Building 429

Rise
Word Records

Building 429 is back in 2006, dripping with Dove Award nominations and one win from its chart-topping 2004 debut and showing no signs of drying off. The band struts the divide between adult radio rock and Top 40 catchiness in a manner agreeable to both young and old. It’s just a good band with significant crossover potential, like its similarly styled predecessor Switchfoot. Every song beats with film-score gravitas.

The vocals can get somewhat monotonous but not enough for you to notice. Michael Tait makes sure of that — the former dc talker shows up the second-to-last track, “Empty.”

With “Rise,” Building 429 has looked the sophomore slump square in the eyes and even made fun of it a little — it’s just a darn good record.