Children 18:3

Rain's A' Comin'
Label: Tooth and Nail
Sounds like:  Bis + Dogwood

Those loveable homeschooled kids are back with a razor rock vengeance.  Nothing has really changed since their last self-titled album and that's a treat to anyone whoever loved their pop/punk/grunge.  They still sing in three part harmony against sliding punk riffs and echo off each other with haunting vocals.  It's grunge meets beautiful.

This album is short.  With twelve tracks and two of them being merely instrumental, I kind of wish I could yell encore at the end of the album.  Most of their melodies depict evil arch villains like Cruella Deville or sing the tale of a soul in search of significance with Oh, Bravo.  My personal favorite is Jack o Lantern's Dreams, the sarcastic frustration of sharing their ideologies with someone who just doesn't understand.  These kids are mature for their age and don't let their gutterpunk clothes fool you; nowhere else can you get the bittersweet garage rage and the heartfelt cry to faith like in Rain's A' Comin.  I just wish their attention span was just a little bit longer.

Lyrics sample:

Crawl down
Won't you come on down
Run down with me
Fly down
Come on down
Run down
The rain's coming!

The ship was all but grounded for the tide had not come in
After forty days of waiting for the journey to begin
Now the castaways are stranded and the natives have grown thin
And the fuses that were lit have come to their end
 RAIN'S A COMIN' LYRICS - CHILDREN 18:3

Pros:
+ Good energy throughout
+ With melodious vocals to match
+ Smart theology and honesty

Cons:
-- Too short

B+