Review of the new Brave Saint Saturn CD

Edited on 11/16

So this is the newest CD from Brave Saint Saturn (bS2). It is entitled Anti-Meridian. Brave Saint Saturn is basically the spin off/side project from Five Iron Frenzy (5Fe) ...

If you don't know 5Fe is by far and away my favorite band ever they still rock my socks off. Brave Saint Saturn was a band created so Reese (lead singer) could write songs with darker themes. Brave Saint Saturn is much more mainstream music. It is pretty standard power pop, alternative rock with a space theme. Basically they use space as a metaphor. The albums all have three different themes that are based around a made up space mission to mars. The first album "So Far From Home" is centered around being alone. The second album "The Light of Things Hoped For" is about being lost and then being found. Then the third album is about coming home, starting over and finding victory.

The members of 5Fe are hero’s of mine. They just did things right as a Christian band and I have commented on them before. I connect with Reese and Dennis’s music and lyrics like no other they always seem to hit a cord with me. So here it my review of Anit-Meridian.


The album is different, if you were expecting the next The Light of Things Hoped For (TLOTHF) then yea the album is way different. I think what I had in mind going in is that it’s been 5 year so they have changed, so I was expecting something different.

Also this is totally on their own, they didn’t have to answer to anyone they got to do what ever they wanted so they tried some new stuff. I think the other thing is they wanted to get as many songs on to plastic as they could. So if the album has any fault maybe they should have cut some stuff, but cut 5 tracks and holy crap there are some good songs here.

Blow by Blow with my rating our of 5 stars

1. Here is the News – Nice start to the album not a blow you out of your seat song but it the one song Reese has always wanted too cover, and it is still a fun song 4 star

2. Mercenary – This is a great song. Super catchy hook, and it’s bashing the Christian/mainstream music industry. 5 Star song.

3. Starling – I think the words to this song are alright. Why must helpless creatures die. I like the metaphor and the music is good it’s different but I like the sound again very different. 4 star

4. Underground – Good song reminds me of Accents but about how Dennis sees the music/political climate. “Real love doesn’t come from a mandate. Real love you cannot mandate.” 4 star

5. When you burn to Fast – O.K. I don’t get this song, I think they were going for a Giants sound I don’t think it worked, weird. 2 to 3 stars not ready to give up on it.

6. Through Depths of Twilight – Great song, good message about racism it again super catchy hook. 5 star.

7. Hero's Homecoming – Again nice song it has that classic Dennis sound. Super catchy hook. Again it’s like a four star song.

8. AMMODRAMUS – These are dumb, wish they wouldn’t have done that but they split the album up, we kind of have the intro songs with the exception of burn to fast are all really solid song. So then we transition into the heavy stuff if the album drags it’s here a little but we still find some good stuff.

9. Fields of the Fallen – This is the one Dennis song that is just O.K. I really don’t have much to add it’s O.K.

10. Always Just Beneath the Dawn – So as a new dad yea this song hits a cord and as a person who feels like his dad is great again I just feel like this song hits a cord with me. I cried at work today thinking about my baby girl. 4 star.

11. Fortress of Solitude – Reese said he needed to write this song to kill the demons left over from 5Fe. Random people calling him because he is probably to nice (check out the bS2 message board, totally accessible). The crescendo saves the song. There are a bunch of superman references in this song. And Reese has also has said that the song changed to be more about how his perfectionism was not cool. This song grows on me every time I listen to it 3 star but it’s growing.

Edit* I was wrong it started as that but now see this.

Quote... "Tell me about the song "Fortress of Solitude". Strange sounds and angry lyrics - influences and reasons?
Reese: Well, writing Anti-Meridian made me crazy. I have made so many mistakes in my musical career, and I was overwhelmed enough by them to try and somehow work to make this album into some sort of all-out trench fight to not make them again. Mostly it was because of the issues of writing songs as filler, or compromising lyrics and music for some record label deadline, or watering songs down by having to make music for the tastes of an eight-person band, instead of just making the greatest song you are able to make. I thought that if I wrote, performed, and recorded it all myself, I could avoid all of that. The problem with that idea, was that it was way above my pay grade to do all three of those things. I just didn't have the ability to make it sound the way that I envisioned the songs in my head. "Fortress of Solitude" is about me dealing with that. I made a pretty song with a lot of Superman allusions, and then just destroyed it sonically, to say that I am not Superman - just some washed-up, musical hack who had spent four years making an album that should have been done in one. I guess it was kind of therapeutic."

12. Blessed are the Land Mines – I love this song it is a great assessment of the church and the Christian right, I love the passion. And I love the little Pat Robertson click while Reese reads the beatitudes (super subtle stuff like that really grows on you). 4 songs

13. AEGOLIUS – Don’t need it but se transition to three awesome songs.

14. Begin Again – So catchy, so good, great song about new birth or starting over. This song is one of Dennis’s best the issue is that where does it fit on the album, I think the song kind of throws us off, like wow I didn’t see that coming. 4 Stars.

15. These Frail Hands – Awesome song, I love this song, fade out with Gloria in the background. This song encourages me to keep on working to be a special education teacher…

“And I am overwhelmed
With grievousness and suffering,
For those who lack the voice to speak
For those of us left uttering”
Awesome!!! 5 Stars!

16. INVICTUS – Fantastic praise song. Great way to end the trilogy by praising God for being perfect!!! 4 Stars.

Cut 5 – 8 – 9 – 13 – and 17 obviously and this album becomes much more dense. But even with these songs the CD is still solid the album grows on you. I keep on listening to it and gets better every time.

In the end give it a listen it grows on you, it did on me. It’s different but really all three albums are totally different.

If you read this, go buy their albums, support some real artist.

Cheers,
Caleb