Lifehouse - talented modern rock band or one hit wonder?

That’s gotta be the number one question on most people’s minds when they hear about this young trio from Southern California releasing a new album. After all, these are the guys responsible for the biggest radio hit of the year 2001, “Hanging by a Moment” - a powerful worship song or a simple, catchy love song, or both, depending on who you talk to.

Which leads me to the number two question about Lifehouse - are they a Christian band? Well, as much as their management would like to downplay that angle, anyone who does a little digging will find out that the band originated as a worship band in the home church in sunny Malibu. Hey, give ‘em some credit - even if their beliefs and yours don’t line up, there’s a good chance that you thought “Hanging by a Moment” was a great, rockin’ love song. And you’d still be right. The beautiful thing about Lifehouse is that they’ve achieved more success than most bands in the CCM world could ever dream of, simply on the strength of a good set of songs.

So that answers question number two. What about question number one? After all, a band with a hit so big that it’s still getting massive airplay even now that their second album is out can’t possibly replicate that success. But is another massive single Lifehouse’s only goal? I’ve had Stanley Climbfall in my hands for three days now, and I’ve listened to it five, maybe six times. And I honestly can’t tell you if they’ve outdone themselves. But I can definitely say they’ve done good.

When I first listened to No Name Face, “Hanging by a Moment” hit me like a ton of bricks, and then nothing much else caught my attention. This was very similar to my reaction to Creed’s Human Clay, which is ironic because Jason Wade often sounds like a less gravelly version of Scott Stapp (he comes from the Eddie Vedder school of low warbling vocals), and both bands have had the term “Christian”, with a big question mark, hanging over their heads for years now. Creed may be a little harder, whereas the strength of many of the songs on Lifehouse’s debut was a quieter subtlety. This approach caused many of the songs to sound alike at first, but has since become a welcome element of Lifehouse’s sound, especially when leading into some extended (and dare I say worshipful) segments of their live set. No Name Face is one of those albums that’s meant to hook you in with a few strong singles while the rest grows on you slowly.

Their second album, the curiously titled Stanley Climbfall, is a different story. For sure, the spiritual-but-open-to-interpretation lyrics are still there, and Wade is as introspective as ever, his musings on his relationship with God being almost as deep as that voice of his. What’s changed is that the band has chosen to make the record sound more like their live show - most everything here is faster and louder than the first album. A certain lyrical theme is at work here, due to the title character who was created as a bit of an inside joke while the album was being recorded - a character who, like all of us, goes through phases of standing, climbing, and falling.

The band clearly had their creative juices flowing during this album - working with producer Ron Aniello for the second time around didn’t constrain them to the same formula. The threesome put in the hard work of basing the songs more consistently around their own instrumentation, rather than the folksy and orchestral elements that embellished some of the stronger songs on No Name Face. This generally means more in-your-face electric guitar, even on some of the slower songs. There’s also a slightly whimsical tone to the whole thing, evidenced by the pudgy character pictured underneath the CD in the jewel case - could this be Stanley Climbfall personified? Open the CD jacket up, and you may as well be reading the Sunday edition of the New York Times, as difficult as the darn thing is to get folded back into its original state, due to the odd half pages and a few panels that reflect an apparent indecision as to whether this thing should be a booklet or one continuous page folded over several times. The song lyrics themselves are listed slightly out of order, as if to make you take notice that the songs themselves are more varied this time around. Even the font can’t make up its mind - typed, scribbled, serif and sans serif all take their turns. It’s enough to make you think you’ve got an ingenious concept album on your hands.

Unfortunately, not everything ties together or packs as much of an emotional punch as what those high hopes might tell you. There are times when I really miss the mellower, rootsier feel of some of the ballads on the first album, and there are times when it seems like Jason’s idea of a concept album is throwing the words “climb” and “fall” into as many songs as possible. If anything, it’s the lyrics that suffer from a sense of similarity this time around, rather than the music. But they’re not bad lyrics by any stretch of the imagination - even if a few songs don’t really connect with me.

Spin
I‘d rather chase your shadow all my life than be afraid of my own…
The record’s first breakout hit is once again its first track - but what a fine start this is! A low bass note slides up into its proper key to kick the song off (reminds me of how "Hanging by a Moment" started, except that it slid down into the right key on that one), and before long the band is off and running, capturing the spinning motion described in the chorus. Wade’s words are a little harder to distinguish this time around, but if you examine the lyrics, they actually turn out to be kind of clever, juxtaposing a confusing world he’s created for himself with the peaceful alternative God has to offer. The chorus kick in with a torrent of sound as Wade wails, “The world keeps spinning round/My world’s upside down and I wouldn’t change a thing”. He apparently wrote most of the song when he was 16, but the bridge of the song just wasn’t going anywhere - a problem that is nicely resolved here, as the song breaks into a different mood. The drums revert to half of their former speed as the band dwells in a cool chord progression that “climbs” and “falls” with the lyrics. This sequence resurfaces where the radio version of the song cuts away, jamming energetically for almost another minute until the song suddenly stops dead. Sweet.

Wash
Everything in the world was fallin‘ through
All I knew was to look to you, my sunshine…
Interestingly, the band picks up at this point with another mini jam session, rattling along on an addictive drum beat while a weird guitar effect hovers over the whole thing. Wade doesn’t start singing until a minute into the song, at which point some listeners are probably thinking “Get on with it!”, but I kinda think it’s cool that they chose to step outside the structure a little bit on this one. Wade’s introductory lyric even tricks you into thinking he’s apologizing - “I never meant to waste your time/Never meant to fall out of line”. (For some reason, the way he enunciates it makes me think he’s singing “fall offline”, which leads me to bitter thoughts about my ISP, but anyway…) The chorus probably looks trite on pen and paper - “You wash over me, you wash over me like rain/You wash over me, you wash over me like sunshine”, but trust me, it’s got a massive hook to it, and there’s an interesting irony bubbling just below the surface. Sunshine and rain are opposite things - trials and joys, if you will, and both can help to wash away sin in different ways. That’s my interpretation of the song - the theme here seems to be similar to “Sick Cycle Carousel”, except that this one’s got an infectious sense of joy to it.

Sky Is Falling
It‘s been too long and I know you‘re gone
But I gotta wait for you to come back down…
Shoot… I was hoping every track on the album would be named for a cycle on my washing machine. Anyhow, this one doesn’t fare as well as the one-two punch that opened the album - it’s an ironically upbeat song given the subject matter, which actually sounds depressing at first listen - “The sky is falling and no one knows”. Apparently the song was written as Wade’s response to America slowly growing jaded and settling back into a routine after the shock of September 11th - as such, it’s one of the more interesting lyrics written on the topic. But you’d never know the song’s origin without that little tidbit. Still, I can relate to having that sense of imminent danger while everyone else around me is without a care in the world, and perhaps it’s another spiritual allegory for people who have no idea how desperately they need God. In any case, the song is driven mostly by a steady drum beat, and the guitars play more of a supporting role, so there’s not that much musically interesting going on here other than the bridge, where Wade takes a turn into an interesting chord sequence (he’s good with those) that gives him a chance to show off his higher range.

Anchor
Hold my hand while I‘m sinking in the sand…
The record’s first ballad (if you could call it that) kicks off with a wall of sound, basically running through the chorus without the vocals before settling into a sparse, quiet verse, adequately reflecting the lonely place Wade has found himself in. The lyrics here are pretty typical of what you hear from Christian bands nowadays when expressing a need for rescue and healing from God - I’ve heard the “anchor” analogy used several times, but still I must admit the song packs a lot of power. Wade makes sure to tie the song into the album’s theme with a few slowly enunciated lines that lead from the verse to the chorus: “I am walking/Changing slowly/I am chasing/Climbing closer.” Then the fierce torrent of guitars comes crashing in for the chorus, becoming even more intense at the end of the song as Jason belts out “Can you hear me?”, once again leading to a slicing, abrupt ending. This one’s a good candidate for a future rock radio single due to its positioning on the record, and it’ll probably do well even though they’ll likely shave it from five minutes down to four or less.

Am I Ever Gonna Find Out
Silence is golden, but I think it‘s gonna kill me now…
This odd little two-and-a-half-minute ditty (the record’s shortest song has the longest title!) seems to be a bit of a party crasher due to its dark but oddly bouncy atmosphere created by the keyboards, and the way the song wastes absolutely no time getting straight into Wade’s lyrics. (Funny, track 5 on the last album started right off with the lyrics as well.) This one’s a little more enigmatic, but you can definitely tell that Wade is frustrated about silence, for some reason. We’re not exactly sure what he hopes to “find out” since the song seems to be over before it starts - the song doesn’t leave much of an impression other than “what the heck was that?” I do think it’s amusing, though, that the lyrics sort of turn one of those corners during the chorus, where the last word of one line becomes the first word of the next: “I think it’s time to live like I Am I ever gonna find it?”

Stanley Climbfall
Quiet, seems like an honest world
You‘re beggin‘ for the beggars‘ bread when the money‘s out
The title track is slow but quirky - for some reason, the high-end guitar noodling at the beginning gives me a visual image of a circus performer walking a tightrope. Perhaps that’s intentional, given the spiritual balancing act that appears to be the theme of the record. The lyrics here are some of the most interesting on the record, and we can tell that this flustered character is baffled by the “quiet” that starts off every verse. The chorus isn’t as strong as many of the others, which kind of hurts the song in terms of its chance of standing out, but taken on its own, it’s an interesting piece. I haven’t fully deciphered it yet, but I have to say I like how it ends on Wade’s “la da da”s, and then there’s that word again - “quiet”.

Out of Breath
The pain it cost, now I feel lost inside of my own name…
The record’s second half leads off with a blatantly obvious attempt at a future single. I don’t know what it is about breathing - Wade seems to have a fascination with the metaphor, as he’s already used it a few times on this album and the last one, but no references to breathing actually show up in this song. Perhaps it has something to do with the chorus: “I keep running, I am running/I am living for the day that I’m with you.” Running until he’s out of breath, perhaps? The song carries an earnest, hopeful longing to be something more than what Wade can be on his own - it’s got a similar passion to “Hanging by a Moment”. I can tell that this song’s gonna get derided as the obvious attempt to recapture the success of that monster hit, especially due to the chorus, which is sung quietly, in the same tone as the verse the first time through, and then loudly an octave higher during the rest of the song. Oh well, it’s a tried and true formula. The lyrics aren’t terribly deep on this one, but I still think it’ll probably prove meaningful to a lot of Christian listeners who will latch onto it as a song of devotion to God.

Just Another Name
Which mask will you wear today?
How about the one with the pretty smile…
Wow, there are sure a lot more upbeat numbers on this album than there were on the first! This one takes on a more sinister tone, fusing elements of bouncy Britpop and jaded post-grunge together into a song lamenting an innocent young girl’s fall from grace. The character in question seems to be swept up in something fake - perhaps it’s Hollywood or perhaps just a superficial suburban lifestyle - but whatever the case, Wade seems to indicate that she’s lost touch with reality and she’s not really living her life. I love this song, it’s a got a “Kryptonite” sort of beat to it (that’s Three Doors Down in case you didn’t know… now there’s a one-hit wonder!), and once again Jason dazzles us with a dark, angular chord sequence (though there’s one part where it returns back to the beginning of that sequence, and for some reason it feels like there should be a transition chord in between the two to help it ascend back up to where it was - but never mind, I’ll never be able to explain that with written words). The only thing that I find really distracting about the song is the beginning of the chorus, when Wade sings “Everybody knows your name”, and I half expect the next line to be “And they’re always glad you came”. (And I never even watched “Cheers”, just for the record.) But that’s not that big of a deal - it’s kind of like how Jars of Clay’s “No One Loves Me Like You” sometimes makes me think of the jingle for Hoover vacuum cleaners. Anyway, that tangent aside, I’d be really interested to find out whether this song is directed at a well-known celebrity… but then, am I ever gonna find out?

Take Me Away
I‘ve seen it all and it‘s never enough
It keeps leaving me needing you…
This was one of the songs I really looked forward to having a polished album version of, since I’d managed to download a stellar live version a few months back. This one’s a soaring mid-tempo number, almost worshipful in its nature, and much like “Anchor”, the lyrics may not be all that original, but it’s a devoted expression of Wade’s desire for God to take him out of the meaningless humdrum of everyday life, a confession that nothing else in the world truly satisfies. It’s unfortunate that this song got cut to a near-radio-ready five minutes, since the live version hinted at being more of a slow-building, sweeping epic on par with SonicFlood’s “My Refuge” (which is my favorite worship song of all time). It’s still not bad; I just think the album version cranks up the intensity a bit too soon, so that the highs later in the song don’t seem as high , and then it ends rather predictably after the final chorus. The structure of the whole thing is actually a lot like Creed’s “Higher”, now that I’ve stopped to think about it. By contrast, the live version that I’ve got seems to wind down into a more reflective mood, which they’ll probably continue to do in concert - this would set things up perfectly for “Everything”.

My Precious
Climb up above your precious time
Don‘t worry your time, don‘t hurry your mind…
This track features guest vocals by Gollum from “Lord of the Rings”… no, just kidding. The title is an obvious Tolkein reference, though, even if the song itself doesn’t seem to contain any literary references. Slow and moody, the meaning of this one is hard to make out - it carts you off to a distant and lonely place and kind of leaves you there to wonder what exactly is going on. The lyrics seem a bit non-sequitur, and I do recall hearing that the band had been encouraged to try a more “experimental” songwriting technique at one point during the making of this album, so I guess this is it. Anyhow, Wade makes sure to throw the word “climb” in the midst of this cloudy expanse of a song, singing what appears to be the chorus in a mostly higher range. I guess this one’s a little more open to interpretation than most of Lifehouse’s songs - there may even be two characters (perhaps God and man) interfacing with each other in the lyrics here. It’s not a remarkably good song, nor a bad one - it’s just different altogether.

Empty Space
You know where I‘ve been
And I don‘t want to go there again…
This song begins with a similar mood to “My Precious”, though it utilizes a little more guitar buzz to create that detached atmosphere. The record has definitely slowed down at this point, which kind of led me to mixed feelings about how track 12 (the “official” closing track on the record) would turn out, what with 10 and 11 being slower. Anyway, the lyrics seem to pick up where “Take Me Away” left off, asserting that “I’ve seen the world, it’s overrated/Until you’re everything, I have nothing but empty space.” Actually, I think that’s one of the most compelling prayers Wade’s come up with in his songs so far - it just doesn’t smack you over the head and scream “I am trying to emotionally manipulate you!” like some Christian bands can. Earlier in the chorus, Wade addresses the enigmatic yet fascinating nature of God by saying “You’re beautiful, you’re confusing, you’re illogical, you’re amazing”. You can say all you want about Lifehouse being vague, but that’s gotta be the most compelling description of Jesus Christ I’ve heard in a song in a long time.

The Beginning
Walking past the city lights
Silence can be so disturbing…
I should have known better than to expect the album to end on a soaring ballad. The band opts instead for a comfortable mid-tempo track, an interesting mix of light and dark moods to complement a highly sentimental melody. It’s got that sort of quality that makes me swear I’ve heard it somewhere before. This isn’t the easiest song to interpret, though having “The Beginning” at the end seems to signify a sort of starting over after making mistakes. The song kind of picks up steam, slowly sinking into the listener’s conscience as it goes - it’s hard to describe, but for some reason, Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” comes to mind, which is not to say the two songs sound alike, but there’s something about both that makes them a compelling final chapter to their respective albums. I do have to admit it’s a bit abrupt when the music falls away and Wade slowly slurs his last line: “Start over after ending”, leaving things on an unresolved note, but then I think that’s the whole point. “Everything” kind of did that too, with its final line of “Could you tell me, how could it be any better than this?”, but that line had been repeated throughout the song, whereas the chorus here keeps changing. Technically, my CD doesn’t end here since I managed to score the version with bonus tracks (and cheap, too!), but those songs don’t really bring any sense of closure to the album, so it’s better to consider this song the “official” ending.

How Long (Bonus Track)
I‘d rather be wrong than be deceived
To thinking that I believe that I can stand here on my own…
This is a more mid-tempo pop/rock song in which Lifehouse seems to be covering an outtake from U2’s All that You Can’t Leave Behind. Obviously Wade doesn’t sound a thing like Bono, but his lead guitar line during parts of the song is a little too “The Edge” for comfort. The song also seems to be a somewhat generic cry for justice, world peace, that sort of thing. Perhaps it’s as specific as Wade’s comfortable getting when addressing the highly debated issue of the End Times: “How long ‘til the world will be completed?”, but then that may just be the bias of my Charismatic upbringing coming into play. Anyhow, I can’t be too hard on a bonus track, but there’s really nothing compelling me to play this one through for the sake of completion if I feel like moving on to something else after listening to the album proper.

Sky Is Falling (Bonus Track - Acoustic)
I’ve heard Lifehouse do a few acoustic takes of their songs before, and they’ve fared well enough, but I’m kind of bummed that they picked one my least favorite tracks to redo here. The guitar part in this song seems rather pedestrian to begin with, so it’s pretty simple for Wade to just strum along. This version’s a little shorter than the full band version because Wade leaves out part of the bridge, which doesn’t really matter because the bridge kind of loses its power with just an acoustic guitar anyway. I think it would’ve been more interesting to hear an acoustic take on “Spin”, “Wash”, or “Anchor” - one of the tracks where the band really goes for it full throttle - instead of this one, just to show that the song stands up on its own without a ton of noise thrown at it, but oh well. It’s also kind of a bummer that this is the only place you’ll really hear an acoustic guitar on the record. My readers know I normally prefer a good mix between acoustic and electric, and this record’s pretty much wall-to-wall electric, save for this track.

I still can’t make up my mind whether Stanley Climbfall is better than No Name Face. It’s certainly more consistent and immediately catchy, but some of the songs don’t live up to their full potential. I also don’t think the “inside joke” that became the album’s theme plays out quite as well as the guys had hoped, but that’s a minor trifle - I can’t expect every rock album ever released to be a self-contained story. For the most part, I’m proud of the guys for turning up the amps and letting a passionate set of songs rip while keeping a good contrast of light and dark in their songwriting. As I mentioned earlier, the Christian audience will connect to a lot of these songs for their spiritual interpretations, while others won’t be alienated, and that’s a tough balance for a band to maintain. Maybe nothing packs a wallop that rivals “Hanging by a Moment”, but “Spin” comes darn close and a few other songs aren’t far behind, and honestly, that’s a feat for any modern rock band these days, be they sacred or secular.

TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY
Excellent: Spin, Wash, Just Another Name, Anchor
Good: Out of Breath, Take Me Away, The Beginning, My Precious
Decent: Sky Is Falling, Am I Ever Gonna Find Out, Stanley Climbfall, Empty Space
Weak: How Long, Sky Is Falling (acoustic)
Skippable: NONE

Band Members:
Jason Wade: Vocals, guitar
Sergio Andrade: Bass
Rick Woolstenhume: Drums

Website: http://www.lifehousemusic.com

Great Music to Play While: Standing, climbing, falling… and of course breathing.


Recommended: Yes