Delirious? - The Mission Bell (Fierce? Records)

Excerpts from reviews of the top British Christian band's latest album, compiled by www.delirious.co.uk (see the News page). Perhaps the most telling is that by secular Q magazine towards the bottom.

[Jan.22.06] This is what the critics have to say about

'The Mission Bell':

"The Mission Bell is unafraid to challenge, chide and inspire all at the same time. From cavernous rock anthems full of swagger and scope, to intimate and at times painful confessions of failure and fear, this is worship music with teeth." – CCM Magazine

"a soaring Brit-rock worship album and everything you’d expect from the group." – Worship Leader Magazine

"This is Delirious? doing what they do best-capturing the prophetic heart cry of a generation, setting it to music, and then playing it big and loud." – Christianity Magazine (UK)

"a sonic feast that rivals their best work" – Worship Musician

"The most diverse they've ever been, with a sound recalling Radiohead one moment, straight-up rock with a gospel choir the next, all with elements of a stripped-down, singer-songwriter feel They still do what they do best - worship." – Christianity Today (4.5 out of 5 Star review) - click here for the complete review from christianitytoday.com (an American web portal - excellent reviews of top Christian bands/singers)

"Ten years on, front man Martin Smith has a knack for writing words and melodies that end up on the lips of a million people." – Relevant Magazine

"The Mission Bell rings out with a defiant note of faith in these troubled times. It will surely resonate in the hearts of tens of thousands." – crossrhythms.co.uk (10 out of 10 Bars)

"Once again, Delirious? manages to set a standard." – CMCentral.com

"There is much to enjoy in The Mission Bell that could well deliver the band a new army of worshippers." – indieLondon

"raw passion - we’ve been aching for more of this sort of solid worship music..." – SoulShine Magazine (5 out of 5 Star review)

"fuelled by the unbridled passion of singer Martin Smith: without God they could be massive." – Q Magazine (3 out of 5 Star review)

"Delirious? delivers a stellar collection of rock songs on The Mission Bell that combines exciting music with deeply religious lyrics that lift one body, mind, and soul toward our Creator."– Group Magazine’s MinistryandMedia.com

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Gemma Hayes

This is real self-indulgence now, but I can't resist it. I'm so proud of my cousin and what she has already achieved with 2 E.P.s and 2 albums. Just last month she was voted Irish Female Vocalist of the Year at the Irish Music Awards (Meteor Awards). She played live at the show which was broadcast live on Irish TV and had the likes of Madonna + U2 appearing and performing. See this fan web site (http://www.gemmahayes-makingwaves.net/ - Media page) for free video downloads from that show and other song videos, interviews, etc...

- http://www.gemmahayes.com/ Gemma's official web site

Gemma Hayes: While my guitar was sleeping - The Independent 03/02/06

After her lauded debut album, Gemma Hayes fell out of love with music. Now she's back, she tells Alexia Loundras

Published: 03 February 2006

"I'm sorry," says Gemma Hayes, unleashing a long, feline yawn. Curled up on the raggedy sofa of her Camden rehearsal studio, the singer-songwriter looks the picture of contentment. Taking a break from rehearsing with her band, she stretches out lazily and speaks in long, dawdling sentences punctuated by dreamy, satisfied smiles.

Yet, with Hayes, appearances can be deceptive. Politely drawing her hand across her mouth again, the 28-year-old explains: "I yawn a lot when I'm stressed." You would never guess it, but the Irish ingénue is in the midst of a pre-tour panic.

The singer is about to undertake a 24-date UK and Eire tour to promote her second album, The Roads Don't Love You, and the prospect of playing to packed houses has her nervously excitement.

Hailing from a musical family, Hayes has been a serious performer since she dropped out of university nearly 10 years ago. But the thought of standing in front of a room full of expectant fans, she admits, still quickens her pulse and moistens her palms.

"It's so scary," she says. "That moment when you register the audience, it's like, 'Holy shit!' Having all those people standing there listening and looking at me still freaks me out."

In spite of that admission, you'd have to look very closely to spot any evidence of these nerves when she plays. Seeing her live, you'd never guess from her stage presence that she's anything less than confident and comfortable. The Tipperary lass possesses an easygoing charm - not to mention a sumptuous voice - that is very disarming.

Hayes might be all porcelain prettiness and Zen-like poise on the outside, but inside she's clearly a bundle of fraught emotion. It's a similar story with her album. Recorded in laid-back Los Angeles, The Roads Don't Love You is gilded with golden Californian sunshine. Compared to the stylistic pick'n'mix of her first album, 2002's Night On My Side, this second effort falls squarely into the realm of acoustic-led pop. Rather like Tom Waits's haunting Closing Time married to the feminine pop splendour of Beth Orton and KT Tunstall, it's full of glimmering hooks.

However, the album's effortless aural glory belies the anguish of its conception. This is not the first time an artist has found it difficult to follow up a well-received debut - Night on My Side was nominated for the Mercury Prize - but for Hayes the creative impasse had nothing to do with not being able to write any new songs. She insists that her Mercury nomination gave her all the confidence she needed - she just didn't want to write any new songs.

When Hayes came to make her second album, she found that her relationship with music had changed. "I no longer felt, 'Ah, I'll play the guitar now because I love it,'" she says. "Once I'd put the guitar down after touring that first record, I didn't want to pick it up again, not at all."

Hayes had fallen out of love. "It's like when you have a favourite chocolate bar," she says. "You devour it all the time, and then comes a day when it just makes you sick. And that's what happened. Sick? Sing? The feelings were just merging together."

And, after more than a year of half-hearted and unsuccessful attempts at reconciling with her guitar ("I'd tried to make myself want to write and I hated everything that came out," she says) the singer started seriously to consider packing in music altogether. But the thought of having to go back to her old job working at a Dublin laundrette brought her to her senses. "It made me realise that music is the only thing that gives me pleasure. I just couldn't imagine a life without it. That was the thing that made me think, 'Oh no, no, no - I'm going to make this work.'"

Having firmly committed herself to giving music one last shot, Hayes followed in the steps of all good procrastinators and promptly went on holiday. But it was there, holed up in a holiday cottage in Kerry, that her muse unexpectedly came back to life. While watching EastEnders, Hayes absentmindedly reach-ed for her guitar. "It was the first time in so very long that I picked it up purely for the love of it. And just like that, the sickness was gone - the songs just fell out."

Hayes can't remember what contrived soap cliff-hanger had inspired her but, freed from her self-imposed pressure of expectation, she began to pour several years of tangled emotions into her new creations. As a result, The Roads Don't Love You is filled with gently insistent songs that bubble with an emotional depth that belies their lush sonic exterior.

The Roads Don't Love You is not as musically adventurous as its predecessor, but it was not intended to be. With its glistening production and streamlined feel, Hayes wanted to draw attention to the emotional exorcism in her lyrics. Her tender vignettes are odes to secret infatuation that sigh with a graceful melancholy that's warm enough to wrap yourself up in. "I don't know how to write music that isn't personal," she says. "I can't help it. It's like I'm walking around with an open wound - you let things in that you don't want to and you let things out that you don't want to. I have no control over it. These songs are about all the things I want to say to people, but can't. How else do you tell someone that, just by being with them, they're saving you?"

With The Roads Don't Love You, Hayes has rekindled her passionate love affair with music, and everything about her is blooming as a result. "This is my baby," she says through an infectious grin. "It's everything I hoped it would be."

Her face lights up when she talks about the new album. She is deservedly proud of her record and, despite her anxiety about performing live, she's visibly thrilled to be taking her music out on the road again. "I am so excited," she says, quite unnecessarily. "When I sing these songs, I really feel them and can't wait to have other people feel something when they hear them too - I'd like some involuntary audience participation!"

Her pre-tour nerves are now all but forgotten, replaced instead by a wayward enthusiasm. "I guess I've been storing all this up for too long," she says, a great big smile cracking her delicate features. "I just can't wait any longer. Come on, bring it on!"

Gemma Hayes tours from 7 February (www.gemmahayes.com). 'The Roads Don't Love You' is out now on Source

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Switchfoot - Nothing Is Sound (Columbia/Sparrow)

Released September 2005

reviewed by Russ Breimeier

http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2005/nothingissound.html

Sounds like a melodic mix of alternative rock and power pop that most resembles bands like Weezer, Mae, Foo Fighters, Lifehouse, Jimmy Eat World, Sanctus Real, and Smashing Pumpkins.

At a glance assuming you enjoyed their crossover breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot's latest is another smartly rocking masterpiece that deftly balances the band's sound and spirituality for a broad audience.

Obviously no single album is going to satisfy everyone's musical tastes, but rock can be especially tricky. Go too far with sophistication, and you lose the average listener. Make it too simplistic, and people will say it lacks substance. Too hard, it becomes metal; too soft, it's suddenly considered pop. Look back through the history of rock and you'll find that the bands with tremendous cross-demographical success—the Coldplays, U2s, and Beatles of the world—fulfill Goldilocks's proverbial "just right." In short, it's a balancing act.

This is partly why everyone from teeny-boppers to middle-aged rock fanatics has recently fallen for Switchfoot. It was just over two years ago when they released The Beautiful Letdown and toured the club circuit, as fans quietly hoped for a mainstream breakthrough. After selling 2.5 million copies, the Southern California band officially arrived, going from a smart garage rock band to one of the most popular bands in music today. Now the question is, will they go the distance? Nothing Is Sound suggests they can.

Great bands are the hardest to succinctly compare because they learn from their musical influences rather than simply emulate them, and thus uniquely vary their sound. Switchfoot resides in the broad modern rock spectrum, playing as hard as Foo Fighters or Smashing Pumpkins while retaining a keen sense of pop melody like Weezer and Mae. They impress sonically as a tight, well-oiled machine, balancing raw guitar rock with polished production. You'd never guess that much of Nothing was recorded in dressing rooms on the road, allowing Switchfoot to road test and develop the songs rather than rush excellence.

There's beauty to the bombast, and Switchfoot is smart enough to add little touches that cause a song to grab your attention—changeups in the second verse, frontman Jon Foreman's distinctive rock yowls, drop outs from the band, Chad Butler's thrilling drum fills, well-placed guitar distortions, differing uses of backing vocals. Such hooks work for "Stars," the album's first single about finding order amidst life's chaos, with its killer guitar riff hammering away in perfect synchronicity with the rhythm section. "Politicians," an aggressive rocker reminiscent of their last album's "Ammunition," demonstrates similar aggressive precision. "Daisy" begins like the soft acoustics of "24," only to evolve into a dramatic art rock finale. Switchfoot's softer side is on display with the encouraging "Golden" and the catchy power pop of "We Are One Tonight."

There's simply no one doing modern rock better than this on the Christian scene, and the band easily competes with mainstream counterparts. Yet while their sound is the draw, it's the skillful balancing act of the lyricism that seals the deal—yes, their faith remains intact and expressed. Rare is the Christian band that so effectively communicates to believers and nonbelievers alike with so few specific references. The title to the spacious sounding "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine"—an interesting way to say we recognize darkness because we're familiar with the light—suggests its message to Christians without resorting to cliché, offering a Psalm-like blend of melancholy and hope: "Oh Lord, why did you forsake me?/Oh Lord, don't be far away/Storm clouds gathering beside me/Please Lord, don't look the other way."

As might be surmised from the title, Nothing is ecclesiastical in scope, exploring false security and the pursuit of true happiness. "Blessed is the man who's lost it all," declares Foreman in "Happy Is the Yuppie Word," which draws its title from an interview with Bob Dylan in which he noted it's better to be blessed than happy. "Easier Than Love" decries the culture's misguided trivialization of sex, while "Lonely Nation" notes that society has become more isolated despite technological advances. "Politicians" doesn't exploit partisan divisions as much as state that we answer to a power higher than those of this fallen world.

A glimpse of grace is found in "Daisy" when Foreman sings, "Who will take the blame?/For all redemptive motion and every rainy day, he gives himself away." In "The Fatal Wound" and "The Blues," Foreman looks ahead to kingdom come—"when the world caves in"—with an appropriate mix of sadness and joy. The same is true with "The Setting Sun," with dreams of escaping the world's ugliness: "My hope runs underneath it all/The day that I'll be home/Finally back where we belong/Finally free, it's gonna take you to the setting sun/Let the weak say I am strong, and it won't be long/Let the right say I was wrong, and it won't be long."

Admittedly, it would be nice to see Switchfoot go beyond topics about the search for "meaning and truth in the postmodern world," though the thematic progression from Letdown to Nothing suggests they'll eventually have to. First they told us there's more to life than existence, now they've clarified that satisfaction is not found in the stuff of this world. If Letdown didn't impress last time, this similar project probably won't win you over. But legions of fans will find Nothing Is Sound to be as good the last, if not better, thanks to melodic rock prowess and intelligent lyricism, and that should suit them "just right."

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Millions (PG) (25/07/05)

Here's a wonderful article from a Christian web site, http://www.ministryandmedia.com (with subcription-only access... a few pounds a year and well worth it) that reviews and provides resources on films, cds, books, TV programmes, etc...

Synopsis: Two weeks before England converts to the Euro, a duffel bag stuffed with British pounds falls out of the sky and into the hands of Damian (Alex Etel), an imaginative 7-year-old who talks to saints. After he confides in his 9-year-old brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), the two boys try to figure out how to spend it quickly.

Gospel Filter: Millions is a delightfully rare family film that holds enough depth and universal weight for adult enjoyment. How Danny Boyle, director of shocking films such as the heroin opus Trainspotting and the zombie flick 28 Days Later, managed to breathe vibrant life into this sweet little film is a question for the ages. Christian filmmakers should be ashamed that Boyle so effortlessly creates a story full of faith and wonder, freely asking moral questions of God—a task they've repeatedly failed. (Hopefully they'll see this film and realize the power in telling a compelling story from a Christian worldview rather than cramming spiritual propaganda down viewers' throats.)

The two young leads' performances make this film fly. If not for Alex Etel's openly innocent face and his character's obvious quest for truth, Millions would fall into a sentimental bog. By allowing genuine danger (in the form of a thief who's trying to reclaim the money), sadness (over the death of their mother), and a moral conundrum (what would you do with the money?), the movie gives the actors and audience a range of emotion and engagement to deal with. Do yourself and your family (or even your youth ministry) a favor and enjoy the wonder of Millions.

You don't need me to help you unpack this film. The first question out of everyone's mouth when they exit the cinema will be: What would you do if a bag of money fell into your lap? Millions gives you several answers to choose from. Damian wants to give it away to the poor (and his quest to find “poor” people is quite humorous). Anthony spends it on gadgets, power, and friendship (he and his brother are the new kids in their school). When Dad finds out, he wants to spend it on the family's needs—he works hard to make ends meet and they deserve it.

All these answers connect to the issue of stewardship. No matter whether you have a pocket full of change or a duffel bag full of money, God calls us to use money wisely. Too often people see money as theirs, so impress upon your young people the proper perspective on money. God blesses us with it, and we merely take care of it for him. (That's why a tithe is such a good deal. God gives you money and he only wants 10% back.) God doesn't require that we give it all away, but he does ask us to spend our money in a way that glorifies him. Discuss the practical applications of stewardship so your students will do the right thing when money falls into their laps.

An equally obvious discussion arises from Damian’s frequent conversations with various saints. He gets advice from Saint Peter, Saint Francis, and others at different times during his journey. This is a fantastic visualization of our spiritual conversation with God. (You might have to explain that some Christians talk to the giants of the faith and ask them to speak to God on their behalf.) Challenge your young people to strive for this type of intimacy with God, becoming as comfortable with talking to him as they would with a friend. As conversations become easier and more comfortable, their willingness to turn to their Father in every situation will increase, eventually creating an ongoing dialogue.

Finally, the issue of honesty runs throughout Millions. Anthony doesn't want to tell anyone about the money. He constantly lies to keep the secret hidden. After the boys' father discovers their secret, it becomes a question of keeping the money or not. (Because the money was to be burned by the government, there isn't a clear-cut “victim.”) Damian is indignant that the others would even consider doing something less than honest.

Discuss this moral dilemma with your teenagers (after they've discussed how they'd spend the money, of course). What’s the honest thing to do? They'll be better able to make honest choices in the “easy” things if they can discern the honest response in a sticky situation like this one.

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, language, some peril, and mild sensuality.

One-on-One Questions:

- What would you spend all that money on if it fell into your lap? If you had to pick one character (Damian, Anthony, or Dad) to copy, who would it be, and why?

- Do you think Damian was right to try to give it all away? Why or why not? If you could give a ton of money to one charity, what would it be? Are you donating money to charity now? Why or why not?

-What does it mean to be a good “steward” of your money? What commands does God give us concerning our money?

- What makes it so hard to give money back to God or give it to those who are poor? How do we know how much money to give away and how much to keep for ourselves?

- What's one change you could commit to that would make you a better steward of your money?

- What's the most difficult aspect for you about talking to God?

- Is talking to God supposed to be like talking to your best friend? Why or why not?

- What can you do to remind yourself to talk to God throughout the day?

- How did different characters act dishonestly in the movie? Was any of their dishonesty justified? Why or why not?

- What was the honest thing to do in this situation? Do you think you could have done that? Why or why not?

- What consequences have you seen dishonesty bring? Have you ever experienced negative consequences because you were honest? Explain.

- Is it easier for people to be honest about small things or big things? In what circumstances do you find it most difficult to be honest? How can you build up this trait?

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"The Passion Of the Christ" (Easter, 2004)

Bro. James Hayes (Easter ‘04)

As is often the case, myself and the other English De La Mennais Brothers (8 of us in total) went on our annual retreat in 2004 during Holy Week. On this occasion we went to a Franciscan Friary in Pantasaph, North Wales. As well as helping me to recharge my spiritual batteries it gave me the chance to mull over Mel Gibson's "Passion..." film. Here is something I wrote about the film on Good friday that year...

I say hats off to him. It may be old-school Catholic theology in terms of how it presents the redemptive quality of Jesus' sacrifice, bearing the sins of the whole of humanity, but it's old-school updated. The focus, in terms of Jesus' motivation, is put on the depth of his love for us as well as on his desire to do his father's will. It's a very personal vision of the Passion that will not perhaps be to the taste of everyone but it's one that I found I could relate to far more easily than in any other Jesus film. The violence is in my view not at all gratuitous and always given a context. Many things about the film left me quite stunned. I felt that it was the closest thing I'd seen on screen to what might have really happened (the attitudes of the various people, the settings, the no-holds barred account of the scourging and crucifixion itself. One could pick arguments over issues such as that of nails in his palms or his wrists, but for me, to focus on such things would be to miss the point of the film. It's use of references to scenes described by mystic writers not contained in the Gospels and to the history of religious art (eg. the deliberate composition of the Pieta image) show a willingness on the part of Gibson to try and represent a spiritual truth filtered through the history of the Church and his own spiritual journey, rather than a literal, "historic" one. The use of "authentic" languages (latin and aramaic) is itself a stroke of genius as you no longer have to cope with a variety of Mid-Atlantic, European and Middle-Eastern actors all vying for the John Wayne prize for Most Inappropriate Accent (re "The Greatest Story Ever Told" - Wayne as Cowboy Centurion: "He trulee was the Son of Gad!" It is said that when Wayne was asked by the director to say the phrase with awe, he continued as follows... "Aw, he trulee was the Son of Gad!" - bless!).

I also thought that the acting was first rate, though again Gibson has been clever here in predominantly casting relative unknowns (Monica Belucci as Mary Magdalene being an exception). We therefore don't bring so much film culture baggage to the viewing of the film than we would if, say, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts had been cast as Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Then it would always be Brad Pitt playing Jesus. Having said that, I've seen three other films with Jim Caviezel (Jesus) in; The Thin Red Line, Frequency and The Count Of Monte Cristo. He is particularly good in the former film and from it I can see why Gibson might have cast him for the Passion. He has a face that radiates compassion and soulfulness without being effete. His lack of media-friendly off- screen persona means, however, that in Hollywood celebrity terms he's rather anonymous and this serves him and Gibson's film well.

There are some lovely touches that show the thoughtfulness of Gibson's approach and which work well both in cinematic and spiritual/theological terms, eg. Peter's encounter with Mary and John after denying Jesus, the fact that Peter and John both call Mary "Mother" (with a capital "M" in the subtitles), the Hollywood-style slow motion of the arrest sequence, etc... I won't give everything away for those who've not seen it yet, but there's a lovely short scene involving the two Mary's after Jesus' scourging at the pillar, apparently inspired by the writings of a female mystic saint. Also, during the way of the cross Mary watches impotently from a narrow alleyway with John by her side as Jesus passes the end of the alleyway, falling as he does so. After a poignant flashback to Jesus' childhood she rushes (pure Hollywood this, but it works) to his side, only for Jesus to say to her, "See how I make all things new". This is a reference to Revelation 21:5 and the new creation, the Heavenly Jerusalem instituted by Jesus' death and resurrection, that which is built on love and freedom from sin with the invitation to become sons and daughters of God.

Gibson uses flashbacks very aptly throughout the film to flesh out Jesus' relationship with his mother and especially to give a theological context in which to understand our viewing of his suffering. For example, during the crucifixion there are flashbacks to the Last Supper. We get the commandment of love from John's Gospel and in particular John 15:13 - "No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends." We also get the institution of the Eucharist from the Synoptic Gospels just before his death on the cross - "Take it and eat. This is my body given for you." Until yesterday and a bit of time spent researching elements of the film, I never realised that none of the Gospels relate both of the following phrases of Jesus on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and "Father into your hands I commend my spirit." But putting the two together in the film as Gibson does adds a nice symmetry with the opening sequence of the film where we see Jesus at Gethsemane, passing through fear and doubt, and an encounter with Satan (a disturbing, but effective personified presence in the film), before finally submitting himself to his father's will and crushing a snake that Satan has placed in his path (an effective reference to Genesis 3:15 and God's cursing of the serpent in the garden of Eden - "I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel").

Plenty of material here and elsewhere for a reflection on the nature of Jesus self-giving and many other themes (I'll be turning this message into a longer article for the Chaplaincy part of my website soon). Whether or not you accept Gibson's approach from a theological point of view, the film has the great merit of being a technically well-made, dramatically effective, emotionally wrenching, totally sincere piece of work that has helped and will help countless people come closer to/rediscover God in their lives.

One last point. In The Thin Red Line (a most thoughtful, reflective war film set during the 2nd WW Pacific campaign against the Japanese) Jim Caviezel dies a hero, someone respected by his fellow soldiers for his compassion, for his courage and for his religious beliefs. His death makes even crusty Sean Penn cry, someone who Caviezel's character has debates with during the film about the meaning of life, etc... Caviezel's Jesus has a similarly universal appeal. He has the matinee looks of a classic romantic lead, capable of making the women swoon with one glance from his compassionate, sensitive eyes. He has a sense of humour and is quick to smile. And yet there is great strength of character, steel, determination and authority in him. You can therefore also see how he would have been respected by gruff, macho characters such as Peter. He's a man's man. More than that - and this should be no surprise given that Gibson's previous directorial outings include Braveheart and the Patriot - this Jesus is a hero. Perhaps this is Gibson's (and Caviezel's) greatest success in this film; to portray an heroic Jesus of universal appeal. As such, this film could indeed prove to be the best tool for evangelisation that the modern era has yet to be blessed with.have to wait another few days.

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