AWARD-WINNING FILM ELECTRIC JESUS SOUNDTRACK
OUT TODAY ON JOYFUL NOISE RECORDINGS
VIDEO FOR SINGLE "COMMANDO FOR CHRIST" HERE
VIDEO FOR SINGLE "GIRL (I LOVE JESUS TOO)" HERE
VIDEO FOR SINGLE "BARABBAS" HERE
While coming-of-age music-comedy Electric Jesus continues to charm audiences and critics at film festivals across the country, the soundtrack, Electric Jesus (Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture) is released digitally on Joyful Noise Recordings today.
Pre-orders for the physical product (vinyl packages) are available online at Joyful Noise Recordings.
Electric Jesus was written and directed by Chris White and features Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Brian Baumgartner (The Office), new/emerging stars Wyatt Lenhart (singer/guitarist), Will Oliver (lead guitar), Gunner Willis (bass) and Caleb Hoffmann (drums) as the fictional band 316, Andrew Eakle (sound man) and Shannon Hutchinson (the preacher's daughter).
Any decent fictional rock biopic requires a convincing soundtrack, and Electric Jesus' director Chris White found the perfect collaborator in Daniel Smith. Smith is a prolific figure in indie rock, having worked under the “Danielson” moniker (and Danielson Famile / Brother Danielson variations,) over the past two decades. He is also an accomplished producer, having helmed Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed Seven Swans album among many other projects. Smith is known for his highly unique vocal style, characterized by the frequent use of a screeching falsetto. Serendipitously, this sound overlaps perfectly with the screaming falsetto vocals of hair metal.
“In my humble opinion, Smith nails it.” – Columbus Alive
“Smith, an indie iconoclast whose music has always been informed by Christian faith, reportedly modeled the Electric Jesus music on the likes of Ratt, Poison, Twisted Sister, and Mötley Crüe — and presumably Stryper... Check out the trailer and those three [singles] 316 bangers…” – Stereogum
“This isn’t an actual ‘80s hair metal band but ‘Commando for Christ’ certainly sounds a lot like Stryper…” – Brooklyn Vegan
In addition to the music of 316, the Electric Jesus soundtrack features four new Danielson songs (including the fantastic sunshine pop of the Beach Boys-influenced "You Can Fly"), plus a track from Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil, and an instrumental score by Smith's "Familyre Friends." The soundtrack also contains music Smith composed for 316's black metal rivals Satan's Clutch and Bloody Mass.
But it's the music of 316 that forms the centerpiece of this 21-track release. All of 316's songs are expertly voiced by actor Wyatt Lenhart, also the onscreen front-man of 316. The instrumentation for 316 is provided by guitarist John Montgomery, bassist John Mark Painter, and drummer Patrick Berkery. This ensemble's chemistry is evident on the album's lead single, 316's hilariously bombastic "Commando For Christ" — one of the most brilliant send-ups of metal music since This Is Spinal Tap. The song's ridiculous chorus will likely be stuck in your head for the next few days. "Let's all go commando for Christ!"
"Electric Jesus doesn't want to save you. But it does want to prove that Christian rock can have a soul." – Document Journal
"Take a screenwriter who is also a music fan and bring him together with a songwriter who's a movie fan and you have the main ingredients necessary to create the soundtrack for Electric Jesus…" – American Songwriter
"White understands that the best way to bring religious and non-religious people on the same plane is through music, and he gives Daniel Smith free rein to create some head-banging numbers. Since all of the song sequences are shot, edited, acted, and sung to perfection, you cannot help but enjoy it. That's religious propaganda done well and despite being an atheist, I respect that." – Mashable
"One of the best' band' movies I've ever seen—one, because the film is a bit of a love letter to Stryper and the whole 80's Christian rock scene, but also because it shows Christian characters in a way that doesn't hate on them OR turn them into fanatical, Jesus superheroes. It's just real, honest, true." – Michael Sweet (of Stryper)
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