New Music Tuesday:Deas Vail

*Whoops! Today is Wednesday, isn’t it?

Today’s post is a guest post by Chris Reiche aka Deeflash aka my husband. Enjoy!

Today I would like to highlight Deas Vail, a great band out of Arkansas signed to Mono Vs. Stereo.

Last October they released their fourth album, Birds & Cages, and it is a really great album full of melodies and lyrics that stick with you.  I can listen to the album straight through multiple times and have it not grow old.

My own favorite picks off the album are “Dance In Perfect Time” and “The Great Physician”.

Be sure to check it out!

New Music Tuesday:Mute Math & Andy Hunter

I was torn between posting about Mute Math’s newly released album, Armistice and Andy Hunter being awesome. So I think since it’s my blog and I make the rules, I’ll do both.

First up, Mute Math.  To me, Mute Math is a fusion of so many different awesome genres that I really don’t know how to describe them. So I’ll let Wikipedia tell you a little bit about them: Mute Math (sometimes typeset as MUTEMATH or MuteMath) is a Grammy Award nominated American rock band from New Orleans that formed in 2003. Their music consists of many elements such as alternative rock, new wave, electro rock, christian rock, psychedelic rock, and post-rock with ambient vocals.

Woo, that’s a mouthful! Anyway, Chris and I own both MUTEMATH albums and I must say, the second is much better than the first…but the first is definitely worth owning and listening to over and over again. They’re one of those “I didn’t know it could get any better” type bands. It’s fun, it’s powerful and every song shines on a level of talent most musicians only dream of one day having. So with all of that said, check out their latest album:

Second up, Andy Hunter. Genre: Dance, Electronic, Awesomeness. Andy Hunter was one of the first electronic producers I ever liked. He did the music for the movie “Go” and created some of the great music that I love jumping around to today. Bonus! He’s also a Christian with an amazing heart and a great vision. Myself, my husband Chris and my friend Jeremiah took a workshop with him in 2006 and since then I’ve had such an amazing appreciation for his music and art in general. So look him up, take a listen, and if you need somewhere to start, this song is my current favorite: Wonderful (Life Album Version)

Me & Andy Hunter in 2006...after a long night of dancing. Please excuse the hair!

New Music Tuesday: Various Artists

So here’s the deal folks. It’s the Tuesday after a long weekend. I think we’re all not functioning 100%, and if you are, well then, good for you But us people who love to hang out and rest and don’t bounce back quickly like taking shortcuts. So today is shortcut music Tuesday.

This week there are a few good releases coming out. To be honest, I’ve only heard music off of one of the albums and I will give you my honest opinion. I THINK IT ROCKS. So definitely check out the new album by Thousand Foot Krutch and if you can, check them out at Creation Fest!

Thousand Foot Krutch - Welcome to the Masquerade

Other releases this week that interest me are:

Bethany Dillon – Stop & Listen
Barlowgirl – Love & War

So check them out and let me know what you think! I’ll be checking them out as well.

Here is wishing everyone a safe and “not so bad” day!

New Music Tuesday: Josh Garrels

Many of you have heard me mention the name Josh Garrels before but it’s come to my attention that he’s never actually been a “spotlight” in my blog…until now

For those who haven’t heard, Josh Garrels is a singer/songwriter out of the mid-west. I was first drawn to him because he was a young artist sitting on a stage with a guitar and a boombox. I was first drawn to his music when I heard him do an amazing cover of “Killing me Softly.” And I was first drawn to his albums when I heard the rest of his passionate, Christ-filled set.

Josh’s music is a mix of folk, indie acoustic rock and hip-hop and if you don’t know what that sounds like, then you sure better check him out! Along with a brand new website, he just released a new album entitled “Lost Animals” that is more developed musically than many bands I hear on a daily basis. The song “rainbow” brought me to tears at Cornerstone this past year and I know the rest of the album is just as amazing. So check him out. I plan on making his newest release a part of my Josh Garrels mp3 collection real soon

New Music Tuesday: Neon Horse

Sorry I missed last Tuesday – as you’ve probably read by now, I was working in the city and had little time to listen to music forget about write about it.

Anyway, I’m back on course and am very happy to announce that Neon Horse‘s second album, Haunted Horse: Songs of Love, Defiance…, was released about a month ago and it doesn’t disappoint from what I’ve heard so far!

Now if you’ve never heard of Neon Horse you’re seriously missing out in my opinion. It’s a Tooth & Nail band made up of members from other bands such as Stavesacre and Starflyer 59. Their music is unique. It slightly resembles 80s experimental rock (think Depeche Mode) but is in no way outdated. The mix of electronic rock, danceable beats and just a different sound overall is worth a listen, give them a try!

New Music Tuesday: Britt Nicole

Britt Nicole is a fresh, young artist who decided to take the “multi path” musical journey on her first album “Say It.” She has hit Contemporary Christian songs on the radio. Songs such as You and Don’t Worry Now may sound familiar to you thanks to Christian radio stations in the US and Europe. But if you buy the full album you’ll quickly realize that there is much more to Britt than the radio allows.

Each track will bring you to a different story and a different emotion that many people can relate to. It’s not just about singing a fairly well written song to a non-aggitative beat…it’s about life and all that comes along with it, no matter who you are. With dance beats as catchy as the mainstream pop world but lyrics that will bring you to tears, this album is worth a listen…even if you’re not a pop fan. And if you like it, good news! Her second album “The Lost Get Found” will be out soon AND she’s out on tour. Give her a try!

New Music Tuesday: Zach Williams

Chris and I have been listening to the Relevant Magazine podcast lately and I must say, I’m hooked! If somehow Cameron, Mia, Jesse or Adam reads this – I just want you to know that we’re both big fans and wish you made a podcast every day! But anyway, recently they kept mentioning the musician Zach Williams. Neither of us had any clue who Zach Williams was…as you probably don’t either…so I looked him up and you should too.

Zach Williams is a new artist roaming around New York catching the ears of all in hearing distance. With a sound of a singer/songwriter meeting folk meeting rock, take a listen!

Want to know more about this noteworthy Christian musician? Check out his interview with Relevant Magazine.

New Music Tuesday – The Alive Band

Well here I am being unreliable already! I promised a new music Tuesday and couldn’t get to writing a blog yesterday so this week it’s New Music Wednesday. Sorry about that! But let’s jump right in to it…

While at Cornerstone 2009 I kept hearing/reading about a band called The Alive Band. So as most Cstoners do, I looked them up in the program and discovered that they are the praise & worship band affiliated with the Breakaway Tent (the youth group/high school program). So in my head I said “well that’s nice” and moved on my merry way. Then as the week progressed, I kept overhearing what was going on at Breakaway and got curious. The music sounded really good. Really fun. Really…alive. So by day 4 of hearing their music I was singing along and decided to head to their merch table and check out what they’re all about.

The Alive Band is a youth group praise & worship band out of MetroSouthChurch in Michigan. With a sound similar to Hillsong United it’s pretty obvious that with time, we could be singing their songs in our east coast churches.  Their name stems from the title of their song “I am not Dead,” a catchy praise song that has kids shouting “I am not dead, I AM ALIVE, I AM ALIVE” – a chant frequently heard at Cornerstone 2009. With a cover of Hillsong United’s “Break Free” that I think I like better than the original and heartfelt worship with songs like “Broken” and “What Love,” The Alive Band is worth a listen.

Sounds great, but what’s the down side? Well to be honest, I think the songs are much better live. This band is packed with young adults who know how to lead great worship and truly bring God down to their listeners; and that’s something that can’t be mimicked recorded.

Their music can be found on iTunes and myspace – hope you enjoy it!

(Not Necessarily) New Music Tuesday

Tuesdays are big days in the music industry. Usually this is the day of the week that new music is released to the world. So me, as a music lover, used to love Tuesdays. But since I’ve been a christian, Tuesdays have been less exciting. I’m not a huge fan of a lot of “popular” Christian music and a lot of new bands aren’t promoted through CCM newsletters….so I’m going to try and discover new bands and talk about them on Tuesdays. Since today is Tuesday and I’ve done no research – I thought I’d start with a band that isn’t new, but is sure getting better with every release. The band is Dizmas and they’re from California. Their first release was in 2005 and to my surprise (discovering them in 2007), it was nothing like the 2007 release “Tension” which was then followed by a 10-track 2008 release which I dig more than any other. The first release is hard rock. Good…but hard. The second and third releases are a bit more my taste. It has strong lyrics and fun melodies. It’s the type of music that will have you belting out words of worship and then 2 minutes later jumping around dancing. To me, it’s a musical representation of the perfectly balanced Christian life. 3 minutes of worship 3 minutes of praise 3 minutes of struggle confessions 3 minutes of hope and faith repeat. I’m living proof that this 2008 cd simply titled “Dizmas” is the type of cd that you can put in on a rainy Tuesday morning and not even notice that you’re stuck in traffic. They come highly recommended to Christians and non-Christians alike who like a mix of pop rock, party rock, and modern worship. Check them out!