Joy Electric

Item: Children of the Lord
Author: Sucré Musique

Children of the Lord

(1999)

Reviewed by Sucré Musique

Discogs Apple Music Spotify

Label BEC RecordingsBandoppler1999

electronic synth pop

"Who cares? We do! But we don't care what you think!" Whoa, what's this? Joy Electric copping a punk attitude? Considering that their lyrics usually are fanciful, and storybook oriented, this opening line to "Children of the Lord" may seem like a stark contrast. But take heart, little ones... This attitude is all about challenging the opposition! It's all about ignoring those who disrespect our Christian faith, and finding affirmation in that we are God's precious children. Of course, being set to as crazy and chest-thumping a beat as JE has ever mustered up doesn't hurt one bit. It's basically punk rock done on synthesizers, and that takes some nerve.

Continuing this homage to punk, an appropriate cover of MxPx's "I'm OK, You're OK" carries us off into deeper realms of Ronnie Martin's keyboard universe. Aside from the cryptic, rhyming lyrics, which are up for anyone's interpretation, this is a truly fun song to sing along with. "I'm away, you're here to stay, and I'm okay. You're here to stay, and I'm away, and you're okay." (As a side bar, I swear that the song opens with the blip and gurgle effects from the "TV-room scene" in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- you know, where Mike Teevee is being sent through the air into the little TV?)

A synth tribute to the late Keith Green's "Make My Life a Prayer,"( which was actually penned by his wife Melody) is as well done as any Joy Electric song I have ever heard, and has merit just in arrangement and composition, even if the lyrics and melody were written by the Greens. This is probably my favorite track on this single, especially because it adds a new twist to worship music. Lastly, the Cloud2Ground mavens have concocted a re-mix of the title-track with more of a straight techno flavor, including tight, pounding beats, and a nearly hypnotic keyboard sample which will render you unable to sit still.

"Christiansongs" will be in stores in April 1999 but that should not deter anyone from picking up a copy of this maxi-single. These four songs alone are repeat-worthy enough to necessitate the purchase. Even though this is just a single, I'm going to have to give it four and a half cows!