Uncommon Days (CD - 2005)

On its debut album, UNCOMMON DAYS, the Christian alternative-rock band Circleslide offers up a collection of immediately accessible tunes. Like a faith-based Coldplay, the ensemble gilds its songs in shimmering guitar lines and soaring melodies, as revealed on the majestic title track and the plaintive, piano-driven "Home." Unlike many of its pop-minded CCM contemporaries, though, Circleslide also presents an edgier sound on the ominous, bass-heavy "Weather Boy," a track that rounds out this promising first outing.

Chiming, atmospheric guitars, rapturous singing, and soul-on-the-sleeve lyrics of Christian faith are the recipe for Circleslide's particular interpretation of modern religious pop music, the kind that they can play equally easily in bars, church services, and (in acoustic versions) bookstores. If you think that what it really sounds like is a recipe for dewy-eyed wimp rock, you may be surprised by the muscle that propels these songs forward on the band's debut. Sure, there are acoustic guitars filling in the spaces on most tracks, notably "Uncommon Days" and "My Reward," and yes, "Get Up" is a waltz, but "Gravity" is a big guitar anthem with layered guitar chords that explicitly evoke mid-'80s U2, and "Weather Boy (C'mon C'mon)" rocks dark and hard. Try to ignore the lyrics on "Up to the Sky" ("Windows of broken glass/Filled with aristocrats/But you always stand alone/Like a butterfly in the snow") and instead listen closely to the insane guitar solo on "Possession" and the glisteningly hook-filled "Meteor." You can also feel free to ignore the hidden track, a bluesy slide guitar-based number that should have been either finished or left off altogether. Overall, though, this is a very impressive debut. ~ Rick Anderson minimize