NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Hawk Nelson released two Christmas EPs in the earlier part of their career, starting with 2005’s Gloria . The four-song EP featured two original songs with familiar choruses and two covers--the sacred “ I Heard the Bells ” and the secular “ Last Chrismas .” The original songs, “ Alleluia ” and “ Gloria ” were also divided into sacred and secular. While all of the songs on the EP are interpreted with a mid-'00s emotion, the two original songs are especially emotionally charged. “Alleluia” is a song about the nativity that uses the tune of a liturgical chant for the chorus. “Gloria,” on the other hand is a cheesy Christmas love song that talks about Santa giving the speaker a girl for Christmas named Gloria. Singer Jason Dunn adds a lot of emotion into the first verse, which feels strange given that the song can’t be that serious. The song ultimately interpolates the chorus of the French carol, “ Angels We Have Heard on High ,” because the girl that the speaker wants for Christmas

I talked before about how  Albatross ,  The Classic Crime 's debut album  was set to be the breakthrough mainstream album for both the band and for  Tooth & Nail Records . And of course, neither of those happened because someone at iTunes or Tooth & Nail or  EMI  or any combination released this record in the genre "Christian Rock." Of the two 2006 secular signings of Tooth & Nail,  Jonezetta  avoided Christian radio, but The Classic Crime admitted defeat and even embraced the genre. With an album like  Albatross,  it would be hard to hear the songs and not think of Christian Rock. " The Coldest Heart " is a bit Calvinistic for the general music listener. A COUPLE OF TEARS AND I'M A BROKEN MESS.  "The Coldest Heart" belongs to a sub-genre of Christian Rock I've heard called " Shamecore , " a term coined by licensed professional counselor Krispin Mayfield on his podcast The Prophetic Imagination Station .   Shamecore comes

The ‘90s in rock music started quietly. Hair metal was still around, but vibey New Wave tracks had gained traction in the late ‘80s. It was an eclectic time without a clear direction for a musical style. Of course that all changed in the fall of 1991 when Nirvana burst onto the scene and Alternative and mainstream rock listeners determined that grunge would be the collective musical trend. Just as disco didn't die in 1979, the New Romantics sound of the late ‘80s carried over into the early ‘90s. In fact, in the early ‘90s, New Order , The Smiths ’ Morrisey , and Depeche Mode enjoyed their peak success. For Depeche Mode, that success came from a dark pop song, which crossed the Alternative Rock band over to the pop charts with the single from their seventh album Violator , “ Enjoy the Silence .” ALL I EVER WANTED, ALL I EVER NEEDED IS HERE IN MY ARMS. Produced by the now legendary Mark Ellis, better known as Flood , Violator was years of dark electronica in the making. Flood’s fi

  In 1986, The Smiths released their provocatively titled album, The Queen Is Dead . The band, led by Steven Morrisey ’s dark, often dryly comedic, lyrics and Johnny Marr ’s jangly guitar parts had been no strangers to controversy. The post-punk band raised in the “ Madchester ” sound of Manchester, England, was defined by Morrisey’s countercultural convictions. Just as The Smiths gained attention, their lead singer Morrissey became a polarizing pop-culture prophet, speaking out against British politics, advocating vegetarianism, condemning corporal punishment, and admonishing stereotypes of sexual identity. The band pushed for a vision of anti-masculine rock and a return to non-synth, guitar-driven rock to counter the rise in popularity of the signature ‘80s sound. TAKE ME OUT TONIGHT. The Smiths broke up in 1987 before their fourth album Strangeways, Here We Come was released. The four members of the band could no longer stand their narcissistic lead singer. Morrissey seems to be