All the recent end-of-the-world predictions have made 1970s Godsploitation flick A Thief in the Night suddenly relevant again. Dramatizing a post-Rapture socialist society and featuring a song written by Christian rock wunderkind Larry Norman (unfortunately performed by the awful Fishmarket Combo), the movie is an intriguing artifact from a time when believers didn't flee from popular culture but embraced it as a vehicle for a spiritual mission. It's a sharp contrast to the 80s, when the Satanic Panic scared many Christians away from rock music, and to the 90s, when the Christian rock industry marketed itself as a message-first alternative to secular music.
Bodies of Water, an L.A. outfit whose unison and harmony vocals suggest the enthusiasm of a spirited youth choir, harken back to that open-minded 70s heyday, although thankfully not to the scare tactics of A Thief in the Night. Core couple David and Meredith Metcalf pepper their songs with Biblical imagery, yet remain too enamored with pop music in all its many forms to confine themselves to any one particular genre or approach. That excitement and a sense of boundless possibilities fueled their 2007 debut, Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink.
Following a lackluster sophomore album on Secretly Canadian, the Metcalfs channeled a lot of their energy into ABBA-tastic side project Music Go Music. Founding members Kyle Gladden and Jessie Conklin left the group, eventually to be replaced with a revolving roster of friends, acquaintances, and onlookers. Finally, the Metcalfs built a home studio and recorded their third album, Twist Again, which they're releasing on their own Thousand Tongues label. They're also having their first child. Twist Again, then, signals a period of rededication, rebirth, and just plain birth, but its songs sound surprisingly somber and subdued.
In this more restrained setting, Bodies of Water aren't quite as commanding or charming, but they compensate with more confident, nuanced songs that incorporate elements of showtunes, disco, and folk, plus mariachi fanfares and hallelujah choruses. "Ever With Us" juxtaposes barebones doo-wop piano with countrypolitan strings, and the stylistic friction mirrors the domestic drama of the lyrics. Standout "Rise Up, Careful" fits in a lengthy saxophone solo, and the curious pairing with Meredith Metcalf's mournful vocals makes for one of the best and most unexpected moments on the album. On the other hand, "New Age Nightmare" nearly works itself into a frenzied din but backs away. Rather than let the music go wild, Bodies of Water play it safe.
Both Metcalfs remain sharply charismatic performers, but the downcast quality to Meredith's vocals, especially on "Lights Out Forever", is new. The woman who once yelped ecstatically to the back pews now exudes a spiritual melancholy similar to that of her husband's grainy voice. There's a newly ponderous tone to their music, too, which may stem from the lyrics: Twist Again is preoccupied with the conflict between heavenly love and earthly love. Traditionally, love of God ought to supersede romantic and musical love, yet that order is in constant flux from one song to the next*,* as Bodies of Water indulge some new musical idea or wrap their voices seductively around each other. Even if Twist Again occasionally comes across as less than rapturous, the Metcalfs' conflicts animate these songs, as though they've realized that marriage, music, and God are not only inseparable, but quite possibly all the same thing.
