Standing Small's new album: Asleep at the Oars, Dreaming of Freedom

After 3 long years and much anticipation from their growing and ever-loyal fanbase, Knoxville-based Standing Small has finally released their new album, Asleep at the Oars, Dreaming of Freedom.  Frontman and songwriter, Ryan Fletcher, may not be a true vocalist, but he makes a bold move with his falsetto, and it pays off at just the right moments throughout the entire catalogue. And though I find an awkward meter of the lyric at times, the lyrical content is strong and unabashedly honest. Despite these minor flaws, the band has embraced their indie sound and such things can easily be dismissed. The album as a whole is like reading a chapter in the book of Psalms, uttering both pain and praise in the same breath, and taking us on a journey of turmoil, trouble, and ultimately to salvation and redemption.

The album begins with a faint and pleasant piano intro before jumping headfirst into a driving bass and drum that carries us off into the rest of the experience. It truly is an experience- sonically and spiritually- from start to finish. By the second song, Forsaken, I am completely drawn in, thankfully, for there I find not just a glimpse into the album's namesake, but also my favorite lyric:

I'm caught in a love affair, the fruit of which will only bear
A fleeting sense of worth to which I'll soon curse
I'm waiting for the day when you will call me home
And whisper in my ears the things I long to hear
I'm overcome by all the things I know
I'm burdened by the love I have to show
I'm dreaming of a day when we will all be free.

The haunting quality of Man Overboard, and the title alone, impresses upon us a sense of despair and urgency, saying, "Bring me back home... I'm a man overboard."  By the time we reach Call in the Troops, we fully recognize that we are in trouble and in need of rescue. The most folk-influenced song with its almost saloon-like piano, provided by keyboardist Ben Howard, gives us the slightest hint of feeling that there is hope somewhere up ahead. But not quite yet.

Not until we reach Out of Control do we arrive at the climax and descent into resolution. Fletcher couldn't be more honest in saying "I feel so out of control and it's becoming all I know/And I'm overcome with joy as I'm falling to my knees." Releasing us into an easy drum beat and cool electric guitar (Corey Goins and Joseph Dunlap, respectively) before lifting us up once again, the ultimate hope here is that "He's breaking down the walls to show that He's the God of all," and we are allowed to rest and find joy in that knowledge. Restoration and redemption finally occur in Hallowed and Two Hands, the first of which is sung almost entirely in falsetto for the first half of the song. Imagine it sans drums and that heavy bass and it could be a lullaby. They made the right choice, however, with every beat perfectly punctuated. The final song closes the record with peace, the kind we can only find on the other side of despair, the place where God has turned darkness into light. Simply two verses and a chorus- if you can call it that- a line repeated: "May the peace of God wash over all our bones." It is not just a closing, not just a wish, but a blessing.

A band that cares more about ministry than money, Standing Small has offered a free, full-length pre-release download on http://www.indievisionmusic.com/. Find more from Standing Small on Facebook, Myspace, and their newly designed website: http://www.standing-small.com/.