Centricity Records, 2006
Reviewed by Christopher Anderson
July 9, 2006

Warning!
In addition to playing Christian venues, Circleslide also plays bars! While this fact alone might make any youth pastor fidgety, with 200 shows a year, this San Antonio-based pop rock act lives by the slogan, “Have God, will travel.”

And your buxom middle-aged youth pastor may be right in telling you not to add their new release, Uncommon Days, to your CD collection. After all, Circleslide’s willingness to take Christ’s message to any dark corner may eventually backfire. Even as you read this, their MySpace commentary reeks of exhaustion. Indeed, Circleslide’s addiction to Rockstar energy drinks, and to rock star adrenaline rushes, will likely lead to momentary lapses in reason and righteousness.

Which is why this band is aptly named Circleslide.

Why Circleslide?
Circleslide’s press release claims that the band was named after the 1990 album put out by their heroes, The Choir. Another explanation could point to the always-popular downward-spiraling playground equipment. But then lyrics may unearth an even deeper explanation, should one choose to dig past Circleslide’s radio-friendly veneer.

Backslide: To understand, yet knowingly continue to fall away from God’s grace.

Circleslide: To understand God’s grace well enough to know that you can fall away and still return.

But Jangle Drowns Grace
Vocalist Gabe Martinez and friends have an intimate understanding of God’s desire to redeem the fallen, which surely helps them recover from those mistakes made while ministering in smoky clubs. Unfortunately the beauty of Martinez’ poetry is often lost under the jangly-pop spotlight. (In fairness to the band, this review is based upon a pre-press version of the album.) For example:

· “Noah” explains how a Christian should emerge from life’s storms. The chorus states, “Like Noah on the mountain. I will start again.” Noah busts out of the ark triumphantly, ready to begin life afresh. But even with a lyric sheet, this message of victory gets drowned.

· “Walking on the Waves” contains a beautiful thought—the storm’s wind beckons you to sink; hearing God’s voice is like walking on water—that is washed in the undertow of rhythmic guitars and percussion.

Strengths: Music, Grace, and the End of All Things

The music isn’t weak (many Myspace pages ranks Circleslide with the likes of Switchfoot and DC Talk). So what does Circleslide’s music convey? As already stated, several songs, if studied, lift up redemption’s marvelous light.

Lastly, Circleslide excellently frames the End Times with a Christian mindset. For example, “Uncommon Days” teaches us to forget about the daily gloom and doom found in the news by looking to the beauty of God’s majestic skies. Likewise, in “Weather Boy,” the planet earth may be wheezing its last breaths, but look to the horizon, because everything’s gonna be all right.

The song, “Meteor” sings, “They say the end is near and everybody fears The Meteor. But darling don’t you cry. The maker of the sky will dry your tears.” And again in “Up to the Sky” it asks, “Where do we go from this broken world?” The answer: “Up to the sky.” Once caught, Circleslide instills hope. In the midst of unmistakable End Time events, get caught up in the jingly-jangle of Circleslide, think about Jesus, and fuggetaboutit.

One Qualification
Although hard to believe for any Christian album, Jesus’ name is remarkably absent from Uncommon Days. While Jesus is called the “Ruler of the Stars,” “The Maker of the Sky,” and even “a Butterfly in the Snow,” strangely, Jesus is only referred to once by name, as almost an afterthought to conclude “Love Unfailing.” So while the music may be pleasant to the Christian-radio programmer, the absence of the Name above all names severely limits the music’s ability to reach and teach the unsaved.

Three out of Five Stars
All in all, Circleslide’s Uncommon Days is an inoffensive album that does a good job of conveying grace and hope.

Because their first single, “Gravity,” fails to convey both image and message, radio play will likely be temperate at first. Success will probably arise from later singles, coupled with familiarity due to a fall tour opening for Salvador. . . And no, Mr. Youth Minister, there’s no word as to how touring with Salvador might effect Circleslide’s barroom ministry.

© 2006, Chris Anderson

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Before his 1999 conversion, Chris Anderson served as Program Director and deejay for several Central Illinois radio stations, working in the Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Country, and Top 40 formats. During his time BC, he also managed and performed in several rock, folk, and death metal bands. Chris is now a recent graduate of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. To find out more about him, go watch the monkeys at the zoo.

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