On the hunt for worship music

[Ian]

I could use some good worship music.  It'd be cool if it was original (not just covers of third day and mercy me songs), had original, memorable lyrics (i've heard "rain down on me" "you restore my life" "[insert cliche worship line here]"blah blah blah a million times), and it'd be cool if it went beyond your typical contemporary worship band setup as far as instruments (doesn't have to be revolutionary, just enough to catch my attention).

Any suggestions?  Even if you can't think of a band that matches the above stuff, I'd like to hear your personal favorites.

Reason I ask, is I know that the right music can help in your walk with God, it's just that I'm so turned off by all the horid mass market produced worship out there that I never feel like looking further.

[Aaron]

My personal favorites (many just happen to be first name last name band):

David Crowder Band
Robbie Seay Band
Daniel Doss Band
Leeland
Michael Gungor
Fee
Desperation Band
The Glorious Unseen
Relevant Worship (http://www.myspace.com/relevant  - my friends' band from Buffalo area)

[murlough23]

I'll second David Crowder Band, with the caveat that they are something guilty of the cliches (there's a "Rain Down" on their latest album, actually), but they do change up the music from the norm with their mix of electronic stuff and acoustic guitar and violin.

Future of Forestry, formerly known as Something Like Silas, would also be a solid place to start.

[Aaron]

I'll second David Crowder Band, with the caveat that they are something guilty of the cliches (there's a "Rain Down" on their latest album, actually), but they do change up the music from the norm with their mix of electronic stuff and acoustic guitar and violin.

Future of Forestry, formerly known as Something Like Silas, would also be a solid place to start.

I think every band falls into the trap once in a while and writes a cliche song or two.  It is forgivable if the majority of the works are not cliche-filled.

[murlough23]

I think every band falls into the trap once in a while and writes a cliche song or two.  It is forgivable if the majority of the works are not cliche-filled.

Agreed. Crowder just fell into it a little more than I would have liked on his latest album. I'd recommend that a newbie start with Illuminate or A Collision instead (the latter is a fascinating example of a "modern worship" band trying to also make its audience think, but can perhaps be a bit daunting for a newcomer).

[plvarona]

I'll second the suggestions of David Crowder Band and Something Like Silas/Future of Forestry.  Another one of my favorites is Jason Morant - his instrumentation is primarily what stands out for me.

[Ian]

I have A Collision and it is pretty great.

[Josh]

I think every band falls into the trap once in a while and writes a cliche song or two.  It is forgivable if the majority of the works are not cliche-filled.

Heh... even Radiohead has a "rain down" song. 

[bloop]

Heh... even Radiohead has a "rain down" song.

Not as part of a cliche song, either.

[murlough23]

Not as part of a cliche song, either.

Yeah, it's not the main subject of the song and is not repeated endlessly as the chorus of the song, or with the obvious connotations that it has when used in a "worship song". But you knew that already.

A recent awkward example would be After Edmund's song "Come and Rain Down", which I like on a musical level, but just makes the cliche sound even more awkward to those who doesn't understand it and/or have a juvenile sense of humor: "Won't you come and rain down on me, Jesus?"

[danny316]

I was about to scold everybody for not using the search feature, but I tried searching for "worship" and couldn't actually find the previous best-of-worship thread. A search for "u2 violet burning" did the trick.

So here's the top worship albums list thread: http://www.thephorum.net/index.php/topic,2572.0.html

IIRC, I made this before I knew about Chasing Furies, but I don't need to make any other changes to the list. I haven't tried much of anything on there new since I posted my first list.

[cowdude]

The Glorious Unseen

This. Besides David Crowder's stuff this is my favorite worship album. The music is fairly straightforward ambient stuff (but enjoyable)  but I the lyrics and lead singer's voice are both amazing, I thought. Plus, it features one of the dudes from Cool Hand Luke and Matt Slocum from Sixpence None The Richer. It's good stuff. 

[latinchic]

Brooke Fraser

[ajyouthguy]

i'm a big fan of David Crowder Band and Shane and Shane.  i like Future of Forestry and Delirious a lot too.  I like The Glorious Unseen some, and beyond that, a hodge-podge of worship stuff appeals to me but not really any specific artists as such.  At our youth camp last week, the band covered some pretty cool Tim Hughes and Charlie Hall stuff, but i don't like either of those enough to buy (much less recommend) entire albums of either of those guys.

as far as the DCB discussion, perhaps it is just that it struck a chord with me at the time it came out, but i love the new album.  while i still like A Collision better, i think it's still a very solid album.  i remember debating it with Mur when it came out, but it appealed to me from day one, and has only grown on me since, especially after seeing them twice since it came out as well as hearing a song or two off of it sung in worship settings at church and camp.  plus, my almost five year old son LOVES "Never Let Go," haha.  Oh, and the "Rain Down" on that album...i believe it is a reworked version of the same song off their very very first album, released independently as "University Baptist Church" in the late 90's.

[murlough23]

plus, my almost five year old song LOVES "Never Let Go," haha.

It's appropriate for the age level.

Oh, and the "Rain Down" on that album...i believe it is a reworked version of the same song off their very very first album, released independently as "University Baptist Church" in the late 90's.

I was aware of that. Redoing old songs is fun for nostalgia, and the song sounds awesome, but the quality if the lyrics is far below what Crowder is (usually) capable of writing nowadays. It sticks out because of that.

I love no less than five songs on Remedy. Of those that remain, I like three, but just feel that they are flawed and don't quite reach the same level of quality. The only real gripes I have are with "...neverending..." and "Never Let Go" sounding like Sunday School singalongs. I could probably upgrade the album to a B- from a C+ if I felt generous. But length (a scant ten songs) is also an issue. I'm not saying they should have released another 21-track behemoth (A Collision has plenty of skippable stuff in between the actual songs), but when you're intentionally simplistic in your songwriting, it makes it even more obvious when the amount of content on your album is scant. There should have been another song or two.

So far I've used "The Glory of It All" and "Everything Glorious" a few times in small group worship. Both work well. I would like to learn their arrangement of "O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" as well (I had previously been doing an upbeat version in 4/4 that I learned from my InterVarsity days, obviously without Crowder's chorus).

[ajyouthguy]

i think your gripes are fairly legit, especially as it relates to length, and you can call me a DCB fanboy if you want, but i had it as my second favorite album of last year, and it's only grown on me since.

as far as the two songs you specifically  mentioned, i understand your points on them, but i like both of those songs as well..."Neverending" is just fun, although i do think it's to similar to songs on their past couple of albums and a little simplistic lyrically.  as far as "Never Let Go," i understand that the chorus is kinda weak, but i think the rest of the song is powerful...perhaps simply b/c of stuff people around me have gone through for the past couple of years, or perhaps because i think it, along with some of the other songs on the album, comes out of their own pain through Kyle Lake's loss right after the last album came out.  is it deep, lyrically profound Crowder at his best?  nah.  but is it still a powerful song of clinging to God in difficult times?  i think so, and with the pain i see every day in youth and church ministry and some family stuff we've been through the past couple of years, it resonates with me in a pretty powerful way.

[murlough23]

as far as the two songs you specifically  mentioned, i understand your points on them, but i like both of those songs as well..."Neverending" is just fun, although i do think it's to similar to songs on their past couple of albums and a little simplistic lyrically.

The business with the Guitar Hero controller did make it a concert highlight. But the fact that "Foreverandever, etc." and "No One Like You" were in the same setlist only further illustrated the problem with the band repeating themselves. "No One Like You" was a good song; they should have stopped there.

as far as "Never Let Go," i understand that the chorus is kinda weak, but i think the rest of the song is powerful...perhaps simply b/c of stuff people around me have gone through for the past couple of years, or perhaps because i think it, along with some of the other songs on the album, comes out of their own pain through Kyle Lake's loss right after the last album came out.  is it deep, lyrically profound Crowder at his best?  nah.  but is it still a powerful song of clinging to God in difficult times?  i think so, and with the pain i see every day in youth and church ministry and some family stuff we've been through the past couple of years, it resonates with me in a pretty powerful way.

Personally, I think summing up those sorts of hardships and trials with such broad, sweeping cliches as "joy and pain, sun and rain" and other old standby weather metaphors only serves to trivialize the things you mentioned. Sure, I know what happened with their pastor, and I think a lot of the stuff on A Collision bravely faced questions about death and how those left behind should respond to it, and all of that stuff was written before that incident, ironically enough. And I realize that "When my pastor gets electrocuted in a baptismal tub, You never let go" doesn't really fit into a song lyric, but still, if you want singing about your trials to resonate with me, don't describe them the same way every two-bit CCM radio wannabe describes them. I have no tolerance for that. I don't care what happened to you if the song doesn't remotely evoke the depths of it. (Well, I mean, I care about what happened, 'cause that was a truly awful thing for anyone to have to go through, but I'm saying that the song doesn't really enlighten me on the subject - the song isn't the thing that makes me care. It's the same reason I didn't fawn over Jeremy Camp when everyone else was going, "Aw, poor guy, his wife died, that makes his music sooooo powerful.)

[dgp11776]

Brooke Fraser

Hmmm...Andree gave her 4.5 stars over at CT.  Maybe I need to give her a listen.

[NewDimension]

Speaking of the David Crowder band, I like some of their music, but I think one reason why I don't listen to more of it, is because there's so much repetition. Repetition can be good at times though.

[Aaron]

Speaking of the David Crowder band, I like some of their music, but I think one reason why I don't listen to more of it, is because there's so much repetition. Repetition can be good at times though.

What of theirs have you listened to? 

[NewDimension]

What of theirs have you listened to? 

Lots of songs. I can't remember all of them. "Wholly Yours" would be my favorite out of all of the ones I've heard though.

[Aaron]

Lots of songs. I can't remember all of them. "Wholly Yours" would be my favorite out of all of the ones I've heard though.

Ok.  I just didn't really see the whole "too repetitive" sentiment about them.  just curious.

[NewDimension]

Ok.  I just didn't really see the whole "too repetitive" sentiment about them.  just curious.

It wouldn't be that repetitive to some people. To me, parts of some songs are a bit repetitive, but to others it wouldn't be at all. For instance to me repetition is clearly seen in songs like: "Forever and ever etc." and "Never Let Go"...even parts of "Everything Glorious," and I like that song.

[Aaron]

It wouldn't be that repetitive to some people. To me, parts of some songs are a bit repetitive, but to others it wouldn't be at all. For instance to me repetition is clearly seen in songs like: "Forever and ever etc." and "Never Let Go"...even parts of "Everything Glorious," and I like that song.

oh ok cool.  I understand now.

[murlough23]

The DCB has very repetitive choruses. One thing that really drags down some musically solid songs of theirs is how certain lyrics get repeated too much. "Rain Down" doesn't work for me because the first and second verse are just the same line repeated again and again. And I've already said my peace about "Never Let Go" (Crowder himself is aware of my distaste for the song... what can I say, I never expected him to actually read my blog!)

But just about any repetitive DCB chorus beats "Love again, again, again, again."

[Escuchame]

I second latinchic's suggestion of Brooke Fraser. That woman can write a tune. Worshipful, yet not at all cliched. Killer voice, too.

[fanboy]

Has anyone heard her contributions to Hillsong? If you're feeling adventurous, track down "Hosanna" and its coda "For Those Who Are to Come," which are meant to be played back to back. That "postlude" of sorts is exhilarating in an OK Computer kind of way. (Get the Hillsong United versions, from the album All of the Above.)

From that same album, the slightly Easter-themed "Lead Me to the Cross" is another standout, but it's more of a pop/rock track.

You may also want to download the breathtaking, Celtic-inspired "Lord of Lords," from Hillsong's Saviour King release. Lots of lovely open chords on that one.

[/fanboy]

[murlough23]

Has anyone heard her contributions to Hillsong? If you're feeling adventurous, track down "Hosanna" and its coda "For Those Who Are to Come," which are meant to be played back to back. That "postlude" of sorts is exhilarating in an OK Computer kind of way. (Get the Hillsong United versions, from the album All of the Above.)

"Hosanna" is one of my favorite "modern worship" songs among those that have come out in recent years - and I don't get excited about this sort of thing that often. I really like Starfield's version (with a slight gripe about how they omitted half of the bridge), but I have never heard the original.

[Escuchame]

Dude, the Starfield version blows. Hard. In my opinion, of course. ;-)

Try to track down the Hillsong United original (plus coda), and see how emasculated their version is compared to Brooke's.

[murlough23]

Dude, the Starfield version blows. Hard. In my opinion, of course. ;-)

Your opinion here is obviously somewhat biased toward the source material. I, on the other hand, am not a huge Starfield fan, so when I say they did something well, I'm not just doing the fanboy thing.

Try to track down the Hillsong United original (plus coda), and see how emasculated their version is compared to Brooke's.

Tracked it down. I can't say they're doing it "wrong", because it's their song, but it feels lethargic to me, at least at the beginning. Too slow and drawn out. I don't like the pauses during the verses (after "the whole earth shakes", "we're on our knees", etc.) or how the instruments fall away during the first chorus. It takes too long to really get going. It gets more gritty and intense midway through the song, which I do like, but I hear nothing about it that wasn't improved upon in the Starfield version (except for the omission of lyrics that I already noted).

As for the coda... wow, they segued seamlessly from one song into another song that sort of repeats motifs and phrases from the first one. I've never heard a worship band do that before!  It's not a bad performance by any means, but... OK Computer? Yeah, not hearing anything that would even remotely remind me of that. Clearly you're overstating the case here.

Either way, the core of the song as it was written is solid, both in lyrics and melody, so which recorded version is best is probably just a matter of personal taste. I can see how, to you, since you're used to the original, the Starfield version might feel rushed and calculated to fit within acceptable radio single length. But I think their approach makes the song hit harder.

[Escuchame]

Not only is the version you tracked down the original, but it also features the universally embraced speed and feel. Millions of YouTubers seem to agree.

Personally, I love it because of the build and those sudden drops. Rarely do worship songs make use of dynamics in such a way, which is why I think this particular take on "Hosanna" is appealing in an OK Computer sort of way.

(Compositionally, the tune has a fairly standard pop structure, so I don't think the Radiohead comparison should be taken to heart too hard. The reminiscences are mostly a matter of ethos.)

Anyway, generally the version one hears first tends to be the one gravitates to the most, so it's understandable why we both like the versions we do.

As for the coda, it's not the repetition of motifs what makes it a winner, but how Brooke sings the Revelation-based words improvisationally. The music is planned out, sure, but the flow of her leading is not.

[murlough23]

Not only is the version you tracked down the original, but it also features the universally embraced speed and feel. Millions of YouTubers seem to agree.

I first learned it at that tempo when we did it at our church, but without the awkward pauses during the verses. Nearly everyone else I've heard who has adapted the song has not paused after "the whole earth shakes" during the verses. It really kills the momentum.

Personally, I love it because of the build and those sudden drops. Rarely do worship songs make use of dynamics in such a way, which is why I think this particular take on "Hosanna" is appealing in an OK Computer sort of way.

I'm familiar with the concept of dynamics. These particular dynamics just aren't working for me.

(Compositionally, the tune has a fairly standard pop structure, so I don't think the Radiohead comparison should be taken to heart too hard. The reminiscences are mostly a matter of ethos.)

I don't think the ethos of Hillsongs or really any contemporary worship act is anything close to Radiohead's.

Anyway, generally the version one hears first tends to be the one gravitates to the most, so it's understandable why we both like the versions we do.

But I first heard it in church earlier this year. The Starfield version came a few months later, after I had already become familiar with the song as performed by our worship team.

As for the coda, it's not the repetition of motifs what makes it a winner, but how Brooke sings the Revelation-based words improvisationally. The music is planned out, sure, but the flow of her leading is not.

I dislike the "improvisational singing" aspect of most worship albums that employ it. In a group setting, there's really not much of a way to participate when the lead worshiper is just going off and doing their own thing. Perhaps that might just be my knee-jerk reaction because of the Charismatic church I used to go, which way overused the spontaneity thing as a way of showing off that the Holy Spirit was supposedly doing something. usually it was just window dressing and an excuse to draw out the worship song longer despite not having rehearsed a lot of material.

I don't mean to quash creativity, but if you're making worship for a group to participate in corporately, it needs to be something that they can follow. if it's a studio album or live concert more geared towards the performance as a personal expression of worship, then it might make a little more sense.

NP: "Deep in Your Eyes (There Is a River)", Jon Foreman

[murlough23]

Just wanted to respond to this thread because we had that whole debate about "Hosanna", and this Sunday, our church's worship team tried to do "Hosanna" the original way with the pauses and everything, and the congregation just plowed ahead and kept singing the next part of the verse, so the worship had to adjust on the spot and keep up with the congregation. I found this quite humorous.

[ajyouthguy]

i have discovered two albums recently that are 'worship' that i like...

one is called Elevator Music: Live Worship from Victory Fellowship, and is basically a "Mute Math and their church and friends worship album." i know when i posted about getting it that someone on here didn't care for it, but i absolutely love it.

the other is Jon Mark McMillan's The Medicine, which is loosely 'worship' stuff with a lot of creativity.

[dgp11776]

the other is Jon Mark McMillan's The Medicine, which is loosely 'worship' stuff with a lot of creativity.

I'm happy to see you're enjoying it.  I think several others around here would as well.  Oh, and it's actually John, not Jon.

[ajyouthguy]

Oh, and it's actually John, not Jon.

picky, picky, picky...

[dgp11776]

I just typed it due to the 1% chance that somebody may actually search for it.