Welcome to what is probably the most underrated album in Christian alternative music history. The problem is largely that it just wasn’t heard by enough people. This Pennsylvania band comprised one third of the ‘holy trinity’ of Christian jangle pop, rounded out by Virginia’s The Throes and Minnesota’s The Swoon (coincidentally all band names beginning with the definite article). They released their one and only album, not counting their independent demo cassettes, through Talkingtown (also home of metal band Armageddon) and co-released through R.E.X.
Indianland is a real slow-burner of an album. It’s another one of those albums that didn’t grab me the first time I heard it, simply because I just didn’t get it. Being a listener who was primarily into metal/punk/hardcore stylings, their brand of jangly, folk-tinged alternative rock had much more in common with early R.E.M. than with Vengeance Rising or Nobody Special.
Upon repeated listens, however, I came to hear its brilliance. The subtleties in the acoustic-tinged guitar riffs, the vocal harmonies, and the unusual uses of chords all combined with lyrics that hint at faith without ever preaching. This is a record that demands repeated listening. In short, the album is a masterpiece. Yet, I doubt more than 5 or 10 people reading this article have ever heard it. Better remedy that right away!
There wasn’t one bad song on this cd. They were ahead of their time starting with the vocals, the lyrics and the music. The recording is timeless.
Agreed entirely! Glad to hear someone else know about them!
I love the Throes album 12 before 9