Nostalgia Booth | 02 | Stellar Kart, Downhere, Third Day & More
Creating playlists for roommates, defending my musical tastes.
Hi Pal,
Welcome to this edition of Nostalgia Booth, a newsletter where I look back on some of the music I listened to in my formative years. Being a millennial, most of these albums are from the 2000s.
Stick around for the updated playlist at the end. Also, you can check out the albums on all platforms using the embedded links on the titles.
Scars Remain — Disciple (2006)
Alternative Metal, Hard Rock, Nu-Metal
At a time in my life when there were no streaming platforms and we had to rely on mp3 sites and a Zune Player, I was introduced to Disciple for the first time with two songs on this album — My Hell and Scars Remain. Along with bands like Red, Disciple really helped define my tastes in Christian music while growing up. Scar Remain is a modern classic that still holds up today, with a nice balance between heavy and emotive songs.
Simply Nothing — Shawn McDonald (2004)
Singer-Songwriter
Switching gears to a different corner of Christian music, Simply Nothing by Shawn McDonald has been on my list from the moment I decided to write this column because every song on this album is a beauty. It was one of the first albums I ever heard that made me appreciate the production quality of an instrumentally ‘stripped-down’ project (the acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and cello were the only instruments used on it). If you’re getting into this for the first time, check out Gravity, it’s my favourite on the album.
Wide-Eyed and Mystified — Downhere (2006)
Alternative Rock, Pop Rock
Downhere’s retirement announcement back in 2012 was one of the many hurtful retirement announcements that I would come to experience over the years. At the time, I was still enjoying their On The Altar of Love (2011) album and it wasn’t until early 2013 that I stumbled upon what would become my favourite album by them, Wide-Eyed and Mystified. My favourite songs on the album are Little Is Much and 1000 Miles Apart.
Revelation — Third Day (2008)
Southern Rock, Alternative Rock
Third Day is an established band and Mac Powell’s unique baritone is probably one of the most recognized voices in Christian music. Still, even with their impressive discography, no album of theirs has hit me the way Revelation did. I believe that this was the album where they were at the height of their powers as a ‘rock’ band and every song on it is a hit. My favourite song on the album has to be Run To You which features Lacey Sturm (who was still at Flyleaf at the time).
We Can’t Stand Sitting Down — Stellar Kart (2006)
Power Pop, Pop Punk
What happened to Christian Punk? Sometimes, when I look back that the number of bands that existed at the time, I marvel at the state of the scene today. In all fairness, the entirety of Punk took a big dip about a little over a decade ago and Christian Punk wasn’t any different. Stellar Kart was one of the bands that held it down back in those days and this is my favourite album by them. The standout songs on this album are Me and Jesus and Wishes and Dreams.
That’s it for today.
See you soon!
Social Preview Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash
Don’t forget to let me know what you think. What are your favourite artists/songs from the playlist so far?