Review Summary: Fantastic singles! Inconsistent album...
I have massive nostalgia for this record. My parents were very religious when I was growing up, and their rule was that we could only listen to Christian music. Thus, much of my childhood was spent digging into the Christian rock greats with my older brothers: DC Talk, Relient K, Superchick, Ace Troubleshooter, PFR, FFH, the list goes on. Contrary to the CCM scene today, there was an emphasis that Christians could have fun while praising Jesus, and no other gang did this better than the God-fearing ska-punk bands. Bands like the OC Supertones, The W's, Hokus Pick, The Insyderz, and Bunch of Believers all had themes of Christian living with a lighthearted feeling of just plain silliness. At the forefront of this movement was the almighty Five Iron Frenzy, spearheaded by the manic vocals of Reese Roper, who combined the love of Christ with political issues (American hypocrisy and marginalization of nonwhite peoples) and just plain ridiculousness (see "Cheeses of Nazareth" album). Unfortunately for Roper and company, their silliness often overshadowed their seriousness, so he formed Brave Saint Saturn with bandmates Keith Hoerig and Dennis Culp. In this project, the ska sound was modified in favor of an "astro rock" sound that could be taken more seriously , taking on the concept of a lost shuttle exploring the rings of Saturn, the USS Gloria. While this album, their debut, proves an enjoyable listen, its inconsistency hinders it from becoming the artistic, musical, and lyrical pinnacle that its successor would become.
We're greeted with the first song, a mellow yet dreary rock outing, distinguishing the band from any association with Five Iron Frenzy. With the distant sound of the guitars, the hollow snare, rumbling bass, and the Roper's tenor, the sound is exactly what you'd expect from the pop/rock equivalent of being lost in space. Highlights "Space Robot 5" enhances this with surprisingly somber lyrics ("Robots can't cry, don't laugh, can't die in the darkness of space. He is strong, made of steel, with the graphite lining; Watch his eyes flicker slow like the batteries are dying"), "Resistor" brings a more desperate driving guitar line, "Two Twenty Nine" discusses death in a surprisingly mature way, and "Gloria" serves as an excellent closer with its psalmic lyrics and meditative sound. A common theme throughout BS2's discography is Roper's ruined engagement, which, although shines in track "Independence Day", is not as pronounced as it would be in "The Light of Things Hoped For" ("Binary" or "Enamel").
While the aforementioned tracks make good use of the established sonic palette, inconsistency begins to push the envelope, threatening to break through. Most prominently, the third track "Shadow of Def" sticks out like a sore thumb because of its just plain goofy sound and lyrics--basically it serves as a mocking white boy rap song which is frankly hilarious but would have worked out better on its own or somewhere in Five Iron Frenzy's catalog--due to its lighthearted nature, it somewhat defeats the purpose of Brave Saint Saturn's inception. Other tracks just don't sit well in the album's 46-minute runtime, such as the far too happy sounds of "Rocketown", the indecisive nature of "Moon Burns Bright", and "Fireworks", which features the lead vocals of Dennis Culp, which are frankly too different from Roper's to sound cohesive.
An inevitable issue with Brave Saint Saturn, especially when this album was released, was its comparison to Five Iron Frenzy, specifically Reese Roper's trademark tenor. Those who are familiar with the ska version would have been put off by the overall dreary nature of the new project. Also, as is the case for most Christian music, the lyrics, although more desperate and personal rather than blatantly preachy, are explicitly geared towards the Christian music crowd.
Overall, in 17 years of retrospect, although "So Far from Home" comes nowhere near its famous successor, "The Light of Things Hoped For", it serves as a good debut that kickstarted the cult following Brave Saint Saturn earned over the next eight years. It is deftly overshadowed by Five Iron Frenzy's work, Roper's debut, and much of the rest of Christian music from the 90's and early 2000's, but the singles make it listenable and the story makes it interesting. That's really, unfortunately, all there is to say about it.
