Stellar Kart

Just like an infant needs milk in order to develop properly, the young in Christ (not necessarily young in age) need to hear the basics of faith. As the infant grows into a toddler he or she will need more solid food in order to continue proper development. The same is true for a Christian. Eventually the individual gains a taste for the more complex things in life. The constant craving for sweets should fall away and a more sophisticated palette should emerge.

What these guys are doing is a worthy endeavor. They have marched boldly down the road holding high the Christian flag, and I think that deserves respect. However, Stellar Kart, to me, feels like music for youth camp. This makes more sense when you consider Adam Agee’s background in youth worship. One thing you can’t fault Stellar Kart for is knowing their target. Obviously there are some exceptions, but SK is clearly focused on a younger audience dealing with a particular set of issues. To those who have been in the Church most of their lives, the lyrical content is simply too cliché.

Aside from the lyrical content this release makes no artistic sense at this point in their career. Sure, they have plenty on Christian radio and there is no doubt that they are popular. This CD feels more like a B side compilation than a best-of collection. I will explain that statement so it does not sound so much like an insult. B sides often are intended only for the über-fan. The artist can include tracks that did not fit, or were simply not good enough to make previous albums. Life is Good contains tracks from the three albums released since 2005 plus three bonus tracks. I can’t help but feel this is simply an attempt to fill a quota or sell a few more albums by tacking on three hard to find SK songs. I am not accusing the band of such a thing but I would not put it past a record label.

The new content starts with “Lifeguard,” a punky track containing a thinly veiled metaphor about one or all members of the Holy Trinity. Bonus track number two is “Centerfield.” I am a sucker for all things baseball and almost all things punk. Here the two meet rather well in this cover of a John Fogerty classic. Bringing up the end of the album is “Punk the Halls.” Of course this track seems a little out of place since Christmas albums are usually a part of seasonal release.

The album’s score can be attributed to the appropriateness of its release. It does not seem time for Stellar Kart to release a best-of album nor does it seem like the additional content is worth the purchase of the CD. This album is best suited for the youth group leader looking to expose his or her younger students to decent Christian music that probably won’t anger any of their parents.

Tagged as: Life Is Good, Stellar Kart

↓ 2 comments

#1 tyler h on July 8th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

from my understanding, it was completely a label thing, the band didn’t want to release it, but they were changing labels so this label wanted to squeeeeeze every last cent out of them.

#2 Stellar Kart : A Review « Pursuing the Truth on July 8th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

[...] Stellar Kart Review at Soul-Audio.com [...]

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