| Hope | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front cover photo to be added after article is approved and created. Shows the backs of a young boy and girl with their arms around each other, staring into a pitch black space between some trees, with the band name "MAD AT THE WORLD" at the very top, and the album name "Hope" written underneath it. | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Dec 22, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | Rose Studios | |||
| Genre | Christian music, Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 42:19 | |||
| Label | Hidenburg Records | |||
| Producer | Roger Rose | |||
| Mad at the World chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
| File:Back cover image to be added after article is approved and created. Back cover image to be added after article is approved and created. | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |   [1] |
History edit
Hope is the latest album from Christian rock band Mad at the World. It is the band's first album in 22 years[2], and their first independent album.
Leveraging the success of his latest Rose record Songs for the Ritually Abused, Randy convinced his brother Roger to record a new Mad at the World album after over a two-decade long hiatus. Their idea was to go back to a more electronic sound similar to that of the band's first two albums[3], Mad at the World (1986) and Flowers in the Rain (1988).
After a successful Kickstarter campaign[3], Roger and Randy Rose entered the studio. Promising "fresh new sounds" that are "deep, lush, dark, bright, and powerful"[3], the band would work for five months to write, record, and finish their eighth album.
Returning to their "new wave roots for a sound that effectively straddles the line between retro and current" has been declared a "very wise choice" by one reviewer, due to the "resurgence of the '80s sound," although "unlike much of today's electronic music, Hope isn't bogged down by gimmicks and effects."[1] The album "sounds very little like anything currently playing on Top 40 radio," and the album's "unapologetic audacity to act as if the last three decades never happened" is its "most potent asset."[1]
Hope also marks the band's first collaboration with fans. Kickstarter backers Jason Ames, and brothers Matt and Kit Bovett, were rewarded the opportunity to collaborate with the band. On the song "My Old Best Friend," Matt contributed lyrics, keyboards, and drum editing, while his brother Kit contributed electronic drum performances and programming.[4] Jason Ames wrote the lyrics in the song "Can You Feel My Pain."[5]
The album's digital, CD and vinyl artwork was a collaboration between the band and fan Josh Spencer.
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Additional Musicians | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Healing on Planet Earth" | Roger Rose | Randy Rose (vocals) | 3:10 |
| 2. | "My Old Best Friend" |
|
| 4:35 |
| 3. | "You Are Free" | Roger Rose | Randy Rose (vocals) | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Moving In and Moving Out" | Randy Rose | 3:16 | |
| 5. | "Never Gonna Stop" | Roger Rose | 3:54 | |
| 6. | "Can You Feel My Pain" |
| Randy Rose (vocals) | 4:40 |
| 7. | "That's What He Said" | Roger Rose | 3:38 | |
| 8. | "Just Beyond the Clouds of Grey" | Randy Rose | Roger Rose (vocals) | 5:41 |
| 9. | "Break Me Down" | Roger Rose |
| 4:07 |
| 10. | "You Belong to Me" | Roger Rose | 4:38 | |
| Total length: | 42:19 | |||
Personnel edit
- Roger Rose – lyrics, lead and background vocals, keyboards, guitars, synthesizer programming, drum programming, percussion, mixing
- Randy Rose – lyrics, lead and background vocals, keyboards, synthesizer programming, drum programming, percussion, mastering
- Matt Bovett – lyrics, keyboards, synthesizer programming, drum editing
- Kit Bovett - drum programming
- Ray Rose - bass
- Jason Ames - lyrics
References edit
- ^ a b c "Jesusfreakhideout.com: Mad At The World, "Hope" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ^ "Mad at the World To Release First New Album In 22 Years", Jesusfreakhideout.com, 26 June 2017. Retrieved on 29 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Mad At The World - The New Record - by Randy Rose — Kickstarter", Kickstarter, 10 June 2017. Retrieved on 29 December 2017.
- ^ "Genius.com - Mad At The World – My Old Best Friend"
- ^ "Genius.com - Mad At The World – Can You Feel My Pain"