Well, welcome to Hey, Are You Listening? This
is our second episode. It's a podcast exploring
the past, the present, and the future of Christian
music. My name is Joel, and I'm here with my
good friend Brandon. And we connected over a
mutual love for some artists that we both care
about, but we also have pretty different taste
when it comes to music. And so we get to introduce
each other to new artists while also inviting
some friends along for the ride. And today we
have a friend here with us. Brandon, would you
like to introduce our guest? Yes, we have someone
that I'm kind of acquaintances with. It's my
wife, Jordan. And we know each other very briefly.
So yeah, we have Jordan on and pretty pumped
up. Me and Jordan, one of our passions is listening
to music and going to concerts. So it's pretty
exciting to have her on here to share her opinions
and bring her love of music on. Cool. I'm excited.
I'm excited too. Mostly because I know this is
going to be like way better than the first episode
because Jordan is on the mic. So it's going to
be great. I don't know. It might be a train wreck.
Who knows? You may never ask me to be back again.
Well, tell us a little bit about yourself, who
you are and then like how you entered into the
world of Christian music. Okay. My name is Jordan
Lorick. I'm married to Brandon Lorick. I am a
physical therapist assistant by day, music lover
by night. I feel like that sounded kind of cheesy.
I'm trying to think of like who I am in a nutshell.
I grew up in church, so like Christian music
has always kind of been around, but I grew up
in a... old school Southern Baptist Church, so
like hymns were around too. So I like a good
gospel hymn. Yeah, I don't know what else to
say about myself. I will say when it comes to
music, I learned very quickly when I made my
first mixtape for Jordan that Jordan is way more
of a music fan than a lyric fan. So when it comes
to music, she's way more of a... she doesn't...
she rarely wants it to make her sit down like
think through big ideas instead it's like i want
it to make me move and get up and i want it to
sound good that's a bit that's about it like
i i can listen to instrumental music all day
it doesn't even have to have a lyric brandon
on the other hand it has to have a lyric like
that means something big. If it's a throwaway
trash lyric, he's not listening to it. I was
about to say, I think Brandon's showing his cards
a little bit here, revealing like the things
that he really cares about when it comes to songs
or songwriting, which is cool. We all come at
it from a different angle. And I think both matter
to me, though. I probably lean a little more
in the direction of Jordan and the music matters.
But I've been a musician for a lot of my life.
So what were some of the first like Christian
artists that you really connected with? Like
we were talking earlier, I feel like the first
core memory of a concert that I went to that
was a Christian artist was 10th Avenue North.
It was a free concert. I think I was in the eighth
or ninth grade and I thought I was so cool because
I got to see them and I got to meet them afterwards
and they sang to me in the meet and greet and
I was like, oh man, 10th Avenue North sang to
me. I think I posted about it on my Facebook
and like it comes back up in my memories and
I kind of cringe a little bit when I see it because
I'm like, ooh, I thought that I was so cool.
But yeah, I feel like that was the first. uh
concert that i remember going to and then i would
hear them on the radio and i was like oh man
i saw them in concert that's so cool so i guess
like 10th avenue north would be the first band
that i remember that's cool that's a good entry
point i think like concerts i feel like for me
were a big draw into the world of Christian music.
My first Christian rock concert, this is going
to date me a little bit, was Petra. I was in
middle school and at youth camp and they played
at the youth camp I was at. I never turned back
after that. That was all I needed. That was the
life change. Yeah, it was. It was the moment
when everything shifted and everything changed.
When we have our guests, we like for them to
help bring something to us, to introduce something
to us for the first time. But you know this already,
right Brandon, this one? Yeah, this is an album
that I... I grew up with and listened to a ton
when I was younger. So Jordan, what album did
you bring to us this week? I bring to you the
gift of Family Force V, Dance or Die. It's so
dang catchy. So we're going to get into Dance
or Die in just a little bit. And I'm looking
forward to the conversation about it. But before
we get there, we are going to play a little game
called Who Would You Listen To? And so this is
a moment for me to be able to put the two of
you on the spot and I'm gonna give you two artists
and you need to tell me out of the two just quickly
who you would listen to and we can talk about
why afterwards if we want to. But we're gonna
start off, we're gonna start off really simple.
with a couple of more well -known artists and
we'll get a little deeper as we go. So the first
big one that we will launch with is DC Talk or
Newsboys? You want to go first or? I guess I'll
go first. Well, so taking the current stance
out of like the playing field, Newsboys all day
long. that I feel like Newsboys has much catchier
tunes. And honestly, they feel well, I've never
seen a DC talk concert, but I've seen a Newsboys
concert. And whenever you start flipping a drum
kit, I feel like that changes the game. That's
all I'm saying. Okay, Brandon, I'll take DC talk.
Yeah, I think I have to lean towards DC talk
as well. I have seen them in concert Of course,
they were like fighting over vocal parts the
whole time But but they're great live Yeah, I
feel like DC talk was always kind of on the cutting
edge a little bit of where Christian music was
All right. Good. Good. Let's go a little deeper
Maybe controversial as well switch but or skillet.
Are you wanting me to go first? Yeah, we can
go. You can go first. I feel like I was already
saying the word before I asked, Switchfoot all
day long. Oh yeah, Switchfoot. Yeah, Switchfoot's
one of my favorite bands. I love Switchfoot.
Yeah, so we have a mutual love. We'll have to
have you back on when we cover a Switchfoot record.
Yes, please. That'll be great. So what's your
favorite Switchfoot record? I don't know. I like
all of it. I feel like whenever we went to see
them back in whenever that was May, they like
every single song I was back in middle school
singing like switch foot. I love it. So good.
So good. No skill at love here. All right. Next
one. Reliant K or MXPX to worlds of the Christian
world. Reliant K or MXPX. I don't think I've
ever even heard of MXPX. I guess I need to go
listen to them, but I love Reliant K. I have
a deep love for Reliant K. I completely agree
with everything Jordan said. Never listen to
an MXPX song. You guys are breaking mine and
my careerist heart right now. Joel's like, he's
like, this is supposed to be a hard quiz, not
a like, I haven't even listened to that band
with this other band. Love them. Before we started
recording, I told you I might not even know some
of these people. All right, well, I will give
you a brief introduction to MXPX when we finish
recording today just to get into that. So I may
be looking forward to it. I don't know. You should
be. All right, we'll move on. We're going to
go a little deeper. So these may be a little
harder. OK, I'll try and start with one of the
easier ones first. And this one matters a lot
to me individually in the world of Christian
Ska Supertones or Five Iron Frenzy. I've only
heard of Supertones. Or what was that? What is
it? Five Iron Frenzy? Five Iron Frenzy. Was that
the one that you showed me the other day? I don't
remember. You showed me a lot of ska music the
other day. And I don't remember any of it. Brandon,
what about you? I think right now I would say
Supertones, but from what I've listened to Five
Iron. I think I would lean towards them if I
heard more of their stuff because I think that's
what's holding it back is right now there's like
10 Super Tone songs I love and I feel like I
could find 10 Five Iron songs I loved but yeah
I feel like Super Tones are just more of like
I guess like it's weird to say because I feel
like a lot of people love them but I feel like
they're more of the mainstream like if you're
a Christian festival and you're inviting a ska
band you're bringing the Super Tones in. Well,
I'll just tell you, if you're a lyrics guy, you're
going to lean really heavy into Five Iron Frenzy
because Reese Roper is one of the best lyricists
in Christian music. So they're great. So I'm
going to go Five Iron. Although I appreciate
the Supertones. Supertones strikes back. Love
that record. So good. I will say, if it makes
you feel any better, I can't even name a Supertones
song. I just know the name of the band. That
works. That works. All right. A little deeper,
even more branching into some other genres. May
or Copeland? Everybody's learning a lot about
you two right now. I feel like I have heard the
name Copeland, but I, again, couldn't tell you
a song by them. I saw Copeland on tour with Switchfoot
once. That might be where I know them from. I
saw their name on a poster. Yeah. Yeah, I feel
like I'm in the same boat. I feel like it's that's
like I was going through a 90s Christian, like
kind of trying to research bands, but then I
got drawn back into like the 2000s of music.
So I feel like I stopped going through all of
the 90s ones. So yeah, this just goes to show
you that whenever we review like a lot of these
like 90s Christian bands, I'm going to go into
it with a clean slate of like... That's good.
That's what we're here for. To introduce each
other to different kinds of things. I know you
know one of these bands, so I'll throw this one
out. The Chariot or Showbread? Showbread. Oh,
Showbread. Yeah. Both great bands. But have you
heard the Chariot? I've heard some of their stuff.
It's just I think once again, it's just showbred
is so ingrained and I've just I've went through
their whole catalog. Yeah. Yeah. Love love showbred.
All right. Well, I'm going to leave it there
so that we don't have to get further into things
that you may not. So we don't break your heart
anymore? Is that what it is? Or I don't embarrass
you because you don't know who the people are
that I'm talking about. I need to create my own
list and say, hey, have you heard of this band?
You should. Skyhawk Drive? Yes. You've heard
of them? Yes. I know, I know a lot of things
about that. All right. So we'll move on. We're
going to move on to what are you listening to?
So what are some of the things that you've been
listening to lately in the world of Christian
music? I discovered and I don't know how I haven't
heard of them like before this, but a couple
of months ago we were at a thing and someone's
playing a song and I like shazamed it and it
was a colony house song and i was like man this
is a really cool band and i have just been listening
to them like non -stop um i haven't gotten i've
listened to mainly just like the cannonballers
album really diving into that before when i've
seen a lot of people are like oh that's not even
their best stuff um so yeah i've been listening
i've really been enjoying um their stuff i feel
like it's it just feels like very like original
like very you just i don't know i just i appreciate
when i listen to a band and you know they're
enjoying what they're putting out. It's not just
we're checking a box and releasing an album.
Yeah, Colony House is such a great band. The
two main guys, sons of Steven Curtis Chapman.
So that's some Christian rock royalty right there.
I remember seeing them. It was the first Christian
concert I ever went to. Steven Curtis Chapman
was doing Winter Jam. And there was a section
where he's like, hey, like, You guys mind if
my kids come out and play a couple of songs?
So just mid his set, and I'm assuming like that's
his like two sons. They just came out and played
like two or three songs. And I just remember
thinking like, this is just, it's cool, but it
also just shows you like Stephen's power that
he can be like, hey, I know this is my time,
but I'm going to let another band come up here
and you're all going to allow it. I feel like
you got to see Colony House before they were
Colony House. I'm cool. I can be like, hey, you
guys, yeah, 20 years ago. I knew them. I knew
them back when. Yep. That's awesome. Jordan,
what about you? I feel like cliche, Forrest Frank.
He's just been saturating a lot. So I feel like
I hear him all the time. But then also Josiah,
now I'm blanking on his last name. Josiah Queen?
Is that it? I was thinking Queen, but then I
was like, oh, I don't think that's it. But it
is Queen. I like his stuff a lot. I actually
found him on TikTok. I saw a video of his and
I was like, oh, this is kind of catchy. And then
I don't know how to say his name, Taryn, Taryn
Wells. He's got this song called Let the Church
Sing. And I feel like it's super like clappy,
catchy, gospel -y. So I like that. Yeah. Jordan
likes a jam. I do. I like to be able to bob my
head a little bit. Yeah. Well, Forrest Frank
and Josiah Queen, two artists nominated for Artist
of the Year at the Devil Awards 2025. So it's
pretty cool. Yeah. So I have, as of late, been
listening to one of my favorite newer artists.
I got him John Van Dusen and he's got a new record
that's coming out. in october i think called
um and i love it because it's super long it's
called as long as i'm in the tent of this body
i will make a joyful noise um so that's the name
of the record and the one coming out in october
is part one and it has 18 songs on it and then
there's going to be a part two um and so he's
only released four tracks off of it so far but
they're so good and um john venducen is like
I have loved everything that he has put out.
He's got a really cool story about how Um, he
was, was in a secular band and, um, God just
brought him to a point of brokenness that led
him into really like serving the Lord with his
gifts. And, uh, he writes some really, really
great stuff. And so I'm pumped for that record
when it's coming out. And then, um, I have a
buddy, Chris Staples, um, who used to be in the
band two 38, which was on tooth and nail records.
Um, the band that I used to be in, we used to
tour around with them a little bit. Um, and he
just put out a new record called Don't Worry.
Um, and it's great. Chris Staples stuff's really
good. A little quirky, acousticky. Uh, it's a
lot of fun. So if you're into that kind of stuff,
you should check that out. So good. All right.
Well, I forget because Brandon's probably going
to get mad at me because I didn't bring them
up. We have collectively, we've been listening
to a lot of Gable Price and friends. I feel like
I got to shout them out together. There you go.
I love it. I love it. All right. All right, so
today we're asking the question, hey, are you
listening to Dance or Die by Family Force 5?
So give us a little background on the record
for some research that I put together. So Dance
or Die is the second studio album from Family
Force 5. and their first release on Tooth and
Nail Records. It was released on August 19th,
2008. I thought this was really interesting.
Blake Solomon of AbsolutePunk .net said this
about the album. Even though Family Force 5 may
be the musical equivalent of mixing Mentos and
Coke, lots of buildup for something that only
ever happens one way, I find myself oddly pleased
with Dance or Die. In its first week, it sold
17 ,000 copies, debuted at 30 on the Billboard
200. By the end of January, it had sold over
50 ,000 units. In December 2008, the band won
the Best Christian Rock Artist, Best Crunk Rock
Slash Rap Artist, and Best Rock Album for Dance
or Die at the Rock on Request Awards. All right.
You guys have history with this. This is new
for me, so tell me about how this record came
into your life. Do you want to go first? Sure.
I was telling Joel earlier that I think that
Family Force V is the Star Wars of the Christian
music industry. And what I mean by that is that
you have people that love Star Wars, but they
love one section of it, like they love the originals,
or they love the prequels, or they love Disney,
or they hate one of the section or whatever.
And I feel like Family Force Five is a lot like
that. Like they're, I guess they're four main
things. You have like Business Up Front, Dance
or Die, The Third, and I'm forgetting the one
they did, but they did a fourth one where it
was like Kruton is the lead singer and all of
those albums are completely different. So for
me, I listen a ton to their goatee release, Business
Up Front. So when I went into this album, I was
expecting like a completely different, like it
was a very big shift, like in my opinion, from
what they had done previously. So I even back
in the day had a very like almost like love -hate
relationship where I was like I appreciate you
guys are doing something different but like can
you just not stick to the formula of what I love
like keep releasing music with what I like instead
of what you guys like um so yeah that was kind
of my um history with the album so I what's funny
is I found Family Force 5 Saturday morning on
MTV, they had a video for Love Addict and I saw
them. I loved them. I wrote down their name so
I could YouTube them later. And I looked them
up on YouTube and it was love. I loved everything
that they had out there to that point. That was
probably, I was maybe in the ninth grade whenever
I found them. So I don't think they had released
Dance or Die yet. I think they released it when
I was in... I don't even remember when. But I
remember I would drive to school and I would
crank it after I would drop my mom off because
me and my mom drove to... It's not mom music.
Yeah. Well, she would love it. She loves it.
But I would drop her off at her work and then
I would drive literally two minutes down the
road to my school. So I would only have time
to listen to one song and I cranked it. Uh, as
I was pulling into the school and I would park,
go to school, then come back out and I would
drive probably about five minutes from school
to my grandma's house. where I stayed until my
mom got off of work so I could go pick her up.
So like that was my after school. I would crank
it up and like just this whole album, it was
man, I don't have a care in the world. This is
awesome music. Yeah, I feel like that's how I
how I found family force 5 and then with this
album like the connection that I have with it
It's just like being in high school not caring
about anything. Just listening to music No for
you Joel. I know you said that like you're not
really familiar but like can you remember any
like Blips where someone randomly was like, oh
this band's doing this or you saw a snippet of
like love I did like are there any parts where
you're like, I didn't know about them But I do
remember someone mentioning like we love them
or this band's horrible or whatever Yeah, and
so when I say I don't like I don't have a lot
of history with them I mean that I never like
got a record and spent time listening to it I
definitely like had this idea of what Family
Force V is in my head. Yeah. And I saw them even
I think play it like a winter jam one year or
something. And all I remember is the lead singer
like had a big like Hulk fist or whatever. Yeah,
like raise it up in the sky. And that was my
big takeaway from the moment. And so I honestly
never really gave them a shot beyond being able
to see them live. So it's fun for me to like
get to dig into your record. But I don't know
like the history that you know of like, oh, this
album was like a big like change in sound or
whatever. So I have no idea. that it's a big
change in sound. I feel like they all kind of
sound the same to me. It's like synth, punk,
rock. Like that's all a little bit of crunk,
rappy mixed into it. But I feel like all of them
kind of sound the same. It goes back to the Star
Wars thing, where Jordan's the Star Wars president.
I was like, listen, all the movies are great.
They got we got the force. We got lightsabers.
That's how I am with Star Wars. I feel like I
love all of the Star Wars movies. It's all good,
man. I do like everything Star Wars, but I do
certainly like some things more than others.
Not me. If there's spaceships and lightsabers,
you're in. Exactly. And if you throw in a Wookie,
then. That's just icing on. Yes. And an Ewok
is like... You're talking my language. I love
it. I love it. I love it. All right. Well, with
that, then let's get into this record track by
track. And so if you're at home and you want
to follow along with us and want to pull up the
record, we'll talk through each track. And so
you can hit play on different tracks while we're
talking about them to see if you can get a sense
of where we're going with this. But... Um, yeah,
we've talked a little bit about history with
this any other like Big like just overall thoughts
before we move into it I think for me, it's just
it's it's cool that um, I know on our last episode
We reviewed an album that like I never listened
to so for me It's cool to go back and to find
music that really impacted me and to see like,
oh, does it hold up or does it not hold up? So
for me, it's just it's cool going back and almost
like you're jumping in a time machine because
I'm like, I'm like Jordan. I remember like I
can think listening to it like in the backseat
of like my parents car. Or I remember like being
super excited when this music video came out
or whatever. So to me, like. I just love albums
that have all that nostalgia because it's like,
even if some of the stuff don't hold up, you're
still like, it's still good. Like it brings back
good memories. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. What
was the question? I kind of blanked out. Just
any overall like big thoughts. Sometimes Brandon
talks and I kind of zone out. It's just you get
so lost in love when you listen to him. Exactly,
that's what it is. Sometimes I zone out when
I'm talking. I think for this album, I like the
idea that it is a concept album, that it's like
this space battle and the only way to win is
by dancing and getting your groove on. That's
the only way that you can fight these forces
that are trying to attack you. So I like the
idea that it is a concept album and it tells
a story throughout. But I feel like track for
track, I feel like it's a good track, like individually,
it's just good. Yeah, yeah. So again, like entering
into it for me, I I had this perception of Family
Force V, right, that I thought as I was walking
into it. And so it was fun to be able to dig
into it and realize, okay, well, there's like
more here than I like originally thought when
I was thinking about this record. And for me,
like, it may not be like the thing that I like
am like. really wanting to listen to in a record.
It's a little overproduced for me. I like a little
more of an organic feel to an album. We were
talking about that yesterday, actually. So it's
very produced, but that's okay, because that's
what it is. And so I was really excited to take
it for what it is and dig into it and see what's
there. So let's do that. Let's look first at
track number one, which is the title track for
the record, Dance or Die. What do you guys think
about this one? For me, like back in the day,
it was like, I was like, oh, this is going to
be a very different album when I heard it. Um,
but like having that stuff aside, um, I think
it's, it's very produced and there's a lot going
on, but I think it's, it works. Like it works
where there is a lot going on, but like Jordan
said, it's like, The whole idea of the song is
this is a space battle and we have to dance to
destroy the evil forces. So I feel like it's
so over the top and it works because it is like,
yeah, we're not trying to put out this amazing
gospel record or something. It's like, here's
a song about fighting evil forces. I mean, I
feel like I enjoyed it. Yeah. I feel like it's
so cool that it's just like, hey, we got to dance.
So let's dance and it's, it's simple. It's got
good sense in it. I like how it starts like super
low, like the and then it's like, like it pops
into it with the, with the song. And then, um,
the transmission radio radio, like how it just
is like, yeah, I was, I love everything about
it. This is a great song It's actually really
good and it surprised me it definitely made me
want to dance more than die That's good. I think
it maybe met its goal. Yeah, I love There's a
high synth part that I think is really cool that
I enjoyed. I can see why this band was as popular
as they are. I feel like if I played this for
my kids, they would be super into it. They would
really, really be about it. The idea of a dance
war, it's just great. This is a great song. I
would rate all these tracks. I would give it
a 4 .5 out of 5. That was really good. Yeah.
It's a great track. Moving on, we've got Get
Your Back Off The Wall. To me, this is one of
the highlights of the entire record. And I think
it's a song that kind of combines all of the
elements of Family Force V, where you have this
dance element, but you also have this like...
rock guitar and this like screaming and all.
So to me, I really love it because I feel like
it kind of just, like I said, it combines everything.
Like if you want to introduce Family Force V
to a song or like use a song to introduce Family
Force V with, like this is one of the go -to's.
Like I would put this on if I had to choose three
songs to show someone who this band was, I would.
So I really enjoyed the song. Yeah, I think.
my favorite part of the song is the screaming
how like it starts with the uh with him just
saying like get your bag off the wall get your
bag off the wall like i feel like that like you
have to be hyped whenever you hear it like yeah
pumps you up so much yeah yeah um yeah the emo
screams were like kind of fun um that kind of
drew me in and in a way that draws back to my
past the sound on this song is like massive like
it's so big i don't know how you make that happen
yeah it's so big as i was listening to it in
headphones um but honestly If you were introducing
me to Family Force V and played three songs,
I would hope this wasn't one of the three that
you would play. Because I felt like, for me,
this song was like my old stereotypical view
of what Family Force V is. Like the low, like,
computerized vocal, like, thing. I'm like, I'm
not really into that. um so it wasn't my favorite
track on the record but um but i hear where you
guys are coming from yeah yeah yeah yeah it's
a good hype up song uh next we move on to rip
it up i think for me this is the first song that
made me go like eh like it was the the new direction
where i was like ah i feel like this just kind
of like misses for me but like i said i'm i'm
not like a dancey type person. So I think that
like, it's I didn't like it. But I also know
that like, I am not the audience for the song.
So it's like, I can appreciate it. But like,
for me, it's just like, I didn't really like
care for it. What gets me is the guitar hook
right after the chorus. after it sings like,
and then it's like, I feel like that draws me
in. That's my favorite part of the song. Yeah,
I like this one. I think I think it could use
a little slimming down. And by that, I mean,
like, I think the melody like suffers a little
bit the chorus is like a two -part chorus yeah
and it's almost like i would throw away the first
part of the chorus because it doesn't do anything
for me but i feel like the second half of the
chorus when it hits the rip it up part is great
and it's catchy and i'm like in on it yeah like
just do that like we don't need the rest of this
it's okay like we can simplify it and make it
a better song but but i liked it i thought it
was good yeah Track number four, How in the World.
I was ready for this after the first three songs,
which were really big. I was really ready for
track number four to hit. I love this one. What
do you guys think about this one? So this used
to be a skip track. I did not like this song
in high school. Whenever I first started listening
to this album, I would blast the first three
and then be like, I don't want to sit here and
just listen and like... Like I want something
that's like bomb bomb bomb and so I would always
skip it but since Even up until we decided that
we were gonna do this album I was like, oh, I
guess I need to listen to this song and listening
back to it. I'm like man. This is a pretty good
song So I feel like my opinions have changed
From high school Jordan to now 32 year old Jordan.
I feel like I with the lyrics I feel like it's
such good lyrics and still musically not my favorite.
I don't like slow songs but I feel like lyrically
it's a really good song. I didn't like it. I
feel like it was a skip track and like I went
into it with like an open mind thinking like
maybe like oh like it'll shift my opinion but
like yeah I didn't really care for it. I feel
like when you're a band like Family Force V and
you're known for being like what the guys say
like Mentos and like Coke, I feel like it is
a struggle to slow it down because you're expecting
like a nonstop party. So I feel like it almost
feels like the album comes to like a screeching
halt like for me. And I guess for me, I want
something a little more subtle. Whereas for you,
you're like, yes, I'm waiting for us to stop
so I can just sit here for a second. It's like
you're stuck on the roller coaster or like the
spinny ride at the fair. And each time you go
around to the attendant, you're like, please
stop. We need off. And then it finally stops
and you get off. But then somebody drags you
onto another one and then you're stuck on the
same loop and you're like, please stop. Yeah,
I just feel like if this whole record... if all
11 tracks were like tracks 1 through 3 um like
I would be giving up by track five. I just couldn't
keep going. And it's not because they're bad,
but when you're listening to an album in succession
like that, a good album has always got to have
a change of pace. Otherwise, you exhaust your
listener. And so I felt like this was such a
good example of that. And in fact, It's a great
song. The melodies are awesome. I love the like
video gamey feel to the music. I felt like that
was really cool. And yeah, the melodies are good.
It's got a great chorus. It's super catchy. It
might be a skip for you and it grew on you, but
it's my favorite track. Next we move to Fever.
um for me this is another highlight of the album
like this is a song that i still add to like
like i would say the majority of the playlist
i make i add this because i'm just like doesn't
matter if i'm driving three hours away or if
i need a like a doing yard work playlist or whatever
um i feel like it's just a really fun song and
i think like it's um It's like them branching
out, but I feel like it works a lot So it's like
I feel like this is a very like dancey song and
it's not like the lyrics are telling something
this deep but like for whatever reason this song
like I like I loved it when I heard it back then
and Like I still like love this song So two things
it is something deep. It's about catching the
fire of the Holy Spirit Interesting. That's what
it's about. At least that's what I think it's
about. That's what I'm interpreting as. But my
favorite part is, I think it's at the end of
each chorus where he's like, Beep, there's got
you sweating and you know I'm burning up. Whenever
he drops his vocals in that, that's my favorite
part of the song. Jordan, I hate to tell you,
but that's the thing that made me want to pass
this. No. Yes. It's that low vocal thing again.
I love low vocals. I can't handle it. I don't
like it. I'm sorry. How do you feel? Because
I feel like the other band I know, this is like
a detour, but that noise, it reminds me a lot
of like 21 Pilots. Do you feel the same way when
they do it as well? Yes, I like 21 pilots, but
I don't like that. So spoiler, whenever we moved
to those albums, just keep in mind. Yeah, it's
OK. It's all right. There's there's things here.
I broke your heart earlier. Now you're breaking
mine. There's things here for all of us. Trap
track six party foul. Yeah, this one I thought
was really, really fun, like that the idea of
like breaking a rule at a party. And so I thought
the lyrics were fun. I thought I thought it was
a cool song. Yeah, this was I like this coming
off of fever. I thought it was great. Yeah, I
feel like it's just fun lyrically. I feel like
it, it kind of helps, like break the stereotype
of like, oh, Christians can't laugh. But like,
these are guys that are christians and they're
laughing at themselves like poking fun at oh
you stepped to my girl that's a part of Val i
feel like it's just fun yeah it is i'll be honest
like i felt like this was like my least favorite
track but hearing you guys talk about it i feel
like it has like risen a little bit like thinking
like i feel like this is I could see like the
guys from the band being like, man, we just love
like this song. So I feel like that raises it
up. Like, it's not for me, but it's like, because
I was about to say, like, I felt like it just
didn't feel like it fit. But like, I think that's
more of a me thing, because I feel like I didn't
want it to fit on the album. But honestly, it
does. That's the album. Moving forward, it's
a I guess D -I -E -4 -Y -O -U. You should have
sang it. Yeah. So I'm assuming the song is about
Jesus. It is. Yes. So it was nice to like find
a song that I was like, oh, okay, this is a Christian
song on this record. And this song to me like
kind of perfectly encapsulated what I thought
Family Force 5 was. Yeah. That it's kind of like,
all right, we're going to do this whole like,
loud, like fun thing. But like, it's about Jesus.
Yeah. And so that was like, that was my thought
is just kind of like almost like didactic, just
like, whatever look at who Jesus is. And so I
appreciated the faith part of it. But then I
actually didn't like the package of it. Yeah,
because I just it it it I don't know. It just
made it feel like a little trite and light to
me. See, I liked it because it is that whole
like talking about Jesus and how Jesus is gonna
die for you. And I, but I feel like lyrically,
it's, it can be seen as like, oh, like boyfriend,
girlfriend, I'd die for you. So then it draws
in those people that are just like in the emo
punk scene and they listen to this song and they're
like oh man this is catchy and then they actually
look into the band and then they find out oh
they're christians but then they find out who
jesus is through listening to that so i feel
like it's kind of it is a little bit on the nose
but it is a ministry tool because people can
find jesus through that who typically would not
be reached by christians so I think like Joel
said, it was the first time I heard a song on
the album. I went, okay, yeah, they still are
singing about like Jesus. I remember the first
time I listened to it thinking, oh, this song
is most like a song I would have found on Business
Up Front. So for me, like I loved it because
it was a return to like, oh, this is what I wanted
the album to be more of. And I was really afraid
that this wasn't going to hold up, but I, I feel
like I love it just as much. Um, cause I, I,
I think lyrically, like there are like, like
a lot of themes of like martyr, martyr them like
dumb in there, um, of the song. So I felt like
it was just like, I just really love, like, I
think family for five is best whenever they are
just. guitars like going and just screaming.
So like, I think that whenever you say like,
yeah, this is what I thought they were. I'm like,
yes. It's with me. It's like, it's a great thing.
Yeah, they scream a lot. They have guitar and
they party. Throw in a little synth and you got
Family Force V. Next, we move to share it with
me. I really liked the song when I was younger,
because the story behind it is that their bass
player, Fatty, he was going to propose to this
girl, and she broke up with him. And I just remember
as a kid thinking, what? How could that happen?
That's the saddest thing ever. I remember just
thinking like, this song is so deep, because
they deal with that. But I felt like now, Like
it didn't hold up. So it's like a song I used
to love but now I feel like it was like a little
Maybe maybe just cuz I'm older and I'm like,
oh, yeah, that's not like the saddest thing that
can happen to you This was kind of It was a skip
track then and it's kind of a skip track now.
I feel like I I still don't love it. I feel like
it's just kind of blah blah, it's not it's not
like a go -to track for me. So not unexpected.
I love this one. I think it was great. I love
like the opening kind of groove of it. It's obviously
very different feel for the record. It kind of
reminded me of like a Weezer song. Like I felt
like I was listening to like a Weezer song. And
then I was kind of like... in the groove of that.
I love like the piano. I even liked how like
the song was just like fades out like some used
to just fade out. Yeah. And so yeah, for me,
this this this was one of the highlights on on
the record. But I think it just again speaks
to the idea that we're all probably like looking
for little different things when it comes to
music. But what's fun so far is that we've all
found like things that we can really enjoy about
this record. So I love that. Track number 10,
Wake the Dead. Oh, wait, do we do? No, I messed
up. Yeah. Track number nine. Sorry. Video game
again. Yeah. And I like that. That's fun. But
it moves into kind of like a almost like a pop
pop kind of, you know, which I thought was a
cool transition. So I don't have time to say,
but I think the verses are are really cool. It's
great melody. I like this one. It was simple.
It was cool. What about you, Jordan? I liked
it. Then I liked it now. I feel like I like that
it is kind of like more of a pop punk. It wasn't
like the typical like screaming, but it was more
like singing and like pop punky. And whenever
I feel like my favorite part is whenever he says
press repeat just the way that he says it i like
that part i um i think that it's the out of like
the new era like a family force five it's the
song that i like the most out of it um There's
also a really cool remix of this and it's done
by Matthew Thiessen of Reliant K, but it's just
a bunch of bells. So it's a bunch of like bells
and it's I really like it and it's I feel like
the remix like his remix of this is better like
than the original because it's just completely
different. So like if you're someone who didn't
like this one, I really recommend going and listening
to the that decent if you could find it because
that's we didn't address it like at the beginning
but also like i don't know what it is about like
their catalog and like their record contracts
but like you can't find this album like you can't
buy it on apple you can't stream it on spotify
um you've got to either like go buy a cd or go
stream it on youtube which i feel like is just
really weird in today's age whenever you have
albums that like just aren't Do they even sell
this CD anymore? in stores? I don't even know.
You could go to eBay or a flea market. Yeah,
you probably have to buy it used. Yeah, it'd
be interesting to know. There was a situation
with Tooth & Nell where they entered into a contract
with EMI, I think in the early 2000s, and they
originally were like, oh, this is going to create
like a lot more opportunity for a record skimp
to end up in places. But it was kind of like
a partnership, almost like there was like a merger.
And, um, but when it happening is a tooth and
a loss, like sort of a lot of rights to the,
to records during a certain time period. And
then when they pulled back out of that relationship,
EMI like held, held some of that stuff and tooth
and nail didn't really have the rights to it
anymore. So I don't know how that maybe impacted
this, but it could be one of those elephants
that just kind of fell prey to that. Yeah. Yeah.
All right, wake the dead track number 10 I don't
have a lot to say about it, but I feel like this
one could end up on my Halloween playlist I remember
having a t -shirt from this and it was a It's
purple had to wake the dead and it was like a
zombie like giving you I think like it was like
the thumbs up or whatever And I remember just
thinking this is the coolest shirt that anyone
has ever owned in the history of the world I
feel like wasn't this song on a commercial? For
like a toy. I think so. I think I could be mixing
it up with the forever the sickest kids song
Are you thinking of um? Because they did do a
song for Skella animals, but it was keep the
party alive that one, but I feel like Maybe it's
that one that I'm thinking of. And then it's
a Forever the Sickest Kids song that I'm thinking
of was on another commercial for another thing.
This is probably won't surprise you Joel. But
yes, that was a partnership they had where it
was like the undead beanie babies called Skella
animals. And family force five was like wrote
like the official song and all for it. You're
probably like, yep, that surprised me that. But
I like this song, Wake the Dead. It's probably,
I don't know, I feel like I can't say that it
is my favorite, but it's one of my favorites
off of this album. I feel like the idea behind
it is that there's all of these apathetic Christians
and... you're like trying to get this spark of
like revival and you're trying to wake the dead
and it doesn't matter what they say or what they
think because they're dead. Let's wake them up.
we gotta revive, we gotta keep pushing forward.
So I feel like it's kind of an empowering song
for especially young Christians who maybe don't
fit the part of the stereotypical Christian because
they come into the church with their band tees
and their skinny jeans and their converses and
their purple hair that's spiked up and their
dark eye shadow. Maybe that's what I looked like
in high school. I was wondering how personal
that moment was getting for you. I got a lot
of looks. I felt like this song, when you know
the context of Family Force 5, it does add a
lot to it. Because I think on its own, I think
this song might be kind of like, I like it, it's
all right. But that was one of their biggest
things at concerts, is they would be like, hey,
we're here and we're going to party for Jesus.
And they're like, and if you think that's stupid,
then you can leave. They're like, get out of
here. We don't want you at our show. They'd be
like a winter jam. They'd be like, if you don't
think that you should be excited for Jesus, then
go get something to eat. We don't want you in
this room. And so it was just very much like
in your face. And I think that like Jordan said,
when you're growing up and you feel like you're
not fitting that vision, this kind of becomes
an anthem for like, oh, like. Can be different
and still like follow Jesus like I don't have
to be like here's the line you fall into Yeah,
so I feel like out of all their tracks This is
one that I feel like is very personal for a lot
of them because it is kind of their anthem Moving
on to the finale radiator I think that like this
song is incredible like this song it made me
think I was like you know, can one song lift
up the rating of an entire like album? Like that's
how I felt like it's just like the snaps, the
guitar, like everything about it is just like
incredible. And like I said, like I add like
fever to like, like to be on playlist, but like
radiator is like, I, this song can't come on
and I not sing to it. Like it's just immediate.
It's like, Oh, yep, we're, we're singing. We're
in concert mode and I think it's like, it's on
the Mount Rushmore of Family Force V songs. I'm
laughing because Joel keeps looking at me. I
have a feeling I know what his thoughts on this
song are going to be because I love this song.
I was wondering what your thoughts are because
I felt like you were looking at him like, we
disagree on this, but apparently not. No, I laugh
because Brandon, whenever we talk, whenever we
have been talking about this album, that's the
song that he keeps coming back to. And I'm like,
Brandon, there's other songs on this. Have you
listened to the other songs? He's just like,
man, right? radiator so good. I feel like I love
radiator. I feel like my favorite part is the
snaps in it and then I can vividly see like the
music video for this and he's got one of those
like old school microphones and it's green and
like he's like talking in it's like a fisheye
camera angle and he's like coming into and he's
like Radiator just like you like he's like twisting
and like I thought it was just such a cool music
video So I feel like the music video has sold
me on this song But yeah, I feel like it's such
a cool concept again It's a Jesus song because
it's being a radiator just like you so that you
are sharing like Jesus you're being Jesus and
Yeah, again, it's bringing in people who stereotypically
are kind of rushed to the side in your typical
church circle and you're bringing those people
in and saying, hey, it is cool to love Jesus
and it's cool to have purple hair and it's cool
to dress kind of crazy, but that's okay because
you love Jesus and I love Jesus. Let's sing about
it and dance about it. Yeah. yeah i got a real
um like black keys vibe from this one or have
you guys heard the band 68 um no i maybe a little
bit josh from the chariot it's like his new band
um it's just like literally like him and a drummer
uh him on guitar but similar kind of thing just
like big like loud guitars but like almost like
a little bluesy kind of influence to it um and
so yeah i mean i thought i thought this one was
cool it wasn't my favorite track um but um but
yeah i'm good with it it's great so so brandon
you would say for you that this this is your
favorite track on the record yeah i would say
i think that this like i really like get your
back off the wall but i think radiator is just
yeah i think i think it's just there's nothing
about it like I can like nitpick. It's just there's
like a force field around like how negative and
I think I think for everyone, they just have
songs like that and you know, I we keep going
back to I think what's really cool is that you
have two people who this meant so much to them
when they were growing up and it's like, yeah,
like I can't Listen that song and not think of
the music video and then you have someone like
yourself. It's like I've never seen this music
video I didn't hear them say like play this live
and I think that's what's cool Is that you know,
I think part of it's like is it amazing? Am I
getting caught in nostalgia? I don't know. I
just know I love the song Yeah, say it would
definitely be my favorite album our favorite
song off the album. I love that. I love that
Jordan, what's your favorite track? Um, I don't
have one. I feel like there's, I feel like there's
songs that I, I love kind of equally. I feel
like dance or die, get your back off the wall,
rip it up. Uh, fever. I feel like die for you.
Uh, the first time and wake the dead radiator.
I feel like all of those are like standouts.
I feel like. how in the world I do like it but
I don't love it and then uh share it with me
I it's okay I don't I I don't love it I really
don't like it a whole lot what if this I don't
know if this helps you but what if right now
family force five was outside that door on stage
and they were like We've got four minutes to
play a song for you off this album, but only
four minutes. Dance or die. Okay. Gun to my head.
I have to choose. So here's the fun thing. I
mean, the fun thing there is that I think that's
a track we all enjoyed and liked a lot. And I
love that. And it's a great song. And it's right
up there with me for my favorite one, which my
favorite one is. how in the world. But Dancer
Die was like right there. And so it's fun that
that that's a track that we kind of all have
a mutual love for. So I really appreciate you
guys introducing me to this. It's fun to dig
into stuff. that I haven't really spent time
with and find things that I love. I'm honestly
going to listen to how in the world a lot. And
they show the girls dance or die. Absolutely.
I will put dance or die on. I have I have a playlist
called Dance Like Nobody's Watching and it will
end up there, which is great. I'll become part
of the rhythm of our family. So overall rating
for the record at a five, one out of five. I
can start. this is one of those records that
I feel like when I liked it I loved it and so
like half the record I would give like five stars
but then the other half I feel like just fell
like flat so I feel like for me it's like a 2
.5 like out of five two point five Brandon you
kiss your mother with that mouth so Jordan I
would give this record a 3 .27. Oh my gosh. Which
is higher than your husband. That's true. Gave
this album. But still kind of low. I think I'm
still just better because I want to be like,
guys, just give me another album of what I loved.
I don't want to try. I want to go to my favorite
restaurant. Don't make me go to a new restaurant.
Just let me have my chicken tenders and fries.
Don't. don't throw sauce on with it. You just
have to understand that a four is like a great
record and a five is like all -timer. I was going
to put it in like a 4 .5. Which you should. I
should because it's my pick. But I feel like
it only loses a little bit because of uh share
it with me and how in the world. I need to bring
that one to you. But yeah, I feel like the two
slow tracks because I don't like slow music.
I like fast, pumpy, get -me -up -and -moving
music. Slow music just makes me want to cry,
but not in a good way, not like a good cry, like
a sad cry. I feel like if you average all that
out, you get like a 3 .6, 3 .7. And I feel like
that's a fair assessment of it. Should I get
out the calculator? I'm curious. Your math is
good. But yeah, I think that's what's good and
bad about a band like Family Force V is that
I think, I don't want to spoil, but I feel like
there's records of theirs that if we listen to
it, I'm like, man, that's a... That's a 4 .5
all day long. And I think there's other records
of theirs that like might be like lower than
this. But I think it's commendable when you have
a, cause like I said, for me, I'm like, just
give me what I want. But I also appreciate that,
like, I feel like there's a lot on this album
that it was them getting out of their comfort
zone because you could stick to whatever. And
like you could have 12 tracks. It's just screaming
and partying. So I feel like it is cool when
you're like, no, let's slow down and try to our
hands at like a slower song. So I feel like,
I feel like the 2 .5, like I said, it can be
very like deceiving because it's like, I like
the album, but I think that's where I stand is
that half of it's. I'm like, Oh, this is incredible.
And the other half, I'm like, Oh man, I'm just
not, I'm not a dancey person. Like it just misses.
Yeah. Well, this was a fun conversation through
this record. So Jordan, again, thank you so much
for bringing it to us and letting us dig into
it today. Um, but now it is time for us to go
to the lyric of the week. So the lyric of the
week I was looking through some of my favorites
and I asked Jordan what her favorite was and
the first thing that she mentioned was um in
like Wake the Dead like I think it's like halfway
through it so it's like the second or third time
they've gone through the chorus. Wake up the
dead now. Shakey shake up the dead now. That
shaky shake that's what I love so that was that
was Jordan's highlight of the album lyric wise
is just yeah the shaky shake. You know you gotta
shakey shake them up. Any kind of like deep philosophical
meaning that like follows with that for you.
I like the way that the word shaky sounds. There
you go. Well, that's it for our episode. Before
we take off, you can find us at at Hey, are you
pod on X? Brandon and I socials are on there
as well Jordan. Where can we find you on the
interwebs? I joked that you can't find me I'm
in the witness protection program, but no I'm
on Instagram Jojo the wizard 257 I have an ex
but I don't get on it because I used it back
when it was Twitter and I don't I don't even
know if I know my login for it to be honest,
but my my handle Brandon loves my handle. It's
Jay money And then I'm on Facebook too. I'm on
TikTok, but I don't post on TikTok. So if you
wanted to follow me, you can, but I don't really
post on there. But Instagram, JojoTheWizard257.
Instagram's the place to go. She's a good follow
there. So, all right. We are thankful that we
were able to wrap around this today. Come back
and we'll look forward to seeing you next week.