Saturday, April 05, 2008

Kingdom of Comfort- Delirious? (review)



I'm not gonna take the time to review this entire record for you, except to say, it's grrrrreat mate. Seems I got it earlier than most, and for this I am happy, even if I can hardly brag to anyone about it from deep inside Siberia.

First of all, you can completely skip my attempt at a review and head straight to the Delirious? website and listen to it there, in entirety. This album is seriously growing on me very quickly. One of the things I look for in a new Delirious record is a song that I can worship God too. At first they appear to be almost missing. But I love the way that this band does not stick to any formulas at all. They never try to write a worship song per se, but the depth of love of God just overflows in every song, and it is impossible not to worship God in every song.

This album has a lot of depth to it. The band had spent a lot of time in India and Cambodia, not seeking inspiration as such, but simply to share their music there with people as an act of generosity. Their experiences obviously rattled them and have wrought a different kind of Delirious?, a Delirious that has obviously danced with cynicism and despair and yet the Holy Spirit has won out in their hearts. Lyrics such as: "I thought I believed but I just turn away from these souls living in this hell today" are then followed up with "Your love, finds a way to break through this love finds a way to kiss you" to prove that there is always hope when Jesus' love is part of the equation. The title track is a healthy reminder to not be consumed by the consumer age: "Save me, save me from the kingdom of comfort where I am king from my unhealthy lust of material things."

Musically, there is not a huge departure from previous records, but a welcome progression into new strong melodies, riffs and choruses. The biggest change is that the choruses are packed full of harmonies, and the strength shines through, only to improve on previous performances.

If you're a big fan and you want to put Kingdom of Comfort on your ipod now, then you will need a US credit card. I bought it from Amazon for $8.99. It will be on iTunes Canada on April 22nd. I have no idea when it will be available in Australia. Apparently I will miss out on a 32 page booklet packed with stories. That's a little disappointing, but hey, I got it early and I'm doing a little for the planet along the way.

The record has 12 tracks, but there are some bonus tracks for free download on the band's website in the "Living Room." Personally, I find the bonus song "Hallelujah" as strong if not stronger than some songs that made the cut. I hope they do it, in concert, and I hope I get the chance to see them play again. They are playing Australia now. There are some dates in North America in July, August and November, and a big gap in between. Here's hoping some of that gap in between will be in western Canada in August or September.

Rock on.

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