delirious? - Mezzamorphis (CD)

• New Factory Sealed
• 1999 Furious? Records
• Cutout

There's not much out there in the way of explicitly Christian punk rock, so when you see a picture of this band, with its prominent leather, post-Rotten hairdos and creative facial hair, and compare the image to the lyrics, which on this album revolve around the central idea of reaching heaven (with a note to fans explaining why the word "hell" was used on one song), you might be excused for thinking that someone's finally done the unthinkable. But in fact, Delirious? isn't really a punk band at all. It's basically a pop group with occasionally extra-crunchy guitars. Luckily, it's a mighty fine pop group; between Martin Smith's powerful and gutsy voice and the songs' indelible hooks, Delirious? ends up sounding at times like a more specifically ideological Crowded House (as on "Follow" and the quietly lovely "It's OK"), and at others like a more intelligent Duran Duran ("Bliss"). The dogma is front and center; Smith isn't afraid to sing a line like "If I'm right then you are wrong" and, if that offends you, ask yourself whether you get offended by Consolidated or Rage Against the Machine. At least this band admits the possibility that it could be wrong. And it does so with hooks.