Telecast Quiet Revolution Artist Info: Discography Album length: 12 tracks: 46 minutes, 43 seconds Street Date: April 29, 2008

In 2003, Washington alt-rock quintet Telecast released their debut album, The Beauty of Simplicity, on BEC Recordings. It was met with little fanfare, brief airplay, and then forgotten. 2005 brought a line-up change with the once-again largely ignored sophomore effort Eternity Is Now. Most critics seemed to agree, the band held great potential but seemed hung up on employing Coldplay-esque clichés and repetitive song formats. In 2008, Telecast announced that their third album, Quiet Revolution, would drop on April 29. And that, it seems, would bring us up to date… Telecast has shaken up their sound remarkably, not insofar as sporting a dizzying new set of production methods or an arrogant, big-budget sound. No, their approach here nearly packs as many musical ideas into a four-minute track as possible. Take the album opener, "All Around Me," a quirky pop anthem with dissonant background vocals that swells with a piano accompaniment at its bridge, before running pell-mell into an (dare I say it?) epic conclusion. What's more comforting to the ear, though, is how White and crew seem set on never taking the same approach twice. Their formula for success this time around, it seems, is to throw all formula out the window. That's not to say that they've opened their arms to the polarizing sounds of so many experimental post-rock artists (although "The Message" briefly dabbles in math rock percussion on its opening verse). No, the pop song craft still rears its often unfairly-derided head track after track. What makes all the difference is White's careful ear for substance, shaking up a composition's development the moment it dares to grow tiresome, and lacing each song with minute background details to make further listens far richer than an initial impression. Speaking of initial impressions, Quiet Revolution packs one serious wallop. Still, the album is so far apart from anything Telecast has ever attempted that one can't help but be speechless by its end. Only after a couple thorough passes does its quality really make itself known. Simply put, it's an album you first like, then love. And now, after all this raving-here comes the only potential downside: the lyrics. Understand something: each and every idea conveyed in the album's whole is quoted almost verbatim from scripture. Much like David Crowder in his 2007 return, Remedy, Telecast takes basic truths and juxtaposes them with music that bursts from its seams with substance. The only problem this poses is with White himself- when hearing these familiar biblical truths once again, it's quite easy to forget what an excellent songwriter he is. Make no mistake; he has become (at least, in my esteem) the premier worship leader of this year. It's hard to point out standout tracks in an album that almost demands to be heard in its entirety. If pressed to do so, however, I would encourage you to download "Temporary Twilight," "The Message," and "Enclosed In You." 2008 has thirsted desperately for an artist or band to take the forefront of Christian music and challenge our hearts (and more importantly, our minds) with the Gospel so many have died for. And now, with the release of Quiet Revolution, Telecast has done just that. - Review date: 4/16/08, written by "Johnny Whoa"

It's tough to get too excited about a worship record that gets off to as underwhelming a start as Quiet Revolution. Telecast has remained fairly under the radar over the years due to a pair of releases that haven't left too much of a lasting mark. Unfortunately, Quiet Revolution really does little to change this. Taking a somewhat safe approach to songwriting and even production, Telecast's third effort is easily their best yet, but still not especially memorable when it comes to worship music. When you have an artist, like Sarah MacIntosh for example, who can deliver a far more interesting worship experience and remain an independent artist, it can make projects like this one released by BEC feel like commonplace. All this not to say that Quiet Revolution isn't worth a listen, because it's certainly some of the better batch of songs you'll hear bearing the "worship" tag. Tracks like "All That You Are" and "Shoreless Ocean" stand out from the pack, however, even after multiple listens, perhaps it's all too quiet of a call for a revolution for most of it to not be instantly forgettable. - John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 Record Label: BEC Recordings
 Album length: 12 tracks: 46 minutes, 43 seconds
 Street Date: April 29, 2008
 Buy It: JfH Music Store

All Around Me Come Down Impossible Possibility Beautiful Mystery Enclosed By You Temporary Twighlight Anchor Of My Soul The Message Quiet Revolution Shoreless Ocean All That You Are Infinite Worth