Make Out Club (1993) – Unrest

(The Cupid Chronicles: Complexions of Love – Props To Puppy Love)

In “Make Out Club,” TeenBeat proprietor Mark Robinson brings all the earnestness of a young Shaun Cassidy to the meeting, his jittery guitar clips commingling with the skittish rhythm laid down by bassist Bridget Cross and drummer Phil Krauth to incite a frenzy among pledges eager to undertake the rites of initiation. Decoder rings are distributed, secret handshakes are exchanged and passwords recited to gain admittance to the clubhouse, where Robinson shares an innocent tribute to a first love. By the time he smears his suave crooning harmonies over the chorus, the kids are swooning, anxious to validate their memberships.

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Stay (Faraway, So Close!) (1993) – U2

Embedded on 1993’s underrated Zooropa, “Stay” yields one of U2’s more persuasive moments post-The Joshua Tree. The Edge’s curtailed flecks of guitar and Adam Clayton’s creeping bassline intertwine like gear cogs that apply torque to the vectorial plod of Larry Mullin, Jr.’s drums, as they forge ahead through the somnolence. Drenched in drowsy reverb that carries to the furthest reaches of night, Bono’s punchdrunken drawl emits gently as it professes messianic intentions. “Stay” loiters in the parking lots of seedy vacant motels, hanging around in a stale milieu of urban decay, a sprawl of psychological blight, a cesspool of spiritual decadence. Bono commiserates with a young woman who has become apathetic toward, and incapable of, human interaction, preferring instead to experience life through the filter of commercial media. A Rorschach blot of nebulous guitar slowly crescendos in a subtle accretion of soporific reverb. As he projects arcs of e-bow, The Edge lofts background vocals that plummet from escarpments carved of emotional erosion. Bono fancies himself a savior who would deliver the damsel from her stagnancy. However, his self-assuredness fails to stave off another evening of escapist depravity that trips her up in a tangle of intoxication.

Listen to "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" and purchase from iTunes Music Store.

Build A Castle (1986) - Undercover

Undercover, a Christian band formed in the early ‘80s, released their watershed album Branded in 1986. That album was a marked departure from earlier works Undercover, God Rules, and Boys and Girls Renounce The World on two fronts: first, new lead singer Sim Wilson’s resonant baritone infused a darker feel into the material than did Bill Walden’s cheery tone; second, the music had undergone a gradual transformation over the years from Oingo Boingo-esque new wave with naïve lyrics, to a darker, edgier approach. The introspection (Branded, Side 1) and despair (Branded, Side 2) reflected in the lyrics exemplify a practical, often somber, testament of faith.

In “Build A Castle,” Wilson muses that death claims even the wealthiest and most powerful of men. Life is ephemeral. Accordingly, Wilson assesses his life by asking a question which ambiguously could apply to a loved one, to God, or to both: ”Did I ever take the time to hold your hand? / To live before I die / and did I ever take the time / to look into your eyes?” Stirring synth strings and voice pads convey an acute sense of accountability. Guitarist Gym Nicholson punctuates throughout with squeals, trills and whinnies that agitate in urgency.

Instead of preaching to the choir, Undercover’s refreshing approach to evangelical music attests to their beliefs in a manner more pragmatic than dogmatic, asking rhetorical questions that actually require honest answers.

Not available from iTunes Music Store.