Fellow Epinions writers - have you ever had a review sitting in your draft queue for months on end, because you didn't know exactly what to say about an album? This is that review for me. It's not because I'm writing about a particularly difficult album - this is just one of those discs that sounds like a lot of fun on the surface, but proves to be difficult to say anything material about when you actually sit down to evaluate it. Such frustrating reviews often get put off in favor of more exciting stuff, but hey, might as well finish this one now that I've decided on a rating.

So, Everyday Sunday is a hyperactive Christian fuzz-pop band from Texas. I just made up that "hyperactive fuzz-pop" phrase, so what does that even mean? Basically, their aim is to make some extremely catchy rock songs with more of a raggedy approach, which means looser and scratchier guitar parts, lively drum fills here and there that only hold loosely to the rhythm, and of course, the grit-and-sandpaper vocals of lead singer Trey Pearson. Combine these factors with a happy, bouncy, melodic approach to songwriting, and you should have a band that is a shoe-in for being one of my favorites. Right?

Well, don't forget that we're talking about the youth-group-friendly end of Christian rock here. That generally means some less than brilliant lyrics, and sure enough, lyrics are Everyday Sunday's downfall. This being their second album, I have to give them some credit for amping up the music a little (though their debut Stand Up was already quite energetic, and by comparison, it was a tiny bit more electric, too) - the guitar playing and all that has definitely improved. But that can't hide an over-reliance on vaguely encouraging clichés like "It'll be OK and I'll be fine", "You can be anything that you wanna be", or "I'm lost without you, it's no surprise". So you can see why the aptly titled Anthems for the Imperfect is a frustrating listen for me.

Still, there are a few bright spots where the listener can just let his or her hair down and rock out, and not feel to guilty for doing so. Everyday Sunday is nothing if not a spirited band, who doesn't seem to compromise the volume level for the sake of radio (for the most part). Sometimes I want to compare them to Skillet, due to the joyful barrage of noise that they make and the rough vocals - but Everyday Sunday is a little less harsh than that, and not at all electronica-influenced. They've got a dash of Southern charm a la a much younger version of Third Day, though their songwriting isn't as memorable. Perhaps the most similarly-minded band I can compare them to is Sanctus Real. If the names I've mentioned are bands whose music you enjoy, or if you enjoy breezy, fun modern rock music that doesn't mind leaving a few loose ends hanging, then I guess it can't hurt to check Everyday Sunday out.

I Wish I Could Say
I, I know I'm not perfect
I know sometimes it's hard to come up strong
So maybe we, we can work it out
To do our best to give a little help...
The way that this album starts out will give you a perfect idea of the sound that Everyday Sunday performs best - fast, catchy drum beats, and a scratchy, distorted sound not unlike a guitar or amp that isn't quite plugged in properly, giving way to a dizzyingly fast and fun guitar intro that takes off running and doesn't let up. In the most general of ways, this song seeks to admit that one person's life doesn't have to be perfect in order for them to offer encouragement to another individual who is down and out. It tries to go one step beyond the typical "Everything will be OK" type of song by admitting that just saying that doesn't have the power to actually make things OK - we're just messed up humans and we can't magically fix everything. Beyond this, there's not much for the band to offer other than "it's just a phase" and the suggestion that "So maybe we, we can work it out, to do our best to give a little help". Kind of a blah resolution, but with those buzzsaw guitars and clattering drums going ninety miles an hour, I'll admit that it's somewhat easy to ignore that aspect of the song.

Bring It On
I didn't mean to be the one
To make you think about it, no
I won't be the one
To sit and take your throws...
Ah, yes, the classic "fight song" that youth groups can rally around as they fantasize about beating the snot out of the Devil. Every clean-cut Christian band's gotta have one. Everyday Sunday's attempt at such a song isn't too bad, even if it's somewhat repetitive and minimal on lyrics. It's hard not to smile and cheer when those scratchy riffs and the declaration of "Bring it on, bring it on, we're bringing it for God, so bring on the crowd" comes crashing in. It's half-sung and half-shouted in Pearson's slightly atonal voice, and for some strange reason, it works. It's easy to see that most of the song isn't very well thought out, resorting to a defiant "We're here to say we're not going away" type of attitude that never really reveals what this conflict is all about. It basically amounts to We're right and we're stubborn, so neener neener. Forget about that, and just revel in Chris Hines' sweet drum fills that show up in place of a bridge.

Gypsy Girl (What Love Is)
She's music to my eyes and she lives in paradise, but something isn't right
She thinks she's going blind, but it's just dark outside
Some sort of funky guitar effect takes front and center for what sounds like more of a laid-back pop single at first - these guys would have fit into the mid-90's alternative pop radio quite well with an ode to a quirky female such as this one. Ignoring the all-too-easy potshot taken at a girl who looks to a psychic for advice, this is a reasonably fun song that fleshes out its story a bit more, exploring the tension evident in a friendship between a guy who is a Christian and a girl who isn't, with a solid chorus that declares, "You're dying to live, you're dying to know what love is, and I'm trying to show you something more". The girl is actually described favorably, as an attractive and interesting person, not just a one-dimensional façade for Trey to set up just so that he can tell her how wrong she is. He sees her stumbling around, searching for something, and he wants to help her. That's admirable. This song pulls off a balance between the quick and light groove of its verses and the loud, speedy chorus that made it an endearing choice for a radio single.

I Won't Give Up
So I know I forgot what it meant just to love
Without caring about my selfish thoughts
I just want to remember what it's like to glorify You
And let it go...
Following in the vein of "Hanging On", one of the more sensitive and powerful songs on Stand Up, the band turns in another excellent power ballad, starting off with little other than bass and some light guitar noodling to establish the melody, as Trey sings in a more gentle tone about how his priorities have become screwed up and he's kind of lost focus on the spiritual beliefs that changed his life. It's an honest apology to God, somewhat mired in too-easy rhymes like "reason" and "treason", but musically, it's a great show-off point for the band, building in intensity slightly for the chorus, but saving the real wallop for the last minute or so, when what sounds like it should be an ending gives way to an "incendiary" (thank you, Almost Famous) jam session that's way more fun than anything ever included in a power ballad has the right to be.

Something
In time you decide that you don't like the truth
But it never wanted life to deal with you
So decide if these burdens are too hard to bear
Or if the cross is something less than what you care...
Despite my annoyance at the devotion of three minutes of music to the vague "something" that the song is named for (you can tell this one's going to pretty much useless in the lyrics department from the get-go), the band keeps the momentum high with another Tasmanian-Devil like performance, thick with fast-paced guitar riffage and speedy drumming. Trey's vocal performance here is notable for his ability to punctuate the beginning or end of certain lines of his lyrics with a shout or scream (it's far less irritating than when Linkin Park does this, that's for sure). I'm going to guess that this song deals with relativism and the tendency of Christians to cave under the pressure of popular culture instead of sticking up for what they believe, but... you know what, forget it, this song is about thrashing your hair about and looking like a divinely inspired idiot. Might as well not bother reading more deeply into it than that.

Herself (I Want a Girl)
She's the same in a crowd and when she's by herself
She doesn't put on a show for everybody else
She loves God with all that she brings
She brings him everything...
Everyday Sunday's second song about a girl doesn't fare as well as their first - though I can see once again that they mean well. Here, they apply their fuzzed-out sound to more of a sunny pop melody, singing about a girl who doesn't quite see the beauty that God placed within her. The band compliments her virtues, saying that "I want a girl that'll stand up for what she believes" (grammatical nitpick: you should refer to a person with "who" instead of "that"), and celebrating the fact that "she never cares about herself, just everybody else". I get that they're trying to say she's a generous, unselfish person with a servant's heart, but it kind of comes across as saying that the girl neglects to take very good care of herself. Not a standout track musically or lyrically - I can admire the band's intentions, but they kind of goofed on this one by not articulating themselves very well.

Freshman Year
All you want is silence anyway
But your tears are beautiful
The couch is stained from your makeup
I wonder, when will you wake up...
Hey, it's a song about starting over that compares the process to the first year of college. I like it already! Since I've had time to adjust to the overall sound of the album now, this upbeat rocker doesn't stand out as much musically (I had similar problems with the back half of Stand Up, which kind of blurred together a bit), but the lyrics do a better job here, saying occasionally enigmatic things like "You fell in love on the freeway, where the music leads your feet". There's a theme re-emerging here of a person who allowed themselves to be deceived, and now Trey is offering them a chance to start over with a clean slate. The most notable thing about this song, though, is another "false ending" that leads to a minute's worth of delicious acoustic guitar soloing. That's a pleasant surprise - I was kind of wondering where the acoustic guitars had gone to on this album, since the folk influence was a little more noticeable on their last disc.

Comfort Zone
I hope you see where I'm coming from
It's time to make a move, change my fate
Let go of all the things that feed my complacency
Don't wanna be a wannabe...
Another lyrically minimal song shows up here, that doesn't do too much to distinguish itself from the rest of the album tempo-wise. (An album mostly filled with fast songs can be a blast when driving, but frustrating when listened to more carefully if the music isn't distinctive enough from one song to the next.) Probably the most notable element here are the fun "Whoa, whoa!" refrains that punctuate the chorus - this sets Trey up for an amusing return from bridge back to chorus where the band quiets down for a second and he actually whispers the "Whoa" part before letting out a borderline-insane scream as the band takes off again. I mean, when's the last time you heard someone whisper the word "Whoa"? (Keanu Reeves notwithstanding.)

To the Skies
Always wish I was someone else
Do I make You wish that now
I'm nothing without You
And maybe the worst part is
That's been all right with me...
Here comes the part where the album starts to completely fall on its face. Until now, we've had a lot of vague lyrics, but not too many that were inexcusably cheesy. This song takes care of the cheese quotient by turning a sensitive, mid-tempo musing about regret into a cheesy appeal that proclaims, "Have the angels take a message to the skies, I'm lost without You, it's no surprise." It's sentimental muck that embodies a bit of bad theology if you read too much into it (namely, the notion that God is in "the skies" and that we need angels to get messages to God). I know, it's really just a metaphor, but enough Christians take the whole "Heaven is a place in the sky with angels playing harps" thing literally that I really wish Christian music would come up with other ways to describe it, and other ideas for encouraging us when we're down that don't rely on vague descriptions of a better place.

Star of the Show
Some days he feels like a porcupine
With a heart of gold
Everybody loves him but they can't get close
At least that's what he's told...
Another stinker shows up here - this one's a tiny bit more fun musically due to its stomping, dissonant groove and its description of a misunderstood character who is "a lost boy dreaming of Neverland", but once again, there's not much more being said other than the fact that he's a sad guy who deserves a chance to be happy. The chorus is real barf-fest: "You can be anything that you wanna be, You're the star of the show, and you don't even know your dreams can come true, ‘cause I believe in you." I wish somebody worked in the Christian music business who would have the job of reminding songwriters that they're not holding a competition to see who can write the next theme song for Disneyland. Can I have that job?

Untitled, Anonymous
Here I am again by myself in this room
There's no other place I can surface
My insides want out while the outside wants in
And the mirror is my window to the world...
Here's a refreshing change. A smoothly flowing 6/8 rhythm and some major-seventh chords set this song's scratchy guitar riff apart from the rest of the scratchy guitar parts on the album - this is one of the album's mellowest songs, but also one of its most heartfelt and genuine. Given that strings break in partway through, it's saying a lot when I point out that this one isn't just schmaltzy balladry. It seems to be a song about singleness and feeling like the odd man out in a world full of couples - "Seems like everyone else has the someone they need, and there's an odd number of people like me." That's a memorable chorus that I think the target demographic will be able to relate to, because we live in world where people who aren't dating someone are made to feel like something's wrong with them. Trey challenges himself as he sings the song, about what being alone really means, and whether he should be lying around feeling unloved when "I believe in something better than love". I hear God's love being compared to romantic love a lot, as if God is a big cosmic girlfriend or something, so it's refreshing for a song to come out that says it's actually way better than that (not that it's wrong to want a girlfriend - I'm just saying, let's not confuse the two). It's a beautiful moment where the band holds back the fuzz factor a bit and just lets the honest feelings hang out there, and for that reason, it's the album's best track.

The One
I am here, and I'm with You now
And didn't think I could feel this way
I am here, and I'm with You now
Because You found me somehow...
I don't know what it is, but I'm kind of getting tired of rock bands basing the final track on their album around a plain melody and a sole instrument that isn't even a normal part of the band's lineup. Here, Everyday Sunday takes us to Piano Ballad-ville as try sings about finding Jesus and dedicating himself to following Him in the most unimaginative words he can possible come up with ("I am here, and I'm with You now, because You found me somehow"), declaring in the banal chorus that "I will follow You with all my life, I can be the one tonight." The song gets a little bit of class added to it when Matt Thiessen from Relient K shows up for a duet vocal that works surprisingly well, and violinist Christa Black adds a subtle touch to the song as well. Overall, though, it's still an extremely cliché closing tune that doesn't mesh well with the band's musical personality.

OK, so it might kill a few brain cells. I'll admit to that much, and this is why I can't bring myself to give the band 4 stars for this effort. Still, it's a fun record, one that I'm glad I have in my collection whenever I pop it into my car's CD player. The music at least tries a little harder to not be cliché, and I have the strange feeling that if Everyday Sunday were to try to be a little more descriptive and unique with their lyrics, they could become one of Christian rock's most exciting bands. If they keep doing this sort of stuff, they'll likely labor in obscurity for most of their career, gaining a few modest radio hits that everyone forgets about a few months later. I know, no band's perfect, but at the same time, a band can always strive for more.

ALBUM WORTH:
I Wish I Could Say $1
Bring It On $1.50
Gypsy Girl (What Love Is) $1
I Won't Give Up $1.50
Something $1.50
Herself (I Want a Girl) $.50
Freshman Year $1
Comfort Zone $1.50
To the Skies -$.50
Star of the Show $0
Untitled, Anonymous $1.50
The One $.50
TOTAL: $12

Band Members:
Trey Pearson: Lead vocals
Andrew Martin: Guitar, backing vocals
Jason Siemer: Guitar
Dan Hunter: Bass
Chris Hines: Drums

Website: http://www.everydaysunday.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving