Beyond Contemporary Worship Music
In the last couple of years I've noticed something about the music that's being written for churches that use what we sometimes call "contemporary worship music." It's all starting to sound the same.
I remember when there was this huge surge of creativity within the worship music field. Everybody was being blown away by what was going on at Hillsong and Hillsong United. People just couldn't get enough of the music emerging from places like University Baptist Church, where David Crowder and Chris Seay were doing all kinds of wild stuff--and in England were Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Martin Smith of Delirious were writing some really fresh melodies and lyrics. And then came the Passion movement with Charlie Hall and Chris Tomlin and many others.
...and several years later, somehow it feels like it's all starting to sound the same.
As I've been studying music written for worship from 1980 on, I've noticed that about every 5 years there is this surge of creativity that happens where people start writing all kinds of fresh, powerful and innovative worship music. Then everyone else tries to copy these new styles--more or less successfully. And over the course of the next few years the music gets less and less interesting, until another creative surge occurs 5 years later.
Except this time it seems to have been more than 5 years since the last creative surge.
So here's the conversation starter: where is the next creative surge coming from and who are the emerging song writers?
Are they Vineyard? Emergent? Indy? Pentecostal? Post-Evangelical?
And, whoever they are, how can we get a hold of their music?
As you share, the only rule I suggest is that we not lift up people who are already writing in existing styles. No fair lifting up your favorite obscure musician who sounds like Marty Haugen, John Ylvisaker, or Chris Tomlin good as they may be.
Where are the people who may be under the radar but their music is powerfully effective in worship and people want more of it?
I remember when there was this huge surge of creativity within the worship music field. Everybody was being blown away by what was going on at Hillsong and Hillsong United. People just couldn't get enough of the music emerging from places like University Baptist Church, where David Crowder and Chris Seay were doing all kinds of wild stuff--and in England were Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Martin Smith of Delirious were writing some really fresh melodies and lyrics. And then came the Passion movement with Charlie Hall and Chris Tomlin and many others.
...and several years later, somehow it feels like it's all starting to sound the same.
As I've been studying music written for worship from 1980 on, I've noticed that about every 5 years there is this surge of creativity that happens where people start writing all kinds of fresh, powerful and innovative worship music. Then everyone else tries to copy these new styles--more or less successfully. And over the course of the next few years the music gets less and less interesting, until another creative surge occurs 5 years later.
Except this time it seems to have been more than 5 years since the last creative surge.
So here's the conversation starter: where is the next creative surge coming from and who are the emerging song writers?
Are they Vineyard? Emergent? Indy? Pentecostal? Post-Evangelical?
And, whoever they are, how can we get a hold of their music?
As you share, the only rule I suggest is that we not lift up people who are already writing in existing styles. No fair lifting up your favorite obscure musician who sounds like Marty Haugen, John Ylvisaker, or Chris Tomlin good as they may be.
Where are the people who may be under the radar but their music is powerfully effective in worship and people want more of it?
Join This Conversation
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Irby on -
I've found a lot of lyrical and contemplative depth in Christian indie bands like Anathallo, mewithoutYou, Cool Hand Luke, etc. It would be hard to market music like that to a praise & worship audience, but they could all influence musicians to try something different. If anything, worship writers and leaders could be encouraged to dig a bit deeper into the theological substance of songs and write lyrics that inspire discussion and contemplation.
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Permalink Reply by Phil Nagy on -
I too have found that the lyrical depth and musical innovation in bands like Brand New, Thrice, mewithoutyou, House of Heroes, etc. will be the next wave. Worship is becoming more than just singing "God is awesome la-la-la". The profoundness of a Christian walk is deep and more and more "non-Christian" bands with Christians in them are starting to capture a lot of the post-modern elements that the next generation of worshipers will cry out to the Creator! We are certainly at a crossroads though! One thing is certain, God's people will find a way to worship Him, no matter what the words or the music are.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Webb on -
Thomas and Phil,
This is really great stuff! I'm guessing there's more out there as well. Have either of you tried out this new music in your congregations? Were they able to grab on to it and sing it?
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Irby on
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Well, I am a tech guy... so I have little influence over music selection. We haven't tried anything like that.
Richard Webb said:Thomas and Phil,
This is really great stuff! I'm guessing there's more out there as well. Have either of you tried out this new music in your congregations? Were they able to grab on to it and sing it?
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Permalink Reply by Phil Nagy on
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my friend and I are currently writing some new tunes in this genre, but the services I currently oversee are not ready for this step in the music - the stuff we're talking about is a lot heavier not only in timbre and texture but in lyrical depth as well. Definitely for more of a post-modern, young adult, 20-something crowd.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Sundberg on -
Is there something to be learned from the "classically" oriented folks? They routinely draw on "secular" works without compunction or apology, employing whatever is evocative of praise, contemplation, challenge.
It brings to mind music created by Christians (or those with spiritual insight at least) as opposed to "Chrisitian" or "worship" music: the ubiquitous U2, but also folks like Collective Soul, Over the Rhine (their "All I Need is Everything" is a spectacular and earthy expression of our need for grace and our difficulty in embracing it), Bruce Cockburn (Water Into Wine would be a great instrumental during the holy meal), Paulo Nutini (New Shoes has a wonderfully redemptive edge), Sufjan Stevens (Chicago), even much older stuff like Steve Winwood's "Higer Love", or some of Peter Gabriel's stuff.
As Richard can vouch, I don't come at this from normal "churched" angles, but it seems to me we often spend so much time trying to be Christian or worshipful, that we forget to be human (in the best sense of the word).
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Permalink Reply by Richard Webb on
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Phil,
Would you be able to post an mp3 file so that we could take a listen?
Richard
Phil Nagy said:my friend and I are currently writing some new tunes in this genre, but the services I currently oversee are not ready for this step in the music - the stuff we're talking about is a lot heavier not only in timbre and texture but in lyrical depth as well. Definitely for more of a post-modern, young adult, 20-something crowd.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Webb on
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This is an important insight. There is a reason why Jars of Clay was all over Seattle secular radio stations in the '90's. They weren't trying to be "Christian". They were just trying to compose good and honest music...and they happened to be Christians. Obviously their worldview is all over their music but it's not so blatantly self-conscious. As Paul Sundberg pointed out, another huge example of this is U2.
In a similar vein, U2, Bruce Cockburn, Moby, and others can hang with all kinds of people (I believe Cocburn is KD Lang's mentor) because they're not wearing the Christian Industry label all over themselves.
To Paul's question: how do we do what these bands do, but now in song for the assembly?
And let me add one more factor. How do we do this so that, like the above bands, the music has "traction"--that is, music that is not only aesthetically good (beautiful, truthful, etc.) but also engages the worshipping community in a powerful way?
Regardless of what you think of some of their music, the Evangelical music community knows how to do this. Christ Tomlin's "How Great Is our God" and Mat Redman's "Blessed Be Your Name" have tons of traction. So what are they doing that we need to learn?
Thoughts?
Paul Sundberg said:Is there something to be learned from the "classically" oriented folks? They routinely draw on "secular" works without compunction or apology, employing whatever is evocative of praise, contemplation, challenge.
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Olson on -
Check out Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan's stuff at www.thirsheremusic.com or Jeremy Young's stuff at www.augsburgfortress.com. I especially like Colligan's WorldMaking songbook/CD. It's completely accessible to an average, non-music-literate congregation but has a lot of meat, if you know what I mean. Some of it can be used in places of liturgy, e.g. "O Tender God, Have Mercy" is a perfect Kyrie. He's also done some great stuff for kid's that is "contemporary" and fun. Other composers I like: Bret Hesla and Ray Makeever (both part of Bread for the Journey)--check out "Come, Let Us Worship God" in their book, Global Songs 2. We use this as a call to worship quite regularly and don't even show the words, it's just an easy call-response that allows people to focus without reading anything off a printed page or screen. All of these writers are great at writing interesting music that is also singable and easy enough for a worship band to learn in one week. But the sound is unique. I probably use 10 songs that CCLI covers and still come up with contemporary material from all over the place. If you haven't visited WorldMaking at www.thisheremusic.com you should do that soon! I'm glad there are other people out there looking beyond what our contemporary "Christian culture" tells us we should be doing.
Cheers!
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Permalink Reply by Paul Sundberg on
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A note for Phil on "postmodern". Please be careful in identifying post-modern with young. I've been thinking "post-modern" since the 70's when I was quite literally introduced to the philosophers, theologians, and cultural anthropologists who formed the post-modern base. Now at 54 and as a grandfather, I'm still functioning (and pastoring) out of those modes. It seems to me that much of post-modern understandings of life, truth, etc. are present, though rarely noticed, throughout much of American society.
Richard Webb said:Phil,
Would you be able to post an mp3 file so that we could take a listen?
Richard
Phil Nagy said:my friend and I are currently writing some new tunes in this genre, but the services I currently oversee are not ready for this step in the music - the stuff we're talking about is a lot heavier not only in timbre and texture but in lyrical depth as well. Definitely for more of a post-modern, young adult, 20-something crowd.
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Permalink Reply by Phil Nagy on
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sure - when we get some things roughed in, I will let you know...
Richard Webb said:Phil,
Would you be able to post an mp3 file so that we could take a listen?
Richard
Phil Nagy said:my friend and I are currently writing some new tunes in this genre, but the services I currently oversee are not ready for this step in the music - the stuff we're talking about is a lot heavier not only in timbre and texture but in lyrical depth as well. Definitely for more of a post-modern, young adult, 20-something crowd.
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