[Note: I thought it might be fun–for me, at least–to review some of the more obscure bands in my music library. More interesting than hearing me drone on about the latest U2 album, right? Well, here goes.]
Back in 2000, I came across, entirely by chance, an indie Christian industrial band called Aleixa. I took a chance on their latest album at the time, Disfigured, mostly out of curiosity at what “Christian industrial” might sound like. As it turned out, the album ended up with a permanent spot on my favorites list.
To my great disappointment, Aleixa disbanded not long after that album. They had recorded one previous album in 1996, but due to the band’s general obscurity I was never able to track down a copy. So imagine my surprise when just the other day I came across Honey Lake, Aleixa’s first album, in the $1 bin at the local used music store.
Honey Lake falls into what you might call the “industrial synth-pop” genre: hard guitars laid over a moderately complex, and often danceable, electronic beat. What really grabs your attention, though, are the ethereal vocals by Laurel Snapper, whose voice both complements and contrasts with the guitars and beats. The individual songs vary musically from harder, more industrial crunch to catchier dance tunes.
Lyrically, the album is pretty dark and emotional for a Christian band; many of the songs are bleak and spiritually troubled, delving into topics like depression, suicide, anger, and self-esteem. There are certainly glimmers of hope throughout, but many songs come across as cries for help from somebody facing spiritual despair. “Spark,” for instance, opens with this:
i’ve got a knife that’s up in the kitchen
i’ve got a knife that’s ready to take the plunge
i’ve got a knife that’s ready for marriage
i’ve got a knife that wants to have some fun
i’ve got a life that ain’t worth living
i’ve got a life that i wanna give back
i know you’ll be better off without me
there’s too much pain baby there’s too much pain
The very next song, “I Could Murder,” opens with a creepy sample of a cheerleader squad chanting “M-U-R-D-E-R K-I-L-L” and goes on to lament the potential for evil inside everyone: “I could murder / I could kill / there is something, something inside me”.
Other songs reach more successfully for hope, but it’s often hope that lives on in spite of pain; there’s no hokey reassurance that accepting Jesus into your heart will make your life A-okay. What comes across in the course of the album is a more subtle exhortation to hang in there despite whatever you’re suffering or experiencing, because one day (but not today) that pain will be wiped away. In one of the closing tracks, “Some Things Will Never Go Away,” Snapper makes one of the album’s few explicit references to Jesus Christ:
i can’t change what i feel inside
i can’t change what’s here in my mind
it won’t go away i think it’s here to stay
to weigh down on me
feeling lost again i’m waiting outside
i know that jesus is the way
i know that jesus is the way
It’s an angsty, melodramatic, but real-life faith, at least compared to the squeaky-clean theology found in much of CCM. I don’t think these lyrics would be considered unacceptable today, but ten years ago they caused enough controversy in the Christian music market that many Christian music stores declined to carry the album. (Their second and last album, Disfigured, is a bit more open about the band’s Christian faith, but also includes one song taking an angry swipe at Christians critics who complained about Honey Lake’s dark tone.)
So what do I think of all this? I think Honey Lake is a fine, fine album. The music is catchy and interesting, the lyrics are relevant and provocative, and hearing Snapper’s sweeping vocals makes me weep for the day that Aleixa disbanded. That praise aside, Honey Lake does feel less polished than Disfigured; some of the songs are much better than others, and in general there is a sense throughout Honey Lake that Aleixa is still working out its signature sound.
Disfigured is the album to start with if you want to hear them at their best, but Honey Lake is definitely worth picking up if you at all enjoy their music (and if you’re lucky enough to stumble across it; as far as I can tell, both albums are quite out of print). Aleixa is one of the lost treasures of CCM; one can only hope that Kevin 151 and Laurel Snapper, the figures behind Aleixa’s music and vocals respectively, will one day join forces again.