Pros: A wonderfully cohesive album full of driving progressive rock anthems and gentle instrumentals.
Cons: The pace may be a little slow and quiet for fans of more standard rock.
The Bottom Line: My favorite album in Iona's amazing catalog, but it's also one of the quieter ones. This CD is packed with soothing melodies and deeply spiritual lyrics.
divad23's Full Review: Beyond These Shores by Iona
Normally, to write a review of an album that's been around for seven years, I'd have to dust it off and listen to it again a few more times. This is not the case with Beyond These Shores, which may just be Iona's best work to date (and that's some pretty stiff competition!) I didn't have to dust it off because it has yet to gather any dust. I still listen to this thing all the time, after owning it for nearly three years (and believe me, I regret not getting into the band's older works sooner).
Let me catch you up if you've never heard of Iona. They're a progressive rock outfit from Great Britain that often gets tagged as a "Celtic" band, which is definitely a strong influence, but not the whole of what they can do. The band defies being lumped in with all the other Christian rock bands by taking a decidedly non-pop approach to the composition of their songs - which isn't to say they try not to sound melodic. This is some of the most beautiful music you will ever hear; it just doesn't accomplish that feat by constantly hitting you with a billion sounds at once. Some songs are very full, with a driving beat and several instruments chiming in at once, and excellent lyrics, and some are sparse instrumentals. Still others are long, expansive suites that will never see the light of radio (unless Christian and general market radio stations undergo some major overhauls!) In every case, Iona's music is deeply religious, drawing much of its inspiration from ancient texts about Celtic saints, and that even more ancient text known as the Bible (you may have heard of it). But it ain't preachy. It's actually quite soothing and spiritually uplifting, without feeling the need to constantly reference Jesus just to validate itself.
This particular album draws loosely from a story (I'm not sure if it's real or fictional) about Brendan, a Celtic saint who reportedly made a voyage to the Americas long before Columbus. Come on, you may be thinking, how can they pull an entire album out of such an obscure story? Well, it wasn't recorded to be a history lesson. Rather, the band writes from what they imagine to be Brendan's point of view as he undergoes his journey. Knowing how each and every tune ties into the story isn't as big of a deal as just letting the music take you on a journey of your own. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You need to know what's on this album before I coach you on how to listen to it!
Prayer on the Mountain starts things off quietly with some wind chimes and other assorted sounds that evoke a soft breeze passing through. A lone flute begins to play, which is soon joined by some atmospheric keyboard playing as the music begins to build. I like to imagine the scene being set - a man alone in the wilderness, seeking God's will, and the music following the prayer as it rises into the sky, being tossed about by the wind like a feather. You'll probably get a different vision. That's the beauty of many of their instrumental passages.
Treasure slides in effortlessly, it strummed guitar and almost tribal beat signaling the beginning of one of Iona's most recognizable songs to date. This was the band's first big hit on American shores, and it's one of their only songs that would fit on a Christian radio format! The song has a fairly traditional pop/rock structure, but it has enough flute and saxophone interlude that you know you're not getting just any old rock band. The lyrics are drawn almost directly from the book of Matthew, where Jesus is asking His audience what kind of a father would give his child a snake or a stone instead of fish or bread, and explaining that God knows even better how to be such a father. perhaps it is the answer to the "prayer", but I can't be sure. In any case, it's classic Iona.
Brendan's Voyage (Navigatio) takes a while to get going, starting up with some ghostly sounds that remind me of a ship sailing across a dark, cold ocean in the middle of the night, and then the main body of the song kicks in with a lovely melody from guitarist Dave Bainbridge. The lyrics to this one are few, but lead vocalist Joanne Hogg sings them compellingly: "Now the season of prayer is finished/Now the season of fasting is done/Now the season of waiting is over/My journey has begun." The song evokes feelings of relief and tension at what lies ahead - it lets you inside Brendan's head as he is about to embark on his journey, glad to know that this is God's will, but apprehensive about the great unknown ahead.
Edge of the World is a light, jazzy piece that offers a compelling meditation on what it is like to leave one's homeland and venture off into new territory. At first it didn't stand out to me as much; the beat seemed a little odd, switching between a standard 4/4 in the verse and a somewhat perplexing 5/4 for the chorus. But it was pure Heaven once you caught onto it - an apt description of much of Iona's music. The lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks - "Shall I leave the prints of my knees upon the sand/This my final prayer in my native land/Shall I turn my face toward the shining sea/Taste the salt of tears for those I have to leave/And here I am out on the edge of the world/With You." This song has offered solace during many times of loneliness and uncertainty, simply resolving to enjoy the solitude with God.
Today is another of the band's most recognizable songs, again taking on a tribal-sounding rhythm. It has a lilting Irish atmosphere to it - you can almost picture Joanne dancing through a field as she sings her praise song to the God who granted motion to her body. I actually heard it on their live album first and then came back to the original, which is quite different from the aggressive jam session I was used to. The drumming is lighter here and the song is a little more reverent, but still a lot of fun. Terl Bryant, who is an amazing drummer even on a standard drum kit, especially amazes me here for using plastic buckets through the entire song. I've heard that was a hit in the band's critically acclaimed concerts.
View of the Islands is an acoustic instrumental that sticks only loosely to its rhythm. Technically speaking, it's well played, but at times it seems to wander a little more, at least in my mind. What makes this piece especially interesting, though, is the flute that joins in on top of the guitar. Listen carefully to that melody and see if you can figure out where you've heard it before.
Bird of Heaven is indeed a massive composition, clocking in at just over nine minutes. Iona makes a point of recording at least one of these trilogy-style songs on every album, and this may be my favorite of them all. It starts off with a slow but soaring sax solo from Mike Haughton, then transitions a solid, almost machine-like passage that has a definite chord structure, but seems to jump from chord to chord at odd times due to its time signature (which goes from 9/8 to 6/8 and back again). This provides a good chance for Terl to play around on the drums - it sounds like he's going to derail the band with his creative fills, but they all stay on track perfectly. That section gives way to another slow atmospheric wash, which ushers in the second section of the song, consisting of Joanne's lyrics embedded in a complex acoustic guitar pattern. Here God is described as a bird which cannot be caged, a power which cannot be defined. It's so refreshing to hear a band so steeped in tradition turn out a lyric like "Catch the bird of Heaven/Lock Him in a cage of gold/Look again tomorrow/But He will be gone/Lock Him in religion/Gold and frankincense and myrrh/Carry to His prison/But He will be gone." All the traditions of man cannot contain God - what a humbling thought! This finally gives way to the third section, a slow but driving 4/4 rhythm during which Dave Bainbridge gets to turn out an amazing electric guitar solo (we're talking otherworldly, not grunge or heavy metal) as the time signature gently morphs into 3/4 and the song builds to its explosion of a climax... and then it's gone.
Murlough Bay gently floats in next with its compelling keyboard intro and Troy Donockley's pipes calling from the distance. This may just be my favorite Iona song of all (and that's a tough call!) - it's a gentle ballad depicting an experience of being alone in a beautiful place with a lover - likely God, but a human interpretation would work as well. If you've ever gone on a retreat to a quiet place, to pray, to spend one-on-one time with a loved one, to commune with nature, or whatever, you know what that feeling is like when the everyday world falls away and all of your troubles seem nonexistent. This song captures that feeling perfectly, and its lyrics are dripping with (dare I say it) an almost erotic spirituality: "Here we can bathe in a love that's divine/Here we can know I am Yours, You are mine."
Burning Like Fire is a simple, mid-tempo meditation on the Holy Spirit and how a faithful Christian longs for its guidance. It's a pretty standard metaphor - a lot of us have heard of the concept of being "on fire" for God. In particular, this song is calling out for guidance in the midst of darkness - Iona is definitely more comfortable in this humble position of constantly seeking God instead of pretending they have found Him and know all they need to know about Him. Another great guitar solo from Dave shows up on this one, too.
Adrift is another moody, intentionally wandering instrumental piece, using those "lonely ship" sounds that I wish I could describe better from "Brendan's Voyage" and loosely tying them all together with a light piano melody. You can almost picture that ship alone in the middle of nowhere, desperate to find something, and this definitely falls in line with the spiritual longing portrayed in the last few songs. Are you listening to that melody like I told you to? Pay attention...
Beachy Head is kind of an odd title, but from what I understand it's named after an actual place in England where many people have committed suicide by driving over the edge of a sharp cliff into the sea. Joanne seems to be standing on that cliff as she sings this song, looking out over the water and wondering what terrible situations could lead people to end their lives, praying for God to watch over this place and keep it safe. The music is decidedly not morbid, starting out with that lovely flute, and building to its climax on a flurry of drums, guitar, and sax, until, like "Bird of Heaven", it falls off into nothing, as if identifying with those desperate souls who are about to take the plunge. It seemed off topic at first, but then I realized that depression and suicidal feelings can often accompany those seasons of spiritual despair that we've been dwelling on for a few tracks now.
Machrie Moor seems to continue on the idea of "Adrift", but with a different tune and different instruments in the forefront, including a lovely Celtic harp. The flute adds a light to the overall sparseness of this composition, however, almost like a beacon calling the lost ship into the moor that will be its new home - or perhaps it has completed its search and returned to its old home?
Healing chimes in after a long fade at the end of the previous track, the drums taking on a slow, march-like feel. This is the song that welcomes our traveler back, except that the lyrics seem to indicate he doesn't have much to show for his journey. Evidently Brendan didn't find much, but this song seems to imply there is more to what he did discover than what first meets the eye. "There can be life for your warrior spirit," Joanne sings, "There can be freedom in this wasteland." It almost reprises the theme of his voyage - it may not look like there's much out there, but trust God and don't fear the unknown, even if people think you're a fool for leaving what's familiar. The ocean can only be so wide, and you will reach land eventually if you keep the faith.
Brendan's Return reprises the musical theme from - you guessed it - Brendan's Voyage. Once again, a memorable melody courtesy of Dave Bainbridge. But wait, there's more! While keeping the tempo, the melody changes midway through the track, and suddenly you've got that eerie melody that's been following you all along (theme and variation, for all you classical music buffs), tying two musical ideas into one. I didn't even notice this my first few times through the CD - more evidence that Iona rewards the patient listener.
Beyond These Shores ends off the album on a very simple note - Joanne starts off singing a capella, and is later joined by a piano, but that's about it. It's a simple ballad to sum up the story and its theme of venturing off into the unknown. Once again, this one didn't really do much for me at first, until I heard a live version with a violin thrown into the mix, and then I paid a little more attention to the lyrics. "And if I sail beyond the furthest ocean/Or lose myself in depths below/Wherever I may go, Your love surrounds me/For You have been before/Beyond these shores." It's sort of a rewrite of Psalm 139 - we cannot go anywhere where God is not, be it the highest Heaven or the lowest hell. This song has encouraged me in periods of spiritual darkness, feeling like I am all alone and dead in the water, and no one has been there to understand what I'm dealing with. God has been there, and is still there, and there is a shore ahead, no matter how long it takes to reach that shore. The album fades out on a simple but lovely piano improvisation, and suddenly it's very tempting to cycle through it all again to see what you missed.
I guess I don't have to say that this isn't gonna be for everyone. If you want a lively Celtic band, you'll probably be disappointed at first that so many of the tracks don't have a quick tempo, and many that do shift into a completely different rhythm before too long. It's best to put it on when you need to unwind, to let it play in the background when you're reading or even lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. See what different passages jump out at you, and repeat those tracks if that's your thing. But here I am giving you instructions again. I can't help it. It's become my favorite CD for relaxing, and it's right behind Jars of Clay's Much Afraid and dc Talk's Supernatural on my list of favorite albums of all time. That has to stand for something, especially considering how poppy and upbeat my musical tastes usually are.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: Murlough Bay, Bird of Heaven, Edge of the World, Today, Treasure
Good: Burning Like Fire, Prayer on the Mountain, Brendan's Voyage (Navigato), View of the Islands, Adrift, Beachy Head, Machrie Moor, Healing, Brendan's Return
Decent: Beyond These Shores
Weak: NONE
Skippable: NONE
Band Members:
Joanne Hogg: Vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Dave Bainbridge: Electric and acoustic guitars, piano, keyboards, programming, string arrangements
Mike Haughton: Saxophone, flute, tin whistle, background vocals
Nick Beggs: Chapman stick, bass (has since left the band)
Terl Bryant: Drums and enough other percussion items to make his credits an interesting read!
Website http://www.iona.uk.com
Great Music to Play While: Driving or hiking through majestic scenery
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