Travis Parno
01/16/09, 01:00 PM
So Long Forgotten – Baptism EP
Record Label: none
Release Date: November 15, 2008
Dunk me in the water/ I will come out new again
No, they’re not talking about swimming lessons. Yes, So Long Forgotten is a Christian band, and a damn talented one at that.
Once a band has been tagged with the Christian label, most people immediately want to know just how Christian they are (i.e., is this a subtle type of reverence or are we listening to scripture set to music?). Make no mistake about it, So Long Forgotten fully embrace their spirituality and it shines out of every note on the Baptism EP. While lyrics like “I grew into a righteous man/ I gave my life to the sacrificial lamb” don’t leave much to the imagination, I doubt you’ll hear much of So Long Forgotten’s music at your local worship service. Propelled by deftly penned lyrics (“Brace this place with praises/ ‘Cause God I need your graces”) that are soaked in rich imagery and metaphor (“But the trees, but the trees/ They are bending at the knees”) and are both crooned and yelled at various points, the tracks of the Baptism EP are more of a private, passionate, and penitent prayer than a public exaltation.
A few shimmering chords are struck before the rolling riffs and tumbling percussion of “The Lion and the Fox” burst into motion. Consisting of greater parts parable than typical song structure, the tune reads like apologetics, offering miniature bulbs of faith that will grow, be tested, and eventually persevere throughout the course of the EP. Next, the aptly titled “Where There is Ruin, There is Hope for a Treasure” paints the inherent conflict hidden beneath the surface of wars founded on religion. This tension leaves vocalist Micah Boyce crying, “I’d love to believe the world’s not a mess/ When our blessings come at the price of the oppressed.” It’s his aggression that makes this track believable and not just another entry in the endless list of protest tunes.
“The Wind Ran Out of Breath” is the preparation, the calm before and after the storm, as it were, in which a change is realized. Its structure moves accordingly from eerie quiet to thundering, choppy intensity and back to stillness. The bookends tremble effectively, but the middle gets a bit bogged down in its agitation. The highlight of the EP is certainly “Of Brilliance and Baptism,” a baldly honest song draped over a framework of wiry, gnarled riffs. So Long Forgotten, in their typical style, force us to look deeply into the mirror, exposing our shallow desires and faux-kindness. Boyce sings of both love and hate as colorful costumes we adopt without actually giving of ourselves, musing at the song’s conclusion that, “We are such colorful beings/ We are brilliant, colorful, colorful beings.” “Taupe Olive Gold” should be a lovely, subdued final note, but with its mournfully whispered lyrics and tortured guitars, it’s practically comatose. It’s not exactly bad, it just can’t quite muster the strength to nail home the point of the EP.
With another album on the books, So Long Forgotten continue to impress with their textual brand of zealous devotion. While these lyrics probably weren't pulled from a dusty urn in the Egyptian desert, the band’s modern religious poetics are a testament to both their talent and their faith. Don’t let your beliefs, whatever they may be, turn you off from So Long Forgotten before giving them a listen. Chances are, their intricate instrumentation, off-kilter transitions, and concentrated ardor will be as revelatory of an experience for you as it was for me.
1. The Lion and the Fox
2. Where There is Ruin, There is Hope for a Treasure
3. The Wind Ran Out of Breath
4. Of Brilliance and Baptism
5. Taupe Olive Gold
My Epic; Greenwood; The Glass Ocean; mewithoutyou’s tact
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/solongforgotten)
Record Label: none
Release Date: November 15, 2008
Dunk me in the water/ I will come out new again
No, they’re not talking about swimming lessons. Yes, So Long Forgotten is a Christian band, and a damn talented one at that.
Once a band has been tagged with the Christian label, most people immediately want to know just how Christian they are (i.e., is this a subtle type of reverence or are we listening to scripture set to music?). Make no mistake about it, So Long Forgotten fully embrace their spirituality and it shines out of every note on the Baptism EP. While lyrics like “I grew into a righteous man/ I gave my life to the sacrificial lamb” don’t leave much to the imagination, I doubt you’ll hear much of So Long Forgotten’s music at your local worship service. Propelled by deftly penned lyrics (“Brace this place with praises/ ‘Cause God I need your graces”) that are soaked in rich imagery and metaphor (“But the trees, but the trees/ They are bending at the knees”) and are both crooned and yelled at various points, the tracks of the Baptism EP are more of a private, passionate, and penitent prayer than a public exaltation.
A few shimmering chords are struck before the rolling riffs and tumbling percussion of “The Lion and the Fox” burst into motion. Consisting of greater parts parable than typical song structure, the tune reads like apologetics, offering miniature bulbs of faith that will grow, be tested, and eventually persevere throughout the course of the EP. Next, the aptly titled “Where There is Ruin, There is Hope for a Treasure” paints the inherent conflict hidden beneath the surface of wars founded on religion. This tension leaves vocalist Micah Boyce crying, “I’d love to believe the world’s not a mess/ When our blessings come at the price of the oppressed.” It’s his aggression that makes this track believable and not just another entry in the endless list of protest tunes.
“The Wind Ran Out of Breath” is the preparation, the calm before and after the storm, as it were, in which a change is realized. Its structure moves accordingly from eerie quiet to thundering, choppy intensity and back to stillness. The bookends tremble effectively, but the middle gets a bit bogged down in its agitation. The highlight of the EP is certainly “Of Brilliance and Baptism,” a baldly honest song draped over a framework of wiry, gnarled riffs. So Long Forgotten, in their typical style, force us to look deeply into the mirror, exposing our shallow desires and faux-kindness. Boyce sings of both love and hate as colorful costumes we adopt without actually giving of ourselves, musing at the song’s conclusion that, “We are such colorful beings/ We are brilliant, colorful, colorful beings.” “Taupe Olive Gold” should be a lovely, subdued final note, but with its mournfully whispered lyrics and tortured guitars, it’s practically comatose. It’s not exactly bad, it just can’t quite muster the strength to nail home the point of the EP.
With another album on the books, So Long Forgotten continue to impress with their textual brand of zealous devotion. While these lyrics probably weren't pulled from a dusty urn in the Egyptian desert, the band’s modern religious poetics are a testament to both their talent and their faith. Don’t let your beliefs, whatever they may be, turn you off from So Long Forgotten before giving them a listen. Chances are, their intricate instrumentation, off-kilter transitions, and concentrated ardor will be as revelatory of an experience for you as it was for me.
1. The Lion and the Fox
2. Where There is Ruin, There is Hope for a Treasure
3. The Wind Ran Out of Breath
4. Of Brilliance and Baptism
5. Taupe Olive Gold
My Epic; Greenwood; The Glass Ocean; mewithoutyou’s tact
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/solongforgotten)