Burn Your Bridges

Sounds like … the acoustic-driven—but musically rich—renderings of Jars of Clay's debut with the energetic, jam-band feel of Dave Matthews Band or Marc BroussardAt a glance … serving up songs that resonate with fervor, both lyrically and musically, Iconoclast sounds like a band that's been around a lot longer than it has. Track Listing Let Go Bridges Walk on In All I Want to Know Disappear Found Reveal Everyplace I Do Believe Welcome to the New

Clearly, there must be something about Texas lately when it comes to Christian music success stories. Poised and innovative enough to follow in the footsteps of Lone Star State greats Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, and Caedmon's Call, Dallas/Ft.Worth-area natives Iconoclast won the 2004 Rising Star Contest and have already garnered two Top-40 listings on Billboard's Christian national airplay charts. Not too shabby considering the band is less than two years old.

And while Mike McCallum (vocals, acoustic guitar), Skyler Seamans (bass, programming), Jordan Martin (electric guitar), and Chad Ford (drums, percussion) don't exactly have experience on their side, Iconoclast's music still reflects a depth and maturity of a more seasoned artist. Musically speaking, Burn Your Bridges has the feel of Jars of Clay's self-titled debut with a primarily acoustic foundation that's accented with cool electronic flourishes, catchy sing-a-long verses, and the addition of violins to keep things interesting. But rather than copying something that's been done extremely well already several years ago, Iconoclast re-invents the formula with the frenetic energy of a jam band, something that probably translates even better in a live setting.

Lyrically, the band also keeps things fresh with personal insights into familiar spiritual topics. On "Let Go," a song that wouldn't seem out of place in the late Rich Mullins' repertoire, the whole idea of "letting go and letting God" gets a new, relatable spin with a chorus so addictive you won't forget it any time soon. On the mid-tempo "Walk on In," listeners are reminded of God's faithfulness and personal nature in a way that's neither trite nor predictable, a feat that some major-label artists haven't even been able to accomplish. Ditto for the upbeat strains of "Found," a rockin' call for rest in a busy and uncertain world.

With rock 'n' roll sensibility, a desire to "bring about positive change in people's lives and in our culture" and a worship leader's heart (fitting since the band members play on the praise team at Trinity Harbor Church in Rockwall), Burn Your Bridges serves as a highly entertaining and promising debut from a band that's probably only going to get better with time. The guys are also slated to head back to the studio soon to "work on a few new songs and maybe a new version off the [current] album."

For more information about Iconoclast and their album, visit www.iconoclasttheband.com.

If you are an independent artist who would like to be considered for review on our site, please send your CD(s) and any related press materials to editor of independent artist coverage:

Christa Banister
Attn: Independent Christian Artists
300 E. 4th St. Suite 406
St. Paul, MN 55101

Due to the number of projects we receive, we are unable to cover or correspond with every artist that contributes. But we do give all submissions a fair listen for coverage consideration.