REVIEW: Needtobreathe – The Reckoning

Artist: Needtobreathe
Album: The Reckoning
Genre: Christian Alt-Rock
Label: Atlantic

Music has become sort of ridiculous lately, due to the large scale availability of music these days we can be exposed to bands like Blood On The Dance floor who, allegedly, touch children, and the OFWGKTA guys who just write songs about doing such things. And people like Christofer Drew of NeverShoutNever, who is still convinced he’s John Lennon reincarnate, but sort of missed the mark when he wrote his new single about rolling on MDMA. The Parental Advisory Warning is absolutely useless at this point. Of course, this has lead to some extremely interesting and captivating new bands; I happen to love Odd Future, especially Frank Ocean. But there really hasn’t been many wholly non-offensive bands out there since the 90s. Most people don’t really mind, or even notice this phenomenon really, but concerned parents everywhere can rejoice, and introduce The Reckoning by Needtobreathe to their maladjusted children, and shift their attention to how much Call of Duty they’re playing. They are a modern interpretation of that 90’s era safeness that hasn’t been seen since bands like Counting Crows. Needtobreathe are a Christian alt-rock band from South Carolina, who manage to fill the niche of non-offensive, wholesome music that has long been void, and yet somehow manage to be quite good in the process. Not that I think being vulgar is a prerequisite to writing good music – I no longer feel the need to prove to my parents that I’m a tortured soul, and that they just don’t understand me – but this sort of low key music is often difficult to pull off without running the ris of becoming the new butt end to all those Creed jokes. But Needtobreathe have dodged quite the bullet, and have delivered a fantastic new album in the process.

As I researched this album for a bit before I have it a listen, I couldn’t help but be less than excited about reviewing a band that labeled themselves “Christian Alt-Rock”, that genre has long been tarnished, but as I actually got into the album, I realized I was very wrong about my initial expectations about The Reckoning. Not that I didn’t have a reason to believe that they would be way too cheesy for their own good; the combination of “Christian Alt-Rock” and an opening slot on a Taylor Swift tour doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in a band, or really help bolster their reputation too much. Impressive, sure, but not anything I’d catch myself listening to. But of course, I was proved to be rather incorrect. Not only does The Reckoning sort of represent that nearly extinct 90’s era mainstream safety, they also sound like those bands, too. Honestly, when the album started off with “Oohs and Aahs”, I wasn’t quite sold on the sound, but by “White Fences”, the second song, I had changed my mind, the song reminded me of those quasi-acoustic Counting Crows style songs that I must admit, are rather brilliant, possibly outdated, but rather brilliant all the same. As the album continued on, I couldn’t help but draw even more likeness to bands that saw their prime years ago, like “A Place Only You Can Go”, which gave off an undeniable Dave Matthews vibe. Of course, I don’t mean to infer that Needtobreathe is lacking a sense of originality, I’m merely drawn to these redeemable associations, they still have their own sound, and frankly, it’s quite good.

While I may have been poking fun at the sense of safety and wholesomeness that drive Needtobreathe’s music, I’m not saying that is a negative trait by any means. In fact, being compared to the Counting Crows is quite a high honor in any circle. Some of the most repulsive albums out there leave me bored and wanting more by the halfway mark, but Needtobreathe manage to keep me interested nearly throughout the entire album, which is quite a feat in itself. So any comments taken as detractions of The Reckoning are likely misinterpreted. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is going to make my album of the year list, but I can say with all certainty that I’m not done listening to this album quite yet, regardless of them sharing a genre with Creed, or touring with Taylor Swift. This album is good, no matter who they may share a circle with.

SCORE: 7/10
Review written by: Mike Hogan

James Shotwell
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