Reviewed by Pippa Rimmer

Ethereal Caledonian popsters Lies Damned Lies have chosen a somewhat unique topic as a basis for this latest release. Lamentations is hardly the most, erm, cheerful book in the Bible, but the veteran Greenbelters are exploring a new genre here - Christian music that isn't all happy clappy. 'Lamentations' is a maudlin mixture of haunting and unusual imagery; snippets of Lamentations are used throughout the album like a recurring leitmotif. To be honest, I'm not sure what they're communicating. The end of an era? The plight of the world? The end product is very creative and eccentric, doesn't have a neat conclusion like most mainstream Christian albums (God is love, grace and mercy, etc). "Mumble And Moan" has a Sting sound-alike on vocals! This song is the marathon piece on the album. It dies away but is taken up again by a beautiful string arrangement which punctuates the second section. Throughout there's a juxtapositioning of the old Biblical imagery and the modern life, a constant lament that in essence, humanity hasn't changed a bit since ancient times. "Home" begins with a simple voice and guitar duet and the emotional appeal of a protest song which builds to anthemic proportions! This is probably one of the more colourful releases of 1996 which challenges the stereotypical idea of what 'Christian' music is. The overall verdict is that moody, atmospheric, different music like this could be big business in the next century, so get ahead now!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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