Acclaimed Christian rock band Jars of Clay, known for their ground-breaking, intelligent music and humanitarian work worldwide, artfully explores matters of relationship and community through the songs on their tenth studio album The Long Fall Back To Earth. The highly anticipated 14-track project releases on April 21st on Gray Matters/Essential Records.

From the band's earliest days to the present, innovation has marked each step of Jars of Clay's musical journey with 'The Long Fall Back To Earth' serving as no exception. It's a big, lush, confident, gutsy sound that dominates the new tracks, leaving the listener with a different thought for each new story told, each new emotion conveyed.

As with all previous Jars of Clay projects, it's the lyrical content that draws listeners into a fuller appreciation of the songs. Lead vocalist/lyricist Dan Haseltine delves into the bare bones reality of the beauty and tension of relationships, and what makes them worth fighting for, a common thread that has tied everyone exposed to Jars of Clay's music together for more than a decade.

The project's debut single, "Two Hands," released to US radio January 30, is receiving praise from programmers everywhere and is quickly shooting up the AC/CHR charts. One of the songs the band considers a cornerstone for the project as a whole, "Two Hands" deals with our inborn, yet often unspoken desire to just do more for our world, while struggling to keep our innate selfishness in check.

"That song touches a very simple longing in our hearts for unity under one roof, so to speak," Dan Haseltine says. "One side of us wants to serve Christ and love others, while the other side is concerned only with looking out for ourselves. By reconciling the sides of our heart -- both good and bad -- to bring the full weight of who we are in Christ, we can use our hands to serve and love others well in a way that honors Him."

Jars of Clay, handling production duties alongside veteran producer Ron Aniello (Guster, Lifehouse, Leigh Nash), expand on the musical palette developed for its last project, Good Monsters: driving songs with more synth, beats and loops, but keeping its hard-won appreciation for rock guitars intact. The effect is a sweeping musical landscape full of detail, contrast and richness.

Jars of Clay - The Long Fall Back To Earth
(Released April 21, 2009 on Gray Matters/Essential Records)

1. The Long Fall
2. Weapons
3. Two Hands
4. Heaven
5. Closer
6. Safe To Land
7. Headphones
8. Don't Stop
9. Boys (Lesson One)
10. Hero
11. Scenic Route
12. There Might Be a Light
13. Forgive Me
14. Heart