Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


The Brilliance, One Family: Music from Confinement - EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

The Brilliance
One Family: Music from Confinement - EP



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Indie / Alternative
Album length: 4 tracks: 13 minutes, 24 seconds
Street Date: September 18, 2020


READER RATING:   


Even though quarantines and public shutdowns are largely negative for most businesses, one industry that could potentially thrive is art. 2020's pandemic has already led to a number of albums inspired by its passive chaos, but very few Christian releases have been the direct result of our current climate. The Brilliance are remedying that with their new EP: One Family - Music from Confinement, which also happens to be their third project release of the year. In a lot of ways, Suite No. 2: World Keeps Spinning was an antidotal precursor to the various tragedies we've seen this year, and Give Me Doubt was its supplement. Now, One Family addresses the general isolation that being alive in a time like this feels like while continuing in the meditative minimalism that David Gungor's collective is known for.

The benefit that comes from having made plenty of music beforehand is that a 13-minute EP can be effortlessly focused. This becomes obvious right away on "Telephone" with the swell of strings that gets abruptly cut off by Gungor's familiar nasally vocals atop a simple synth line and drum pad. This palette changes very little throughout the EP, helping to cement the central theme of experiential unity. Gungor explains this theme through the story of a woman who's lost someone beloved and underlines it with the refrain "We dream, we run, we fight, we fall/These are things that unite us all." "Dark Shadow" introduces an acoustic guitar and feels like an early Bon Iver track, keeping things just as minimal. Perhaps the most intriguing track of the EP follows, which is... "Telephone"... again. Compositionally, it is almost exactly the same song as the opener, however, this time the notes and chords are led by the vocals of Emme and accompanied by the constant ticking of a clock. Hearing the lyrics also adds to the feeling of deja vu - the story is almost identical with just a few disparate details and the manner in which they presented being different. The clock's ticking carries over into the closing title track, which repeats a simple phrase over an equally repetitive piano line as compositional flair slowly increases until it closes out the EP.

One Family is unabashedly small. This is true of runtime, yes, but it is just as minimal in message and mostly held together by flowing instrumental sections. It is a project that would be easy to skip over as it isn't much of an earworm and it isn't interested in provocative ideas. But perhaps the fact that it is so quiet is exactly why we should listen.

- Review date: 9/26/20, written by Mason Haynie of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: None
. Album length: 4 tracks: 13 minutes, 24 seconds
. Street Date: September 18, 2020
. Buy It: Apple Music
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. Telephone (3:01)
  2. Dark Shadow (3:03)
  3. Telephone (feat. Emme) (3:33)
  4. One Family (3:45)

 

 JFH Album Sample Player

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images