Monday: CHON - Perfect Pillow

     Not a huge Stryper fan but could still use a Funday? Well then let's keep it going with a Monday Funday heaping helping of chill from your friends in CHON.

     I'm sure you're all super CHON experts by this point, but let me lay it out for those of you who've just gotten here: the guys in CHON are experts at crafting bright, melodic, and very technically proficient instrumental prog (well, mostly instrumental...) with loads of jazzy overtones. Their latest effort, the mixed LP of new-and-reworked-old material Grow, was released back in the spring, but songs like your Monday Funday tune still creep into my playlist on the regular.

     "Perfect Pillow" is your perfect example of CHON's game, and a perfect example of why, while the tracks on Grow that do have vocals aren't hurt by them, there's absolutely no need to mess with success.

Sunday: Stryper - Yahweh

     So "Yesterday" may have been "Sadder Day". So what? Don't get too down, because now it's time for Funday with something a little... lighter? Sillier might be nearer the mark, depending on where you stand, but here goes nothing anyways!

     The in-a-nutshell-backstory is this: in addition to penning much of Sevendust's best material, guitarist and songwriter Clint Lowery has apparently had a hand in writing the latest single from everybody's favourite 80's band, Stryper. "Yahweh", from Stryper's upcoming Fallen, is thematically predictable (coming from Stryper) but if you can look past that, it's crunchy enough in an old school kinda way.

     Stryper's not going to be replacing Sevendust in my rotation any time soon, but it's still interesting to see what a talented guy like Clint gets up to in his "off" time. Just don't scroll down and start reading comments. There be dragons there...