Customer Reviews

Good Monsters

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CCM Magazine has named "Good Monsters" "2006 Album of the Year", so does it live up to that distinction? Will it live up to all the hype?

In a word, yes.

Jars of Clay has been contributing their brand of acoustic-folk, jangly-pop, light-rock music to the world since their crossover hit song "Flood" from their self-titled debut in 1995. They've released some notable music (Jars of Clay, If I Left the Zoo, The Eleventh Hour) and also some forgettable albums (Much Afraid). With "Good Monsters" they will make a significant and possibly historical impact on modern Christian Music because it raises the bar of creativity, both musically and lyrically and is packaged together neatly as a concept in a well-produced presentation of art and music.

"Good Monsters" is a concept album that beautifully packages together ideas and song. Insightful lyrics picked from deep within a soul longing for justice and mercy are transported through sounds made by voice, stringed instruments, and stretched animal skin. The music on this CD covers the gamut from catchy pop jingles like "Dead Man (Carry Me)", the quick-tempo, pop-shuffle of "Good Monsters", the earthy romp duet (with Leigh Nash) of "Mirrors and Smoke", modern day sing-a-long hymn of "There is a River", to the signature song on the CD.

"Oh My God" is the "showstopper" of this album. If "Good Monsters" is Album of the Year, "Oh My God" is the Song of the Year, and possibly of the decade. It is a song that one can not listen to, really listen to, and not be shaken by it. It begins with light strumming of acoustic guitar strings as David Haseltine's voice softly enters with the first verse "Oh My God". It's a prayer, a modern-day psalm, a lamentation. The song has a slow, almost laborious pace that crescendos as instruments are added to the texture. It is constructed in three main parts, with no real "chorus" as modern music has made us accustomed to. It is one thought, one verse, piled on top of another thought, piled on top of another, connected only by the commonly used, and sometimes overused (by society) phrase "Oh My God". There is a slight pause between the main sections of this song that allow a short moment for reflection, maybe even some relief from the heaviness this song provokes.

These lyrics, from the second section of the lamentation:

"Whores and angels, men with problems, leavers always say..."

"Fearful mothers, watchful doubters, Saviors always say..."

illustrate so well the idea that everyone at one point in their life has a moment that they need to decide if God is real or not. "Oh My God" is a phrase that people use to call on God and misuse as part of everyday language. These verses are delivered in a sequential melody that build on each other punctuated by forceful chords on the piano and a steady strum of the guitar that gradually gains in volume.

The last section of the song begins to pulsate with added steady rhythm on the drum. It beats along like a heart, and carries the words Haseltine rhythmically sings as haunting background vocals softly cry over and over the lamentation "Oh My God" . The background voices here are a soft accompanianment that sets a tone, or a mood, and when the listener really focuses on that it is possible to imagine that it may be what God hears when all the many desperate souls cry out to Him. The beating pulse of the lament becomes more and more intense, the volume increases as the song crescendos to the climax where Haseltine cries out "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God". Then silence.

It is powerful and impacting and I believe it will become one of those songs that will be a CCM standard.

"Good Monsters" the title track from the album sounds like a happy tune with a pop-shuffle rhythm and an ascending/descending bassline that sets in a groove quickly. Like "Dead Man (Carry Me)" ("I woke up from a dream about an empty funeral, But it's better than the party full of people I don't really know.") and "Work" ("I have no fear of drowning, It's the breathing. It's taking all this work") it has a catchy singable melody, yet, as one really looks deeper into the lyrics, these songs have thought-provoking ideas to convey.

"Not all monsters are bad, but the ones who are good
Never do what they could, never do what they could

All the good monsters rattle their chains,
And dance around the open flames,
And they make a lot of empty noise."

Jars of Clay contributes a modern day hymn with "There is a River" and another song, the only one on the CD not penned by members of Jars , "All My Tears" written by Julie Miller. This remake captures the old time spiritual feel of the original with a bit more electric sound and drive, but retains the poignancy. The gospel choir sound toward the end of the track really lifts this song to a refreshing new level.

"Mirrors and Smoke" is a duet that features Leigh Nash (formerly of Sixpence None the Richer) and is an uptempo, earthy romp. It's filled with the heavenly blending of the voices of these two gifted singers. Nice harmonies and lyrics about "true love" written from the heart.

The African Children's Choir is a subtle and nice touch on "Light Gives Heat", a commentary of sorts, that I'm sure derived from the experiences of the Jars of Clay men on their visit to Africa.

The softer and slower paced tunes that make up the remainder of this compendium of insightful words and music, "Even Angels Cry", "Surprise", and "Water Under the Bridge" complete the diversity, the creativity, and the challenge of this Jars of Clay offering.

"Good Monsters" is a masterpiece.

Before "Good Monsters," I was already to the point where I knew I'd buy any album Jars of Clay even contributed to, let alone made all themselves. Their clean, powerful acoustic simplicity and poetic, head-and-heart lyrics have secured their place as my favorite band. Now, "Good Monsters" is still blowing me away, over a week since I bought the CD.

This album is eclectically unified, incorporating lyrical and musical variety into a seamless song mix. This is the epitome of skill: to make an album on which every song is an individual powerhouse that fits into the grand puzzle of the whole record. The Jars have done it again.

The driving rock and gritty vocals of "Work" and "Dead Man (Carry Me)" are a thrilling start, reminiscent of the sounds that have made Coldplay's "X&Y" and The Killers' "Hot Fuss" so popular, while still remaining innovative in their own rights. "Dead Man (Carry Me)" is sure to become a concert favorite, and, I hope, a chart-topping radio single.

"All My Tears" and "There Is a River" provide the Jars' signature old gospel hymn touches, no doubt influenced by "Redemption Songs," while "Even Angels Cry" is a softer ballad. "Even Angels Cry" might be my least favorite track on this album, but only because I think the melody is a little fluffy. The lyrics are gems: "Flowers through asphalt, diamonds in the pockets of your eyes..."

"Good Monsters" is a much-needed critique of the Christian church, bound up in a catchy melody. "If good won't show its face / Evil, won't you take your place? / Nothing ever changes / Nothing ever changes by itself." In the liner notes, the band quotes Edmund Burke: "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."

"Oh My God," as other reviewers have said, is the jewel of this album in emotion and impact. "We all have the chance to murder / We all feel the need for wonder / We still want to be reminded / That the pain is worth the plunder." I wish every Christian could hear this song and learn what it means. These are lyrics that could start revolutions.

"Surprise" and "Take Me Higher" embody the hope of this album in the midst of suffering, the former gentle and soothing, the latter pleading and declarative.

"Mirrors & Smoke" is a fun track that reminds me of a Johnny and June Carter Cash duet. I don't know if they inspired it or not, but I've always loved Leigh Nash's voice combined with Dan Haseltine's, and this upbeat number is equal parts gravity and lightheartedness.

"Light Gives Heat" is the song I'm still figuring out, but the one I'm most addicted to. Soloist Elizabeth Panga and the African Children's Choir lend a gorgeous translucence to this tale of third-world children and what we are and are not doing to ease their plight.

"Water Under the Bridge" keeps the Jars' tendency to end albums with wistful, prayerful melodies. This one is about love and companionship, a fitting close to a lyrically tumultuous record.

"Good Monsters" is certainly one of Jars of Clay's finest albums. There must be new winds blowing, because these songs reflect thoughts that I and my young adult friends have been talking, laughing, and crying over these past few years as we watch our faith evolve, crumble, and be reborn from ashes. I am so glad we are not alone. Music like that from "Good Monsters" is sometimes our most powerful voice.

What can I say? Jars of Clay has always chosen to take risks musically and thematically to challenge the everyday Christian, and it is most definitely the case with "Good Monsters". It is, in my humble opinion, their best work yet, but don't dismiss their previous efforts, for they are each excellent albums to listen to and ponder. The band has achieved with this album, I believe, a level of clarity and depth they've never reached before.

There is not one bad track on this album, but there are many standouts:

"Work" is their most aggressive rock song to date, with pulsating electric guitar chords and thoughtful lyrics to boot.

"Dead Man (Carry Me)" is a fast-paced rocker that is better than most Top 40 radio. The lyrics offer insight into being reborn spiritually without being preachy, and I dare you not to get the song stuck in your head!

"All My Tears" is a beautiful and edgy cover of an original song by Julie Miller. The ending of the song is liberating, as a gospel choir joins in to sing with lead singer Dan Haseltine.

"Oh My God" is a song that hooks you from the beginning with its subtle guitar strings and Dan's mellow voice singing some very deep lyrics. Then, when you think the song is starting to end, the melody changes and goes in a new direction. The music starts to pick up and Dan starts to sing about many groups of people who "always say" what the song finally ends on: "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God". Along the way to the climax, there are questions and uncertainties presented in the lyrics, and the honesty of them cuts to the core of your heart. It is their most moving and triumphant song since "Worlds Apart" off their debut album. The album is worth getting just for this song alone.

"Light Gives Heat" is a stirring song about how people of the world, Westerners specifically, treat the people of Africa who are being negatively affected by the AIDS crisis. The song includes the African Chidren's Choir, who add a spiritual depth to the already emotional and thoughtful lyrics and music.

Jars of Clay has created a memorable masterpiece with "Good Monsters"! If you want to be challenged to the core of your heart, I highly recommend this album. You won't regret it.

Ken Clifton posted an earlier review stating that this cd was about suicide and that the cd contained a song, namely "Oh My God" that flirted with blashphemy. I have to disagree with that. The first song "Work" does paint a very bleak picture. The subject is clearly trying to deal with life and its problems on his own and he has reached a very low and lonely point because of it. Yes..."on the brink of this destruction, on the eve of bittersweet" may be about suicide...but thats not certain. A solution to this low point is offered at several points later in the cd. "All My Tears", not actually written by the band...its a Julie Miller cover...offers hope in one day meeting Christ in heaven. "Even ANgels Cry" offers hope in that it states no matter how low in life we feel, we are surounded by angels who cry with us, and it is clear from the tone in the song, we are to draw comfort and encouragement from this. A line from the song says it best... "Walls falling letting in the light, no need to worry, Baby even angels cry." "There is a River" offers even more hope. This song is awesome when listened to loud when driving down the road. Some may view it as a somewhat simplstic song, but it has a familiar gospel feel and its great to sing along to...I just wish I could sing. The "River that washes you clean" in this song clealry refers to the baptismal healing Christ offers and the "Tree that marks that places you have been, Blood that was spilled, though not your own" refers to the sacrifice that was made on the cross. There have been many references in hymns and in Christian literature to the cross as the "tree". Clearly this song points to what is needed to heal the pain referred to in the first song. The last song on the CD, "Water Under the Bridge" I believe is further proof that this CD is not truly about suicide. The song is written to Dan's wife and it deals with the hardships a successful marriage must endure. "But its only that grace has outlived our regrets, We're still here" The song goes further and states "We can stay until the last drop of water flows under the bridge". A beautiful line is "While the shadows stretch over the land, Crumble and fall in my arms". If this were a CD about suicide, why would a song clearly about enduring through hardships be found at the conclusion?
Dan Haseltine stated in an interview (in Christianity Today magazine...August 06 I think) that in recent years he has struggled with hidden sin and personal addictions (not drugs..but some things that can be just as destructive). Some of the bleak pictures on this cd are describing where I believe he found himself...a lonely and desperate place. He described in that interview the healing power he felt in being honest with his band mates and friends. He specifically refers to this honesty in the song "Take Me Higher" when he says "it took the truth to set me free." That type of honesty is what he was aiming for in writing the lyrics to this album.
The song "Oh My God" is the centerpiece of the album. Some may see this as blasphemous, but that is not the case. The song actually begins as a prayer and the phrase "Oh My God" is addressing God. The song goes on to reveal that yes this phrase is uttered often by many people in all walks of life. It is a phrase that is used in vain,but the band is attempting (and the attempt I believe is successful) to portray that every time it is used, it reveals a human race that is broken and completely dependent on God, and we as Christian need to hear that dependence and we should be burdened by it. When Dan sings that phrase three times at the end of the song, you cannot help but hear in his voice reverence towards God and the pain of the burden for humanity he feels.
Jars has created a masterpiece that speaks to honesty and how dependent we are on God. They have painted a picture of the agony and joy we all experience as humans. Their Christian intent is obvious and it hits you like a brick. A theme running through all of Jars work has been that despite how bleak life and its circumstances can be, as hopeless as we at times feel, God's joy can be the most powerful in those moments. That theme continues on this work. This CD will impact me for years to come.

No, seriously. I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I was so stirred up thinking about this wonderful CD.

Listen closely to the lyrics. The Jars are dealing with some tough stuff. There's a fair amount of disillusionment with the madness of contemporary Christianity... and they're not afraid to call it. Most people who do this can't resist a tone of cynicism or anger, but JOC do it with credibility.

When I was younger, I had high expectations that my music would "speak for me." That is, I looked to my music to be my voice and express the stuff that I couldn't express on my own. I'm close to 40 now, and I've long since learned that's almost too much to ask of a bunch or rock songs. But then JOC comes along and time after time they speak a truth that closely resembles my own, and they do it artfully. For that, I have nothing but deep gratitude.

Best dang CD I've heard all year.

Absolutely amazing album. Jars of Clay is an awesome band. I love their music.

My personal favorite is Dead Man (Carry Me). It is crafted to perfection. But all the tracks are very strong. I still can't decide if I like this or their self-titled release better.

These guys don't just make good Christian music. They make good music.

A recent review on Amazon.com for Jars of Clay's stellar 2003 album "Who We are Instead" said "It looks like their best work is behind them".
I bitterly beg to differ this statement and hold this album up as proof of the opposite, Jars is every bit in their prime.

This album takes a sharp left turn from their last album. Moving away from the slow, acoustic, blusey, "Who we are Instead". "Good Monsters" is what lead singer Dan Hasseltine affectionatly calls their first real rock album. From the opening guitar riffs of the first track "Work" it's easy to see what he's talking about. This album is a much harder album musically and essentialy a much deeper album lyrically than theyve done in the past. The deepness of the lyrics comes to you in an in your face song called "Oh My God" which essentially is the master work of these four talented musicians over their 12 year career, and one of the greatest single songs I've ever heard.

Altogether "Good Monsters" is just as refreshing and unique as everything that Jars of Clay have put out there, and musically it's a deeper and a more rewarding experience to the listener than some past albums. As for me I still hold strong to the belief that "Who We are Instead" is the best album the group has released, but "Good Monsters" shows us that Jars of Clay isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and not only are they in their prime but hopefully the best is yet to come.

From the first chords of this CD I knew this was going to be different. By Track three I had determined that this was the CD I had hoped would follow up their first. Don't get me wrong, I love JOC but this album goes back to the relestless faith of "Flood". The plaintive cries for God's help and grace resonate within this piece. No, every lyric is not pop and uplifting but then neither is every Psalm. This is a journey through hurt and pain to a beautiful afterlife. This is the Christian journey.
I have read this CD was called suicidal. What? "Drowning is easy; it's the breathing that takes work." How many of us have not cried that from time to time. I'm not afraid of death, I get to meet Jesus but the living in the meantime is hard. This CD is one of those that you want to know every lyric so that you can study it. Yes I said study it! Why did they say it that way? I think these guys knew exactly what they were saying.
I wondered how they would follow up Redemption Songs which is truly my favorite praise album. This did not seem the logical follow up but when do God's plans have to follow our logic? These guys are working through something and they have been kind enough to bare their souls to us so we can work through it as well. One word: Catharsis
I put this up there with any classic CD. This piece is so deeply layered and textured that you'll still be figuring out things in six months. Buy this CD! It's wonderful to listen to in the car but it's a religious experience when you're by yourself, just you and God. I think that's the way they meant it. And the song "Good Monsters" is really fun. The whol album is like a new Psalm to me.

As many other people, I have had the unfortunate chance to read Ken Clifton's embarrassing review of Good Monsters. I feel compelled to say something about it... only because I fear some people might actually listen to what he had to say. Suicide? That is completely absurd. What the songs talk about is that fact that, as Christians, we should not be afraid of death. I think it should be a blessing to accept death and not fear dieing. I also find it laughable that ole Ken thinks that Jars has been acting like a Christian band. I for one am quite tired of "Christian bands." It seems to me like if your a christian band you must write the same old crap over and over. Almost all music I listen to is of the Christian sort, and the market is becoming stale very quick. I think singing about actual situations that people go through is a fantastic idea. I mean no Christian is happy all the time, we doubt, we cry, we break down, we falter, we all sin. So why not sing about that, its true. Just because somebody isn't directly singing about how amazing god's grace is and how we should all talk Jesus doesn't make them any less a Christian. Oh, and the song Oh My God.... It might be the most amazing song I have ever heard its right up there with Worlds Apart. They are not taking the Lords name in vain... they are singing about how us as people take the lords name in vain. I mean come on... listen to the songs and read the lyrics, I just don't get how someone can be so thick.

So now on to the album, Good Monsters blew me away. I have been disappointed by some of the latest Jars of Clay albums... not this one. The album has some more upbeat songs than Jars fans will be used to and If Oh My God doesn't send chills down your spine... I don't know whats wrong with you. This album is there best since If I Left the Zoo, a must buy.

Jars of Clay's Good Monsters (2006) is the type of album that a reviewer should both look forward to, and, paradoxically, hesitate to, review. It's one of those rare albums that's so good that the potential reviewer knows that any writeup composed by him or her inevitably will fall short in describing the joys associated with a deep, rich work. Albums like Good Monsters demonstrate clearly why individual song downloads can never replace a collection of songs that a band puts together into one package. At their very best, albums can show the depth and artistry possessed by a band in a way that individual tunes never can, and this one shows Jars of Clay in full flight, at the height of its talent. All other Jars of Clay albums, both past and future (including 2009's The Long Fall Back to Earth) -- and every single one has either been excellent or just missed excellence, so the band had set a very high bar -- must be compared to this one, including the band's much-loved previous benchmark, its slightly overrated debut release.

Significantly, Good Monsters is the band's darkest album to date. You know you're going to be in a rough ride from the very opening song, "Work," when the band turns its most popular hit single, "Flood" off of the debut album, on its head. In the latter song, the speaker repeatedly pleas with God to "keep me from drowning again"; in "Work," it's not depression or despair, but everyday living that's the problem: "I have no fear of drowning/It's the breathing that's taking all this work." The melancholy mostly only grows throughout the album, although hope is the prevailing mood in one-quarter of the album's songs ("All My Tears," "There Is a River," and "Take Me Higher"), and a few signs of it are sprinkled elsewhere.

While it's not directly stated, the possibility of divorce seems to be the main culprit behind the bleakness. A husband urges his wife, "Please don't weep/Not tonight," indicating ongoing troubles ("Even Angels Cry"), while a father compares his children's dreams to drugs and "placebos/That make us feel all right" ("Surprise"). The first segment of the 3-part epic "Oh My God" significantly concludes with the lament, "Weddings, boats, and alibis/All drift away while a mother cries." Another tune compares love to "Mirrors and Smoke" (the song title), and the album ends with the muted, tentative hope that a couple can stay together the rest of their lives ("Water under the Bridge").

Lyrically, then, Good Monsters represents a significant departure for the band. True, the main theme for every album has always been human frailty, and much of Good Monsters is concerned with this topic, but only the title track expresses this sentiment in ways similar to the band's past work. Even recurrent imagery and themes from previous albums are used differently. Lead singer and lyricist Dan Haseltine has often sung in the past about how uncomfortable and piercing God's "eyes" are, but on this album the only similar reference comes when a human father studies his children's eyes for signs of "Surprise." Also, while this album is concerned with human relationships to an extent that hasn't been seen since If I Left the Zoo (1999), this time such relationships are painted in much darker hues.

This album also is well linked thematically: after the emotional devastation of "Work" and the utter helplessness expressed lightheartedly in "Dead Man (Carry Me)" (Jars of Clay's Reformed theology pinnacle to date, and that's saying something), we get three songs about weeping. Here, the near despairing heartache of "Even Angels Cry" is framed by hope both eschatological ("All My Tears") and Christological ("There Is a River"). We then get the title track, which, like "Dead Man," provides humorous examples of total depravity. Given all of this, what can we do? "Oh My God" lists troubles on both personal and global scales, surprisingly concluding that the often casual or flippant cry is actually humanity's "greatest defense." But since we rely on "illusions" that "make our feathers flow less high" ("Surprise"), an individual must turn to God to "Take Me Higher" into the stratosphere. Back on Earth, relationships on both a personal ("Mirrors and Smoke") and international ("Light Gives Heat") scale are in need of mending, and the album ends with a hope that grace will last as long as the final drop of "Water under the Bridge".

On a song level, "Oh My God," "Mirrors and Smoke," and "Light Gives Heat" are the band's most mature and greatest accomplishments to date. "Oh My God's" 3-part structure is a wonder, moving from a country-tinged recitation of personal woes to an almost spoken laundry list of character types that ends up including virtually all of humanity; and finally to an increasingly intense, drum-propelled lament over heartbreaking issues on a global scale. "Mirrors and Smoke" portrays couples as continually failing each other and ultimately finds comfort in the weeping that ensues. The incredibly moving "Light Gives Heat" finds the band apologizing to Africans for Americans' haughty attitudes toward them and leaves the attentive listener very uncomfortable; while Jars of Clay has not been afraid to use irony or critique groups before, this type of cultural criticism is a first for the band.

Musically, Good Monsters is also a considerable step forward for the band, with a slight tendency toward harder-edged rock but much musical variety throughout. "Dead Man (Carry Me)" channels 1980s pop/rock, opening with a riff seemingly directly stolen from the Police and paying homage to "Der Kommissar" and similar tunes throughout. "There Is a River" takes Jars of Clay's continuing love affair with 1970s pop/folk band America to probably the greatest heights that it will ever reach, with the beautiful guitar sonics two-thirds of the way through lifted almost directly from the conclusion to America's "Tin Man." "Take Me Higher" bears both musical and lyrical similarities to U2's "Even Better than the Real Thing" and is aided by gospel-styled backing vocals from the always incredible Ashley Cleveland. "Mirrors and Smoke," with its clear Johnny Cash homage marked by driving guitars, sounds like it could have been written for the film Walk the Line (and Leigh Nash's awesome duet with Haseltine evokes a June/Johnny Cash collaboration). The slow lament of "Light Gives Heat" gains a world music feel, if only from the welcome presence of the African Children's Choir.

Make no mistake, Good Monsters is a pinnacle for Jars of Clay, leaving all of its previous albums -- despite their high quality -- in the dust and making it difficult for newer albums such as The Long Fall Back to Earth. It is arguably the best CCM album since Amy Grant's Lead Me On (1988), an album with similar themes and no less talented musicianship that many still consider to be the best CCM album ever made. Even more, in some of its themes (particularly the divorce angle), its harder rock, and its being a turning point for the band, the album evokes comparisons with the U2 classic Achtung Baby (1991). Good Monsters is, without hyperbole, one of the very best pop/rock albums ever made, one that any band would be proud to have as the shining star in its catalog.