Christian Art that Doesn't Suck - L'Angelus

In a new occasional series, I'll be talking about Christian/Christian friendly art that doesn't suck.  Why?  Because most of it does.  In a way, this will not be too different from much of what I already do, there will be movie and book reviews as always but I'll add music and maybe actual artwork.  I should confess, my ability to critique that latter two art forms is significantly less than the ability with the former two but I'll give a crack anyway.  So, without further ado...

L'Angelus

This is a family band, which is not at all uncommon in the world of Christian music, especially Catholic music.  So yes, they are Catholic.  The band mostly plays fiddle heavy cajun music with a lot of energy, as evidenced in their album Ca C'est Bon.  However, they also do sacred hymns, which they excel at.  There is something about the sound that they bring to sacred music that makes them fresh and new while still respecting the old traditions that the music stems from.  In short, their music represents a genuine development of tradition instead of a radical interruption.

One of the best parts of their music is that while it reflects Christian sensibilities and teachings, it is in no sense preachy.  The only one that really comes close is "Desperation War" but even this song gets its point across by telling a story, a story that is very believable and likely all too common.   Other's such as "Angelle's Tippy Teaux Two-Step" are just plain fun, especially when Angelle gets on the mic.  You just have to have to hear it. 

Finally, their voices are incredible.  I say "their" because pretty much all of them sing.  And they do it in English, Latin, and French.  The French is particularly beautiful.  All of this combines to make them one of the few Christian bands on an actual mainstream label. 

So, get their music, get their albums and go to their website (http://www.langelus.info/) to find out if they are playing near you.  They mostly seem to play in the South and overseas, which is a bummer since I live in the Midwest.  But maybe someday they'll make it up to Michigan.  Or least northern Indiana.  Come to think of it, Notre Dame isn't too fart away.