In lieu of a lack of time and creativity at this exact moment, let me use an overused sports cliché to summarize my latest entry in this blogosphere. I dropped the ball. This is “New Music Monday” but unfortunately, and strangely uncharacteristically, we didn’t acquire any new music albums to our catalog. Over the month, I’ve spent an inordinate amount creative energy on the scripting of the entertainment for Son #2’s upcoming birthday. That project left me in a lurch for time. I searched out new music, even added to my spreadsheet. At the end of the day, I just didn’t buy anything new.

However, I thought back on a group which has seen a lot of play time in my car, MP3 player, and laptop. On occasion, I have used their tunes on this blog to help set the mood and audibly tell the story of my feelings. This album isn’t new nor is it innovative or epic, but it does have listenability and is moderately entertaining.

The band is The Becoming and their debut album is “Vol. 1” released in 2008. I suppose it’s a little presumptuous to call your debut album “Vol. 1.” It almost begs for failure resulting in no chance for a “Vol. 2.” I suppose in a fickle and bureaucratically driven industry like music, you have to be a little confident in your abilities and continually sell yourself as better than the last version of you.

Two words. Christian. Gothic. Now, you wouldn’t expect to use either of those in the same context unless you were a member of one of the groups and were complaining about the intolerance or deprecation of the other. I’ll use them both together here. I estimate that The Becoming is a Christian Gothic heavy metal act. I remember when I saw photos of the band. I was hesitant to buy the album based on their look even though I had heard one single. One thing I’ve lived by in my years is not judging a book by its cover. With enough eyeliner to fill a makeup counter, more body art than an ambitious tattoo artist can do in a week, and an array of perfectly crafted emo hair styles, The Becoming can certainly stand out. But the music is good.

What makes them Gothic? The Becoming borrows everything that is typical and predictive in gothic music. Over-orchestration of strings. Heavy guitar work. Processed ethereal synthesizers and melancholy piano work. Dark and brooding choral sections. A daring and lingering lead voice. Stock in Maybelline.

What makes them Christian? The Becoming has a religious-themed message. This doesn’t necessarily constitute this labeling nor have the band claimed this genre. Typical gothic music is about funerals, blood letting, death, vampire-like ideals, graves; you know, the bright stuff. None of that exists here, just lyrics about heartache, self deficiency, letting go of it, and embracing something pure.

It’s almost paradoxical being a gothic band entrenched in philosophical messaging. Confusing, yet strangely intriguing. The album does have its imperfections and the music is formulaic. Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Break/Chorus. In this instance, it’s acceptable. It’s not one of those albums that you need to listen to 20 times to have it grow on you. The melodies used on here are enough to hook you after one listen. But the thing I noticed that had me coming back are the vocals. The lead singer’s abilities and tone are the perfect accompaniment to the music; Dark and heavy, but linger with every word sung. It’s very ‘Johnny Cash’ in how it’s sung/spoke.

For review, let’s take three distinctly different songs in terms of topic, arrangement, and energy to give a cross section of the album.

Dressed in Black – The opening track starts with a punch to set the tone. There is heavy use of distorted swelling guitar filled in with a synth track very Depeche Mode meets NIN. It’s somewhat of a sonic explosion within the different sections; use of samples, synth-created choir voices, strings, and piano accompaniment. Overcoming the darkness of grief we all experience from loss is the message here in the lyrics.

Your Love – There’s no question that this song could easily classify The Becoming as a Christian band. While close to being denominational, the lyrics touch on the concept of ‘is there more out there?’ Something we all grapple with. Musically, it reminds me of older glam rock with the crunchy distortion and the grinding of the guitars during the verses. To accompany the driven guitar and drums, there is ample synth work to fill out the sound.

Somebody Didn’t Come Home Last Night – This is the most solemn song on the album. It is a melancholy song about regret accompanied by only a piano and a minor amount of strings toward the end. This song shows that the over-processed gothic feel of the other songs can easily share the message with songs of minimalism and elegance.


(enjoy the low-budget, 1980's-feel video)

Depending on your perspective, you may find The Becoming offensive and a disappointment, or creative and genre-bending. The hardcore gothic followers will approve of the appearance but will detest the sappy ‘hope’ lyricism. The Christian music followers may disapprove of the excessive iconography and makeup but will relate to the essence of the message behind the music. The professional music reviewer may point out the predictability and the lack of anything musically innovative on the album. It’s not memorable or epic.

I’m none of these and agnostic when it comes to my musical interests. I listen to music that I can find a message in, music that shares the identical feelings as me at that moment, something that lingers with me after the music ends. “Vol. 1” may lack the energy or the fabric to make it a truly memorable album in the mainstream. But, the reason for listening to music is not because ‘everyone else likes it, so I should’ or because of a band’s stock in Maybelline, but to connect and resonate at a personal emotional level.

On an unrelated note. It's been a quick year of blogging and have a large backlog of entries to post. That, combined with a busy December, suggests that this last month of the year will be blowin' up the family blog. Watch out for some new family stuff coming soon!