THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Caspian on 10 Feb 2007, 06:30
-
I'm probably in the wrong kind of forum to ask this, but I'm getting desperate.The state of Christian Music has annoyed me for some time. Basically, the only good band I can think of is Jars of Clay, and they're an anomaly in a genre full of terrible bands. Basically, I wouldn't mind Christian music that's:
Honest, and Raw. (jars of clay being a good example- there's a ton of bands that play very similar stuff and sound terrible, but Jars of Clay get through on passion and heart and stuff.)
A bit more bummed out then most HALLELUJAH kind of stuff (again, Jars of Clay manage this)
personally, I'd love some Christian Post-Rock, Ambient or Drone, just because I think those genres are quite condusive to Christian Lyrics. However, I'll be happy with any good Christian music, and if someone can show me some good Christian metal (which I've yet to find) I will be very happy indeed.
One finally thing: No Sufjan!
-
How about Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part? There is quite a bit about God on that one. Low is mormon and it show sometimes.
As for metal, the only Christian metal band I know that sounds vaguely interesting is Extol. Roots reggae would also be an option.
Generally I don't care enough about an artist's religious and political orientation to find out.
-
How about Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part? There is quite a bit about God on that one. Low is mormon and it show sometimes.
As for metal, the only Christian metal band I know that sounds vaguely interesting is Extol. Roots reggae would also be an option.
Generally I don't care enough about an artist's religious and political orientation to find out.
I don't care too much about religious orientation as to whether or not I'll like something. I'd just love to prove to some of my friends that we Christians can actually write a few good tunes, instead of just banging out terrible flavour of the month tunes.
-
I would say that non-religious bands are as guilty of that last "crime" as religious bands are. Sixteen Horsepower and Woven Hand are another option if you like the gothic americana sort of thing.
-
I'm pretty sure mewithoutyou is a Christian band. I know nothing about them, though. That's all i can think of.
-
Dude, Pedro the Lion!
-
Think Zao is a chrisitan band, I've only heard one song by them but it wasn't bad at all. Be warned though, apparently they got kicked out of their church because they considered it "DEVILMUSIC!"
-
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Patboonmetal.jpg)
-
Oh man the last time we had this thead I think it turned out to be a disaster.
Anyways, if you don't like Sufjan you probably won't like Danielson, who are like an even more twee version of him. However Danielson are also really good.
Separation Sunday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_Sunday) by The Hold Steady is an album which explores the divide between Christian morality and human action, and it does so really well. I read an interview in which Craig Finn said he was Catholic and so all of his music comes from a very Catholic place, which is cool because on Sunday he wrote about his chosen themes with maturity and intelligence.
Oh, and Bob Dylan had a Christian period, if I'm not mistaken.
-
Most of the the Christian bands I would recommend won't be available on the internet, so if you give me your email I can send you some.
I have Exalt, who are a hip-hop/pop group that also have a couple of heavy tunes on their album, and Bottlerockit/Audiogene who are pop-punk, acoustic balladry and power-pop/rock.
Added to that, you have Bob Dylan's Christian albums, I recommend Slow Train Coming. Nick Cave has a lot of Christian stuff but he's also got a lot of swears in his work. For that kind of thing the best recommendation is probably going to be No More Shall We Part as previously mentioned.
Athlete are Christians, but their music isn't to my knowledge.
OHH. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Howl album. I can't believe I forgot this. I cannot recommend this album highly enough. It was my album of the year for 2005. It's rootsy, bluesy, but also has some hard-rockin' tracks like 'Ain't No Easy Way' and some spaced-out epics like 'The Line.' Absolute five-star record.
-
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Patboonmetal.jpg)
That picture is quite scary.
-
I also forgot, the New Orleans band MuteMath are Christians, though their lyrics are ambiguously secular. They deal with Christian themes rather than Christianity itself. They dabble in ambience and experimental stuff, though, plus they are phenomenal live performers. Big drum + keytar + Rhodes + gong + weird homemade instrument they nicknamed "Atari" + traditional drums/bass/guitar = TOTALLY AWESOME.
-
Pedro the Lion
beat me to it. i thought of this the second i read the thread title. actually a suprisingly good band and well worth checking out if you want the christian rock thing.
-
Thirded on the Low. Get their Christmas album (it's called Christmas) and thank me later. Best cover of "Little Drummer Boy" ever.
I don't think Sixteen Horsepower is actually a Christian band, but they do use Christian imagery sometimes. And they are awesome.
mewithoutYou is indeed a Christian band. However, they suck so incredibly bad you will be clawing your ears off within minutes.
-
Black Sabbath. :angel:
-
Y'know, Underoath is Christian.
But they suck, so don't get within 20 feet of one of their CDs.
-
Five Iron Frenzy. ska=awesome.
Sufjan Stevens is christian music?
-
Paramaecium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramaecium
They are the only Christian metal band I know that doesn't suck,
They play Funeral Doom and they actually have a really good sound, their albums "Exhumed of the Earth" is highly reccomended.
-
i only own one piece of Christain based music, and its more like christain refrencing than christain-rock
Guadalcanal Diary - Flip-Flop
a 80's rock band, the album contains somewhat christian songs like "Look Up!" and "Ten Laws"
if you happen to be looking for a single song, find "Hymn 49" by Jethro Tull of of the Aqualung album
-
thank you all!
And to clarity on Sufjan, I don't hate him, I'm just really sick of him and I thought lots of people would recommend him.
-
Also Trouble (http://www.myspace.com/troublechicago)! They are a doom metal band from the 80's and they rock. Their new album Simple Mind Condition is due for release later this year.
I don't think Sixteen Horsepower is actually a Christian band, but they do use Christian imagery sometimes. And they are awesome.
I meant Christian in the way that Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is Christian namely through their religious frontmen. But granted my knowledge of them is limited so you may well be right. I just thought that a bandname like Woven Hand is a pretty clear indication.
-
Believer!!!
-
Anathallo
-
Sufjan Stevens is christian music?
We didn't sleep too late.
There was a fire in the yard.
All of the tress were in light.
They had no faces to show.
I saw a sign in the sky:
Seven swans, seven swans, seven swans.
I heard a voice in my mind:
I will try, I will try, I will try.
I will try, I will try, I will try.
We saw the dragon move down.
My father burned into coal.
My mother saw it from far.
She took her purse to the bed.
I saw a sign in the sky:
Seven horns, seven horns, seven horns.
I heard a voice in my mind:
I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord.
He said: I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord.
He said: I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord.
He will take you. If you run,
He will chase you.
He will take you. If you run,
He will chase you
'cause He is the Lord.
'Cause He is the Lord...
Seven swans, seven swans, seven swans,
seven swans, seven swans...
in other words: in many cases, yes he is.
-
Dude, Pedro the Lion!
-
J.S. Bach much?
-
I meant Christian in the way that Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is Christian namely through their religious frontmen. But granted my knowledge of them is limited so you may well be right. I just thought that a bandname like Woven Hand is a pretty clear indication.
Cave's Christianity is somewhat dubious though.
-
I suppose it is a bit ambiguous. Afterall this is the guy who has made both Stagger Lee and God is in the House. He wouldn't be as interesting if he didn't have that ambiguity to his music. Age has softened him somewhat though.
-
Believer!!!
-
I suppose it is a bit ambiguous. Afterall this is the guy who has made both Stagger Lee and God is in the House. He wouldn't be as interesting if he didn't have that ambiguity to his music. Age has softened him somewhat though.
Quite apart from the opening line of 'Into My Arms' being 'I don't believe in an interventionist God.' I think age may have softened him slightly (although he's all the better for it, three of his last four albums are, in my opinion, among his greatest) but he's returning. Each of his three return albums, post-Boatman's have got heavier.
Have you heard the B-sides and rarities album?
-
Paavoharju are probably the only contemporary group I can think who haven't been mentioned yet. They're from Finland and they're on Fonal records. On the other hand, tons of fried Christian psych/folk records that came out as obscure private presses are getting re-issued, but mostly as expensive imports intended for the collectors market. A couple names I can think of from that avenue are Virgin Insanity and The Trees Community.
-
Paavorhaju are great but forget about trying to understand them.
-
Skillet is a fairly decent christian rock band.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skillet_%28band%29
They span from heavy rock to light (almost ballad-esque).
They aren't exactly full on in your face christian rock though, but you can still see the religious themes in a lot of their songs.
I'd suggest picking up Collide if you like a mix of heavy and lighter stuff. Hey You, I Love Your Soul is probably their most religious without being straight "in your face praise Jesus" music.
-
Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel was rather Christian, wasn't he?
-
On the dubiousness of Nick Cave's christianity:
Then she drew the curtains down
And said, "When will you ever learn
That what happens there beyond the glass
Is simply none of your concern?
God has given you but one heart
You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers
And God does not care for your benevolence
Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others
Nor does he care for you to sit
At windows in judgement of the world He created
While sorrows pile up around you
Ugly, useless and over-inflated"
From "As I sat sadly by her side".
I'd say that's not exactly the most christian of god-songs.
-
OK here i go!
metal/hardcore/hardrock bands
Zao
Underoath
Norma Jean
Demon Hunter
The Chariot
Project 86
Showbread
Thousand Foot Krutch
Pop-punk/Emo
MxPx
Run Kid Run
FM Static
Mae
Hawk Nelson
Emery
Relient K
alt. rock?
Starflyer 59
electronica
Joy Electric
acoustic/indie
Pedro the Lion
Sufjan Stevens
-
Christian mainstream is just as lame and pandering as popular mainstream.
I'm not sure whether you want things of the genre 'Christian rock' or just any music with Christian lyrics. Roseanne Cash's lyrics are awfully Christian, as are Loretta Lynn's, but obviously neither of them fall into the 'Christian' genre.
There's plenty of good music out there with very Christian lyrics, but not a whole lot of it whose sole founding purpose is to be 'Christian'.
Do the Thermals count as Christian?
*ducks*
-
Actually I think they do.
-
I think a lot of christian lyrics and/or themes have to be looked at in context. It's one thing to say a band is christian because of a few lyrics in a song and it's another thing entirely if a band tries to deliberately push a christian image.
Lacuna Coil is a good example, a lot of people associate them with being christian, based on their image and lyrics I think, but then they have a really popular song called "Heaven is a Lie" which just goes to show how riddiculous it all is...
-
Nick Cave is not a Christian. Singing about God occassionally does not make you a Christian. J. Spaceman, anyone? Hell, he's toured with a gospel choir and has songs like "Lord Can You Hear Me?" and is still very much not a Christian.
-
The only explicitly christian band I really listen to a lot is Current 93 (Who Nick Cave once worked with, to weigh into that). They aren't exactly mainstream anything, especially not christianity. It takes a very good band to make me think that a song warning against the dangers of drugs and the occult whilst simultaneously comparing christ to a horse galloping across a plain ('Horsey') is one of the best songs I've ever heard. It also takes rather strange and cynical views to produce songs like '4 Hypnogogue 4' (God gave Noah a rainbow sign, and then he said..."It's the fire next time!") or 'Happy Birthday Pigface Christus' (which admittedly they now perform as 'Happy Birthday' with some very slight changes in lyrics. It's still quite obviously an apocalyptic vision of Christs birth wrapped up with images of harvests and the holocaust...odd band).
Also, er, guys, JOHNNY CASH?
-
i actually heard a christian gore grind band once...it was quite disturbing since it still had all the gore lyrics except it was talking about overcoming it to reach enlightenment...can't remember the name although they did have a myspace page somewhere
-
www.myspace.com/tobymac and www.myspace.com/thebandwithnoname01 and www.myspace.com/delirious are the best ones around I think.
-
Stryper.
-
Nick Cave is not a Christian. Singing about God occassionally does not make you a Christian. J. Spaceman, anyone? Hell, he's toured with a gospel choir and has songs like "Lord Can You Hear Me?" and is still very much not a Christian.
It's regularly stated in interviews, and I think by him, that he is a 'devout Christian.' I'm not sure what the fuck 'devout' means when you're a Christian who writes songs about not believing in God, does smack, drinks, smokes and swears. To be fair the former you could probably do in the right way.
-
Probably just means he believes in Jesus and does his best to do the whole "love your neighbour" bit that Jesus was always talking about. That's my idea of being a devout Christian but maybe I'm just biased.
-
There is, in fact, nowhere in the bible where you are instructed not to drink, do smack, smoke or swear (you can't take Gods name in vain, but unless Gods name has been changed to 'motherfucker' I think Nick Caves doing quite well there). Also remember that almost, if not all of Nick Cave's songs are sung in character. A song where someone says they don't believe in God doesn't mean Nick Cave isn't a christian any more than he's a fifteen year old female serial killer in a secure mental hospital. Remember, Nick Caves signature song is 'The Mercy Seat'.
-
God gave Noah a rainbow sign, and then he said..."It's the fire next time!
I'm pretty sure that those lyrics are taken from older folk songs, seeing as how in Bruce Springsteen's newest album, which is entirely covers of old folk songs (and is the best things he's done in decades), in one song the line "God gave Noah the rainbow sign, "No more water but fire next time"" is used.
-
Yeah but when I quote another song in one of my own I tend to damn well mean it.
-
Pop-punk/Emo
MxPx
Run Kid Run
Mae
Emery
Relient K
i find it really hard to believe that those bands are chritian. MXPX maybe, but i have a really difficult time comprehending Emery as a christian band. Run Kid Run might have some subtle Christian stuff underneath that i might have missed before, but i really don't think so. Relient K possibly. Mae, idk...
Amber Pacific i know is Christian, and Bright Eyes hasn't been mentioned at all yet, and Conor Oberst almost always writes stuff about God. :\
-
All Emery and Relient K's members are christian. Even if they don't produce worship music, that's not the point of this thread.
-
isnt living sacrifice a christian band?
-
They were...they don't exist anymore though. Their old guitarist Rocky Gray is now the drummer for Evanescance...weird.
I'm not nearly as into the whole Christian music scene as I was a few years ago, but I think that some of my fellow forumites - especially the ones who've already mentioned Pedro The Lion - would do well to check out both Michael Knott and Denison Witmer. Michael Knott has been a favorite artist of mine since I first heard his work with Lifesavors Underground (LSU) but I definately like his solo work more. when i get home tonight, I may host a track for you guys to check out.
-
Mae is totally christian... anything off Tooth and Nial is Christian, as far as I know.
-
Tooth and Nail is a christian music label.. EVERY BAND ON IT is(or maybe was..) a christian band.
i dont know about the new stuff but ALOT of old Relient K songs have christian lyrics like
"Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong"
-
I think I have a mixtape from my old youth group - yeah, a Christian music cassette - which has Relient K and Toby Mac songs on it. I don't listen to it anymore because I didn't like those songs to begin with.
-
Johnny, I used to have a cassette copy of dcTalk's first album.
-
They're no Supertones.
-
I still have like three DC Talk albums. Oh, the memories.
-
i heard that jesus died so i can fondle road whores, is this true?
-
I may stand corrected on Nick Cave but Conor Oberst is most definitely not a Christian.
-
there's several songs on "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" where he references Christianity. and also this one song "When The President Talks to God" or something, idk how recent it is, but i think it's about Bush. i never really said he was a Christian, but there is a lot of it in his music.
-
They're no Supertones
True story, a number of years ago I was in a "Christian Ska" band whose name was so embarrassing I shan't divulge it here. We covered a Supertones song. Then one year, at Cornerstone, I met the trombone player, and he recommended a mouthpiece to me.
Also, I spent an afternoon with Reese Roper of Five Iron Frenzy that same C-stone.
-
If you don't mind alternative country/bluegrass, I can't reccomend 16 Horsepower enough. The lead singer, David Eugene Edwards, is the son of a traveling preacher, so there is a very strong biblical/vaudevillian atmosphere in a lot of the songs. If you're looking for something more mellow/solemn, he also has a few solo releases under the name Woven Hand.
-
True story, a number of years ago I was in a "Christian Ska" band whose name was so embarrassing I shan't divulge it here. We covered a Supertones song.
Congratulations I am now fondly remembering the seventh grade.
-
I would not call Sixteen Horsepower "alternative country/bluegrass". They may use those as elements in their music but they are a rock band. That would be like calling Spiritualized a gospel/jazz band just because they use those elements.
Alternative country/bluegrass is stuff like the X-Grass compilations, Blackgrass, Hank Williams III, etc.
-
They've been mentioned briefly before, but Anathallo and Denison Witmer are really good names to know in the Christians-who-are-still-damn-fine-artists category. It comes through more so in Anathallo's music, though. They have reeeeally different styles. Anathallo has a bit of an Arcade Fire feel, with a heavier high school marching band influence, while Denison is pretty straight up acoustic folk.
Some legal downloads for both:
Anathallo's renditions of a few old hymns here (http://www.colossiansthreesixteen.com/archives/356). Really quite good. I sometimes wonder why "Christian music" ever decided to get into the rock/pop world at all. Back to the four-part vocal harmonies!
A bunch of home-recorded Denison songs here (http://www.happybirthdaydenison.com).
-
Well. A quick search through my music library comes up with this artists and they're genres (please understand that I don't think christian is a genre, I just have it as an genre to easily sort music and such in my playlists).
Most of them are pretty decent... right now I'm into Deas Vail (a christian indie band)
Anberlin - Alternative Rock, Christian
Andy Hunter? - Electronic, Christian
As Cities Burn - Post-Hardcore, Christian
Audio Adrenaline - Rock, Christian
Blessed - C-Pop, Christian
Blindside - Hard Rock, Christian
Copeland - Indie Rock, Christian
Day Of Fire - Rock, Christian
dc Talk - Pop, Christian
Dead Poetic - Post-Hardcore, Christian
Deas Vail - Indie Rock, Christian
Demon Hunter - Metal, Christian
Disciple - Nu-metal, Christian
Emery - Emo, Christian
Haste the Day - Metalcore, Christian
Hawk Nelson - Pop Punk, Christian
Ivory - Indie Rock, Christian
Jeremy - Progressive Rock, Christian, Korean
Kevin Max - Singer-Songwriter, Christian
Kutless - Rock, Christian
Lampshade - Alternative, Christian
Mae - Indie Rock, Christian
Mammuth - Nu-metal, Christian
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - Southern Metalcore, Christian
Meadow - Post-Hardcore, Christian
mewithoutYou - Post-Hardcore, Christian
Neal Morse - Progressive Rock, Christian
Need To Breathe - Rock, Christian
Project 86 - Post-Hardcore, Christian
Sanctus Real - Rock, Christian
Sixpence None The Richer - Rock, Christian
Skillet - Hard Rock, Christian
Sleeping At Last - Indie Rock, Christmas, Christian
Spoken - Hard Rock, Christian
Staple - Post-Hardcore, Christian
Starflyer 59 - Indie Rock, Christian
subseven - Emo, Christian
Switchfoot - Alternative Rock, Christian
Tekla Kn?s - Punk, Christian
The O.C. Supertones - Ska, Christian
thebandwithnoname - Hip-Hop, Christian
Third Day - Southern Rock, Christian
Thousand Foot Krutch - Rock, Christian
tobyMac - Hip-Hop, Christian
Underoath - Post-Hardcore, Christian
-
I still have like three DC Talk albums. Oh, the memories.
Unfortunately, my 9 year old brother has gotten into them recently. I forgot how bad they where :-(
Lots of bands there, I may check some out. (possibly). Seriously though, why on Earth isn't there an Epic Post-Rock Christian band? Wouldn't that be the perfect kind of music for Christian Lyrics?
-
Faunts are a most excellent post-rock band composed of Christians. One of my favorite post-rock bands, actually. Reminiscent of Mogwai and Sigur Ros.
Viva Voce--an indiepop band--is kind of good, I guess, but perhaps a little boring.
Starflyer 59 has some really good stuff. Kind of indiepop and shoegaze.
Joy Electric has long been a guilty pleasure of mine. The White Songbook is probably his best work, but The Ministry of Archers is also very good. RIYL Kraftwerk.
The two guys from Joy Electric & Starflyer 59 recently teamed up to form The Bros. Martin, which is an immensely fun indie-pop/new-wave album.
Blindside's A Thought Crushed My Mind is one of the few metalcore albums I enjoy. I don't like anything they made after that, though.
Extol's Undeceived is excellent tech/prog death metal, is you don't mind the crappy lyrics.
Chasing Furies were a good female-fronted alternative rock band, IIRC. Too bad I don't know how to better describe their sound.
-
They're no Supertones
True story, a number of years ago I was in a "Christian Ska" band whose name was so embarrassing I shan't divulge it here.
Does it begin with a "D" and end with an "E"?
Just wondering...
-
Lots of bands there, I may check some out. (possibly). Seriously though, why on Earth isn't there an Epic Post-Rock Christian band? Wouldn't that be the perfect kind of music for Christian Lyrics?
I may be heavily off-mark here, but don't Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mount Zion have some sort of Jewish influence? That's part of the way there.
-
God gave Noah a rainbow sign, and then he said..."It's the fire next time!
I'm pretty sure that those lyrics are taken from older folk songs
From an old spiritual, I think. It was the epigram for James Baldwin's 1963 essay the Fire Next Time, which was one of the most significant pieces of literature to emerge from the American civil rights movement.
As for recommendations, I'm gonna weigh in with the Waterboys. Mike Scott's Christianity shines through in most of his songs, but in a deeply spiritual sense rather than a particularly overt Christian way. Also, he writes a killer tune: check out two of his most famous songs (which are also, incidentally, the title tracks of two stunningly good albums): "This Is the Sea" and "Fisherman's Blues".
-
I may be heavily off-mark here, but don't Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mount Zion have some sort of Jewish influence? That's part of the way there.
Nope, you're right on the money Khar. From the Wikipedia page on ASMZ,
Efrim himself is Jewish, and motifs relating to Judaism are occasionally present in the band's music (he described the band's recording of their first album as a "Jewish experience.")
You can dig further into this by linkjumping on Wikipedia, looking up GY!BE/ASMZ and following the different albums, but you're definately right. There is also a very strong presence of street=preacher type material in the "found sounds" each band uses, the first couple tracks off of ASMZ's debut cd come to mind the quickest.
This thread is DEFINATELY bringing me back to junior high, Johnny.
-
Yep, Efrim from A Silver Mt. Zion is Jewish. He likes to use religious phrases and imagery (their second album, "Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward", is a quote from the beginning of the book of Job).
-
This thread is DEFINATELY bringing me back to junior high, Johnny.
I saw Toby Mac last year around this time, actually. I got snookered into a big Christian conference at Briarcrest College elsewhere in Saskatchewan. It was a horrible experience for the most part because I was surrounded with en-masse evangelism which is something I try to avoid at all costs because I do not believe in it at all. On the other hand, Toby Mac was fun and so was MuteMath.
-
Have you heard Earthsuit, Johnny? If I remember correctly, one of the dudes in MuteMath originally formed, or at least was a part of Earthsuit prior to being in MuteMath.
-
I haven't. I'll have to check them out.
-
craig's brother had some pretty decent tracks for a christian band
-
Earthsuit is the only rap-metal band I look back on with anything resembling fondness.
-
huh. i like this thread! i've never really gotten to listen to very much christian music, i've only been exposed to the very popular stuff...most of which is not good at all. so at the moment i like david crowder and watermark. but that's about it. the trouble is, it's not really music non-christians would listen to. i think that's probably why a lot of mainstream christian music sucks. the whole industry becomes incredibly insular, because you're just making music for christians, who aren't actually looking for good music as they are looking for something upbeat and encouraging (and safe for little kids to listen to too) that worships jesus.
religious tangent: worshiping jesus isn't about saying the words, 'I WORSHIP YOU JESUS PRAISE YOU JESUS.' it's about living out religion, like actually helping people and being humble and all that. actually the whole idea of this stuff is ridiculous. it's like if i asked you all on the forums to do the safety dance, and instead of actually doing it, you make music with words about how you're going to do the safety dance and how great the safety dance is, and you create all this merchandise with words printed on it about doing the safety dance, and you form a secret-society club with a few other people where you meet and just feel good together about being the only people who know that i told you to do the safety dance, and basically you do everything except you never actually do the safety dance. okay so this metaphor is super contrived, but in essence, wtf?
...so uh, back to christian music i guess. sorry. did anyone listen to derek webb's latest cd, mockingbird? because i really thought it was awful, but then it's getting a lot of good reviews. did i miss something? the lyrics are contrived and all the songs sound pretty much the same musically.
-
Something that should probably be mentioned: Christian =/= Jewish. There are many, some fairly large, differences, and looking for Christian music doesn't mean you'll be looking for Jewish music. But then, the thread starter could be looking for both, I just thought I'd mention it.
-
I'm aware of this. I was merely pointing out that spirituality and post-rock are not concepts divorced from each other.
-
Ruyi, that might in fact be the best description of the absurdity of "worship" music that I've ever seen. I don't do the church thing all that much myself, but I've gone with my mom before, and between that and what I remember from when I was younger, one of the biggest things that always annoyed me about Christian music was that it seems like everyone in the genre is willing to sacrifice substance and style, and perhaps even any artistic integrity, for the sake of seeing who can repeat the same hackneyed cliches the greatest number of times before they have to move on to the next chord. Speaking strictly from the standpoint of being a musician, and not even CONSIDERING the religious aspects of it, I've always been annoyed at the "fast food" feel that modern worship music has compared to some of the older hymns. I don't know, maybe this is just another example of me being old and curmudgeonly, I just DETEST these so called "songs" that just repeat the same three lines over and over again.
-
Frankly, I find that argument to be somewhat bollocks. Or rather, it can be applied to more or less any music.
There is good worship music, there is bad worship music. But applying this argument when discussing singing about God is like discussing the 'absurdity' of singing a song about fucking instead of sleeping with your girlfriend.
There are tons of shit worship songs. I play in the band at my church simply because it keeps me on my toes as a musician, so I basically gig once a week, more or less every week, learning new material more or less every week. There are lots of songs that I hate, and lots that I like. This applies to pop, rock, punk, hardcore, anything you can name.
You're more or less making the same 'music ain't as good as it used to be...' statement. Or at least, that's how it comes across to me, feel free to elaborate.
-
I used to be all christian-y before I realized how blazingly hipocritical most christians are. Anyway, during my time in youth groups and going to christian concets and music festivals, there are only a few worth checking out (depending on your taste in style and amount of "worshippyness"). Worshippyness will be ranked on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being gospel.
Rock/Alternative
Skillet - 5 - Recommended Album: Collide
Pillar - 6 - Recommended Album: Fireproof
Thousand Foot Krutch - 4 - Recommended Album: Phenominon
Switchfoot - 3 - Recommended Album: The Beautiful Letdown
Hard Rock
Day of Fire - 6 - Recommended Album: Day of Fire
Project 86 - 4 - Recommended Album: Drawing Black Lines
Demon Hunter - 4 - Recommended Album: Demon Hunter
Worship/Soft Rock
Michael W. Smith - 10 - Recommended Album: This is Your Time
Newsboys - 10 - Recommended Album: Shine...The Hits
Audio Adrenaline - 8 - Recommended Album: Hit Parade
Hip-Hop
tobyMac - 7 - Recommended Album: Momentum
DC Talk - 9 - Recommended Album: Jesus Freak
Cross Movement - 8 - Recommended Album: The Human Emergency
If I had to pick one to listen to... Skillet, by far. They are probably the least christian sounding, they have a good Rock sound, and several songs that are just T-riffic.
-
Tehillah Commission (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=26301401) are a Christian band who live failry close to me, and played at my school. They have quite a good sound, I think. Check them out :)