Live Life Loud is the fourth studio album from Christian rock band Hawk Nelson. According to Daniel Biro, the dog on the cover is lead vocalist Jason Dunn's dog Murphy. The album was packaged with a pair of 3D glasses that are needed to be worn to view the album's CD booklet which is printed in 3D. The album peaked at No. 54 the first week on Billboard 200 and at No. 3 on The Billboard Christian Albums charts.
Label: BEC Recordings
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
Hawk Nelson [Live Life Loud]| Posted September 28, 2009
On the title track and opening song of their fourth album, Hawk Nelson urges its listeners to Live Life Loud. That sentiment, founding member Daniel Biro notes, is ?as Hawk Nelson as Hawk Nelson can be.? Live Life Loud. It's not just a matter of volume, mind you; it's a philosophy. Part of living at the extreme that title suggests is embracing all of life, accepting and even celebrating a little pain and darkness and finding a way to let it enrich life.
The album kicks off with Hawk Nelson?s signature rock/punk sound with the title track, complete with cheerleaders. ?Live Life Loud? reminds me of previous rock anthems ?Friend Like That?, ?Bring ?Em Out? and ?California?, but there is a maturity and musical diversity that really makes Live Life Loud the best overall album by Hawk Nelson from beginning to end in my opinion. ?Never Enough? and ?Eggshells? keep the rock going, and the guitar work has never sounded better. The band lists Jimmy Eat World as a musical influence and if you like that rock/punk sound combined with spiritual lyrics, this album is for you.
Catchy first single ?Meaning of Life? continues the search for significance, harmoniously determining to ?start today for a new beginning?find a way to make a change in all of us who need to find the meaning of life?. The song reminds me of some of my favorite more pop-style songs recorded by Hawk Nelson, including ?From Underneath?, ?Everything You Ever Wanted? and ?One Little Miracle?. The message of ?Meaning of Life? is that we need to stand-out and not blend in with the crowd. We should be bold with our faith, Christians need to make a difference in our world. Next song ?Alive? is about losing one?s self and serving others. Another highlight for me is the song ?Shaken? which includes some convicting lyrics ?Open my eyes and help me see there?s a world outside of me?Lord use me take me where You want me to go?.
The second half of the album includes some more reflective songs including ?Lest We Forget?, a great cover of the hymn ?Tis So Sweet? with guest vocals by Jenn Helvering (Sandi Patty?s daughter), and the touching closing song ?The Final Toast?, written about Jason Dunn?s grandfather. If you?ve liked previous albums by Hawk Nelson, you?ll love Live Life Loud.
This is the best overall album by Hawk Nelson in my opinion. For me the standout songs are ?Live Life Loud?, ?Never Enough?, ?Meaning of Life?, ?Alive?, ?Shaken? and ?Tis So Sweet?. If you like rock/punk like Jimmy Eat World, FM Static and Stellar Kart, then you can?t go wrong with Live Life Loud by Hawk Nelson.
JTindie.com Review of Live Life Loud| Posted October 25, 2009
Artist: Hawk Nelson
CD Title: Live Life Loud
Style: pop/rock
Website: http://www.hawknelson.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hawknelson
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Playlist
1. Live Life Loud
2. Never Enough
3. Eggshells
4. Meaning of Life
5. Alive
6. Ode to Lord Stanley
7. Long Ago
8. The Job
9. Shaken
10. Lest We Forget
11. Tis So Sweet
12. The Final Toast
Well it isn’t often that I go into a review not knowing much about a band but hawk nelson is just one of those bands i never really got into before now. I can see now that this was my loss. “Live Life Loud” is a good mixture of soundscapes and styles that keeps the listener from ever getting close to bored. With a title of “Live Life Loud” I was smart enough not to expect the rock ballad to be a running theme in the album, and from the first song “Live Life Loud” the mood is set with a new shiny pop/punk sound that had my toes tapping from the first few measures.
The Style of this CD is rather difficult to define. Just when I am ready to use the term Pop-Punk I hear a song like “Never Enough” that pretty much reminds me of classic rock. This CD runs the genre of music, showing the versatility and talent of the band. I half expected that the strengths in one area to reveal a weakness in another. While I wont claim to be a big fan of their ballad skills, I found “Eggshells” to be the weakest song on the CD. After listening to the Album as a whole I would say that Pop-Punk/Rock probably describes the CD as whole.
While I was impressed with the use of strings and even bag pipes on the CD I felt that this CD never really coalesced as a complete project. While the Individual songs were all solid and many of them were really good, so many stylistic difference on a single project just didn’t really work for me. I know I usually complain that all the songs on a CD sound the same, and one would think that the more change you have on an album the more I would like it, that is simply not the way it is. Please understand, the Cd is a good Cd and a lot of fun to listen to. Everything from the more traditional songs, to the pop-punk rifts and semi power ballads. I do think that the second half of the CD is a more complete package than the First Half. Culminating in the song “Tis So Sweet” Complete with a bagpipe opening. I am always pleased when Bands remember the tradition of the past, with out being ruled by it.
One of the items I was happy to find was the songs are very clearly Christian, and not the fuzzy “Love God and everything will be OK” but the kind of Christianity that demands a change in your life. “We don’t have to embrace the lies that we’ve been told” and “The only thing were missing is a whole new state of mind!” both of these lyrics are from the Song “Alive”. Some of the songs are just fun. “Ode to Lord Stanley” is just one of these songs. Overall “Live Life Loud” is a roller coaster ride, complete with flashing lights stuffed animal and cotton candy at the end.
I’m giving this Cd a 4.25 out of 5.0 stars, in the end the whole thing jumped around just a little to much for my liking, still every song on the CD is well done and the CD as whole is well produced. I can say that it will be quite a while before it works it’s way off my mp3 player, even if I do skip over a song or two every now and then.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from JTindie.com. Click here to visit JTindie.com today!
Living Life Loud Involves A Dog With 3D Glasses & Hawk Nelson| Posted September 23, 2009
In my top 5 most anticipated Christina music albums this came at #4, and I wondered if Hawk Nelson could keep up with their momentum-based music. The answer? Not really. It has its moments, but none of them are exactly memorable, and they seem to have lost something in-between albums. It's not bad, but it's not exactly up to the par of the band's previous albums, and any fan of Christian radio should find at least one thing to like about the album.
Highlights:
Eggshells
The Meaning of Life
Alive
The Job
'Tis So Sweet
Eggshells seems to be the highlight this time around, with a good mix of rock and acoustic elements. It's even catchy, even if the chorus does seem a bit disjointed. Alive is probably the biggest musical shift for the band, sound like a Thousand Foot Krutch song, it seems perfectly made for Christian Rock radio. The Job sounds a lot like their material from the last album, and it's a pretty fun listen.
Probably the strangest moment of the album, and there's a lot of them, is the "Ballad of Lord Stanley," which is about a Lord named Stanley, to the tune of something resembling Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours." You've never heard a pop/rock band tackle reggae before, have you? Didn't think so. 'Tis So Sweet is a great take on the classic hynm, and how many pop/rock bands have you heard that use bagpipes? Didn't think so.
But for all that it does right, it's has major issues with its sound. While it's largely new for the band, it's almost a greatest hits of what's popular in Christian radio nowadays. Sometimes it works, but especially with songs like "Shaken" and "Lest We Forget," it comes off as very generic, but with good lyrics. Hawk's strong suit was never ballads, and they've always had problems when they slowed down, and that's the whole last half of the album. Upon my sister's first listen to the album, by the time a song would finish, she'd have memorized and sing along with the chorus, during her first listen. This either means the album is very catchy, or the album is very predictable/simple.
Let it be known, when Hawk loses their adrenaline, which made them in the beginning, the results are less than stellar. In "Hawk Nelson Is My Friend," I felt the band had found their sound, and they just needed a bit more consistency in the quality. Instead it moves away from the previous sound, opting for something a bit more pleasing. The album cover has the image of 3D glasses, but instead of coming alive, it seems to be largely hindered by its 2D radio-friendly qualities.
Live Life Loud| Posted September 22, 2009
Less than a year and a half after Hawk Nelson’s third release, the Ontario boys are back
with their fourth project, Live Life Loud. This time around Hawk Nelson crafts a more
musically diverse album by including non-conventional instruments in the mix (bagpipes,
church organ, ukulele) and pushing genre boundaries.
The title-track is typical Hawk Nelson- punk flavored guitars, energetic vocals, pulsing
rhythms, and lots of “whoas”. “Live Life Loud” exemplifies the album’s core theme of
being bold and living life to the fullest. “Never Enough,” “Eggshells,” and “The Job”
(think “Friend Like That”) also encompass Hawk Nelson’s usual pop/punk qualities.
Expanding upon the album’s theme, “The Meaning of Life” emphasizes the importance
of change and making a difference in the lives around you- “Gonna find a new
beginning/Lately, I’m tired of the life I’m living/Find a way, to make a change in the lives
of all of us who need to find the meaning of life.”
Live Life Loud takes a few detours in other genres along the way (alternative rock on the
hopeful anthem “Alive” and reggae on the interlude “Ode To Stanley”) before evolving
into acoustic pop/rock. But, it’s a seamless transition due to acoustic elements in
previous tracks (“Eggshells,” “The Meaning Of Life,” and “Long Ago”).
One acoustic-driven track, “Shaken” is particularly stirring. Frontman Jason Dunn dares
to step outside his own world and be the hands and feet of Christ- “Lord use me, take
me where You want me to go/I can’t help it, my heart has been replaced with a face/I’m
ready, these hands are dedicated to change.”
The finest track on the album is Hawk Nelson’s rendition of the traditional hymn “’Tis
So Sweet.” The hymn features bagpipes throughout, a bit daring perhaps, but it fits
nicely. Jenn Helvering (Sandi Patty’s daughter) provides angelic vocal harmonies, a
perfect compliment to Dunn’s vocals.
Hawk Nelson maintains a healthy balance of fun (“Live Life Loud,” “Ode To Stanley,”
“The Job”) and maturity (“The Meaning Of Life,” “Shaken,” “Lest We Forget,” “The
Final Toast”). All together Live Life Loud is an album relevant to today’s culture both in
sound and message.
Closing Thoughts:
I have to admit, I wasn’t too fond of Hawk Nelson before Live Life Loud. They still
haven’t completely won me over, but I did enjoy this album. Maybe I’ll be a full-fledged
Hawk Nelson fan with the next release…
Hawk Nelson Finds The Meaning of Life| Posted September 23, 2009
Hawk Nelson's 4th studio release features many different styles with enough diversity to satisfy everyone - even your grandmother (try "Tis So Sweet"). That's not to say the band has forsaken rock. Fans leaning toward the heavy side of Hawk Nelson should check out "Alive" and "Live Life Loud." One of the most lyrically meaningful songs is "Shaken" - a heartfelt cry that he is ready and willing to be God's instument of change. We also see Jason's deep respect of his grandfather on "The Final Toast." In addition to this, Tobymac makes a guest appearance on "Eggshells."
I was very pleased with some of the messages in Life Life Loud. This album talks about faith and living it out for the world to see. It has a worship song, it talks about heaven, and it also laments about words said that we can't take back, all the while adding the expected Hawk Nelson fun into the mix. They also chose to use lighter guitars on a couple of songs; this was a good choice.
While the over-all feel of the album is very different than the band's first two releases, it is a natural progression from Hawk Nelson is My Friend. And of course, the bagpipes on "Tis So Sweet" rock! Who knows, maybe they will start appearing at upcoming concerts?
Pretty good| Posted February 15, 2011
I'm not a huge fan of the band overall but do like some of their songs here and there. This was a good solid release and sure to be popular among fans.
Live Life Loud| Posted February 07, 2011
I actually thought that this album was a set-back for the group. I am normally a HUGE fan of these guy's, but they're not the same. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the new lyrics, but their beat is off.
Kind of a bust| Posted February 02, 2011
I really liked their song "Live Life Loud" so I bought the album. It doesn't have the high quality in quantity that their other albums do. If you are going to buy one Hawk Nelson album, this wouldn't be it. However, if you are a die hard fan, I would recommend you buying this one. Especially if you appreciate their humor you will enjoy "Ode to Lord Stanley."
GREAT!| Posted August 06, 2010
It seems like Hawk Nelson is just that band that keeps growing as time goes on and you can tell that they are growing in their relationships with Christ too. I love this cd. It has very good songs about God and some really good silly ones too. Very inspiring.
best| Posted June 11, 2010
I absolutely love this cd. it has to be my favorite out of all your cds so far and not to mention the cd cover is totally amazing cause i love dogs.you are an amazing band!
to add lyrics if not listed.
