Myriad, The
With Arrows, With Poise
The Myriad recently toured with the David Crowder Band, but it’s hard to find much in common between these two disparate acts. Crowder, after all, is the master of enthusiastic praise music (e.g. the happier portions of Psalms); whereas The Myriad is more focused on exploring mankind’s various forms of pain (e.g. the entire book of Job). Once Jeremy Edwardson’s vocals kick in during album opener, "Forget What You Came For," the track – and the album’s overall tone in general – takes on a distinctly Radiohead feel. And that iconic band’s familiar uneasiness runs throughout this uneasy listening CD. The very next song, "Get on the Plane," includes a distinctly apoca(Radiohead)lyptic lyric; particularly when Edwardson repeats this foreboding line: "And if the sun comes up tomorrow, we’ll be fine." These words suggest the sun – you know, that big orange ball that switched day to night every bright morning previously – may go AWOL. This band may not create Crowder-y Sunday morning worship music, but its songs are not entirely devoid of God’s divine proximity. Heaven’s angels fill "A Thousand Winters Melting," for instance, as Edwardson notes: "I feel their holy presence lift my head." But even at its most hopeful, Myriad songs are still built upon minor key keyboards and moody guitar strums, and powered by the inescapable cry in Edwardson’s voice. The biggest difference between The Myriad and bands like Radiohead is that The Myriad recognizes an Invisible Sun – to paraphrase The Police -- which gives its heat to everyone. [Kosmos/Koch] Dan MacIntosh
This album review was originally published in the March/April Issue (#130) of HM Magazine. Order the Print Version to read tons more reviews. You can order the Print Version of this issue online or find this issue on newsstands. You can NOW read this entire feature in the online edition of HM Magazine. If you're a subscriber, you get a free online/digital subscription with your print subscription. You can purchase a single online/digital edition (which includes access to back issues) for only $1.99. A one-year digital-only subscription can be had for only $6.
©2008 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
Return to Album Reviews
