Shimmer

Luna Halo

Sparrow Records, 2000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Halo

REVIEW BY: Michael Ehret

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/28/2000

Several years ago, a band that mixed alternative rock, pop, and rap, burst onto the Christian music scene and quickly became a favorite of church youth groups - and their leaders. That band, Reality Check, just as quickly disappeared. After their promising first disc, the band imploded and was no more.

Now, after several years, Narthan Barlowe and Jonathan MacIntosh, the creative force behind Reality Check, are back with a new band -- and that band, Luna Halo, has released another amazingly good debut disc. Luna Halo is every bit as accessible as Reality Check was, but without the rap. Listening to this disc was at once familiar, because of the pop textures, and new.

Shimmer was produced by current hot producer Monroe Jones, with one song, "Hang On To You," produced by Barlowe and Tedd Tjornhom, another producer-in-demand. The sound they create is an amalgam of Jeff Lynne/Electric Light Orchestra/Traveling Wilburys (see the intro for "Superman") and the pop soundscape of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in their Beatles era.

I really hate to make Beatles comparisons because anyone who's any good gets themselves compared to the Fab Four. But, when I think pop perfection, it doesn't come any better than the best of the Beatles and ELO. Anyone claiming to write excellent pop music is going to borrow from the best -- and I'm okay with that because this project has plenty of originality as well.

Shimmer opens up with the song "Aliens," a quirky song written by Barlowe and McIntosh that starts out with what sounds like people speaking over a shortwave radio. Then the guitars crank in and the song, which deals with the singer's thought life, takes off. It's a battle between the flesh and the Spirit and the battle is taking place within his mind and the aliens are the thoughts he struggles to keep under control:my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

"Contact in my head / With these aliens / pursuing my control / How did I let in / These poison thoughts again / Can I finally let them go?"

The battle is with the sin nature, for you theologians out there, but Barlowe and MacIntosh don't let themselves off that easily: Sometimes I'll admit/I purposely forget/Pretend I left it all behind me. Can you relate? I knew you could.

Barlowe has said he is "amazed and confounded" by the depth of God's forgiveness and redemption. Because of that reality he wants to, through Luna Halo, take that message to the secular world. The band's vision is to integrate their faith and musical excellence with cultural relevance and authenticity.

From one song to another this disc holds together. In "Forgiveness," Barlowe and MacIntosh write about, surprisingly enough, God's seemingly unending capacity to forgive:

"The things You said / Seem to find their way back into my head / And I regret my ways / You never left / Remind me once again so I won't forget / You're never far away / I can't believe it / The way You forgive me."

And that's an essential truth -- it is hard for us to believe God can forgive and forgive and forgive -- and continue to forgive. Yet, that's the amazing thing about God -- He does, while still calling His people to a deeper righteousness at the same time.

Realizing the deity of God -- and remembering who's in charge here -- is the key thought behind the song "Heaven." The song clearly states that God is the center of everything. It all happens because of Him and for Him and through Him. We exist to serve God -- not the other way around:

"How could I forget / Things that You have done / And how could I ignore / The place You brought me from / But when I make it through the darkness / It's so easily forgotten."

It's clear that there is no easy believism going on in these songs. Barlowe and MacIntosh, who co-wrote the majority of the tunes on this project, wrestle openly with their sorrows and weaknesses. They are not afraid to write songs that are conversations with God. The ballad "Carry Me" is a prayer directly to God in a time of need. It acknowledges man's need to depend on God:

"You alone are right for me, my Lord / All along I lost myself in You / And I would rather be in the deep / Where I can hold on to You / And You can carry me / From the shallow to the deep / 'Cause I can only see / When I'm standing on my knees."

Now, that's dependence on God. Pair this song with an excellent tune "Hang On To You" written by Delirious' Martin Smith and you get a picture of the Christian life - God will carry us from the shallow to the deep, but we have to hold on to Him. If we let go for a moment we could fall.

It's a welcome time to have Barlowe and MacIntosh back -- even if it's not as Reality Check. Luna Halo is the antidote to formula pop groups like Avalon, Point of Grace, and 4Him for those of us who enjoy intelligent pop music -- with an edge. Don't give me grief for that comment. I'm not saying there's not room for that kind of music, I listen to it myself, but now and then it's good to think while listening to your pop music. Here's hoping Luna Halo hangs around longer than Barlowe and MacIntosh's previous group.

One essential note: if you haven't gotten over mourning the demise of PFR, give Luna Halo a try -- the two groups are working off the same page, musically and lyrically.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2000 Michael Ehret and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Sparrow Records, and is used for informational purposes only.