Review: Jars of Clay – Inland (2013)

By Ryan G

Confession time: I arrived late to the Jars of Clay hoopla. Somehow, I missed hearing “Flood” on the radio as a kid, despite my lifelong association with the Church and being a part of a youth group grades 7-12 that was “hip” when it came to “Christian” music. I mean, we hosted Flicker Records rock band Kids in the Way. Not gonna lie, that was cool.

It was sometime around sophomore year of college that I finally started spinning Jars of Clay hits like “Flood” and the Good Monsters singles “Dead Man (Carry Me)” and “Work” on my iTunes. All 3 tracks received heavy play, and then the following year I was positively blown away by The Long Fall Back to Earth. Now, here we are with Inland.

Inland is a mature, pensive record. Let me get the bad stuff out of the way first – I hope Jars of Clay doesn’t end their career with this record. I want something a bit more rocking, but a progression from the rest of the discography. Inland just feels too melancholy to be a swan song. The good news is there is NO sign of this band quitting anytime soon, and Inland is a masterpiece in its own right that will fit seamlessly into the now 10 LP long discography of Jars of Clay.

It would be easy to passively listen to Inland once and pass it off as a mid tempo alternative record with a couple cool riffs here and there, but the truth is Inland is layered to the point where you notice more the more you listen to it. For example, a cool, albeit a bit jarring guitar solo in “Human Race” is instantly memorable while the somber “Pennsylvania” plays like a symphony to the wistful ponderer sitting in the corner thinking “what if?” The record speeds up the most in the sad, albeit semi-optimistic sounding “Loneliness and Alcohol” which sounds like it could have fit in on The Long Fall Back to Earth record right alongside “Weapons.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sglipw7gWos&h=297&w=450]

The lyrics, though by and large serious do take the tongue in cheek route from time to time. While as a Christian, a song with a title like “Reckless Forgiver” might make you think “well, it’s about Christ’s forgiveness, duh!” lines like “Hey reckless forgiver, you know I’m talking to you” portray an almost sarcastic sense of entitlement – a battle of flesh versus grace. At least that’s how I see it. Jars of Clay is good at making you think if you’re willing to pay attention to what they’re saying. Jars of Clay proves once again they are good at writing straightforward, let unconventional love songs with “I Don’t Want You to Forget” while Dan Haseltine channels his inner Ben Gibbard in “Fall Asleep.” Title track “Inland” closes out the album in a way that leaves us satisfied, yet not wallowing in the level of emotion stirred up by some of the other tracks on the record. I like that.

Inland is a versatile record that will define a large part of the Autumn season of 2013. Buy it and zone out for a bit. And as always, check out their non-profit group Blood: Water Mission.