A couple of nights ago, I went to pop in this CD, only to realize it was missing. Though I had only had it a week, I thought I would go crazy if I couldn't find it. I went downstairs and searched my car thinking it might have fallen out of my CD box. I searched the living room, my bedroom, and even the bathroom in desperation.
Terror, horrible terror struck my heart as I realized that I might have lost the album--and then I would have to wait nine agonizingly long days to buy this disc at the record store. At this point, I started to pray, as I couldn't imagine life without these catchy space-pop songs.
I then searched my CD rack one more time, and there it was! I had simply overlooked it earlier. It was at this moment that I realized how extraordinary this album is.
How can I describe it? Emotional space-pop or maybe Astro-rock would be good monikers for it. But whatever you call it, the melodies are catchy and memorable, the vocals are pure Roper, the arrangements are lush and layered, and the concept is . . . epic.
Musically, this is a very different direction from the ska-influenced music of Five Iron Frenzy. BSS music is driven by Reese Roper on electric guitar, Dennis Culp on both acoustic and electric guitar, and Keith Hoerig on bass. The arrangements are (of course) sans horns, but in their places are layers of programming, sampling, studio drummers, keyboards, strings, turntables, even accordion.
The obvious theme on the album is the wonder of space. When I listened to this album (this is also in light of All the Hype's references to Ray Bradbury's book
Fahrenheit 451), I couldn't help but be reminded of Bradbury's book,
The Martian Chronicles. One of Bradbury's lines in particular describes this theme well...
"It is good to renew one's wonder," said the philosopher.
"Space travel has made children of us all."
This theme is displayed throughout so far from home, with NASA sound clips, songs about robots, and of course, the album art that tells the story of "The Saturn 3 Mission."
Yet, there is a deeper theme that lies below the surface of the space metaphors--it is the expression of pain and the darkest of emotions. It can be heard in songs like "Independence Day" (a song that discusses the day that Reese's ex broke up with him) and "Two-Twenty-Nine." (February 29th was the day that his grandmother died. One memorable line from this song is, "in a world of dying children, rain never seems to cease.")
Yet in the songs that are seemingly so dark, there is also hope. The hope is from God, and is shown by the use of what I might call a "pivot point" that takes the listener from the point of seeming despair to praise. (This is the same technique that David used in many of his lament Psalms.)
But don't let the emotional depth of this album get you down, because there is one song that breaks up the seriousness with some of the old, goofy, FIF-ish fun. "Shadow of Def" is a fun pseudo-rap song that features DJ Roper and "Frankie T." (record label founder Frank Tate) rapping about the meaning of Five Minute Walk.
Some of the other memorable songs on this album include "Rocketown" (a cover of the Michael W. Smith song that fits this album well), "Resistor," and especially, "Under Bridges."
"Under Bridges" is one of those songs so special that it is hard to even begin to express the heart of it. (
Click here to read the lyrics of this song - ) The revelatory thought behind this song can be found in Matthew 25:34-40, where it talks about how, when we give a person a cup of water or meet some other physical need, it is as if we are ministering to Jesus himself. Musically, this song is downright glorious in its sense of movement, especially in the crescendo with the sound clip from the Apollo 8 mission
*, before the chorus of wonderful praise. I think this song will most likely be the best Christian song of 2000.
This album has been described as being the "dark side" of Five Iron Frenzy. After about 20 listens, I'm not sure if I agree with that description anymore. Yes, there is darkness--but, oh my, there is hope!
Praise God that Roper, Hoerig, and Culp were given the opportunity to release this album!
* The sound clip says: "the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you, 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.'"
It was taken from the live Christmas Eve television broadcast from the Apollo 8 mission. For the complete story on the broadcast visit http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo8_xmas.html and http://www.russia2you.org/apollo/apollo_8.htm.
