Don't you hate it when bands in the UK release an album and their record companies make American audiences wait a few months to get their hands on it? Well, Christian rock band Delirious? has taken that frustration to a new level.

Let me recap for you. In the summer of 2001, Delirious? put out their latest studio album, Audio: Lessonover, which was met with lukewarm reviews, likely due to its tendency towards mid-tempo songs and ballads rather than the fact that the band's faith was a little more veiled in the lyrics. They don't have Christian radio stations over there to fuss about that stuff, far as I know.

American radio stations and record labels, however, are a tougher beast to deal with. The band had been signed with Sparrow Records for a few years, which meant that a few months after the UK got King of Fools, Mezzamorphis, and Glo, we got them as well (with a few extra tracks and/or remixes on the first two). Not a bad deal when you get something extra out of it. But when Sparrow heard Audio: Lessonover, their attitude must have been "Thanks, but no thanks", because instead of a slightly delayed release of that album, we got a 2-disc rehash of the group's most popular worship songs, entitled Deeper. I steered clear of it, hoping Sparrow would come to their senses and release the new album in early 2002, and I wouldn't have to bother ordering it from overseas.

So spring 2002 came and went, and I kept seeing various release date mirages all over the Internet, but nary a hint of the album's existence on Sparrow's website. Apparently Delirious? got tired of waiting, because they eventually decided to go international with their independent label and release the album on their own. I figured this was a great move, because then they could give us their own songs unpolluted by a record label who expected them to keep recording simple little worship ditties. So naturally, I was in for a shock when I found out that the band had pared the original 13 songs down to 10 and changed the album title. The press release attempting to justify this cutback was laughable - it basically told us that sure, there are fewer songs, but lookie, we remixed a few and even threw in a new recording of an old B-side and named the album after it! Be still my beating heart.

What it boils down to is that the band either isn't proud of their work, or they think their American audience is just plain stupid. In all fairness, it's not like I thought Audio: Lessonover was the most brilliant thing the band had ever done (that honor goes to Glo one of few consistently engaging worship albums on the market), but it showed a willingness to experiment with their sound a bit, which is always something I've appreciated about Delirious? Apparently most Americans don't.

I do fully realize that many critics roll their eyes when a new Delirious? album is released, expecting more retreads of sonic territory already traveled by U2 and Radiohead, and in this case, Coldplay. And I'll admit, Delirious? isn't the most original band out there, but I think they're very effective at what they do - they blend the sounds of many of their contemporaries into a cohesive and interesting album, much like dc Talk. Audio: Lessonover seemed to have a bit of a lagging pace at first, but it quickly made up for it with songs that had lots of quirkiness and ambience - lots of heart. The songs that best fit that description were apparently first on the list of songs that got axed, and with that and the rearranged track order, Touch feels relatively heartless. It's like the band just blew through the songs because their studio time was limited. And to top it all off, they made up for the short album length by selling Touch with a gimmicky touch-sensitive cover that displays the band photo based on temperature or something like that (whoopee), and a bonus disc with some thrown-together live tracks. Sorry, but when I put a Delirious? disc in my player, I expect at least 55 minutes of non-stop enjoyable, spiritually uplifting Brit rock. Instead, Touch serves as a collection of Audio: Leftovers, most of which are the same stuff from last year's release, but not half as tasty in their reheated form.

Touch
And now, another day is dawning
Another page is turning here
For everyone to see…
The album's lead track and namesake was actually first recorded a number of years ago, and released as a fairly decent B-side for the Deeper single. A moodier, more beefed-up version appeared on the Roaring Lambs compilation in 2000, and it was one of my favorites on that disc. This version tries to add a little more oomph to the original, but doesn't come off as much more than an alternate take of the 2000 version. I appreciate that they didn't use material from two years ago, but they really didn't improve on the song, as far as I'm concerned. Still, it's worth hearing for fans who haven't been exposed to the song yet - Martin Smith's impassioned proclamation that "When You touch my life, I am born again" is probably the most directly worshipful lyric on the record, and Stu G's melodic guitar lines near the end make for a memorable song.

Love Is the Compass
I couldn't stop the sun, now it's only getting colder…
I'll never understand why this track made the cut when some of the more interesting tracks from Audio got axed. I thought this was one of the filler tracks, being one of those in-between with only mildly interesting lyrics and an uncertainty as to whether it wanted to rock or be a ballad, but here, the band applies a slower groove to it, which actually makes it even less interesting. In this form, it's almost a rip-off of "Not Forgotten", the sole new track from their Deeper compilation. At least that track had some interesting background vocals for it. And at least the original version of "Compass" had punchier drums going for it. This version has neither working in its favor. And lyrics such as "I'm not left 'cause I'm all right" seem to be drawn from the same well of pseudo-cleverness that intermittently afflicted Bono during the Zooropa years.

Fire
Excess baggage falling, calling, throw it all away…
This sweaty rocker was a welcome relief the first few times through Audio: Lessonover, since it was surrounded on both sides by gentler, slower songs. It still remains one of my favorites, even though it's obviously one part "Bliss" (from Mezzamorphis) and one part U2's "Elevation". Martin and Stu G team up on vocals here, creating a rousing anthem with a mission-oriented feel to it, calling listeners to let go of the earthly possessions that hold them back and let God use them to make a difference in the world. Martin works himself into a fervor near the song's end, letting out the "manic preacher" side that caused CCM to deem the band a British version of Big Tent Revival. And then the song suddenly stops cold. Cool stuff. I guess it makes sense to have this track earlier in the album, though it doesn't seem as climactic when surrounded by other pseudo-rockers.

Alien
Show me a way to a higher place
Why is there sunshine on my guilty face?
I'm used to this moody modern rock track bleeding in from "Love Is the Compass", so it's kind of awkward to have it fade in from out of total silence. Aside from that, the song is thankfully left intact, buzzing guitars and cymbal-heavy percussion and all. I love the disorienting feel this song creates as Martin's vocals echo off into the background and do other weird things. It's a song about grace and feeling like it's undeserved - therefore we are like aliens in a strange land. It's worth noting that we've rejoined the track listing from Audio: Lessonover (already in progress), since this song is track 4 on both discs, and we'll stay there for a few tracks, so I can breathe easy for ten minutes or so.

Angel in Disguise
Secrets hide in the sand
Take these bones and put me back together…
This song is captivatingly lovely from the outset - opening with an interesting piano melody and the puzzling lyrics "Wake me up, shake me up, break me up and put me back together". The rhythm is a swaying 3/4, and the mood is both light and dark at the same time. Unfortunately, the song is slightly marred by Martin's seeming inability to back off. His voice seems to nearly break at times during the song, and I'm tempted to think he had to have recorded better takes than this. He just gets a little whiny, and it makes the transition between verse and chorus a bit jarring. I was put off at first by the shift to a 4/4 rhythm for the bridge, but it's a beautifully orchestrated instrumental, and it really does fit with the song, so I love it now that I know when to expect the rhythm to change. However, they still lose a point for the line "Call my name, somebody take me away", which is too similar to a line from "Alien" and the chorus to "Take Me Away", which shows up later in the album. Delirious? does have occasional problems with repeating the same lyrical ideas in different songs.

Rollercoaster
Here I'm spinning on, living on this merry-ground
Off the ground, spinning, flying, nauseating…
A mid-tempo drum loop kicks in as the pace of the album begins to pick up again (those who were expecting another catchy rocker are going to have to wait for just one more song). More moody keyboards tinker around in the background, creating a soundscape that reminds me of Collective Soul's "Crown", sped up to a more accessible pace. The lyrics seem to deal with a topic similar to Lifehouse's "Sick Cycle Carousel", but maybe it's just the amusement park theme that's got me thinking that way. It seems to be about a cycle of sin that Martin can't escape. It's an okay track, I suppose, though the band pulls another tempo change on me by slowing it down for the bridge and then speeding up again. I'm not a big fan of slowing down a song in the middle, so I always find that part rather irritating. On the plus side, the production is intricate and quite well done, and it's good to see Delirious? experimenting and not aping any other band too obviously.

Show Me Heaven
Here, I am not alone
There is nowhere I can run to on my own…
Apparently, the guys wrote this one for Glo, but it didn't really fit well with the other songs, so they left it off and gave it a home on Audio: Lessonover. (Thank God they didn't write it for Mezzamorphis - there's already a song called "Heaven" on that album!) For the most part, it's a fun, upbeat rock track - not as hard-edged as "Fire", but still highly engaging throughout. The band just lets loose and has a good time as Martin describes the joy of having overcome fear, standing in eager anticipation of what God is going to do next. It was clearly made with the group's live show in mind - Martin even yells, "Come on, Stu G!" right before Stu rips into a great guitar solo - which is slightly marred by the fact that the guitar keeps jumping from the left speaker to the right speaker and back - very distracting if you've got headphones on. One other distraction is yet another rhythm switch right before the chorus - it jumps into 3/4 and then back again, which really doesn't seem to fit at first. It's not such a big deal that I'm used to it, but it might hurt the radio-playability of this one. The song was originally a bright spot buried in the back half of Audio: Lessonover, whereas now it's a bright spot slammed into… well, the back half of Touch. The fact that track 7 is already the back half is rather disconcerting, isn't it?

Take Me Away
She could walk on the waves
Crashing through my own desire…
This was my favorite track on Audio: Lessonover, and even though it's out of place this far back, I'm glad it at least made the cut. It's a total rock-out love song complete with a cool keyboard intro, a punchy drum solo in its bridge, and some jubilant shouts of "Hey! Hey!" from Martin before Stu G delivers another tasty guitar solo. The song was most likely written for Martin's wife, and it's nice to see that a band mostly known for worship can take the time to acknowledge the joy that human relationships bring as well. CCM Magazine and some other supposedly authoritative publications really missed the mark when they stated that this song was ambiguous as to whether it was about God or a girl… Hello McFly, what part of "I'm in love with a girl" did you not understand? Sad but true - they still have the nerve to insist that Touch is a worship album (God is definitely worshipped by these guys' use of their talent, but this isn't worship in the sense of corporately singable praise songs), and since people tend to categorize things without listening to 'em, you can bet the album will crop up in the Praise & Worship section of your local Christian bookstore.

Waiting for the Summer
I see you smile, you're not living for this life
Innocence, you remind us how it can be right…
You know, if they were gonna rearrange the songs, they could've at least had the sense to not put two love songs that sound similar and serve the same purpose back-to-back. (This song and the preceding one opened Audio: Lessonover in reverse order.) Thankfully, this was the one instance where remixing a song worked in the band's favor - the original song had some irritating female background vocals and an overall insipid feel that is mostly resolved here by keeping the focus more on the drums and guitar. I've learned to like the old version and so I don't mind hearing either, but I still don't think this one works as the penultimate track on the album. They probably just did this so they could put the more "spiritual" songs (read: likely radio singles) at the beginning. Oh, and by the way guys, you can get away with saying "It's a beautiful day" in one song ("Everything" from Glo) without it being a U2 rip-off, but two songs is pushing it!

Stealing Time
I've got a crowd of things going on in my head
I need a lonely day with You sometimes…
This eight-minute plea for a little quiet time is the closest thing to the spontaneous jams of Glo and Cutting Edge that you'll find on this album. (We'll ignore the fact that it's a totally awkward shift in mood after the three rockers that preceded it.) For those expecting the straight-forward worship lyrics and pretty melodies of songs like "Jesus' Blood", "Thank You for Saving Me", "Intimate Stranger", etc., you might be a bit disappointed. This one has more in common with darker Psalms like "Obsession" or "Blindfold" - its melody is almost dirge-like, and the backing music takes on that detached Radiohead style once again. Still, Martin is addressing God directly here, saying "I need a lonely day with You." The song has an almost sci-fi feel to it, giving me a picture of a man slipping out of the continuum of time so that he can be unnoticed and without distraction as he prays. A few random keyboards and blurting horns repeat as the track closes out - it might be a bit indulgent, and it certainly pales in comparison to the "Glo in the Dark" tracks, but it's still a good ending to both versions of the album.

I could go on and tell you about the 6 live tracks that were hurriedly pressed onto a bonus disc to tempt those of us who had already bought Audio into buying this album, but frankly, I haven't listened to them, because I wasn't gonna fall for that trick. Instead, I'd rather mention the interesting songs that were left off of this album, most of which should have been included. There Is an Angel was another well-done love song, kind of like a romantic version of "Intimate Stranger", but even quieter. This was followed up by the quirky Bicycle Gasoline, which had some unique lyrics about how Martin and his wife Anna have intertwining needs for each other, and then another Martin/Stu G collaboration called A Little Love, which was a musical Frankenstein, having a dirge-like verse and a poppy, happy chorus of "All you need is love". Then there's the political anthem America, which certainly isn't one of the band's best tracks (they're best leaving the political stuff to U2), but was interesting in light of 9/11 (it was written not long before that), and for crying out loud, this is America, so why'd you leave off the song? One song I don't miss is Stu G's hidden track All Around the World, which was buried a few minutes after "Stealing Time". No biggie on that one.

I've seen a lot of questionable things done in the CCM world, usually in a quick bid to get money or rack up hit radio singles (which of course means money, as well as keeping your record label happy). But I honestly didn't expect it from Delirious?, and since they've thrown off the shackles of their former American label, it's shocking to see them still pulling the same kind of B.S. that I would've expected from Sparrow. If that wasn't bad enough, they've just released a double-disc live album called Access:D in the UK, and not only are we not going to see it until the spring (at least), but they're actually refusing to ship orders to the US before then. How lame is that? I've never come so close to wanting to boycott a band - and it hurts when it's a band that honestly makes good music.

Anyway, don't buy Touch unless you want to prove to Delirious? that their American audience really is stupid. Trust me - it seems like warm, nourishing food on the inside, but bite into it and you'll find a cold center, just like those leftovers you didn't nuke in the microwave for long enough.

ALBUM WORTH:
Touch $1
Love Is the Compass $0
Fire $2
Alien $1.50
Rollercoaster $.50
Show Me Heaven $1.50
Take Me Away $2
Waiting for the Summer $1
Stealing Time $.50
Leaving out "There Is an Angel" -$1
Leaving out "Bicycle Gasoline" -$1.50
Leaving out "A Little Love" -$1.50
Leaving out "America" -$.50
Leaving out "All Around the World" $0
TOTAL: $5.50

Band Members:
Martin Smith: Vocals, guitars
Stuart Garrard: Electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Tim Jupp: Keyboards, programming
John Thatcher: Bass
Stewart Smith: Drums, percussion, backing vocals

Website: http://www.delirious.co.uk
(http://www.delirious.org.uk also has some good stuff, including complete lyrics)

Addendum: I forgot to mention that the title Audio: Lessonover is an anagram for Radio One Loves Us. So perhaps the band has been a bit too obsessed with radio success lately.

Recommended: No