Zach Bolen - 1001 (2016)

Whenever a lead vocalist of a band I love releases a solo side project, the results are always very interesting. Jon Foreman of Switchfoot has released a lot of solo material recently that is so different from what Switchfoot does as a band, yet it still works incredibly well. On the other hand, you have other people like Dustin Kensrue of Thrice who remain mostly unchanged in their solo material. In other words, it's interesting to see where the visible heart and soul of a band goes in its spare time.

Enter Zach Bolen, frontman of the band Citizens & Saints. After two studio releases of indie rock with a worship slant, he's ready to release this set of nine tracks to the world after 12 years of writing and polishing. The question is, how did it turn out?

Honestly, this is one of the coolest sounding albums I've heard all year. 1001 is definitely a departure from the more electronically-tinged work that Bolen did with Citizens & Saints, and it's also not vertical worship music like their work either. It's something very real, very raw, and very stripped down. And something quite impressive. 

Bolen's sound is what I would describe as indie roots rock. It's got some rock in it at times, but for the most part it's very mellow and acoustically driven. Most of 1001 is very singer-songwriter-esque but with a little extra edge that makes it far more musically interesting than most of its closest relatives. The opener "95" definitely has a nice rock tinge to it that remains in a lot of the more upbeat songs on the album, but there's a lot of other tracks that rely mostly on acoustic instrumentation. For the most part, this mix works well, and most of the album's nine tracks from a musical perspective work quite beautifully. The only song that detracts a little is "Without Conditions," as it is a little too similar to the track before it, "Give It Time." This is a minor problem on the whole, as songs tend to blend into one another a little too well throughout the length of the album. However, the pacing is solid, so there's less of an issue there. 

Lyrically, Bolen is authentic, real, and quite personal at times. I really appreciate this because so often this is not the case with contemporary Christian music. There are a lot of lines that resonate quite heavily with me, which is seldom the case with music of this type. Another thing to note lyrically is how the album as a whole doesn't have prominent Christian themes like you might imagine it to. I actually prefer this, as having my faith force-fed to me with platitudes like is so often done with Christian music is tiring and quite boring. Bolen doesn't let his lyrics get anywhere close to this, and sometimes doesn't even seem like he's actually talking about his faith. It's a subtle undercurrent to 1001, and it's one that really works quite well. He's obviously spent time refining these songs, as they are incredibly tight and well-written, even in their raw lyrical content. 

Sometimes, I have reservations about liking albums this much. Not here, though. 1001 is a beautifully and honestly written album with some stellar music as well. In a world (especially in Christian music) where lyrics can often feel like a smiling face hiding a hurricane inside, Zach Bolen has made something incredibly unique and real. He doesn't shy away from his hurt and imperfect life story, but that's what makes 1001 one of the best releases I've heard so far this year. Definitely pick this one up.

Rating: 4.5/5

Best tracks: "Give It Time," "95," "Leave Me Alone," "I Will Let You Down"