The Medicine - John Mark McMillan

04 November 2009

I finally got this album (iTunes link) by John Mark McMillan and I'm loving it. Folk, indie, acoustic and rock styles mixed together with a bit of Americana... awesome. Sounds like there's inspiration from some of my favourite artists, Springsteen, Dylan, U2.

Halfway through the opening track, Reckoning Day, this great driving, rattling snare and U2-esque delayed guitars spring into life and ramp up the energy.

Skeleton Bones builds from a wonky guitar riff into a driving acoustic ballad then into a powerful, pounding crescendo complete with group vocals. "Skeleton bones stand at sound of eternity on the lips of the found... Grave stones roll to the rhythm of the sound of you..."

Carbon Ribs, with it's washing electric guitars and muted acoustic guitar arpeggios, is another stand out track.

I love the themes in the songs too. Unashamedly theological in their subjects but finding the place where theology and real life collide in a great poetic tangle.

"I've got this resurrection inside of my skin... for all my revelating I just can't make sense of this gravity we're in..."

It's not a perfect album, the second half isn't as strong as the start except for the closing song, Ten Thousand, but the songs there are still enjoyable.

Go check it out