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

The following list is in sequential order...


	Mortal, *Fathom* (1993) - "The one that started it all. I have at least a dozen copies of this album, and am compelled to buy it again any time I find it. Jyro Xhan and Jerome Fontamillas are some of the strongest songwriting talent in recent history, and Fathom is their magnum opus. From the strings of “Jil Sent Me” to the ever-accelerating “Godspeed,” this album has inspired artists and listeners for well over a decade, and is still the greatest masterpiece to arrive in two decades. Completely, perfectly brilliant."

	Five Iron Frenzy , *The End Is Here* (2004) - "Maybe it’s because I knew them back when, or maybe because I was at the last show where this was recorded, and I tear up every time I listen to it. The setlist encompasses the absolute best and most powerful of their songs- a collection which only shadows the depth of talent and profound heart these friends possess. I dare anyone to hear “Every New Day” the way it was played for the last time and doubt the anointing and grace which has (and shall) blessed we who sing along."

	Fold Zandura, *Ultraforever* (2000) - "After Mortal, Jyro and Jerome changed sound, and a new entity was born. FZ was the embodiment of the brilliance of the former- expanded and explored through band new musical terrain. Grunge, electronic rock, and even modern indie were all explored before their time- and Ultraforever lead the way with songs like “La Futura,” and "Everything."

	Enter The Worship Circle, *First Circle* (2003) - "Worship music as a genre is always in danger of becoming stale or plastic and heartless. I remember when I first heard this collaboration between Waterdeep and 100 Portraits. One of those refreshing seasons of awe and wonder in God was ushered in with songs like “You Are So Good to Me” and “Put In Me,” and my journey into that place where He and I meet hasn’t stopped since."

	Switchfoot, *The Beautiful Letdown* (2003) - "I didn’t care about Switchfoot until Jerome (from Mortal and Fold Zandura) joined. This album marked his first full involvement in what has since become one of the best bands of all time. Coincidence? I think not. From the opening kick in your face that is “Meant to Live,” to the poignant and purposeful “Twenty-Four,” nothing is wrong, nothing is a letdown."


	MxPx, *Teenage Politics* (1995) - "Every song… at the top of my lungs. Skate punk inspiration, catchy lyrics, breakneck speed… Teenage Politics contained the anthems of my youth. Thousands of other bands emerge, emulating this sound as if it were a formula- but with classics like “Punk Rawk Show” and my favorite, “Delores,”- Magnified Plaid captured something special in the genre before anyone else."

	House of Heroes, *What You Want Is Now* (2003) - "I thought about putting The End is Not The End here- but when it comes down to it, What You Want Is Now just means more to me. I seriously still listen to this album at least weekly, with no end in sight. Completely brilliant in composition, vocal prowess, songwriting and pacing… with unforgettable tunes every single track. This album’s version of “Mercedes Baby” has the single greatest outro of any song EVER."

	Copeland, *Beneath Medicine Tree* (2003) - "Sometimes music can seem too busy- too many converging sounds and overlapping noise. Beneath Medicine Tree brought me to a place of appreciation for the subtle, with treats like “California,” and even how instrumentation itself can hold emotion with “When Finally Set Free."

	Blindside, *Silence* (2002) - "The pinnacle of hardcore, in my opinion. Silence has it all- with musical depth and poetic lyrics set to ‘frappe’ in a blender. Intensity personified- both musically and emotionally. “Pitiful” and “Caught a Glimpse” are stellar examples, but I still get fired up at “The Endings."

	Sleeping At Last, *Ghosts* (2003) - "Orchestrated brilliance from start to finish. Ghosts established Sleeping at Last as more than melodious alterna-rock or however people might try to classify them. This album defies description, inviting the listener into the deeper stories music can tell. I can’t convey the magic that exists in a theater full of people singing in unison, at the top of our lungs, the chorus to “Currents.” Magnificent."

	Mute Math, *Mute Math* (2006) - "Best live band. Ever. Eccentric electronics and clever instrumentation, with presence and persona to match. Anyone can (potentially) incorporate rarities like a keytar or axe-synth, experiment with circuit-bending and every distortion and effect known to man… but none can mesh such wild imagination and innovation on the backbone of truly great songwriting like Mute Math."


	Bleach, *Again, For the First Time* (2002) - "These guys treated everyone they met like family. And that openness extended into their music through every album- but none encapsulate the sense of belonging and “we’re all in this together”-ness like Again, For the First Time. Songs like “Celebrate” and “Found You Out” just beg to be danced to, but it was really the declarative and powerfully personal “Knocked Out” that struck the final, lasting chord with me."

	Sometime Sunday, *Stone* (1996) - "Ah, lurch rock. Mikee Bridges and company emerged as one of the pedigree Tooth & Nail bands, coming from the gutter, and letting fly with their own brand of redemption storytelling. “Crawl” and “Guilty” both reflected the sense of depravity and desperation of the time in my life- an unquenchable thirst for Divine rescue, and the seemingly endless fight against self. Powerfully delivered, and just plain… hard."

	Poor Old Lu, *Sin* (1994) - "Greatest band to come from the 90’s Seattle scene. In an age when the ‘taboos’ of subject matter in Christian music were still in contention- Poor Old Lu addressed them all. Sexual guilt, hypocrisy, running from God… all delivered through the lens of grunge, with a helping of psychedelic funk."

	Future of Forestry, *Twilight* (2007) - "With eclectic tones wafting in and out between driving guitar, one might mistake Twilight for nothing more than really good experimental, melodic alterna-rock album. But this is passionate worship, laid bare and exposed, rooted in God’s presence. I started playing the beautiful “Stay Beside Me” for worship days after hearing it. “All I Want” and “Gazing” and “You and I” came next, and the longer I listen, the more of Him I find woven through the whole collection."