Congratulations Holland, you are the Tooth & Nail Records poster boys. This three-piece band consists of brothers Will and Josiah Holland and their (quite) sizable drummer, Yogi. Coincidently, Will is the photographer for Jone's Soda bottles, which may be the only reason I like them. Jones Soda fucking rocks.

At my mom's church they have a contemporary service that occurs in the ass crack of dawn where they try and lure unsuspecting teenagers in by featuring a "hip" band instead of the usual monotonous choir. This is exactly what this band sounds like. Will Holland's clear and passionate voice brings me haunting visions of him closing his eyes and raising his hands to the Lord. Not that I have anything against Christian bands at all. This one just sounds so stereotypical with its simple guitar hooks and corny "inspiring" lyrics like "We shine like stars/ We shine like stars oh yeah/ Bright as the sun we're dead and gone/ We shine like stars."

But don't get too excited kids. There are eleven other songs just like "Shine Like Stars"! The first track, "The Whole World" is meant to be an inspiring anthem. However, it turns out a tiny bit too repetitive with practically each line repeated twice. I'm picturing a big chorus at a community center singing this with big smiling faces and hand movements.

If I had to pick one song that stands out to me, it would have to be the title track, "Photographs and Tidalwaves" which I think ties up the CD pretty nicely. It's a slower ballad about LA with simple keyboard parts and sound effects. The waves slowly crash, fading away into silence at the end of the CD... Thank you Lord!