Jars of Clay
Good Monsters

If there's anything that sets apart Good Monsters from previous efforts, it's the darker musical and thematic tones. The album wrestles with the dichotomy of human nature - accepting the Good News with the bad, reconciling our capability for both depravity and integrity.

This is naturally reflected in the title track, as well as the unusual cover art and photos, which portray the Jar boys as dirty, matted, seemingly hollow creatures filled with junk.

This may scare off some people who have bought their music in the past, because this disc doesn't seem as radio-friendly or hum-able as some of their previous efforts - and this is the reason I quite like it.

Good Monsters may be the grittiest effort from Jars so far, as well as their most open and vulnerable. They seem more conscious about zeroing in on the emotions that underlie brokenness, and then journeying past it.

At times, this leads to some lyrics that are hard to grasp - but I think this is a good thing. In general though, Good Monsters is everything we've come to expect from Jars of Clay, and I for one couldn't be happier.

Adrian Drayton