Two Videos, One Song

Today's post is about a new(ish) band, an old(ish) CCM artist, the future and the ability to stay fresh or renew one's self. I've never really done this before so I'm not sure if this will come through the way I hope but there is only one way to find out.
I'd like to draw your attention to a new video by Michael W. Smith. The song is from his newest album "Wonder" and the video was released sometime last year.

Save Me From Myself

When I first heard this album my thought was that it was very retro sounding, almost as if Michael W Smith had stayed in the same style long enough for it to more or less come back around. I'll admit that this song stood out as something I would have interest in doing. I won't go so far as to say you won't catch the band doing something else off this record but nothing has jumped out quite like this track.

I decided that I did want to start working on this with the band so I went on my usual search for charts (word, chords, sheet music, etc.) and came up blank. It turns out that this song is not actually by MWS it's by some Danish guys. Ok, not just any Danish guys, it's from a band called Carpark North, whom I had heard of before but decided at the time that they weren't accessible enough.

Here is a video of Carpark North performing the same song live.
Save Me From Myself


The video's couldn't be more different but the overall sound and arrangement of the songs isn't too far off. There is no doubt about it, the eighties are in right now and if we take any cues from the past, a nineties revival is just around the corner (heaven help us). Michael W Smith's video looks like it could have appeared anywhere between 89-91 by my estimation. I think it is kind of cool, honestly.

Carpark North are generally calling their style Electro-Rock, a heavily synthesizer oriented rock band. What to me is most gratifying is to see them pulling this sound off live (in a video). To hear all the different layers covered well raises the expectation of how songs transfer from the studio to the stage. They have and continue to push themselves and genre boundaries with their music and I look forward to what they come out with next.

I think this is a great song and I take away two important observations (at least for me); 1)a great artist, even if I don't always like his/her stuff, is able to keep reinventing themselves and stay fresh 2)highly polished and layered arrangements are totally doable in an exciting live show.

Enjoy
Juan