Music Day

This album's been on my wish list for practically forever, but there was always something higher on the priority list (a result of buying your iTunes music in fifteen dollar increments).

Then a few weeks ago, quite by accident, I found myself in a little buy/sell/trade music/memorabilia shop in the back corner of a mall.

After first being sold on the quality of the store (they had a White Heart section! Of course, I already own all the White Heart except Nothing But The Best - Radio Classics, but the fact is they actually had a section for quite possibly one of the greatest unknown bands ever), I looked through all the little tab thingies for artists that I recognised. Of course, any store that carries an unknown band like White Heart also has a Newsboys section and I flipped through it out of curiosity more than anything.

At first I was going to leave this album behind -- after all, it was available on iTunes and I didn't have my money on me, but my dad insisted I buy it and gave me some money.

So I bought it, but having overdosed on Newsboys a few months back, I didn't listen to it right away. In fact, I might still not have listened to it yet except my sister asked to hear it yesterday.

Wow. Just -- wow.

If all the Newsboys you know is the stuff that came after Shine hit it big (you know the '90s radio hits: Joy, WooHoo, Reality, Breakfast, Entertaining Angels, Who?, Believe, plus of course the worship stuff and Million Pieces), you will be absolutely stunned by this album. I actually uttered the words: "Wow -- Newsboys does metal." My mom answered that statement with, "You mean speed metal."

Now, real metalheads will probably dispute that label, but my point is this: you have never, ever heard the Newsboys like this before. Before they became the lynchpin of 'safe and fun' radio, they were apparently a head-banging, hard-rocking, grab-you-by-the-throat-and-drag-you-along-for-the-ride band.

In short, I kind of wish Shine hadn't hit it quite so big and pigeonholed their songwriting formula so much.

Title: Lights Out
Artist: Newsboys
Album: Going Public
Year: 1994
Label: Star Song
iTunes here; YouTube here.

(There were actually three songs in the running today -- Lights Out, which I picked because it's the fastest; Going Public, with its funky groove; and Truth And Consequences... I don't know why, I just like that one. Those were the strongest, but really, When You Called My Name and Real Good Thing are the only weak songs on the entire album.)

Just listen to those guitars... is this not Guitar Hero material? And music needs more drumming like that. Wow.