Occasionally a "secular" release comes along that strengthens my faith in God. This is one of those releases. If you went out and bought this today based on only that statement, you would no doubt be perplexed. Please let me explain.
Smith, former front man for Heatmiser, has constructed an album of songs that address most of what is wrong with the world. I do not pretend to be Smith's judge, but I doubt he is a Christian. He views the world with a profound pain and despair that I would share if I were not a Christian.
On "Speed Trials" he offers an ecclesiastical tune about trying to live without Christ. (Just because Smith may not realize this is what the song is about doesn't make it any less so.) "It's just a brief smile crossing your face; running speed trials standing in place." He even addresses our assured death to this life: "May be a long time 'til you get the call-up, but it's sure as fate and hard as your luck."
With the tune "Alameda" he sings of someone who uses deceit and manipulation to get their way, only to be left empty in the end. "Nobody broke your heart; you broke your own 'cos you can't finish what you start."
"Ballad Of Big Nothing" is an example of the pain of drug dependency and its devastating effects. "Getting in the back of a car for candy from some stranger, watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger." The chorus sums it up well: "You can do what you want whenever you want to; you can do what you want there's no one to stop you."
The album just goes on and on with one gem after another. "Between The Bars" addresses the lost potential of an alcoholic. "Pictures of Me" takes a brutal look in the mirror with lines like "You'll be the victim of your own dirty tricks," and, "Everybody's dying just to get the disease."
I've said a lot about the lyrics, but the music is just as good. Smith bases everything around an acoustic guitar and his near-whisper, smoke-too-much vocals. Everything is wrapped up in a poppy Big Star/Posies sort of tunefulness. The song "Rose Parade" is an excellent example of a song that has a hummable tune with lyrics about a drunk who attends a parade. It contains one of the album's most telling lines: "...and when they clean the street I'll be the only **** that's left behind."
The album contains some language that is decidedly un-Christian, so keep this in mind if you are thinking of buying it.
For me, the album evokes all the imagery and memories of past mistakes I've made. I know I have often been, and still sometimes am, guilty of looking for answers in all the wrong places at all the wrong times. This happens when I shift my focus away from God. Fortunately, God has always been there to show me the way out of my self-inflicted pain through Christ. Smith has reached a point where he recognizes and clearly defines the pain. I would like to share with him the cure.
Similar sounding releases
1998Steve HindalongSkinny
2004CerverisDog Eared
1999Michael LewisDig for the Light
1996Jeremy EnigkReturn of the Frog Queen
2004PilateCaught by the Window
1995Eric MatthewsIt's Heavy in Here
