| The Light of Things Hoped For | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 25, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | One Way Studios in Concord, CA | |||
| Genre | Astro rock, Christian rock | |||
| Length | 49:52 | |||
| Label | Tooth & Nail | |||
| Producer | Masaki Reese Roper | |||
| Brave Saint Saturn chronology | ||||
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The Light of Things Hoped For is the second album by Christian rock band Brave Saint Saturn, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music).
The album is described as "astro-rock" and tells a story dealing with many personal struggles of the band members.
The Light of Things Hoped For chronicles the crew of the U.S.S. Gloria (Roper, Culp, Hoerig, Verdecchio) as they continue their study of the moons of Saturn. As the album begins, the crew has just received the command from Mission Control to return home. The mood quickly changes, however, as complications arise. Gases are emitted from the Gloria, sending the ship careening into the eclipse of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Communications cut out, and all seems to be lost. The crew reflects on what had happened and what they had lost, drawing the comparison of being away from the light of Christ. The album ends in a series of radio transmissions between the Gloria and Mission Control, and the U.S.S. Gloria emerges from the shadow of Titan and into the light, once again drawing the comparison between the Sun and Christ and the light He brings.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | link |
| HM | (not rated) [2] |
HM gave the album a positive review, saying it has a more serious focus than the band's debut, and shows growth in vocal and musical depth as well. [2] Allmusic called it "a universe of soaring vocal harmonies and sugary pop hooks", praising the use of sound samples and the absence of preaching in the lyrics. [1]
Tooth and Nail edited two tracks on the album without the band's permission. On the song "Enamel" a record scratch covers the end of the line "When you hear this song, I hope it hurts like Hell." Edits on "Heart Still Beats" cover the word "pissed" and the line "Go to hell."
Unedited versions of both tracks have been leaked to the internet. If the CD is ordered from Brave Saint Saturn's online store, they will email the unedited songs to the purchaser.
The song "Titan" is introduced by a clip of the computer WOPR asking "Shall we play a game?" from the film WarGames .
The song "Estrella" was written by Reese Roper in his basement about his 25-year-old friend, Matt Estrella, who suffered from Neurofibromatosis 2 and died a year before the album came out.
Five Iron Frenzy is an American band formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron was one of the pioneering figures of the Christian ska movement which emerged with ska's mainstream revival in the 1990s. Since 2000, the band's music has shifted away from straight ska to include and embrace stronger alternative rock and pop punk influences, though it continues to create ska music and feature Christian overtones despite several members' changes in religious beliefs.
Brave Saint Saturn is a Christian rock band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1999. The band is a side-project of members of Five Iron Frenzy started by Reese Roper. The band calls their music style "astro-rock", although Roper has stated that this "doesn't mean anything". The trilogy of albums are meant to artfully represent early life, adversity, and death.
Roper was a Christian pop-punk band formed in Denver, Colorado. The band consisted of Reese Roper on lead vocals, Jonathan Byrnside on lead guitar, Jonathan Till on bass, Matt Emmett on rhythm guitar, and Nick White on drums.
Michael Reese Roper is an American singer-songwriter, best known as lead singer for the Denver, Colorado-based Christian ska punk band Five Iron Frenzy, as well as fronting the rock bands Brave Saint Saturn and Roper.
The End is Near is the fifth studio album by the American band Five Iron Frenzy, self-released on June 18, 2003. The album was later widely re-released as a part of double album titled The End is Here by Five Minute Walk Records on April 20, 2004. The double album includes both the studio album and a live recording of the band's final concert performance. The album was intended as the band's last as was the tour used to promote it, until the band announced a reunion in 2011 and new album, Engine of a Million Plots released in 2013.
Keith Hoerig is the former bass guitarist for Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn. Following Five Iron Frenzy's break-up in 2003, he assisted former band-mate Reese Roper with booking his new band, Roper.
Upbeats and Beatdowns is the first full-length album of the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was originally released independently on November 29, 1996 before receiving a national release on April 8, 1997 on Five Minute Walk, under the SaraBellum imprint, with distribution from Warner Bros. Records.
Cheeses... is an album by Five Iron Frenzy released in 2003. It contains a number of rarities and live tracks as a thank you to fans; the band would break up at the end of 2003. When it was announced that this album would be made, the band asked fans to call a provided phone number and leave suggestions for what the album should contain.
Quantity Is Job 1 is an EP by the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was released November 3, 1998 on Five Minute Walk.
So Far from Home is the first installment in a space-themed trilogy released by Christian rock band Brave Saint Saturn. This release contains less elements of the trilogy's plot that was developed in the two subsequent albums, opting for a more general feeling of darkness and loneliness. It was released in 2000.
Our Newest Album Ever! is the second full-length studio album released by the band Five Iron Frenzy. Its street date was November 11, 1997 on Five Minute Walk, under the SaraBellum imprint, with distribution from Warner Bros. Records.
All the Hype That Money Can Buy is the third studio album by Five Iron Frenzy, released on April 25, 2000, by Five Minute Walk, under their SaraBellum imprint, with distribution from Warner Bros. Records.
Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo is the fourth full-length studio album of the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was released November 20, 2001 on Five Minute Walk records.
Trouble With X is the second and final album by American Christian ska band The W's. Some copies include "The Rumor Weed Song" as a bonus track. The song originally appeared during the credits of the VeggieTales episode Larry-Boy! & the Rumor Weed.
For God and Country is the fortieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 11, 2003, by Welk Music Group and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton with Kent Wells and Tony Smith. It is considered Parton's musical attempt to deal with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Included are covers of famous patriotic songs and new Parton originals. The album is perhaps best remembered for its cover photo, depicting Parton posing as though appearing in a vintage USO poster.
Ascents is the first solo project by Dennis Bayne Culp, formerly of Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn. The album is a collection of psalms that Culp put to music over a period of time in the 1990s. Inspired by Eugene Peterson's book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Dennis was touched so much by these psalms (120-131) that he endeavored to express them with music, and to convey their impact on his life. While some songs, like Psalm 121, are taken verbatim from the original scripture, others are based upon the application of the Psalm in Culp's own life.
The Greatest Hits Collection II is the second compilation album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It is the sequel to the duo's 1997 compilation The Greatest Hits Collection. It is also the second collection of the duo's most popular releases, chronicling their greatest hits from 1998's If You See Her, 2001's Steers & Stripes, and 2003's Red Dirt Road, omitting songs from 1999's Tight Rope. It also features one song from 1994's Waitin' on Sundown and one song from 1996's Borderline, both of which did not make it to the first compilation. Three new recorded tracks — "That's What It's All About", "It's Getting Better All The Time", and "Independent Trucker" — are also included on this compilation. These first two songs were released as singles, peaking at #2 and #1, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The CD version is currently out of print; however, it is available from digital and streaming services.
The Storm is the tenth studio album by American country music artist Travis Tritt. It was also his only album for the Category 5 Records label. In 2013, Travis Tritt re-released the album under the new title "The Calm After" via his own Post Oak Records label. The re-release features two new songs consisting of classic covers.
Flying Under the Radar is the second compilation album by the American country rock/southern rock band The Kentucky Headhunters. It was released in 2006 via the CBuJ Ent. label. The album includes seven tracks from their 2000 album Songs from the Grass String Ranch, and two each from 2003's Soul and 2005's Big Boss Man. Also included are four new tracks: the newly written "Go to Heaven" and "Ashes of Love", as well as a cover of Stoney Cooper and Wilma Lee Cooper's "Big Midnight Special" and a re-recording of the Roger Miller song "Chug-a-Lug", which the band previously covered on Big Boss Man.
Engine of a Million Plots is the sixth studio album by American band Five Iron Frenzy, released independently on November 26, 2013. Released ten years after the band's previous album The End Is Near. Engine of a Million Plots marked Five Iron Frenzy's return to recording following an eight-year hiatus spanning from November 2003 to their reunion in November 2011.
