Bio
If their last record was a light-in-the-darkest-places
announcement that "the end is really just the beginning," then
Downhere's latest Centricity Music release arrives as an artfully
textured but heartfelt declaration that, "True progress might mean
we have to go backwards." As students of history, Jeremy, Jason,
Marc and Glenn have come to recognize and appreciate the fact that
their faith is not simply their own-but that it's part of a much
larger communion of believers that stretches across cultures and
thousands of years. And while we might have the privilege of
bearing that torch during the short span of our own lives, they
would say it's important to recognize it's not a torch we lit. It's
one that was passed to us by generations of faithful saints, and
it's one that we'll soon enough be passing on to those who follow
us.
At first blush that might sound like a heady concept for a
pop album, but what Downhere has somehow managed to do is to
translate those great truths into the most pop-friendly record
they've engineered to date, carving out lush and hook-laden aural
landscapes, complimented by a lyrical approach that feels personal
and intimate. Or, to put it another way, On the Altar of Love is
thoroughly passionate, but never preachy.
"Our generation is 'cronocentristic'," guitarist and
co-lead-singer Jason Germain observes. "We'd like to think we're on
the cutting edge of discovery simply because we're at the most
recent point in history. But when it comes to truth, we're not the
new discoverers of anything; we're just the inheritors." "When it
was time to start writing for this record," adds drummer Jeremy
Thiessen, "we sat down and talked about 'What if we had a clean
slate? What if all the wreckage and debris of our culture were
gone, and we were back down to the foundations. What would our
creeds be? What would our anthems sound like? What would the
practice of our faith look like?' So that's where we started, and
we tried to write songs out of that place of pioneering a return to
the core of Christianity."
Consciously borrowing from meters and styles that hearken to
an earlier time, the band also focused intentionally on crafting
the sort of songs that could stand the test of time stylistically;
no small challenge in the context of radio singles. With Marc
Hiemermann (DC Talk, Newsboys, Jaci Velasquez) at the production
helm, the feel that emerged was both immediate and
timeless.
"We've done this long enough now that we have an unspoken
chemistry," says bassist Glenn Lavender. "We've defined our sound,
and we're not shy about indulging that. We're no longer
experimenting with who we are as a band. We know who we are, and
we're trying to push the boundaries of that."
"For me it used to be all about being musically complex and
artsy," says guitarist and co-lead singer Marc Martel. "And then I
had a real perspective-shifting experience. At one of our shows
there was a little girl standing front-center with her mother. When
I said the next song was How Many Kings her face lit up as she
looked up at her mom and grabbed her hand. She sang along to every
word. I thought to myself, 'I've got to write more songs like
THAT.' Until that moment I didn't realize the effect it had on
actual people and their lives. It's not our most artsy song. It's
not the most interestingly produced either. But it connects with
people. That really made me rethink my songwriting priorities. Sure
there's a time for exploring new soundscapes and interesting
arrangements…but if the song doesn't connect with people
emotionally first, then there's not much point to it. So I'm really
trying to stay in that magic equilibrium now as I write, that place
that has some interesting artistry, but combines it with a strong
emotional human connection too."
On the Altar of Love is perhaps at its most vulnerable and
human on the anthemic and plaintive Let Me Rediscover You. In fact,
if songs had a physical posture, Let Me Rediscover You would
probably be on its knees with its arms uplifted. The urgency of the
vocals sweeps the melody along forcefully, undergirded by the
song's hymn-like and punctuated rhythm.
"Sometimes we think we've given all we can," Jeremy says,
"and then love asks us for more. The only proper response to the
love we've been given in Christ is to abandon ourselves completely
to his love, whatever that might mean. Let Me Rediscover You is
really a heart cry, a prayer that our hearts and minds and souls
would be turned back afresh to the knowledge and experience of who
God is. That has to be our beginning, and our ending
point."
Other standout songs on the project include the moody,
rootsy, spinning-wheel-feel of the title track, the powerful
minimalism of Reveal The Kingdom (an "anthem for an eternal
kingdom"), and the accessibly poignant poetry of Thank You For the
Heartbreak-a song that not only recognizes but sincerely celebrates
God's sovereignty at work even within our hurt and
sorrow.
"On the Altar of Love is really a proclamation of faith,"
explains Jason. "It's an encouragement to continue on regardless of
circumstance, to continue this journey with joy and celebration,
because we have a promise. We know where the journey ends. And we
know that we're not alone as we make our way. We have the
companionship of Christ, and we have this vast family of brothers
and sisters, and we have this great cloud of witnesses that have
gone before us, who are cheering us on. So we want to cast aside
the distractions, return to what is essential, and spend ourselves
completely in response to the love we've been given."
