Often triggered by the tiniest of events—a fragment of conversation, a certain hue of light, even the smell of a place—nostalgia, that wistful remembrance and comfortable longing for people and situations of the past, is a curious thing.  As cozy and snug as affection for the past can be, nostalgia is the very thing that can obscure the remembrance of what actually took place or loosen your grasp on the complex web of issues that accompany an event.  A prime example of this phenomenon is Christmas, where nativity sets, Santa Claus, ice-skating tinsel-covered pine trees, Ebenezer Scrooge, eggnog, and candlelight church services are all wrapped up into one big ball that we throw into our shopping carts while we push our way through the aisles serenaded by Muzaked Christmas carols.  The nostalgia that holds that holiday-spiced ball together masks the truth of Christmas:  that to Mary and Joseph, their circumstances and actions were not remarkable, sparkling, and picture-perfect, but very small and very dangerous and possibly very foolish.

‘Salvation Is Created’, the new record from Bifrost Arts to be released November 3^rd on Great Comfort Records, is a modern-day oratorio that seeks to present the Christmas story stripped of sentimentality in the hopes of revealing afresh the mystery and strangeness of Christmas as it initially emerged.  By making the familiar unfamiliar, the listener is reintroduced to the Christmas drama and encounters beauty to be sure, but also blackness, dry desert, strange noises from unknown sources, and the confusion and anxiety so latent in the situation.  The quiet and fragile hope provided by a baby born without medical assistance in an unsuitable environment, in an insignificant town and amongst circumstances dangerous both physically and politically, takes on greater poignancy.  The outcome of the story is unknown and uncertain, and certainly not the prelude that one would expect to the story of a king or universal triumph.

From producers Isaac Wardell and Mason Neely, joined by a remarkable collection of artists (including Diane Birch, Derek Webb (Caedmon’s Call), Matt Bauer, Aimee Wilson, Ben + Vesper, Elin K. Smith, and Sarah Fullen), ‘Salvation Is Created’ is exceptional in its humble elegance and haunting beauty.  Some of the album’s voices are coarse and fragile, some are soaring and victorious, some are perfectly bittersweet, and all are pulled together by a mesmerizing stylistic alchemy created when grand orchestral arrangements meet slow-burn R&B bass and guitar, and are joined by the winsome tinkling of the celeste, the woodsy low of bassoon, and intimate folk whisperings, to present the Christmas drama through carols both familiar and forgotten.  The idea of faith abandons the realm of the Hallmark card and enters the real world, and the promise of ‘God with us’ comes with sobriety, but with joy that penetrates to the bone.

Love for ‘Salvation Is Created’:

“Think Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas with the life-changing message of peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
– Christianity Today (read the full review here)

“This compilation album is one of the best Christmas records in years.”
– Relevant Magazine (read the full review here)

“This is a record that aches with longing and invites us to take off our shoes and lower our voices to a hush as we behold the wonder that is Christmas.“
– Kevin Twit / founder of Indelible Grace (read his full review here)

Track List
1.  O Come, O Come Emmanuel
2.  Joy Joy!!!  (featuring Devon Sproule and Paul Curreri) 

3.  Bring A Torch Jeanette, Isabella  (featuring Ben + Vesper)
4.  O Little Town Of Bethlehem  (featuring Sarah Fullen)
5.  Let All Mortal Flesh  (featuring Elin K. Smith)
6.  Messiah  (featuring Robert Heiskel)
7.  Silent Night  (featuring Diane Birch)
8.  Out Of Heaven  (featuring Derek Webb and Evan Gregory)
9.  Veiled In Darkness  (featuring Matt Bauer and Maeve)
10.  Salvation Is Created  (featuring Aimee Wilson)