NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Anberlin has been accused of being a band that listeners can identify by every song. I never thought that this criticism was fair because the band has a range of songs of different tempos and tones.  The band did, however, seem to follow an album formula, particularly in their earlier work. But in  2022, the band decided to release an EP rather than a full album. The five songs on Silverline were a little more experimental for the band than their previous work. The electronic and post-hardcore elements the band developed after their breakup were best exemplified in the singles “ Two Graves ” and “ Circles .” Even with the shock of the new Anberlin sound, I was confused when I heard the lead single from Convinced , the 2023 follow-up to Silverline. Rather than a zippy guitar riff from Joseph Milligan and Stephen Christian ’s clear vocals, “ Lacerate ” starts a little slower than many Anberlin album openers with an ambient synth. SLOW FADE, SLOW FEIGN. The first voice we hear on Conv

  We all have to pay the bills, and musicians are certainly no exception.  Randy Torres  formerly of  Project 86  works in sound design.  Dan Koch  of  Sherwood  writes music for adverting.  Stephen Christian  is a music pastor. All of these examples, though, have kept the band separate.  The Fold  released two records on  Tooth & Nail Records , but never achieved the greatness of their label-mates, save a Grammy nomination for the packaging of their sophomore record. Though having a smaller fanbase than other Tooth & Nail bands, The Fold started partnering with brands, writing theme songs, most notably Lego's  Ninjago ,  for which they performed exclusively for seven years.  I SPENT A LONG TIME BUILDING LADDERS TO THE STARS.  Today’s song comes from The Fold’s 2013 independent record,  Moving Past.   “ Live Forever ” is the album’s fourth track. The themes on the album are somewhat humanist and somewhat Christian. The subject of “Live Forever” is not about one’s eternal re

I've broken several traditions I've established with my blog. Many of my songs don't feel like they fit in with a particular season. This year, I didn't post U2 's " New Year's Day " on January 1.  But one tradition that lives on this year is celebrating Cities Day. On February 20, 2007, Anberlin released what many fans claim as their masterpiece, their third album Cities. Today, brush your forelocks aside, and let's explore the album track-by-track!  1. ( Début ). For about a minute and a half, Anberlin introduces us to a dark world in an instrumental composed of city sound effects and noisy guitars. The song reminds me of  Jerry Martin 's  Sim City 4   soundtrack. (Début) leads into " Godspeed ." 2. " Godspeed " is a pretty jarring song to follow any track, but following yesterday's sleepy song is especially going to give my listeners a slap in the face. "Godspeed" is a cautionary tale about the rock star li

The 1975 released their fifth album Being Funny in a Foreign Language in October 2022. The production of the album had been delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The album was slated to be produced by BJ Burton . Lead singer Matty Healy was a fan of Burton’s production  work on Bon Iver ’s 22, A Million and Low ’s Double Negative and Hey What . However, there were creative differences between the producer and the band. The 1975 began working with producer Jack Antonoff ; known for his work with Lana Del Rey , Taylor Swift , and Lorde ; which ended the production sessions with Burton. Antonoff builds on the art rock direction The 1975 had been working on throughout their discography. Their previous album, Notes on a Conditional Form , had experimented with classical music. Antonoff took the band in a jazzier direction. THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT NOW I CAN’T REMEMBER. Jack Antonoff brings a more even sound to The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Previous albums

  Mumford & Sons changed the direction of alternative music.  As Stephen Christian of Anberlin once lamented, the direction of the genre had been pushing heavier and heavier music until the year when Mumford came onto the scene, Alternative shifted to folk sounds. The band fronted by Marcus Mumford swept the scene when they re-leased Sigh No More in 2009, with a sound that crossed over to Billboard ’s Hot 100. The plucking sounds of banjos and mandolins may have sounded refreshing on the radio to late ‘00 ears, but when WatchMojo.com compiled a list of bands whose songs sound the same, Mumford earned an honorable mention. The band would eventually break with the formula, but Sigh No More showcases Mumford’s signature sound. AS THE WINTER WINDS LITTER LONDON… “ Winter Winds ” was Mumford and Sons’ second single. The song was overshadowed by the band’s first single, “ Little Lion Man .” On an album that sounds fairly the same, “Winter Winds” stood out most to me. Musically, the

This Is All I Know is the final album by Number One Gun . The band from Chico, California, became one member-- Jeff Schneeweis —in 2007 on the band’s The North Pole Project . The other members went on to form the band Surrogate and work with other bands such as Emery .  There was a lot of controversy surrounding Number One Gun's last album, related to the late fulfillment of crowd-funding. Some backers for the 2014 album claimed as of 2021 they hadn’t received what they had been promised. After releasing This Is All I Know, Schneeweis declared that Number One Gun finished and started releasing music under the moniker Lael . This Is All I Know is the end of the Christian Rock era. HEAVY IS UPON US. Just as Anberlin had announced their farewell in 2014, several other bands called it quits. In 2017 the band Yellowcard , along with Anberlin drummer Nathan Young, recorded their final album and gave their farewell tour. After Anberlin ended, Stephen Christian was busy first in Nash