Author: JH

It feels like a cliché at this point to introduce a list along with a meta commentary on the nature of lists, etc, but I still feel the need to clarify that as much as I love making lists, the order of my picks have swapped more places more often than I can count, and will probably change tomorrow. It’s also a bit more diverse (between indie and established artists) and, well, random than my previous years have been.  IVM favorite bands who a few years ago would have been shoe-ins on my year end list released albums this year that never clicked (Relient K,  House of Heroes, Paper Route, Switchfoot, Showbread, Future of Forestry, etc) — and as a caveat for IVM readers expecting Christian artists, many of my picks are decidedly not religious, though I hope you’ll give them a chance regardless.… Continued →

Joshua Powell, of Joshua Powell & The Great Train Robbery, was kind enough to talk with me over email about his music last year. Our discussion covers his take on the current state of the American folk scene, the difficulty navigating between the business and artistic aspects of being a professional musician, and his personal creative songwriting process on his third album Aylosha. IVM: Alyosha is your third album, following up 2013’s Man Is Born For Trouble, and I can hear the two-year gap.… Continued →

An interview with Canadian musician Lauren Mann about her new album Dearestly.

Check out the new music video for "Welcome to America" from Lecrae's album Anomaly.

Check out this performance video of "Cave of Clouds" from Joshua Powell & The Great Train Robbery.

Check out We Are The City's music video for their single "King David."

Aaron Strumpel continues to push against the limits of Christian music, and although Bright Star may not be his most experimental, it's a fine showcase for the care, creativity, and simple beauty of his music.

The Gray Havens' debut full length, Fire and Stone, is a delight.

Meridian is a musical onslaught, an aural tempest which drowns out all else until The Soil & The Sun is all that you know.

The Collection's latest album, Ars Moriendi, is a set of poignant, beautiful reflections of death, doubt, and faith set against a lush, orchestral folk backdrop.

Check out IVM's interview with Dave and Licia Radford of The Gray Havens

Bellarive's latest album, "Before There Was," is an intriguing blend of innovation and mainstream worship, which ultimately disappoints.

The Gray Havens have released a video for "Far Kingdom," as well as a video describing the song. The track appears on their upcoming album Fire and Stone, to be released January 6, 2015.

I was lucky enough to talk with Bill Mallonee about his upcoming album Winnowing and the intersection between faith and art; much of it was off the record, but here are a few of his words to shed light on the album and his approach to songwriting.

David Wimbish of The Collection was kind enough to take some time and have a conversation with me over email. We talked about The Collection's new album, "Ars Moriendi," how the writing process works, what it's like to have a family for a band, faith, hope, love, and everything else in between.

The debut offering from Remington Stallard, a singer songerwriter from Waco, Texas, Houses, is a blend of worship and indie rock that sounds like it would be at home on Come&Live!

Vespers III & IV challenges the complacency of the listener and forces them to engage with the music beyond merely letting it wash over them.

Sleeping At Last's Oceans may not be a complex cornucopia of sounds and instruments, choosing instead to rely heavily on the piano, but its deceptive simplicity will reel you in.

In Our Winters is undoubtedly Preson Phillips’ best album to date. Check it out below.

The one take video of Aaron Strumpel's "I Sing" from Vespers I & II, check it out.

The Western Den have just released a new live video of their song "Desert Ground" with the help of The Loft Sessions. Check it out below.

Orchestral folk rockers from Greensboro, NC, The Collection, have just released their first single from their upcoming album Ars Moriendi. Originally premiering on NPR, here's the live video of "The Gown of Green". I can't recommend them enough, so do yourself a favour and check them out below.

While not perfect, The Wild Inside is an ambitious and powerful album. Michael Ketterer and United Pursuit have done an admirable job bridging the gap between musical creativity and mass appeal.

Remission Flow leaves me conflicted: Rhythm Of Grace still has vestiges of the cliché riddled CCM that drove me away from most mainstream worship acts, but they have a spark of creativity and a refreshing purpose behind their music that sets them far from the madding crowd.

Check out "Rattle", the first song released from Penny and Sparrow's upcoming album Struggle Pretty.

The lyric video for "The Stone", the first single from The Gray Havens' upcoming album, Fire and Stone.

King’s Kaleidoscope delivers passionate worship with artistic integrity in this latest release,and though they have an occasional misstep, I think Live in Color is going to resonate with quite a few people.

This may just be John Mark McMillan's best album yet, check out the review.

There's something beautiful in Jacob Montague's music: he's left me awestruck with All Creatures - Volume One. It's simply incredible.

Check out Beautiful Eulogy's music video for Symbols and Signs.