Jesusfreakhideout.com: Staff Pick Their "Top 15 Albums Of All Time" (2008)


	Jars of Clay, *Who We Are Instead* (2003) - "This album is timeless. No matter what other newer music I have on my iPod, I always eventually come back to this one. Also, this was one of the albums that first got me interested in Christian rock, or indeed, rock music in general."


	Hawk Nelson, *Smile, It's The End Of The World* (2006) - "A mixture of catchy pop-punk hooks and indie experimentation, this is Hawk Nelson's finest example of how to make music that gets your feet tapping, yet is still diverse enough to retain a significant amount of replay value."

	Switchfoot, *The Beautiful Letdown* (2003) - "This is the defining album of Switchfoot's entire career. Every track on this album is unique and perfect. If anyone ever asked me for my opinion of what "real music" was, I'd hand them a copy of this record, and that would be all they would need."


	House Of Heroes, *The End Is Not The End* (2008) - "I don't know how they managed to do it, but these guys have somehow blended the old and new together; it's hard to tell where exactly the old-school influences are most prevalent, but they linger here and there, sometimes in the melody, occasionally in the beat. This album is a classic, and I most certainly hope that they make waves beyond Christian rock circles!"

	Relient K, *Five Score And Seven Years Ago* (2007) - "Who would have thought that the pop-punk quartet from Ohio would become a five-piece, and fuse their punk influences with Beach Boys harmonies and piano-based rock? Well, they did, and it works…very well indeed."

	Capital Lights, *This Is An Outrage!* (2008) - "After a slightly disappointing release by Hawk Nelson in 2008, Capital Lights' debut more than made up for it. Imagine Hawk Nelson's catchy hooks and melodies, fused with a bit of '80's influence and some electro-pop; not a bad combination, if you think about it."

	Anberlin, *Cities* (2007) - "My initial reaction when I received this CD as a present and first listened to it was, "A Christian emo band? Ugh." But it grew on me... a lot. I have to say, "Inevitable" is the best love song I've heard yet. And really, they aren't actually emo."

	Jars Of Clay, *Redemption Songs* (2005) - "I love the way Jars Of Clay rejuvenated some of history's classic hymns, making them more accessible to contemporary listeners. Definitely my favorite worship project by any band."

	The Afters, *Never Going Back To OK* (2008) - "Their pop-rock is some of the best out there. All of the songs on this album are good, which is quite an amazing feat for any music artist."

	Everyday Sunday, *Wake Up! Wake Up!* (2007) - "I stumbled across the band by accident on iTunes, but I'm very glad I did. To my ears their energetic melodic rock seems to take influences from a musical era long gone. It's quite nostalgic, even if I wasn't born back then. They would probably sit somewhere between Hawk Nelson and The Afters in terms of musical similarity."

	Relient K, **The Bird And The Bee Sides / The Nashville Tennis EP** (2008) - "It was a happy day for me when Relient K announced that they'd be releasing new music this year. Quite frankly, I didn't expect anything until 2009. For a pop-punk/rock band, they do the softer songs really well. Of course, hearing them pumping out the noise on "The Scene and Herd" or "The Last, the Lost, the Least" is even better."

	Jars Of Clay, *Good Monsters* (2006) - "Introspective, moody, sorrowful… this is Jars Of Clay at their most serious. But it's still Jars Of Clay."

	Switchfoot, *Nothing Is Sound* (2005) - "A bit dark, and slightly sarcastic, yet it still manages to be some of their best."

	Relient K, *Two Lefts Don't Make A Right…But Three Do* (2002) - "Less polished than Mmhmm or Five Score and Seven Years Ago, this is Relient K flippancy and tongue-in-cheek at its best. Oddly enough, the underproduction works in its favor."

	Sanctus Real, *We Need Each Other* (2008) - "From the rocking opener to the closing song, Sanctus Real has crafted a stellar collection of rock music."