LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE DATE: JULY 12, 2011

or those of you who grew up going to church, Sunday School may bring up a variety of memories and emotions. Whether you were forced or not, whether or not you sang in the children’s choir (which mostly got smiles from parents, not musicians), or if you just laughed at the one kid who tried to prove it was safe to eat glue (was that just me who knew that kid?), most all of us remember the flannel-graph. For me, that was the highlight of those earliest Sunday School lessons.

The fabric stuck on like magic. Stories suddenly came to life. It was like watching a movie in church, only you got to control the movie. I have fond memories of the flannel-graph.

The flannel-graph was meant to teach us the basics of Bible stories. It focused on the relatively tame Bible stories, or at least the ‘big’ ones. So when I saw an album called The Flannelgraph Sessions LP, I figured it would be filled with Bible stories. I prepared myself for a wince-inducing album filled with cheesy lines, poorly done exegesis, or simply poor musicianship. It is sad that I make the assumption about an album purporting to provide Bible stories as such, but hey, it is what it is.

All of that build up, and you know what? I absolutely loved this album. Luke Brawner delivers on the expectation of Bible stories, but falls so far short of cheesy that I can do nothing but say that this project is well worth a listen. Brawner stated at the beginning of this project (which took about a year to create) that the Bible can only be understood when studied in the context of real space and time. In light of this, Brawner’s lyrics take on an incredibly personal inflection; sometimes he takes on the role of a Biblical character (“Make Love Not War” is the tale of David and Bathsheba). Other times, he presents the confusion that people would have at the various teachings in Judaism.

This album is best described by how genuinely Brawner has approached it. His questions feel real and his lyrics are a near-perfect combination of straight-forward and poetic. The album feels familiar, as though I’d heard the whole thing before. Of course, this is my Sunday School experience creeping in, as I subtly connect with the lyrics, regardless of how explicit they are.

All in all, Brawner stepped up to the plate and managed to hit an out-of-the-park home-run. This album deserves more thought than I’ve given it so far, and I think I will find myself listening to it more in the future. You’d be missing out if you skipped this one. I tried to think of something to complain about. The most I can come up with is that “Make Love Not War” goes on just a little too long. I’m pretty sure I’m just stretching. I guess I’ll finally give away my first perfect score.