Luna Halo - a Review by The Phantom Tollbooth


Shimmer Artist: Luna Halo Label: Sparrow Records Length: 12 tracks	Samples Superman Aliens

Several years ago a band that mixed alternative rock, pop, and rap burst onto the Christian music scene and quickly became a favorite of church youth groups and their leaders. That band, Reality Check, just as quickly disappeared. After their promising first disc, the band imploded and was no more.

Now after several years Nathan Barlowe and Jonathan MacIntosh, the creative force behind Reality Check, are back with a new band and that band, Luna Halo, has released an excellent debut disc, Shimmer. Luna Halo is every bit as accessible as Reality Check was, but without the rap. Listening to this disc was at once familiar, because of the pop textures, and new.

Shimmer was produced by current hot producer Monroe Jones, with one song, “Hang On To You,” produced by Barlowe and Tedd Tjornhom, another producer-in-demand. The sound they create is an amalgam of Jeff Lynne/Electric LightOrchestra/Traveling Wilburys (see the intro for “Superman”) and the pop soundscape of John Lennon and Paul McCartney (“Carry Me”) in their Beatles era.

I really hate to make Beatles comparisons because any group that’s any good gets compared to the Fab Four. But, when I think pop perfection it doesn’t come any better than the best of the Beatles and ELO. Anyone claiming to write excellent pop music is going to borrow from the best and I’m OK with that because this project has plenty of originality as well.

Shimmer opens up with the song “Aliens,” a quirky song written by Barlowe and McIntosh that starts out with what sounds like people speaking over a shortwave radio. Then the guitars crank in and the song, which deals with the singer’s thought life, takes off. It’s a battle between the flesh and the Spirit and the battle is taking place within his mind and the aliens are the thoughts he struggles to keep under control.

Contact in my head
With these aliens
pursuing my control
How did I let in
These poison thoughts again
Can I finally let them go?

The battle is with the sin nature, for you theologians out there, but Barlowe and MacIntosh don’t let themselves off that easily:

Sometimes I’ll admit
I purposely forget
Pretend I left it all behind me.

Can you relate? I knew you could.

Barlowe has said he is “amazed and confounded” by the depth of God’s forgiveness and redemption. Because of that reality he wants to, through Luna Halo, take that message to the secular world. The band’s vision is to integrate their faith and musical excellence with cultural relevance and authenticity.

Michael Ehret