After two albums for Tooth and Nail where the band explored more anthemic avenues, the quintet found itself re-examining its hard rock and metal roots on its third record for the label. The resulting album is an 11-song sonic attack that knows when to slow down the pace and when to pounce back like a slap to the face. "We didn't intentionally go for a heavier sound," guitarist Jef Cunnigham said. "We just wrote what came to mind and I think it turned into some of our best material."
Late last year the band's hectic touring schedule slowed enough for them to start working on the record, though they had a few geographical obstacles to overcome before starting. With members spread across four states, each created a secret Myspace for a non-existent band where they would post song ideas for the others to listen to.
Singer Matt Baird would download these parts to his iPod, where he began to craft the lyrics for the record. His finished work centers on topics like redemption and restoration, and reaches its pinnacle on the album's tenth track, "When Hope is All You Have," which began as a phrase he used during his father's funeral just before recording began.
"There are songs about healing and hope and about moving on after we've made mistakes," Baird said. "I felt some pressure in writing, hoping my parts would turn out as good as the music. But I think it all came out better than I could've imagined." After their internet-aided pre-production, the band decided to set up shop in a one-room cabin in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee for over a month to mold those song ideas into the core of the album. After three weeks of work, Baird joined the band for the final two weeks to add his lyrics to the fray.
With songs in hand the band then headed to Lakeside Studios in Knoxville for a month-long session with producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D., Disciple), who also produced 2005's "Last Chance to Breathe," a record that helped the band expand its fanbase as it ventured into poppier leanings.
"I'm blown away by the finished record," Cunnigham said. "We wrote these songs to please ourselves, to write songs that we wanted to play live and we ended up with a few that were heavier and harder than anything on the last two records." Wyrick and the band have created a sound less reliant on overdubs and layering and more focused on bringing the band's live show to mind with a more sparse sound that still rocks as hard as ever. Maybe more so. "We wanted to experiment with heavier songs and think further ahead in the lifespan of the band," Baird said. "And with these heavier songs it really feels like a step toward the future and a reflection of the past."
How Long
Spoken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel you on the air; thunder speaks your name.
Ocean crashing down all around me, sweeping me from the shore.
The waves paint a picture of you.
Love is falling down all around me, holding me to your heart, holding me to the sky.
I know you are here. I feel you on the air.
How long, will the heavens cry out to you?
In Spoken's song How Long, the lyrics indicate a relationship between the natural elements of the world and the presence of a divine entity. Rain and thunder act as symbols of this entity, and the singer feels this presence through the air. The ocean acts as a force that sweeps the singer from the shore, representing the overwhelming feeling of encountering this entity. The waves create a visual representation of the divine, painting a picture of the entity in the mind's eye of the singer.
Love is also mentioned in the lyrics, holding the singer close to the heart and the sky. This could represent the idea of a spiritual love or connection between the singer and the divine entity. The lyrics also pose two questions, asking how long the heavens will continue to cry out to the divine and how long nature will speak the entity's name. These questions suggest a desire for a deeper understanding of the entity and its relationship with the world.
Overall, the lyrics of How Long explore the connection between human experience and the divine through the use of natural symbols and imagery. The questions posed suggest a yearning for greater knowledge and understanding of this connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Rain is falling down, all around me.
I am surrounded by rainfall that represents the presence of the person addressed in the song.
I feel you on the air; thunder speaks your name.
The thunder that follows the rainfall symbolizes the name of the person addressed echoed by nature.
Ocean crashing down all around me, sweeping me from the shore.
The crashing of the ocean waves represents the tumultuous emotions I feel while addressing the person in the song.
The waves paint a picture of you.
The emotions that the ocean waves stir up in me create a vivid vision of the person addressed.
Love is falling down all around me, holding me to your heart, holding me to the sky.
Just like the rain and the ocean waves are surrounding me, so is love from the person addressed that is holding me up.
I know you are here. I feel you on the air.
I am sure of the presence of the person addressed as I can feel their aura.
How long, will the heavens cry out to you?
For how long does the universe have to express my love to you before you realize it?
How long, will creation speak your name?
For how long will nature have to call out your name before you can hear it and respond to it accordingly?
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce M. Axtens
on Wind In My Sails
I35. The highway.