divad23's Full Review: If I Left the Zoo by Jars of Clay
It seems that many of the truly great bands in Christian music can't be pinned down. When Jars of Clay released their self-titled album back in 1995, it set a bit of a standard for the CCM community with its creative strumming backed by strings and catchy drum loops (they weren't really using live drums at the time, as they never acquired a full-time drummer) and breathtakingly poetic lyrics. Looking back from how far they've come, the old days seem simple yet still classic. People expected more of the same - instantly accessible alternative folk rock backing up powerful statements of faith - when their second CD, Much Afraid, came out in '97. Most folks just didn't get it - the programmed beats and strings were mostly gone (or at least not as up front in the mix), and the lyrics were bumped up a notch in poetic intensity, losing some folks who were looking for more straightforward statements like "I want to fall in love with You" and "If I would follow and believe with faith like a child". Even I was wondering briefly - what happened to my favorite band? Then the CD sucked me in and I looked at the Jar-boys in a whole new light.
So that brings us to 1999, and If I Left the Zoo. Nobody really knew what to expect for this one. My friends and I were wise enough to brace for another style change, despite rumors they'd be going back to the sounds of their first album. Maybe we expected it to be a little more full-on rock. Well, the change was really neither of those things.
I guess you could explain it this way - the first album was the innovative musical style, and lyrically the most "evangelistic" of the trio. Most of these were songs they wrote in college and re-recorded later. Much Afraid left a little more up to interpretation with songs like "Truce", "Overjoyed" and "Fade to Grey", which all pondered deeply spiritual issues of how we relate to God, but carried a more melancholy and fragile sound (hence the title) and a more careful, less in-your-face musical style. Now we have the third album, which for the most part loses the melancholy and trades it for quirky. Yeah, the spiritual themes still run strong - they always will. But now the band is more witty and playful, though only one track comes close to being just plain silly. There are more noises jumping out at you than you expect, and the songs settle into a more raw, jamming sort of groove. At first, I'll admit I didn't like most of it very much. I thought they had strayed too far - even from Much Afraid. And there wasn't a powerful worship song like "Love Song for a Savior", "Worlds Apart", or "Hymn" to draw in the listeners who wanted to hear more straightforward Christian content. Instead we have songs about superficiality, brokenness, and the plain messiness of trying to save ourselves when it is completely in vain. God is referred to more indirectly in some cases - you either have to figure out that a song is from God's point of view, or God is a metaphor such as a river... you get the idea. But this is good stuff. It just allowed the band to expand in a different direction, and once these songs sink in, this is a totally fun album to listen to and sing along with (I'm big on singable songs, if you hadn't guessed).
So, about the individual songs:
Goodbye, Goodnight
A non-standard album opener if I've ever heard one! It starts off very quietly, with just on accordion and an acoustic guitar, chugging along in a manner that evokes a little bit of the Beatles. Lead singer Dan Haseltine very quickly ropes you in with some gloomy lyrics about how the world is going down the drain, set to music that is far more quirky than depressing. Soon, some strings are thrown into the mix, and by the bridge, they kick it into high Beatles mode (and I mean unmistakable - in my girlfriend's words, "This is like PfR Beatles!") and the song gets quite melodramatic - in a very tongue-in-cheek way. This may be the closest the Jar boys have come yet to something Steve Taylor might have written. In the light of the whole Y2K business that everyone was talking about when this CD came out, it's kind of their way of sticking their tongue out at the millennium bug. The odd thing is that you keep expecting some drums or something to kick in - this being the first song and all - and they never do. The song eventually just peters out. Oh, those rascals!
Unforgetful You
Here's where the tempo begins to rev up. This song uses quite a bit more electronic effect than I've heard from the guys before, including a repeated vocal line that will leave you scrambling for your lyric sheet, but it will be in vain. This is not an electronica song by any means; though, it is backed by a raw drum and guitar sound (and these are more snappy drums than I've ever heard on a Jars record), and very playfully paints a scenario of how God always remembers the little things that we can't even grasp from our human perspective. This song's got it all - some great harmonies in the chorus, excellent guitar licks from Steve Mason (who really stands out for both his guitar work and vocal support on this record), and a tune that will be stuck in your head for quite some time.
Collide
This was one of the most anticipated tunes on the record for me (I had heard them play it live a month or so earlier), and it did not disappoint. It starts with an eerie piano line - almost like something out of an old scary movie. Then the guitar and drums hit hard - perhaps this is a more aggressive song than anything the band's ever recorded, but not enough to scare anyone away. It's still got a great, inventive melody and intriguing lyrics. The song does a really good job of backing off to let the verses (and the cool piano parts) breathe and then striking with full intensity on each chorus. Lyrically, it seems to be from God's point of view, speaking to a person fearing judgment for their mistakes and desperately trying to cover them up. It is one of the most poetic depictions of how the punishment for sin was taken for us by Christ that I have ever heard (if I'm interpreting the song correctly). The solo in the bridge is killer, as is the way the song finishes and eventually falls apart, with at least three separate vocal lines overlapping each other. Definitely my favorite song on this CD.
No One Loves Me Like You
Here the intensity level drops a notch and we see a more serious side of the band a la Much Afraid. This song has a bit of a bluegrass feel as the percussion brushes along with the acoustic backing. It had to grow on me - something about it feels a little emptier than it should. Still, it is a pretty song about getting hurt and realizing that people will never love us like God will, but still being willing to take those risks in loving others. I guess it's the closest thing to a worship song on this album. I like it now, but I was a bit perturbed this one was chosen instead of a host of better songs for the WoW 2000 CD.
Famous Last Words
I really feel the longing and urgency presented in this song. It opens with a guitar strum that reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery" and builds from there into a tale of a friend who keeps putting off an important decision of some sort - perhaps regarding a relationship? It's really left up to the listener. It could be a potential lover, or someone who is thinking about becoming a Christian. Either way, it's a beautiful song, they do a great job of compelling you into feeling like time is running out - they even startle you with an alarm going off in the middle of the song! There is also a really nice keyboard break that gives Charlie Lowell a chance to shine - he gets a number of similar chances on this CD.
Sad Clown
Perhaps more piano-dominated than the band's previous work (once again - nice work Charlie!), this is a slow, jazzy, minor-key piece that laments how we hide the pain inside of us while putting on a show to keep others happy. It seems like the kind of tune they'd be playing if they were down and out and hanging out in a bar, except there is still that glimmer of hope found in a God who sees through it all - "You break me open, turn on the light, stumble inside."
Hand
This one was actually co-written by independent artist Jonathan Noel (who the band collaborated with on his CD of the same name). It has a gentle, unassuming, midtempo feel to it, much like a mellower "Five Candles". Overall, it doesn't really do it for me. I usually like a faster song to pick up the second half of an album, especially after the previous three songs which were all slow to mid-tempo. It's a nice, but fairly standard meditation on how God hangs on to us in our most desperate, fearful, and defiant moments.
I'm Alright
This one was destined to become a fan favorite from it's inception. Again we have a deceptively fun-sounding tune coupled with a melancholy lyric - this time the protagonist is laying out his fears but insisting that he's alright and doesn't need any help. This time around it's a decidedly funky tune, though - starting out with a fairly unplugged alt-rock feel like something off of Audio Adrenaline's bloOm and segueing into a chorus complete with gospel choir that sounds like it belongs on an Anointed CD. Then an acoustic guitar solo is picked out with whistling for accompaniment - which is reminiscent of the Newsboys' "Breakfast". All these elements seem pretty divergent, but make for a strangely fun song. I love how Dan keeps on trading spontaneous "yeah, yeahs" with the choir as the song finishes.
Grace
Once again, some divergent elements fit together to make for a catchy song. Either an accordion or an organ - I'm not sure which - leads us into the song, and then the percussion slows to half-time to give the lyrics some breathing room. Once again a theme of procrastination comes up, with the lead singer explaining how he has purposefully remained in captivity and refused to let God save him, but in the end, God's grace could not be escaped. For a song with such a simple title (and cliche in Christian music), they do a great job of sidestepping typical religious language to describe an age-old theological concept. Steve Mason gets in some pretty far out guitar lines here - evidently thanks to the producer, who helped tweak his instrument on this one a little more than he initially wanted to!
Can't Erase It
This song is an acoustic-rock jam session, much like Caedmon's Call's "Thankful". How they manage to evoke Caedmon's Call, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys all in one song and yet manage to still be uniquely Jars of Clay is beyond me, but it really works. Some strong, country-influenced guitar lines join up with very outspoken percussion (everyone helped out with it on this song) to form a solid groove. This is a song about not being able to escape who you were created to be and not letting everyone mold you or try to demand that you be perfect - instead of being melancholy or defeatist in its attitude, it is actually very joyful. It's like it's saying, "Go ahead and accept who God made you to be and stop making apologies for it. Just be free and make mistakes and do your best to love people and love life." Once again, a great message that you have to dig a bit for (sorry if I'm doing a little of the digging for you!) I love the acapella parts at the beginning of the chorus and the little breakdown, complete with studio chatter, in the bridge. This one was also a blast in concert, and I was happy to hear a faster song buried so far back in the album.
River Constantine
Quite simply, a wonderful metaphor for God. Again, this one comes close to worship, but probably doesn't work as a corporate worship song just because of its metaphorical nature. Oh, well, anything we say about God is pretty much a metaphor anyways, so kudos to Jars for expressing it so well. Musically, they choose to close out with a more laid-back feel (as always) - the softer, more jazzy percussion returns, but this one flows (no pun intended) better than "No One Loves Me Like You" did. We also get a nice final piano solo from Charlie Lowell here. I think it's funny that they say "crashing waves" in this song, because as I've been reminded about "Flood" many times after singing it wrong - "It's thrashing waves!"
This album was reportedly a huge growth process for the band - their producer pushed their boundaries and encouraged them to build the music around these words as if they weren't the Jars of Clay of old. While it may have been interesting to hear these songs in old Jars style, I'm happy with the final product and it's kept me coming back for repeated listens. Steve Mason and Charlie Lowell particularly play more of a prominent role on this CD, where the past two were much more dominated by Dan's vocals and lyrics and Matt Odmark's acoustic guitar (plus whatever percussion players they had borrowed). So while this may not be the Jars we're used to, and it may take some getting used to, I think this may be closer to an accurate representation of the band as a collective. But don't get too used to it. They'll probably have made some stylistic changes again by the next album.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: Collide, Can't Erase It, Famous Last Words, Sad Clown, Unforgetful You, Goodbye Goodnight, I'm Alright
Good: No One Loves Me Like You, Grace, River Constantine
Decent: Hand
Weak: NONE
Skippable: NONE
Band Members:
Dan Haseltine: Lead Vocals
Matt Odmark: Acoustic Guitar
Steve Mason: Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Charlie Lowell: Keyboards
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