘Love God Love People’ he taps into our universal trap of “Getting caught in that rush of doing so much/ I’m feeling kinda worn out.”

It also doesn’t hurt that Gokey’s soaring voice and bombastic pop singles like ’New Day’ are catchy and contagious. But it’s his stripped-down tracks like ‘Wanted’ or ‘Tell Somebody’ that settle on piano and string accompaniment that really stand out.

Unfortunately, the album dips in the middle, becoming a muddle of generic pop, which makes it hard to differentiate between a few of the late tracks.

Thankfully, it doesn’t last long and Gokey pulls up near the back half to end a mostly strong album on a high note.

TRENCH - Twenty One Pilots (Fueled By Ramen)

/ COMING A LITTLE late to the party, I rediscovered twenty one pilots earlier this year with a chance to experience the enigmatic duo live with my sister, an ardent fan.

I had heard some of their hits on secular radio, but it wasn’t until having their cryptic personas and lore explained to me that I fell in love with the artistry and hopeful message of their subtle mythology. Yeah, these guys aren’t just writing songs about a string of exgirlfriends, they’re turning anxiety, darkness, and depression into personified villains for a hero to struggle against.

It’s easy to see why they’ve garnered a legion of fans; their authenticity is so transparent you can’t help but identify with their inner battles.

Their latest album, Trench, also exemplifies their myriad of musical genres, everything from pop/rock, alternative, rap, R&B, electronica, stripped-down piano crooning, yet it all ties together to tell a compelling collection of vignettes of pain, searching and self-realization. And while their faith is not necessarily in the spotlight, it’s there working in the background.

On top of it all, each song and album, (a total of five now) speaks and whispers to each other, teasing at greater themes and stories with a new piece of the puzzle revealed with each new release.

/ STEVEN SUKKAU works in radio on the prairies of Southern Manitoba.