This Beautiful Mess - Falling on Deaf Ears (CD)

All Music Guide

Anyone who has heard the Christian alternative/praise worship band Delirious will hopefully be able to clue in pretty easily to the sound that is happening here. It's that whole U2-meets-early-Radiohead style put to intensely personal and spiritual lyrics. Much of this seems really familiar, as if U2 had gone off in a slightly different direction or Radiohead mellowed out and found God instead of going all weird. It's at times like this that it's important to remember the wisdom in the Bible where it states that "there is nothing new under the sun." And while one could say that about almost all music, This Beautiful Mess doesn't seem to be trying real hard to break the mold. Rather, while doing a good job of creating peaceful, thoughtful music, they seem to play it pretty safe by following along in tune with their fellow European rock musicians.

- Kurt Morris, All Music Guide