Ivoryline, Red, Run Kid Run & More
Prayer walks and brooding young adulthood.
Hi Pal,
Welcome to Nostalgia Booth. A newsletter where I share some of the music that helped me through my formative years as a young Christian who loved alternative music. Being a millennial, most of these albums are from the 2000s. But first, a little housekeeping…
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In today’s edition, we will be checking out five bands and albums. I spent most of my early years in the university investing in substandard earpieces that lasted for two weeks tops. I was a 16-year-old kid in my first year and I spent half of my 5-year period in school with my ears plugged as a brooding teen.
Back then, the albums on this list were usually on constant rotation.
Perceptions by This Beautiful Republic (2008) — Alternative Rock
The first song I heard on this album was Surrender Saved My Life. A little while later, I heard Last Second Chance. At the time, albums were not as easily available as they are now but those two songs were enough to make me hunt for all the songs on this album one by one to download. It’s a solid alternative rock album that still sounds fresh today.
End Of Silence by Red (2006) — Alternative Metal
Oh, Red! I loved them back then. Today, I listen to a lot of metal music but I’m not sure I would like any heavy music at all if not for bands like Red. End Of Silence is one of the most pivotal albums of my early years in Christian rock and metal music. It deserves all the praise that it gets.
Unbreakable by Fireflight (2008) — Hard Rock, Alternative Rock
Dawn Michele has one of the most memorable voices in Christian music for me. That’s because I listened to the title track of this album — Unbreakable — more times than I am willing to admit. Unbreakable is a solid album and it’s probably the strongest in the band’s discography to date.
Love At The Core by Run Kid Run (2008) — Pop Punk
There are many pop-punk bands that I am fond of from this era, but only three of them really made a fundamental lasting impression on me. Even as I write this, I have clear memories of listening to the tracks of this album. It’s a fun ride every single time.
Vessels by Ivoryline (2010) — Alternative Rock
Of all the albums on this list, this is the only one that I heard the same year it dropped. Ivoryline was energetic, creative and so explicitly Christian that it brought me great joy to introduce them to Christian and Non-Christian friends who loved rock music.
That’s it for today. Save your favourite songs from the playlist and feel free to check out the albums and more.
Until next time.
Keep listening!
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What's your favourite song on the playlist? Who are the Christian artists that you grew up listening to? Talk to me in the comments.
The first song I heard from Ivoryline was "Days End" and I was hooked. They were just so energetic. Also, I remember listening to Red and while I discovered them a little later, they were still a valuable musical resource. I still think "Feed the Machine" is their best song...in terms of heaviness