David Crowder has been Christian music's resident weirdo for almost thirty years now (the first David Crowder*Band independent album release was back in 1996), and in the somewhat staid world of worship music, he has been a consistent force of creativity and original thinking in both his ministry and his life in general. (Take a few minutes to wander through Crowder's official Instagram page and you will quickly see his love for odd road signs and mislabeled and misspelled food packaging.) Crowder's music, while perhaps quirky compared to his peers and friends in the genre of worship music (your Chris Tomlin's, your Phil Wickham's, etc.), is often more friendly and middle-of-the-road than his personal appearance would suggest. His music manages to find a consistent home on Christian radio stations and in Sunday morning services. But his love of odd instruments and campy, southern expressions often finds its way into a few tunes per album...

Jon Foreman is many things: chief among them a deep thinker, prolific writer, musician, philosopher, and tour guide. And by the latter, I mean one who has led listeners through major seasons of their lives with his world-weary, yet hopeful tunes. For this reviewer, he's soundtracked many milestone moments in my life and expressed my heart in the way he sees the world. As such, I eagerly anticipate each of his musical offerings, looking for that breath-of-fresh-air-lyric said in such a way that lifts my spirits and reinvigorates a tired soul. With his newest full-length, titled In Bloom, I am happy to report that he has (mostly) delivered again. That's not to say it measures up to his previous solo offering, Departures, but that would have been tough to top or match. However, what we get with In Bloom is a slightly sunnier version of Foreman, from the album artwork to the sonic palate, and the poetic lyrics for which he is known...

Hello Clancy. Twenty One Pilots' seventh album, Clancy, is a continued refusal to be easily labeled. Mixing, pop, rock, hip-hop, synth-pop, and baritone ukulele sounds chaotic, and yet the Ohio duo makes it work. Musically, it's held together by Josh Dun's strong drumming, thick bass guitar lines, and a major assist on production from Paul Meany (MuteMath). Lyrically, Tyler Joseph continues to weave an intricate web of callbacks to previous work, while also pushing the "Dema" lore forward. Standing confidently in the face of critical opinion and a fandom bated with near fever-pitch expectations, the end of a decade-long story spanning four or five albums is here. Or is it? If we recall in "Bandito," Tyler tells us why he created this narrative in the first place singing, "I created this world/To feel some control/Destroy it if I want." But can he?...