House of Heroes: Suburba

When I say I am a House of Heroes fan, that's an understatement. If there's a concert nearby, I'm there. If there's merchandise to be bought, it's mine. I'm still listening to House of Heroes' original works, such as Say No More, What you Want is Now, and of course their self-titled. Though HOH hasn't become mainstream quite yet, i'm proud of what they've managed to do and create a name for themselves, as well as amazing music.Now onto the review for House of Heroes' latest work: "Suburba."I really liked the beginning of this album. Once you start the first track, it's hits the ground at full steam and you're simply numbed by the power and beauty of the lyrics, beat, and vocals. I can't think of an album this year that has had a higher standard of quality. However, upon reaching the latter half of the album, only a few songs really caught my interest. I could write on and on and on about the album itself, but I'm sure a listing of tracks with a brief (or not too brief) would be preferred. So here we go.1. Relentless - The songs starts in an extremely upbeat feel and tune, and the chords bring reminiscence of the album "Say No More." Sets a great tune for the album as a whole. Upon several listens this song has really grown on me. I especially like one line and find myself singing it at random parts of the day:"Our faith is small, but it is strong...enough to carry on.Though we are poor, we shall not want.Rebels we become, In tracks where young lions runRed beneath the raging sunLike wild fires we burn, we burn"2. Elevator - Will undoubtedly become a personal favorite by many fans. Props to AJ Babcock, bass player on their team - he made this song magical with it's insanely catchy beat and progression. This song is unique and unfortunately no song comparison to any previous works and other artists come to mind. You simply have to listen to this song to see for yourself if it's what you like.3. Love is for the Middle Class - My God. What a great song. Just like elevator it is extremely poppy (but in a good way, i swear), minus the heavy bass. The entire song is cleverly written ("I got my GED with a 2.2, I couldn't take 4 more in a business school just to spend another 20 in a cubicle, so i got a summer job cleaning swimming pools"). This song as well is unlike anything House of Heroes is done - but again...so good.4. So Far Away - By now most artists will have faltered in delivering catchy songs, in an album. But of course, House of Heroes ain't no 'most artists.' So Far Away sustains the magic of the album through a series of progression that really bring out the beauty of Tim Skipper's vocals. If you ever have the time, check out the lyrics as well - great for relating to those that are in a difficult spot or when you are losing hope in your future.5. God Save the Foolish Kings - this song switches the mood of the album back to the power pop filled with amazing riffs done by Tim himself. Also guest singing is Stephanie Smith, a label mate of House of Heroes. If you hate everything about rock, pop, and music in general - this songs throws that all out and forces one to reconsider the power of music. One line I find inspiring as a growing Christian - "But I met God on the street tonight, and he said 'Choose your battles wisely, or you'll never find me.'" This track is probably the most well known of the album, and most importantly, my favorite of all 12.6. Salt in the Sea - close your eyes and imagine yourself in a cove seeing the calm of the ocean and waves rolling gently onto the sandy beach. that's my immediate reaction to this song. the album switches back to a soothing and calming tone. Drums take a step back and chord progression in sync with Tim's vocals take the lead. Again, a great song that sustains the beauty that only House of Heroes can realize.7. Independence Day For a Petty Thief - This song feels like a throwback to the old days of HOH, specifically Say No More and their Self-titled. I.E - harder riffs, and vocals that are less soothing. This song is relatively the hardest one in the album. roughly halfway through the song, their is a tone change, and becomes heavily beat oriented with several segments that define classic rock. I didn't quite click with this track, but maybe after a few listens i'll reconsider.8. Somebody Knows - I'm not quite sure what Huose of Heroes was going for, a semi country rock track that's oddly out of place, or an experimental song that shows the diversity of the album. Had this been HOH's first album, I'd give more slack, but this track feels forgettable, especially compared to their better tracks that is has been preceded by.9. Disappear - this track adopts a sense of being in a dream very early on. It is decidely slower than the first 7 tracks, and most vocals are done at a lower volume. Just long the previous song, I felt that House of Heroes could have done better with the consistency in the track.10. She Mighty Mighty - definitely the oddest track on the album, in my opinion. Just take a quick look at the lyrics - "She so powerful. My lady, undeniable,She drop bombs of truth till your defenses fall." The song takes on a tone of heavy riffs backed by an even heaver bass, and a steady drum beat. And the song is entirely devoted to this lady. Again, I'll have to give this song a few more listens before I can truly decide if it's a mediocre song or passable. One thing is clear - it's not the best track by far on the album.11. Constant - Immediately the song starts with a strong country riff (if that's the correct term... O.o). Anyways, this song is one of the slower ones on the album. However after a streak of 3 mediocre songs HOH pulls out and delivers with "Constant." With a strong chorus:"All through the night I was fallin'Straining to hear your voice callin'You never gave outYou never gave inYou never quite gave up on meYou are my constant"this song comes to my close favorite of the album, as I see myself in this song, as well as my relationship to Jesus.12. Technically this is the last song of the album (however, the amazon album exclusive edition has another song). I didn't quite think this was an apt ending for the album. The song takes on a very heavy tone, and even bordering on becoming dreary. Think of latter parts in "Field of Daggers" from The End is Not the End. I understand that this song was meant to be more of a message than as a track to blast on your way down to work, but I just didn't quite go for it even as a message song. Give it a try yourself, it's definitely unique.13. THE SUPER SECRET TRACK! also known as "Galveston." This song is Train on red bull. It's bursting the seams with energy and spirit that makes it such a great ending to the album. It's so much fun to listen to that I can see myself playing this as my 'wake up in the morning, feeling like P. Diddy' replacement song. Just be warned - this is an amazon exclusive download and can be gotten only from the album download.Conclusion:okay, so maybe you didn't feel like reading all descriptions of the tracks - so i'll say make my conclusion short and to the point: it's the best piece of music this summer, possibly this year. The only thing it competes with is HOH's previous work, The End is Not The End, which in my humble opinion is a more complete album that better shows the talent of the band. But honestly, don't let that discourage or turn you down from listening to this album - because you'll be missing out on one of the best musical sequels ever created this decade.

Let me just begin the review by saying Suburba is a good cd. Overall (10/12) tracks are well done and either really good for singing along or just toe-tapping. One of the things that really sets House of Heroes apart from other bands is that all their members sing and they all play instruments. This is rare. Even among Christian artists this is not par for the course. Music has been steadily declining in recent years with sound bites and beat loops being seen as substitutes for actual music. From secular to religious. Pop to underground it's been getting worse. There are a few bands I still follow that put effort into their CDs and MP3s and House of Heroes, with Suburba, continues to be one of them. Having heard of House of Heroes with their "Say No More" cd I've always enjoyed their songs when I come across them. My first CD from them was "The End is Not The End" and in my opinion, to date, remains their strongest CD. I feel it really defined them as a band worth paying attention to. Nevertheless I only recently bought Suburba having been in a tight spot, financially.The tracks themselves are solid. Even the ones I'm not drawn to.1) "Restless" feels kind of like "Journey Into Space". Not the beat or lyrics but the delivery of it. It's a pretty simple message about a guy who's love struck and spends most of his time dreaming of a girl while the rest of the world moves by.2) "Elevator" is definitely more up-beat than the intro track. Not sure about the message. Sounds like it's about pursuing that ever illusive dream of making it.3)"Love is for the Middle Class" is an excellent track. One of the best on the CD in my opinion. Pretty self explanatory as far as message. It's fun, upbeat and reflective on the idea of Love conquering all; asking if that's true with a chorus that sings out, "If all I had was love, would I still be lovely? If all I gave was love, would you give up on me?"4) "So Far Away" is pure gold. About the journey through life and how it is not easy; admitting that some times you just keep trudging even when you don't see why. But asking even if you knew beforehand how hard things can be would you keep going? It's a great song that they released an awesome video for, documenting their progress through the years of being a group of musicians.5) "God Save the Foolish Kings" along with "Love is for the Middle Class" is the best track on the CD. Message wise it bears hints of "In the Valley of the Dying Sun." Albeit in a more domestic context. And House of Heroes had label mate (Gotee) Stephanie Smith(?) on this track and she helps bring this song into a form like a conversation between two people arguing over the actions of 1.6) "Salt in the Sea" slows things down but not in a bad way. Pleasant to listen to and (I feel) carries a message about giving up our dreams when faced with something better.7)"Independence Day for a Petty Thief" is an interesting track. Fun to listen to but feels like half of a story. Check it out in conjunction with the next track.8) "Somebody Knows" a rather passive track which seems to be the second half of the story from "Independence Day for a Petty Thief" without actually referencing that one. It's not particularly adventurous until the boys start singing, "I want the Truth" which makes an "Ok" track into a "Great" one.9) "Disappear" the one track that could actually be described as dark on Suburba. It almost sounds like a warning against pursuit of the "American Dream". A house a pair of kids, a dog, a normal job; these are portrayed in a very different light. The Suburba (or rather Suburban) life is appealing because it's safe. And while there's nothing wrong with that it holds a danger for us. It consumes our years, our imagination, even our dreams. In the end the Dream of living becomes the anesthesia to living.10) "She Might Mighty" fun track with a humorous chorus of the song's title. Kind of a symphony of all those ideas that fly through your head when you're with that one person (in this case that one girl) and how she just transcends the realm of reality.11) "Constant" is a good cd about the steadiness of God. A bit more personal to the Christian who learns to rely on God for everything, even in the midst of all that goes on and within us. Our desires and the world's end up being so fickle.12) "Burn Me Down" feels like a continuation with "Constant" theme. It's not a bad song but not really my kind of track. Difficult to sing along to. Has a good message of needing to step aside and let God take control and do his work.All in all it's a good CD and I recommend it for anyone familiar with House of Heroes. If you're just hearing of them (I don't blame you, they're a relatively unknown gem in a musical world bereft of talent) I would recommend "The End is Not the End" first then this CD.

I first heard House of Heroes from their generous freebie on Amazon: The End Is Not The End EP. The writing, vocal, and instrumental skills shown by this band are mind-blowing! As I listened to the full album "The End Is..." each song was different, epic, and catchy. In fact, it was so amazing, I was afraid the next album would be lame in comparison.First impressions from Suburba were shattered since I was stupid enough to listen to it with my mind absorbed in something else I was doing at the same time... But after actually listening to it, I have to say it was not as good as The End Is Not The End. Having said that, I do think it is still a great album! Their talent for creating catchy tunes is emphasized in this album as I had one in particular stuck in my head for a week after watching the music video once...The feel of the album has been called actually somewhat "simple" rock, but they do well making it still a great listen from start to finish! They keep each song fresh and different. They're use of so many great sounds and instruments gives an epic feel to more than half the tracks. The lyrics are, again, a bit simple at times ("Independence Day For A Petty Thief" is a great example of the opposite of deep lyrics), but still clever. I prefer meaty lyrics, myself, but I still loved most of the songs' words just because they are so FUN!Overall, you can't really beat "The End Is...", but if there was an album that had a fighting chance at topping it, this is it! A fun, clever, skillfully made, energy-filled, rockin' piece of awesomeness!Buy it.DrJ