“Lord can you hear me up there in the sky? The fire, the brimstone.”

Welcome to church and the pulpit of Paul Janeway, frontman for the 8 piece band St. Paul and The Broken Bones. The band is back for their 4th studio release “Alien Coast” and they take no time letting the listener know what’s on their mind.

“And Lord, sink your teeth in so I can feel it in my spine!”

The religious themes that were expressed in parts of “Young Sick Camelia” have been further explored and the band seems to have dedicated this album to exploration. Janeway has referred to “The Alien Coast” as “the alienation he felt growing up in a strict religious household where he was shielded from ideas outside of church”. Along with that comes the themes and imagery one would expect when dealing with religion.

Religion. Otherworldly. Psychedelic. And soundscapes are all explored. Long gone are the full blues/funk from their first albums. Given the palette of life the world has had to choose from recently, it is understandable, and the band has done a brilliant job of experimenting with sound. The track “Ghost in Smoke” reminds one of “Gemini” from The Alabama Shakes, and the drum track sounds like something from White Pony era Deftones. There’s even a nod to 2Pacs “Shorty Wanna Be A Thug” by way of Hank Crawford’s “Wildflower”. Shoutout Pall Wall. The album is more psychedelic rock than blues and displays the boundaries the band is willing to explore.

And it’s an excellent journey. From the fiery, boisterous sounds of “3000 AD Mass”, to the funk filled “Minotaur”, and the standout track “Hunter and His Hounds”, the band drives the message home that if Janeway is exploring the alien coast of religion and his humanity, then they are joining alongside him in sound. It’s a beautiful energy when these things happen in music.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not room for a near apocalyptic dance anthem, and “The Last Dance” serves as that. Straight up disco, And who better to lead us there than Janeway. As good as the band is in this album, it’s ultimately Janeway who’s the star. His generational voice shines and gives emotion to some of the themes and sounds. Lines like…

“Minotaur baby, smell him in my room.

Minotaur baby, carrying my youth”

“One lost soul, Time it slows.

I can feel you in my heart baby”

“The end is here.

St. Peter lost our names many sins before our last.

Let’s move it while we can now. Move it….”

Are delivered in awe inspiring ways. The best frontman in the game is on point again. Coupled with the more psychedelic sounding band help move “The Alien Coast” to AOTY candidate and make the case that Paul Janeway is a star.