NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Shapes & Colors formed in 2011 after members from a group called Aria Aesthetic combined with the vocalist Travis Bobier from Search the City  as well as musicians from other bands. The Troy, Michigan- based group disbanded in 2018 after releasing several singles, three EPs, and an LP, which is not available on streaming services. Following the band's break up, members of Shapes & Colors went on to form the band CXMPASS , though the group only has one song available, " The Focus ," released in September of last year. Today's song is the third track on the band's final, self-titled EP. I KNOW I PROMISED YOU THE MOON. In their short discography, cynical listeners could point out how the upbeat throwback to late '00s emo seems derivative of the band's influences. Their 2015 EP, produced by Aaron Sprinkle , and their last work, produced by Kenneth Mount and Zach Odom writers for Mayday Parade and All Time Low , may seem like a shadow of the more s

Following the traumatic experience of surviving cancer between Jack's Mannequin 's first album ( Everything in Transit ) and second album ( The Glass Passenger ) , lead singer Andrew McMahon  decided to write about the people and things that he appreciated the most. The singer talks about deciding on the name for the project quite early in the album's production process in the podcast Meet the Musician . People and Things  topped  the Alternative albums chart, but the lead single, " My Thoughts Racing ," only peaked at #43 on the Rock Digital Sales chart . The album was released in October of 2011, but by February of 2012, McMahon started publicly discussing dropping the band's name. "I foresee an end to the usage of that name. I don’t know that it’s doing for me what it used to," he told Lehigh Valley Music . To McMahon, he wanted to start fresh. Healthy, married, and becoming a father, the concept of Jack that McMahon had created in his early 20s w

Forget and Not Slow Down is Relient K 's sixth album. The band had shifted away from " tongue-in-cheek " lyrics in previous albums and had enjoyed mainstream pop radio success as well as topping the Christian charts. Forget and Not Slow Down , however, starts to see a shift away from the safety of the youth group, as vocalist and songwriter Matt Thiessen 's writes about the dissolving of his relationship with radio DJ Shannon Murphy, the details of which were mostly covered up by the purity culture police, but are shocking nonetheless. Forget and Not Slow Down is a breakup masterpiece, and one of the most cohesive and listenable Relient K records, particularly if you don't like Relient K. Lyrically, Thiessen is often in denial about his infidelity, yet comes close to admitting it several times throughout the tracks. He moves from being repentant to accusatory, from self-righteous to self-deprecating. Musically, the band is joined by O.C. Supertones and Project 8

Born south of the Erie Canal in Canton, Ohio, Matt Thiessen , wrote a tribute to his home state on Relient K 's 8th studio album, Air for Free . Relient K started in Ohio, with three friends--Thiessen, guitarist Matt Hoopes , and bassist Brian Pittman . Relient K has seen many phases and had many member change ups; however, the glue of the band has been Thiessen and Hoopes, who are the only remaining members of the band and who are pictured on the cover of Air for Free. Released six years ago, Air for Free  explores existential themes from an aging former teenage band. Then in his mid-thirties, Thiessen touches on themes of love, growing up, and faith. While the songs on Air for Free are mostly light-hearted (a notable exception is " Man ") and sometimes silly, the songs are certainly more mature than anything the band has done before. And while it might not be the rock out anthems of youth group church vans, it's lyrically nostalgic of those days at times while pushi

Ten years ago, Deas Vail released their self-titled album , and with the exception of a Christmas EP, For Shepherds & Kings ,  and a B-sides album, this has been their last full-length project. Composed of husband and wife Wesley and Laura Blaylock and three other musicians, Deas Vail is Latin and Old French, meaning "humble servant of God." As a lighter indie rock band they gained momentum in the Christian Rock and Warped Tour scenes before stopping touring and ultimately disappearing from the scene. Their final, self-titled album is a beautiful collection of songs, produced by Relient K guitarist and self-proclaimed minimalist, Matt Hoopes . Minimalism seems to be a consideration as there is nothing particularly florid in the album or packaging, from the lyrics that don't stick out at first, to the cover art, to the subdued tones throughout the album. Listening to  Deas Vail reminds me that it's not the grand days that make a lifetime great, but the cumulat

In 2006, Family Force 5 debuted with their brand of 'crunk,' rap-rock punk that was comical, dancey, awkward, and overall unique. You'd be hard-pressed to find much Christian Rock on  Business Up Front/Party in the Back . Most of the songs are about dancing in the club and falling in love. While pretty innocent, it was one of the first times a Christian Rock band invited its listeners to the club. Known for their outrageous live shows and touring with the likes of Cobra Starship , 30h!3 , Cash Cash , Breathe Carolina , and The Secret Handshake , the band took a stylistic left turn when they released their sophomore record on Tooth & Nail Records in 2008. Dance or Die has much less crunk, more singing, and fewer joke songs. The band started taking themselves seriously on this record, but looking back, I wonder who it was for? THEY TRY TO TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT WE WILL SURVIVE . Family Force 5 is a rock band, but in their live shows they functioned as a boyband. In 2006-

  How is it May 2nd and this is the first time that Relient K has entered this playlist? I think Relient K is one of the most interesting bands in Christian Rock for several reasons. First, they've been around forever. Starting with their hit " My Girlfriend ," which played the morality police on a girlfriend who became consumed by Satan via the music of Marylin Manson to the youth group anthem " Sadie Hawkins Dance ," the band was a soundtrack to the I Kissed Dating Goodbye chastity and sexism of growing up Christian in the early '00s. Then there was the band's second act: toning down the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and heading to Top 40 radio, joining the likes of Switchfoot , Stacie Orrico , and other Christian acts being in , but certainly not of the scene. But just like Anberlin as we talked about yesterday, Relient K lost favor in the charts, and to a lesser extent, with the Christian scene, with the release of Forget and Not Slow Down , a record

In 2008 a gothic emo band appeared on Tooth & Nail Records called The Becoming . Their album produced a few singles and halfway through their short album cycle the DJ on RadioU informed the listeners that the band was now called "We Are the Becoming" for legal reasons. Later the band's video "I Cry" premiered on TVU . My sister said, "These guys look ridiculous." Pretty much. Their music kind of sounded like Hinder and they tried to look like Mötley Crüe . After the confusing name change, the band faded into Tooth & Nail record obscurity. The story of the strange band may have come to an end, but lead singer Caleb " Bones" Owens , has just begun.  I'M A CIGARETTE ROLLING DOWN A EMPTY ROAD IN THE NIGH LIKE A SHOOTING STAR. I heard this story and checked out this record thanks to Ethan Luck . If his name doesn't ring a bell, it's not surprising. Luck is a working musician who plays mostly in the studio these days. He has

  For today’s blog post, I am going to assign a lot of homework. By the end of the lesson, you will know all about purity culture and how it affected a generation or two of evangelicals. The Cliff’s Notes version: purity culture is the belief that teenagers should wait until they are married in a heterosexual marriage. That is the only way to be blessed by God. Purity culture was steeped in evangelical and even crossed over to pop culture until the late 2000s. There were rallies called True Love Waits, and there were songs like Rebecca St. James' " Wait for Me ." Some may even recall The Jonas Brothers wore purity rings, which were quite common among evangelical teenagers, and parishioners of the 20th-century doctrine. The idea was you wore the purity ring until you replaced it with a wedding ring. The Jonas Brothers have since taken them off. YOU THINK I'M PRETTY WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP ON . One of my favorite podcasts, Good Christian Fun , talks about Christian pop cul