Prime Cuts:  One Word, Mercy Light, Your Love is Louder

An Epic, No Less-for a band to adopt such an august moniker, they have much to live up to.  Taking their cue from a line out of John Elderidge's book that the Christian life is an epic, these youngsters have sought the help of producer Dustin Burnett (Newsboys, The Wrecking, Augustana) to craft a worship album that exalts the epic nature of God in our lives.  Unhindered in their articulation, these 10 tracks are by no means shy about exalting the unparallel glory of God.  Stylistically, An Epic No Less has treaded in the familiar path of Owl City in blending electronica and emo-pop over catchy melodies with occasional throwbacks to the 80s.  However, unlike Owl City whose bubbling G-rated club anthems tends to pop and fizzes without much of a bite, An Epic, No Less is not afraid to tackle knotty issues like spiritual darkness, human trafficking and the depravity of sin.  Entertainment value aside, many of these songs are theologically profound and they resonate with a reverent passion that draws us again and again to the Cross of Jesus.  This is powerful, life-changing stuff.  Vocally, group founder Todd Larson takes on the microphone for the most part.  Though Larson is tuneful and he certainly sings with an engaging passion; nothing distinctively sets him apart from the copious male singers out there.  However, it's when group member Hannah Chancellor is brought in to trade vocals with Larson things start to sparkle with more interest.

Save for the album closer "Your Love is Louder"-every other track here does not shy from the big-pop sounding underpinned with production that is loud and garish.  The two songs that jump out with their effervescent sonic personalities both utilize the Biblical "light" imagery to great effect.  Taken from Moses' cry to see the glory of God, lead single "Mercy Light" is a heartfelt cry to God not to hide from us in our darkest times.  Listening to how Hannah Chancellor trades lines with Todd Larson towards the last third song; this gives us an assuring affirmation that we are not alone in our struggles to see God in our difficulties.  The other "light" song is the catchy "One Bright Spot." "One Bright Spot" is a call to righteous living until Christ comes again is aptly paced over some futuristic echoes.  Also, quite a stunner is "One Word"-this is a gorgeous well-written worship song that glories in the effectual nature of God's word.  But instead of the traditional pop-faired backings, here producer Burnett has vitalized it with a glitchy electronic backbeat that gives it an alluring supernatural feel. 

Don't let the somehow mundane title "We Need You" fool you into thinking this is an exercise of blasé.  Rather, this is a song choke with arresting lines such as "if you're hope for the broken we are shattered glass."  While the summery upbeat "Caught Up in this Moment" is a love song to Jesus that depends more on the song's hooks that the treacle of electro-pop beats.  Precisely because all of the first nine cuts are all upbeat worship numbers there is a same-ness that pervades some of the songs.  Songs such as "Echo of Love," "Come to the Cross" and "We Believe," for instance, suffer from anonymity recycling clichés heard far too often in worship songs over beats that seem repetitive across far too many tracks.    

The only song that stands out from the pack is album closer "Your Love is Louder." Though it comes far too late in the sequence of songs, nevertheless, it's better late than never.  Unlike the other cuts, here Hannah Chancellor takes lead.  "Your Love is Louder" is an electronic ballad that cleverly stays clear from anything predictable.  Chameleon with the traditional sounds of bagpipes yet fronting a futuristic sound of computerized beats, "Your Love is Louder" is easily a creative work of art that never loses its heartfelt tenor.  With an album like "Echo of Love," An Epic, No Less may not have exhausted the meaning of their moniker but they are on the way.  They do show promise that they can indeed be an epic not only success-wise but in the way they can change hearts for Jesus in fresh and innovative ways.