Desperation Band: Light Up The World
Posted: September 17th, 2009 | Author: Alastair | Filed under: Desperation Band | Tags: AD, alastair vance, conner byrd, integrity music, joel klampert, mike mahoney, the joint review, Worship | 3 Comments »
Purchase Desperation Band : Light Up The World – 
Desperation Band official site
| SYNOPSIS | |
| KLAMPERT: I have not been a huge fan of Desperation Band over the years, but they have had some amazing songs. Past work rom Glenn Packiam and Jared anderson make frequent rotation in my services. This CD seems like a departure for the style represented on the previous CD’s. It opens with an introduction song which is just a 1:47sec instrumental that has a name for some reason. Then it goes into a hillsong’esque anthem style song (You Hold it All). What a great pairing. There is some great songwriting on this CD and I like a bunch of stuff on it. I’m not too keen on all the techno meets electronica sounds on most of the tracks. There are bands that can pull that off, but I don’t think it works on this CD. (Solid Rock) seems to be a direct result of somebody listening to “girlfriend” by Avril Lavign. Over all a good CD with a few stand out songs. I like where the band is headed and it seems to be separating itself from the Hillsong sound. |
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| BYRD: I love it when a band thoughtfully and creatively puts a worship project together in the studio with the knowledge that this will mostly be listened to in somebody’s car but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make it fluid just as worship is in a church environment. Desperation Band has crafted an extensive 14 track worship project that’s been thoughtfully put together to move the listener into worship and into a worshipful attitude. I hate to draw comparisons and it’ll be real easy to compare these guys to Hillsong United and such which might be true but instead to me they sound like they’ve gotten their inspirations from some of the same inspiration as United. What’s the difference? Well, while sounding similar to the boys down under there is a uniqueness to them that draws a distinction in their lyrics and sound. There are some very familiar lyrical content and vibes to the songs but there is a mark that is definitely what I’d call “Desperation Band.” | |
| MAHONEY: I like the Desparation Band. I had two worries about this record: with Glenn Packiam and Jared Anderson both releasing albums, would that dilute the band’s style? And would their first studio CD fail to offer the dynamics of their live albums? Fear not. This is a great record. It has all the feel of a live worship set, combined with some nice production. From the opening instrumental “You Started It All,” this record grabs you. There’s a nice connection between the tracks, both musically and themeatically. The vocals really shine, especially when frontman Jon Egan takes a step back in favor of one of the female vocalists in “Highest Place.” “Be the Change” is kind of a retro-80s electronica romp. “Mercy is Falling” just rocks. Another great tune is “Joy Will Come,” which takes the listener on a journey, building to crescendo, with a peaceful denoument. | |
| VANCE: It starts with one of the best introduction songs ever. Nearly as epic as the introduction on Steven Curtis Chapman’s The Great Adventure album. Ha! There are fourteen songs altogether on Light Up The World, including two instrumental or “soaking” tracks.The album starts off very upbeat and doesn’t slow down to near the middle. It’s worship, rock band style and I like it. If you prefer a more gentle approach to worship, those songs are on here too. I like the variety of styles and vocalists – it helps to make songs stand out individually.This is another worship album with a big serving of “Oh oooo Oh ooo ooooo”. I know I’ve slagged off Hillsong for this in the past. It hasn’t bothered me this time. Maybe they can “oh ooooo” better? | |
| BOTTOM LINE | |
KLAMPERT: Some great songs on this one and I think its a real departure from previous stuff. I think the slower less “electronic” sound is their real strength. The songs that are like that are fantastic. Rating:    |
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BYRD: This was my first real introduction to Desperation Band. It’s an easy and great CD to listen to. Like I said, it’ll sound comfortable and surprise you even sometimes. My only real concern is, is that enough? The strong suit for me in this band are the moody worship tunes. I’m scared of how long I’ll listen to this CD though  but I’ll tell you, if they come anywhere around Louisiana, I’m there! Rating: |
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| MAHONEY: Great album, great songs. One (and I don’t say this a lot) you can just put on and listen to all the way through.Rating: |
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| VANCE: I like this album a lot. If I were to be really picky I think the guitar could do with a tuning on You Hold It All (3:05-3:30) – ha! – it’s still one of my favourite songs on there. My least favourite song is Mercy Is Falling – it feels a little misplaced on this album. Rating: |
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| MUST HAVE SONGS | |
KLAMPERT:
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BYRD:
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MAHONEY:
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| VANCE: It’s not a song but the Intro is a must have! I also like You Hold It All, Be The Change, Solid Rock, God Be Praised, Highest Praise, Light Up The World, Burning Tree and Angel Song. | |
| SONGS FOR CHURCH | |
KLAMPERT: Two songs really stand out and are most likely the the only 2 songs I can see using in church. Both of these songs are awesome!
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BYRD: Honestly, this is a great CD to have on in between services and such because it’s so well done and worshipful. If I were to do any, I’d probably go here first:
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MAHONEY: Honestly, I don’t consider a lot of this songs to be “worship” songs in the traditional sense, in that there are a lot of “people-centered” songs. But there are some that would be great:
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| VANCE: Most of songs are good for church – I guess except for the soaking sessions. If I were going to do something like that I would probably have the band improvise rather than use these. The songs I think would work well in church are Be The Change, God Be Praised, Highest Praise, Great God, Joy Will Come, Light Up The World, Burning Tree and Angel Song. | |
The Joint gives Desperation Band: Light Up The World Overall Rating:
I’m excited to check this out.
Thanks for your time.
On the songs for church and “must have” I’d love to see which one(s) meet all four of your lists.
hmm…thats a great idea…
Maybe a conclusion at end of each post with the agreed upon songs…
Thanks Bridget!!