I'll just come out and admit it - I have an automatic bias against young Christian bands that have a lot of stylistic similarity to trendy styles in the mainstream. Part of me really wants to not like a band who gets compared to a popular rap/rock act a lot - perhaps even by the people advertising the new band - simply because I'm expecting a direct rip of the sound that worked for the popular band, with stale Christian-ese lyrics grafted into the style with no thought to how they fit with the music. This was definitely my fear with the band 38th Parallel, who released their debut album Turn the Tides during the summer of 2002.

Hailing from Iowa, this energetic rap/rock quintet gets their name from a dividing line that served to separate North and South Korea at one time (perhaps during the Korean War)? And it's an appropriate name in some ways, for there are those who would claim that their music serves as a sort of neutral zone between Linkin Park and your average safe Christian rock band. The first few times I heard these guys, I was certainly tempted to cry "sellout" - their dual vocal attack and their penchant for combining pop hooks with a more aggressive "nu-metal" style made them seem like a cheap carbon copy of LP. And I like Linkin Park, so it wasn't like I had an immediate bias against the style. I just think too many people are defaulting to that style these days, and we all know how Christian music is often two to three years behind the times. I was pretty much ready to label them as another one of those "ministry bands" who copped a popular style simply to get attention of kids who liked bands like Linkin Park, hoping to get as many of them saved as possible before they realize they'd been had and the band wasn't actually that good.

But then something happened. I started to get hooked. I hate it when that happens! Nevertheless, I had to admit to myself that there was a reasonable amount of difference between 38th and LP. Here are some of the most notable differences:

- Linkin Park has one guy who sings and screams and one guy who raps. 38th Parallel has two vocalists who are equally good at both rapping and singing - no real screaming to speak of.
- 38th Parallel doesn't rely on turntables and electronic effects.
- Linkin Park has pretty solid, thick production (while some might argue that they are overproduced). 38th Parallel's album has some of the weakest production I've ever heard on a non-indie release.
- 38th Parallel writes way better lyrics than Linkin Park - they don't sound like teenagers trapped in adult bodies.
- Linkin Park is pretty good at tricking listeners into thinking their albums are longer than they really are. 38th Parallel's album is ridiculously short no matter how you slice it.
- Linkin Park is much better at transitioning from one song to the next in most cases.

Depending on who you are, you might be tempted to think that Linkin Park still wins out in the long run. And you'd probably be right. The scary thing, though, is that I think 38th Parallel actually has more potential in the long run, even if there's no way they'll ever be nearly as popular as LP. Thus far, 38th's biggest drawback seems to mainly have to do with their recording budget. Turn the Tides was in the works right in the middle of a complete financial restructuring at their label, Squint Records, which resulted in its visionary founder, Steve Taylor, losing the rights to the Squint name, as well as most of the money he'd invested in it. The label that once prided itself on putting out genuinely good art by bands like Sixpence None the Richer and Burlap to Cashmere was now grasping at straws in an attempt to stay afloat. I won't say that 38th Parallel lacks artistic talent, but if you're going to compare them to just about any of their would-be label mates who have "graduated" to bigger things, they're going to fall a little short. And I don't know whether to blame producer Tony McAnany, or the record label, or the band themselves, but whatever the case, it sounds like this thing was recorded on a pretty tight budget. 10 songs that total 32 minutes???!! You've gotta be kidding me! And what's with those drums? They sound like they're being hit with pencils. Somebody was obviously in a hurry here.

But get this - just imagine better production, perhaps a few twists of the knobs to give these guys more of a "live band" feel, and a lot of these songs are pretty darn good. For some reason, I can't bring myself to ignore the "what if" factor.

Hear My Cry
I can taste it, I'm drowning in a flood
I can taste it, and it tastes like blood...
Obviously it's going to be difficult for me to make an argument for this band's credibility when the first few bars of the first song on their CD sound almost exactly like P.O.D.'s hit song "Alive", and when the song was co-written by, of all people, Brent Bourgeois. (He's written some great pop songs on his own and with Michael W. Smith - and that's where he needs to stay, thank you very much.) But I'll admit, the desperate call and response of shouting and rapping in the verse makes for an incredible hook. The chorus shows off the dual vocal talents of Nathan Rippke and Mark Jennings - these guys can be both harsh and smooth at the same time. But the lyrics kind of get lost in the shuffle of the vocal layering, effectively killing the song's main hook. And then, just when it should be building to a decent climax, the song just effortlessly fades out. What is that? You don't end a song like that on a rap/rock album.

Turn the Tides
Sands of time where they sink
On the brink of eternity, cold and alone
I shrink at the festering obscene corruption
And my silence in the face of this mass destruction...
The album's title track does a decent job of getting things going after that false start - one of the guys beings the song with a furious, attention-getting rap verse, making an effective trade-off to the other guy when one spits out the line "Blind leading blind, aimlessly into the quicksand", and the word "sand" starts the other guy's first line. The song is pretty much all rap against a crunchy, guitar-rock background, with a wordless melodic interlude where one of the vocalists (sorry, I have no idea which is which) pulls a total Chester Bennington and lets us hear the more "boy band" side of his voice. The chorus is brilliant, with the two guys trading off every few words, and the song's short enough to keep all of its gimmicks from getting repetitive. When you listen carefully, the song has a good message to it - the band wants to be socially relevant and speak love to a decaying world. The only real weakness is an aimless bridge where some fake strings chime in - you'd think they could have put in a guitar solo or something, but instead, we get a bit of space-filler that any serious modern rock aficionado would find laughable. I'll try not to hold it against them.

Higher Ground
Your determined words dance on my heart, you're like a conscience in my ear
Your laughing smile and brilliant eyes remind me why I'm here...
Guitarist Shane Moe gets a chance to redeem himself on this song, ironically by giving it more of an acoustic flair. Irony seems to be the operative word when describing this song - it may well be the high point of the album, even though there's no rap in it whatsoever. Instead, we get a fast-paced rhythm, a sweet blend of electric and acoustic when the lead guitar line slices through the grunge as if the band had decided to speed up an old Starflyer 59 song, and some genuinely sweet vocals from one of the guys. I'll be honest - this would be the sort of sound I'd expect from Plus One now that they're aspiring to be a full-fledged rock band, because these guys have the harmonies down. The song is a touching tribute to a friend who became a Christian recently, an affirmation that her newfound faith became a beacon, reminding these guys of their purpose for doing this whole band thing.

Clouded
As my ears go deaf to the ancient and thundering sound of creation's singing
I'm clinging so tight to my questions, I can't hear its chorus ringing...
The band's penchant for lyrics that go beyond where young Christian bands are expected to go starts to show up here, as the guys tackle the tough subject of doubt and its role in helping a Christian to grow in faith. The sound is a bit rawer here, relying mostly on drums (which are sadly limp) and whispered rap vocals for the verses, and then launching into a forceful chorus that almost reminds me of Disturbed. For some reason, it's a lot of fun to spit out the refrain "So rend the veil, the shroud that clouds my eyes!" even though I know "fun" isn't really an appropriate word because the song had to have been borne out of a difficult phase in someone's spiritual life. You can feel the desperation in this song, the unquenchable need to see God clearly again. On top of all that that, they manage to pull of a pretty tight transition into the next track here.

Who Am I?
Made like a mirror to reflect His glory
But the glass got smashed, bought a counterfeit story...
This song is another pleasant surprise - Jeff Barton busts out with a thick bass groove, and one of the guys lays down an accomplished rap verse over it. The song has a funky, almost playful tone to it that really makes me miss Reality Check - it's still a fusion of rap and rock, but miles away from being a Linkin Park knockoff. The song deals with hypocrisy, and the fallen state of man - we're all sinners, but so many times, all we see is somebody else's sin. The chorus brings it all home with a refrain that just makes you want to bob your head and "speak along": "Who am I to say right, right/Who am I to say you're wrong?/Play judge, look you in the eye/Who am I to throw the stones?" Another acoustic interlude makes for a little icing on the cake, and though the song ends in another disappointing fade, it's not as intolerable as it was at the end of a "harder" song.

Horizon
The days grow long and the days grow dark
And the days ever grow colder
The trust that I started with fades as I get older...
This was the band's first single, which makes sense, since it has the most pop appeal of any song (other than "Higher Ground"). It starts out with a very clean, echoing guitar line, over which smooth vocals are applied, and then a more urgent rap is inserted, leading into a more aggressive chorus. The whole thing is straight from downtown hook-ville, that's for sure. And it's justifiable, since the song carries a lot of hope - even if that hope is a tad cliché. We've all heard songs about "looking to the blue horizon" before, but this ain't no "somewhere" over the rainbow - this is a defiant grasping for hope in a world where "my faith is weathered and worn". The main elements keeping this song from being truly excellent (besides the production, which hinders every song) are the fact that the rap verse is repeated three times, so there's nothing new after the second chorus, and the pointless instrumental bridge, during which the guitars do jack squat when they could be unleashing an inspiring solo. Shane Moe seems to have this recurring problem...

State of Mind
I stagger the earth with one defeated sigh
I once was longing to live, now I'm longing to die
Having attained everything that I desired was not enough...
This is another slower number like "Clouded", and once again the guys utilize their whole "trading off" scheme, but here it doesn't work as well. There's something about spoken-word vocals that doesn't always work well when a song is slowed down, and this one really suffers for it, to the point of being very forced and irritating. The lyrics are an admirable attempt to sum up the life of a prideful man who ahs it all and yet has nothing - it's essentially the rap/rock version of "That's What Matters" by Rebecca St. James. It just feels like the guys didn't quite know how to finish this one - the various pieces of the song transfer awkwardly into one another and it's just left hanging at the end.

You Are My God
Could I be proud when they hate me and mock me?
What is the mind of the God that created me?
I am different; I am despised
I am ever looking through the smallest of eyes...
Imagine that - a worship-focused rap/rock song that actually works. Stranger things have happened. All of the elements of the previous song that sounded forced seem to get another chance to flow better here, and they do. It's strange that I would have such a positive reaction to an attempt to mix two overbearing trend within Christian music - the rap/rock imitator bands and the recycled worship clichés, but I guess I'm just a sucker for the Psalm-like effect of crying out to God from a deep place of pain and sorrow. Here, the singer/speaker isn't worshiping God because everything is hunky-dory and he's happy - he's worshiping God because it's his source of sanity in a world that hates him and makes fun of him. The song relays an honest yearning to see the world as God sees it, to feel love and compassion for these enemies instead of just wanting them to disappear. When the song builds momentum during the bridge and the guys repeatedly yell "Show me Your eyes, show me Your mind, show me!", it should be cheesy, but instead it's quite powerful. You might file this under the category of youth-group-friendly anthems that are actually good.

Wither
Enter the champions of love (so called) singing loud
Grinning as they spit out their words so proud
Are the hearts unmoved by songs and ideals?
Wading through the rhetoric to clutch something real...
I'm not big on the guitar/drum intro to this song, which was filtered through some sort of an effect that makes it sound like you've just downloaded an mp3 encoded at 16kbps, but once the comparably not-so-crappy production takes over again, you've got a pretty good song on your hands. This was most likely one of the most personal and difficult songs for the band to deal with, since it's about a friend of Mark's who died of AIDS. The song is directed at judgmental Christians who seem to find more satisfaction in watching a person suffer from the consequences of their presumed sin (some people contract such diseases through no fault of their own, actually) rather than feeling compassion and doing what they can to bring the person into the loving community that the church is supposed to be. "We stand heartless, just watching him die" about sums it up. There are a few lyrics here and there that get lost amidst all of the overlaid vocals - the distorted rap in the bridge can be especially frustrating. But at the end of the day, it's a good attempt at a poignant bit of songwriting that sets us up nicely for the album's final track. (Already?)

3 Times Denied
Dipping bread in a dish, calling out a traitor
I'm hoping You'll explain this sooner or later...
This faster-paced number is a fairly good way to close out the album - even if it ends it on an abrupt note. So many Christian rock albums like to end thing nice and neat and resolved with a worshipful ballad - these guys chose instead to leave it with a challenging take on a well-known Biblical story. The story of Jesus' betrayal is told here from the point of Peter, the supposed "rock" who denied Him three times, and was left to deal with the horror of His death on the cross while he pretended not to know Him. It's a good bit of storytelling, adequately capturing the tension and guilt, and breaking into a reasonably heavy shoutfest of "THREE! TIMES! DENIED!", as if to mimic the accusing voices in Peter's head. But as we all know, Jesus still forgives, and near the end of the song Peter is asked three times if he really loves Jesus. As the Bible goes on to tell (this isn't really reflected in the song, but knowing this makes it all the more challenging), Peter is exhorted to show that love for Jesus by feeding His sheep. The situation described in "Wither" is a painful example of how Christians deny their Lord by failing to love "the least of these", so it's fitting how these last two songs tie together, even though the album seems to be over way too suddenly after the final shout of "This wretchedness becomes my fame!" Great line, though.

If you're into whole rap/rock, nu-metal, or whatever it's called, and you'd like a good Christian band in the genre that can at least make you think a little bit, then you might want to see if you can find this album in your local Christian bookstore. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for it, since it's practically begging to be labeled an EP, and it could use a serious remaster (maybe with an extra song or two tacked on?) But it also shows what talent these guys have, and who knows, maybe time will favor them and they'll have more of a budget the next time around. The departure of their guitarist can only be a good thing - I'm sure Shane was a talented player and all, but for whatever reason, he wasn't using it very much on this album. (We'll call that the Ben Moody syndrome.) If they keep writing down-to-Earth songs that young Christians and mature Christians alike can relate to, and don't let up on the tag-team vocals (which is one of the best things they've got going for them), then there's a chance that 38th Parallel might be able to sneak behind enemy lines and help rescue a few captives in the process.

ALBUM WORTH:
Hear My Cry $1
Turn the Tides $1.50
Higher Ground $2
Clouded $1.50
Who Am I? $2
Horizon $1.50
State of Mind -$.50
You Are My God $1.50
Wither $1.50
3 Times Denied $2
TOTAL: $14

Band Members:
Nathan Rippke: Vocals
Mark Jennings: Vocals
Shane Moe: Guitars (no longer with the band)
Jeff Barton: Bass
Aaron Nordyke: Drums

Website: http://www.38thparallelmusic.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving