What I Can't See
Artist: Out of Ruin
Label: Vertical Shift/EMI-CMG
Time: 12 tracks/44:07 minutes

Out of Ruin sound like a band that aren't exactly sure what they want to be. Songs like the opener "Broken Pieces" are perfect pop-rock, balancing hooks and positive lyrics creating infectious melodies. Other songs such as "Spirit" and "Step on Faith" are more reminiscent of Modern Worship, also catchy, but much more bland lyrically. Then there is the standout instrumental "Alimente El Corazon" combining heavy drums with Latino influenced guitar(?)-interesting for sure, experimental and unique. Easily it is the best song on the record, it's too bad the band doesn't sound this ferocious on the rest of the album.

This is a hard record to analyze. Some of it is great, some of it is good, and some of it is pretty bad, the sound of a band in transition, unsure of exactly where they want to head. This is fine of course, as this is Out of Ruin's first nationally distributed record after the indie _Mosaic Soul_, which shares many songs with this new record. Hopefully the band will stick with it long enough to develop their own style. If they can combine the catchiness of "Broken Pieces" with the attitude displayed on "Alimente El Corazon" while at the same time cutting the redundant Modern Worship style songs, they could take the Christian scene by storm.

Noah Salo