Album Review: The Anselm

|PIC1|If you are looking for Christian music but are sick of the usual stuff then you might want to take a look at The Anselm, a UK Christian "sub-rock" band glorifying Christ a little differently from the rest of the pack.

The debut self-titled album from The Anselm is one of two first releases from a new Christian record label, 12Tribe Records, which started up in Northern Ireland in April.

An elegant blend of soft folk rock music, enhanced by the appropriately unrefined vocals of Stephen McCabe, The Anselm immediately stands out as a Christian band that can perfectly balance searching Christian lyrics, desiring to testify the peace in Christ, with strong musical intuitiveness and a distinctive sound.

As soon as the catchy drum starts to beat in the first track, Son of Man, there is a sigh of relief that this is not just some other generic worship album churning out the same tired old praise format.

It’s hard to identify one particular track as a stand-out track as most of them are great in their own right although Heaven’s Coming is certainly one of the highlights of the 12-track album. A kind of sweet rock oddball in the album, the track is a delightful kind of strolling song that pleasantly surprises just when you think you’ve got the album sussed.

|PIC2|As the tracks run their course, the diverse compositions of the first half – with the exception of the straightforward and excellent Matchless Grace - culminate with the fantastic electro-instrumental mishmash Let’s All Be Nice Pt 2 to give the album one last burst before it gives way to more simplistic Christian folk songs.

One of the best tracks of the second half of the album is Peace Peace which has a superb hint of monastic choir about its chorus. And even though the folk style of the tracks in the second half of the album is familiar the songs are far from mundane but rather lead the album to a well-rounded conclusion.

And that is what is so great about The Anselm. Stylistically, it’s hard to pigeon-hole because of the diversity yet the songs still seem to melt together seamlessly.

All in all, The Anselm as a band are a refreshing arrival on the Christian music scene and have with their debut album nicely carved out their own corner. This is a band that deserves to do well and if it does it could lead to an exciting break from much of the generic Christian music that has so often dominated in the last decade or so.

The Anselm are:
Gareth Andrews – Bass Guitar/Keyboards and Midi/Backing Vocals/Guitars
Richard Hutchison – Guitars/Keyboards and Midi/Banjo/Backing Vocal
Stephen McCabe – Vocals/Guitars/Banjo/Midi

They describe their music as “reflective sub-rock” and were making music together for 10 years before being signed to 12tribe Records.