This follow-up to Sunday Is An Altogether Different Proposition is quite enjoyable. Through the 80's, Mike Stand led the punkish Altar Boys. After a solo diversion, Simple Expression, he haphazardly compiled a new band and after such good response decided to keep it up & go at it full-on, kinda picking up where A.B. left off. The big difference is maturity. Where A.B. songs got to the point quickly, these songs are a little more involved. I liked Mike's mind on Gut Level Music in cutting to the real issues of the heart like in the title song & "Question It". It's good to hear he's still singing of the condition of our souls with all the conviction & soul in his voice as before, if not more. In "If It Were True...", Mike states "Have we been lied to / By missapplied truths? / Paradigms presented as reality? / Ask the question why / know what you believe / Faith with reason's everything / Understand the lies / Read between the broken lines". The first single "Free" opens this disc and you know good things are to come. Follow the bass line in "Red", it's a hit at shows, I'm sure. Begging... is definitely addictive!
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse December 1995Reviewed by Robert BermanWhen the Altar Boys turned off their amps in the late 80's, it seemed that the Christian post-punk scene was finally dead. But that was before Nirvana led the flannel rebellion, returning high-energy, three-chord rock back to the national scene, and before Tooth & Nail Records met their challenge by signing a zillion Christian artists in the same vein. Meanwhile, head Altar Boy Mike Stand must…
