The band that stood the highest (in my humble opinion) on the Listen Louder worship compilation is back with their debut 12-song album. Rising from the ashes of the youth group-friendly Reality Check, vocalist Nathan Barlowe and Jonny MacIntosh ditch the safety of clean dancepop to create something with a little more edge -- all without losing a lush and clean sound.
The band jumps from a noisy electronic rocker like "Aliens" to "Superman," the keyboard-driven tune that could've been on the last All Star United album. Or they travel from the snappy U2-like bass line from "Forgiveness" to the space rock sound effects that intro the Weezer-like "Wait For You." If the band wants radio airplay, they'll probably get it. "Carry Me" floats along at a dreamy Radiohead / John Lennon pace, with a jangle here and a clean vocal there, making for a feel-good love song between man and God. There's a cool yet subtle electronica-influenced, left-of-center vibe that pervades this album. It gives these beautiful pop harmony vocals a freshness that it simply wouldn't have if it was performed straight-up.
Fans of Common Children and Fold Zandura will find some infectious territory they will want to run around and play in on Shimmer.
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by Josh HurstGood albums come along every now and then, but it's a rare thing indeed when I hear a CD that genuinely excites me. Perhaps the rarest of all is a new band that shows so much promise that I even go as far as to declare them one of my favorites of all time. In case you didn't figure it out, I'm talking, of course, about Luna Halo. Luna Halo's debut album, Shimmer, released in 2000, to…ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Jenie M.Luna Halo's newest release on the Sparrow Records label, Shimmer, is a creative new masterpiece in Christian music. Joining the ranks of other talented Christian rock-pop artists such as Delirious?, Sarah Masen, Newsboys, and Steven Curtis Chapman, they are destined to become a popular name in teen and adult circles alike. Driving rock beats and edgy guitar solos are reminiscent of dc Talk in…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michael EhretSeveral 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 Nathan Barlowe and Jonathan MacIntosh, the creative force behind Reality…Similar sounding releases
1998SemisonicFeeling Strangely Fine
2001PFRDisappear
2004NewsboysDevotion
2004Kevin MaxBetween the Fence and the Universe
2000LifehouseNo Name Face
2003Rock 'n' Roll Worship CircusA Beautiful Glow
