Music Minute

I don't know about y'all but I'm exhausted. Summer is almost over. We had the Olympics, the Democratic National Convention, Hurricane Gustav, part of the Republican National Convention...and suddenly August is over and everybody is back to school. And I need some new music, so let's check out what's going on this week!

What's new: Remedy Drive's new album Daylight Is Coming came out August 26. New releases are also out from DecembeRadio, Chris Tomlin, GRITS, This Beautiful Republic, underOATH, and Jimmy Needham.



What we like: It's no secret the ec staff are fans of indie rock cool-boys Remedy Drive. Daylight Is Coming somehow manages to be both rockin' and mellow at the same time. There's plenty to like on their latest (including "Daylight," the song Mandy mentioned earlier). Check out "What Happens at the End." Snappy drums and a great hook will give you some motivation to get through the day.



(Note: MySpace pages for the next two bands crashed, so I am linking you to their websites instead. You can still preview their tunes; that's one of my conditions for reviewing a band here.)

You gotta love a band that describes itself as "Rock / Rock / Rock." Florida metal band underOATH is definitely not typical Christian music, but so what? We like it! And if big, loud metal is your thing (I confess to owning a few Metallica albums back in the day), you'll like what these boys offer up on Lost in the Sound of Separation. Check out "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures."



And finally, This Beautiful Republic released Even Heroes Need a Parachute. You'll find lots of power-pop goodness on this album - not to mention a super-cool album cover. If you kind of imagine crossing Jars of Clay with My Chemical Romance, you're getting close to their sound. We like "Fears and Failures."



What we're looking forward to: Rush of Fools delivers Wonder of the World on September 16. And GRITS releases Reiterate September 30.

What we don't like: Stinky gym bags, assigned seats, and why doesn't newspaper ever tear in a straight line? (Actually, I can answer that one. Because of the structure of the paper, the fibers lie in one direction. Tear it that way, and you'll get a reasonably straight line. Tear it the other way, across the fibers. and it will look like your six-year old brother did it.)