1997

It's hard to believe that ten years ago was... ten years ago. I was in 9th grade in 1997, and I still often wake up thinking I have geometry homework due.

Anyway, the music of 1997 was awesome. It killed me to limit this to five songs so we may have to have a revisitation sometime.


Strongarm - Council of Perfection
Probably the best band of the 90's Spirit-Filled Hardcore movement. What's impressive (aside from delivering the pozzy Jesus message to people who were only interested in stomping each other with army boots) was the progressiveness of Strongarm's music. It wasn't speed, but neither was it slow and doomy. The music stopped, started, sped up, slowed down, sometimes slipped into something pretty, sometimes crushed your skull audio brutality, all with terrifically passionate vocals. For other examples, check out Strongarm on Myspace.
After the band broke up, four of the five members (everybody but the vocalist, basically) started Further Seems Forever.

Model Engine - Drawing Lines [Also called "Hang You Upside-down"]
There was no shortage of Christian rock bands in the 1990s, but Model Engine went about crafting their music more intelligently than their peers. Originally called Black Eyed Sceva, their songs dealt with God and Jesus and other aspects of Christianity, but in more worldly contexts. That is, they sang about AIDS and prostitutes and Mark Twain's sarcastic depictions of spirituality. This particular song is about first century martyrdom where early Christians did in fact draw fish in sand as a means of secret communication (because "if they find you out they'll hang you upside-down" on crosses, and this did indeed happen). But, like Strongarm, the message wasn't the only appeal. Musically they were all about song progression and shifting tempo and non-standard metre and fun little creative things like that, though this was more evident in their Sceva days.

Richard Buckner - Lil Wallet Picture
This is the first Richard Buckner song I ever heard and it's still one of my favorites. I like steel guitars, and this one, even though only sparingly used, bends out all the bitter and sad and wistful notes that amplify the thick stew of emotion this song conveys. Buckner's warbly yet rugged baritone, which is the very first thing you'll notice, does the same thing. In fact his voice alone could probably carry the song, but add that aching steel guitar, his own story-telling acoustic guitar, and a chuckling fiddle that doesn't seem to care about your pain, and you'll be a mess by the end of the song.

Neko Case - Somebody Led Me Away
The Virginian was Case's solo debut and doesn't carry the weight that her subsequent releases do, but there are some definite gems here. Half the songs are old country covers, and this one is the best (unless you really enjoy the boot-scootin' of "Honky-Tonk Hiccups"). Originally done by Loretta Lynn in 1976, Case here shows off her big voice, not even needing the group of backing singers that appeared in the original. Singing absolutely solo, then, enhances the mood of this song about the guilt of a woman NOT standing by her man. But don't worry, the guy in lyrical question is a douchebag and doesn't deserve Loretta Lynn or Neko Case.

Roadside Monument - On Molasses Lake
Roadside Monument is one of my all-time favorite bands. They were kind of a part of the 90s Christian rock band thing, but Christian bookstores would eventually quit carrying their music, so they kind of weren't. Anyway, reglardless of who would or wouldn't affiliate with them, the music of Roadside Monument is completely and wholly mindblowing. Especially on their final two albums, there's so much going on with each song that's it's hard to believe that only three guys are making all the music.
"On Molasses Lake" appeared on a split with Puller (an amazing band themselves). The song starts calmly enough with an ambling guitar, a low-key bass and sly unobtuse drumwork, followed by what I guess would be the instrumental "theme" (no verse-chorus-verses here) of the song paired with some call-and-response vocals (and here it's worth noting that the vocals of RM's songs are often like instruments themselves, not necessarily standing out but neither falling into the background -- all part of a musical picture). The song then takes a darkly pastoral route, mellow but tense, as things quiet down and the vocals hush. After half-a-minute of this the "theme" returns, now more effective than before as it comes fresh from that interlude. That ends, and just when it sounds like it's going to quiet down for another interlude... you're hit with the best explosive instrumentation this side of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. After steadily rattling the room for a while, everything suddenly stops to let Johnathon Ford's bass taunt you for a moment. Then things really pick up. The music becomes violent, Matt Johnson beats out a hasty rhythm on the drums and is pushed by Doug Lorig's abrasive (yet restrained) guitar. Finally the triumphant end. Up until this point the music had a dark edge to it, but in the final minute everything turns oddly hopeful (and remains fully loud). Johnathon Ford, I'm convinced, has the most tortured scream in all of music (listen to "S.R.B" for example) and here he about turns himself inside-out.
Just another awesome song by an awesome band.