 Remedy Drive
Daylight Is Coming (Word Records)
Released August 2008
reviewed by Russ Breimeier
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Sounds like … piano-based pop/rock topped with plenty of electric guitar, as if NeedToBreathe, The Fray, or Jackson Waters teamed up with Switchfoot and All Star United
At a glance … Remedy Drive debuts as one of the year's best new bands, thanks to their catchy pop/rock and hope-filled lyrics that should appeal to Christians and non-believers alike
Hey Jonas Brothers, you've been one-upped! Remedy Drive has four, count 'em four, brothers playing their own instruments as a rock band—and they're self-sufficient too, not relying on extra musicians in the studio or on tour.
Not that these two groups sound anything alike—the guys in Remedy Drive are aiming to become more than tweenage pop idols. Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, the Zach brothers were heavily influenced by everyone from Keith Green to Switchfoot. Bringing those varied interests together as a band, Remedy Drive set out with a simple goal not often cited in the Christian industry: To make great rock music and put on a quality live show. You could say that the band views their good work as musicians as ministry, and by the sound of their national debut, they're preaching it well.
It's not that Remedy Drive has reinvented the wheel or anything on Daylight Is Coming (and the album cover is completely devoid of imagination). Basically, they're NeedToBreathe and The Fray crossed with Switchfoot and All Star United, blending piano-based rock and catchy pop melodies with plenty of electric guitar riffs and aggressive drumming. Which explains why producer Ian Eskelin (All Star United, Stellar Kart) is perfectly matched with this band, though the "oh oh oh" hook in "Heartbeat" seems a little forced. The album is one fun song after another, and even though a few tracks sound a little too similar to one another, most will have listeners tapping their feet and eventually singing along.
As far as message, Remedy Drive is a clearly Christian album without clearly identifying itself as one. The encouraging radio single "Daylight" reflects on the dawn that comes after darkness, and there's nothing uniquely religious about having "Hope." But believers will recognize whose boundless love is described in "Belong with You" and "Sunshine Above the Weather," while the shimmering and soaring ballad "All Along" exalts the only One who can satisfy our souls. There may not be much Jesus-per-minute to the lyrics, but he's unquestionably at the center of "Valuable: "The scar that's in my side says/As the sea is wide my love is more so/I'm everything you need/Don't you know the blood I bleed is for you."
The album is somewhat short, just shy of 35 minutes, and though the band's versatility brings variety to their style, they could stand to vary it even more. But for those who say that Christian pop/rock has lacked verve in recent years, Remedy Drive may be just what the doctor ordered.
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Remedy Drive
Daylight Is Coming (Word Records)
Released August 2008
reviewed by Russ Breimeier
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