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The New Crazy-Awesome Christian Music Thread!

 
  • The New Crazy-Awesome Christian Music Thread!

    So, in the Christian Music World there have been a lot of new albums that have just recently came out and as a result of the summer a lot of the bands are going on tour and making themselves a little more known. We want to hear what you all have to say about these artists! Who is your favorite Christian Artist? Which of the latest albums that have been released have gone above and beyond your expectations? What's a band that has recently come into the Christian music scene that you think deserves our attention? Do you have a favorite song or video that you think everyone should give a listen to? -- POST IT!!

    If you've recently had a song or album that has really changed your perspective in some way or has 'touched your heart' in a way that you think would be great to share with others, then please share the story with us!

    Below are some new Christian music albums that have come out somewhat recently that have been brought to my attention and I've really enjoyed... I want to hear what you think though!



    Did I forget some bands? Please feel free to add!! Let's hear what you think!! Ready, and go... :D

    Do you know what REAL love is?
  • some bands i've been spinning lately...

    Jesus Culture
    Phil Wickham
    Shane & Shane
    The Welcome Wagon

    • tehee10 said...
    • User
    • 1 Jul 2010, 23:35
    Well from 2010, came Fireflight's - For Those Who Wait Album!!!! It is amazing and I even based a sermon around the song For Those Who Wait....Fireflight continues to amaze me and set me back for hours listening to their music and just thinking....

    Carlton L. Crasher..."His WIsdom Is Greater than Ours"
    http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html
    www.personalitypage.com/INFJ_rel.html

    Really Lengthy Discussions please use tehee10@gmail.com instead of pm's
  • It's awesome!

    I discovered many christian bands, with are really great! My favourite are Red, Disciple and P.O.D. . And it's not only the music, but the lyrics are important ;D God Bless You! :D

    • [Deleted user] said...
    • User
    • 2 Jul 2010, 13:00

    Don't forget

    John Reuben, MxPx, Jennifer Knapp, and Stellar Kart have all put album excellent albums (or EP in the case of MxPx) recently.

  • HOLY MOLY YOU ALL KA-RAAAAAAAAAZY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AMAAAAAAAAAZING CHRISTIAN ARTIST. Josh Garrels. http://www.joshgarrels.com/
    Then there's Future of Forestry
    and The Listening
    and Andy Hunter
    and Mutemath (though probably not armistice)
    Earthsuit is pretty good, not quite as awesome as the others
    Oh! And I just discovered the newer Eric Champion, thanks to jesusfreakhideout.com. There is some goooood listening in there. Listen to Transformation. Though I must warn you, despite being now electronic rock, he comes from a past of soft R&B, which I'm not much of a fan of to say the least.

  • AWESOME Christian METAL: new releases & covers

    "Alive" (P.O.D. cover) by The Crimson Armada: http://www.myspace.com/thecrimsonarmada

    New EP "Zombie" from The Devil Wears Prada:


    "Survivor" Destiny's Child cover by Betraying The Martyrs:
    http://www.myspace.com/betrayingthemartyrs

    God bless you bro's and sisters!
    N-joy :)

    Jeroen

    "The greatest gift we bear is the ability to change" - Nodes of Ranvier
    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 7 Jul 2010, 15:59
    No love for eleventyseven?

    I fell in love with this (not-new xD) rewritten-cover of EMF's Unbelievable by
    Thousand Foot Krutch - Unbelievable :) Talk about rocking for the King <3

    I'll pretty much love anything that Family Force 5 puts out, but I have to say in the way of new music, their Christmas album (The Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant) is definitely worth checking out. Do it. Nowwwww.

    A new song that my mom brought to my attention (xD) is NY2LA by Press Play. I'm always on the lookout for Christian dance music :D

  • Nothing to fear here...just a peace offering!
    http://www.last.fm/music/Argent/_/God+Gave+Rock+And+Roll+To+You
    ....even i love this.

  • ......

    A lot of christian music, most I should say falls in to two categories. 1) Simple pop rock and 2) Music borrowed from popular trends e.g Nu-Metal, Post Grunge. When it really started to get popular with bands like Kutless, Pillar, Skillet etc it was capitalizing on styles and genres that had already been made popular. And since it was late to the party, it's not surprising it's still sticking around on the bandwagon long after things have gone stale.

    Most of the genres Christian musicians play have been done to death or lack originality in the first place. This is not to say I have anything against the message or intent, but it feels like it's on the decline since it's gradual rise to prominence in the 90's and peaking in the first half of the previous decade. It's just lacks originality and any kind of freshness.

    Red, Disciple, and Skillet keep retreading familiar post grune territory that's been home to better bands. Bands like Stellar Kart, Hawk Nelson, and Philmont play derivitive pop punk, christian bands basically homeginized pop punk to hell. Then there's the countless myriad of christian pop/alternative bands that could easily get lost in a sea of other sound alike bands on the mainstream adult alternative radio airwaves.

    Most of what's considered "christian" lacks innovation, artistry and any new themes in the music. There are exceptions of course like future of forestry, the classic crime, but these bands don't fit the mould or restrict themselves.

    All this to say that I don't really look to "christian artists" for music anymore, don't even know why christian music is a genre. It will always be around, but purely on the merit or a fanbase that love's putting things in neat little boxes and restricting themselves.

    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 8 Jul 2010, 22:50
    (in response to Fallingup1986)

    You're certainly entitled to your opinion, and I'm not trying to downplay that, but I'd like to put my two cents in.

    A lot of what you say I definitely agree with, especially "Most of what's considered "christian" lacks innovation, artistry and any new themes in the music." Yes, the Christian market does not have nearly as much innovation and exploration as does the secular. But I don't believe that the genre itself is what places the limitation on the bands - it's the market itself. Most people listen to Christian music as an alternative, so they want something that sounds like what's in the Top 40...or they listen exclusively to Christian, and so will stick with the same contemporary Christian sound that seems to have stayed the same forever.

    But there are artists making progress, and even for the ones who're not, there's absolutely nothing wrong with NOT being a groundbreaking artist! Yes, those people who manage to break the mold are amazing, but if nobody follows them into that style, they're remembered as a novelty, not as a trendsetter (if they're remembered at all).

    The Christian music market is much smaller than the secular one, and held to much higher standards, so naturally it's a lot harder to progress as far as sound goes, because people want something they can rely on, something they won't be scared away from.

    But I, as a Christian, look to the Christian market not just for music, but for a way to worship and glorify my King. Sure, the music might not be as high-quality, but it's guilt-free. I listen to a lot of secular music, and it does have its own merits, and I'm not saying that it's full of the devil, but you can't say that it's all nice and clean. Innuendo, violence, and lots of dirty language is the standard now, so in a way Christian music is progress all on its own just for managing to be above that.

    Anyway, you can take this for what you will - I'm just trying to present another standpoint. :)

  • Violence and dirty language....surely that is only rap music,and the various extremes of metal.Mainstream rock/pop/soul is usualy about love or relationships or completely random subjects,but without violence and swearing.No?

  • ....

    Mixora, I don't like the labels. I wrote about it in this group like a year ago so I won't keep on repeating that point in fear of over emphasizing it till people get sick of it. Basically I don't even get what Christian music is, or why it needs to be called that. But for the sake of clarity i'll use the labels and say that "secular" music is so much more thought provoking for me and so much of it is "safe", that I don't really need alternatives. I like both lyrics and sound and a lot of the times nothing in the ccm bracket has it. Chalk it down to opinion and preference though.

    Johnny, sure?? But a lot of rappers have a lot to say. And even with metal there isn't any real problem. I wouldn't judge artists based on genres, especially since people can have preconcieved notions about metal. The key is to not take everything literally.

  • No,i understand,i dont take offence at swearing etc,but i just meant that any christian really only has to avoid those styles of music to avoid all the problems they seem to encounter.

  • johnny7gun said:
    Violence and dirty language....surely that is only rap music,and the various extremes of metal.Mainstream rock/pop/soul is usualy about love or relationships or completely random subjects,but without violence and swearing.No?

    Let's not forget about Mozart

    But if he gives you good—so call him; if
    Evil springs from him, do not name it mine,
    Till ye know better its true fount;
    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 9 Jul 2010, 18:27
    @johnny7gun - There is a lot of swearing in mainstream music now, actually. I mean, I'm a dedicated pop fan, but most of it is far from clean. I understand that people draw their own boundaries, but it's most certainly not just rap and "extreme" metal that have things that most Christians I know consider troubling.

    @Fallingup1986 - I hope I didn't offend you! I was just putting my point of view out there, too. It's totally fine for you to dislike most Christian music, I was just replying. I mean, isn't that what forums are for, to see people's different opinions? I'm really interested in what you have to say, actually. What do you mean, you don't understand what Christian music is? Elaborate...?

  • ......

    I get the drawing your own boundaries thing, I actually don't mind swearing as long as it's not excessive to the point of being totally futile. You didn't offend at all, i just chimed in because I take music seriously above most things and CCM bothers me.

    Just the title of this thread alone is revealing. New "crazy awesome", as in trendy and cool. If you listen to it, you're crazy awesome too. My overall gripe is that "christian isn't a genre, tired arguement but it's true. What makes a band christian? The members? If so then why don't we call professionals christians because of their beliefs??? Christian Doctor's, christian athletes, christian plumbers. If it's the lyrics, talking about God, then a lot of music is christian, even alexisonfire, check their latest video. Both methods aren't really that good. And seeing that a lot of music is clean and acceptable I don't see the point of alternatives. Evangelicals push the alternatives, making it into a subculture, seperating themselves in that one area while not doing so in others. That is my problem, people making their own trendy christian subculture, a bubble to live in and a form of disengaging the world.

    I don't bother with it much anymore because again it is a matter of preference and you articulate your views well and definitely get them across well, I can respect that. Just couldn't resist chiming in when I read about this thread, still can't believe that people would talk about "crazy awesome" christian music. Maybe if's just my tastes and if people didn't talk about music that is an alternative or trendy then i'd be okay. And remember, what is considered trendy in christian circles isn't trendy to the rest of the world. Wouldn't be a problem if they fans and bands in the industry were about being genuine, but since they are about copying trends, I think "christian bands" should catch up.

    If music isn't what's important and you aren't going to focus on making good music then don't make music, use some other medium.

    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 9 Jul 2010, 20:44
    I understand the Christian-band argument, and I think it's really interesting the way that you see that, and I respect your views. A lot of people view music in different ways - you view it as something that needs to be held to a certain level of quality, and I can definitely see that point of view. I see it from a more emotional standpoint, I suppose - I want songs I can identify with, I want music that moves me, and thus, because I want God to be first in my life, I listen to a lot of Christian music even if it's not as high in quality as secular, simply because in my quest for passionate music, I'm moved to the wrong sorts of passions.

    Of course, this is all generalizations. You admitted there *are* some dubbed Christian bands making progress, and I admitted that not all secular music is bad.

    I disagree with your last sentence, but I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just lost to how you can view it as such. To me, music is as essential as breathing, something unavoidable, an act of passion and emotion rather than rule and regulation. I mean, I sing in organized groups, and I understand the importance of rehearsal and originality and timing and breathing and all such as that, but when it comes down to it, I care mostly about the emotion that shows *through* the music. But hey, agree to disagree!

  • ......

    I like music for emotional reasons too, I want something I can relate to. But if the music is too simplistic then it won't hold my interest for too long, so christian bands for me fail on that account. I also get disengaged if the lyrics are too cliched or unoriginal, I like metaphors and poetic flights of fancy above anything else for me to get stirred emotionally, again christian music fails again in that regard. Not saying these bands don't have emotion behind their music, it's just that I can't feel it because of the music's tendancy to be derivitive.

    I think of music as an act of passion and emotion too, trust me, i'm a bonafide music junkie. I was suicidal as a teenager and music got me through some tough times, and I definitely don't think of it as rules or regulations. You want that, look at how record companies sign musicians based on wether their style is in or not and how they can make a band conform, fit for radio and market consumption. That's my problem, I love music too much to see people dilute it to the lowest common denominator. I equate passion with originality and creativity. And music is a product, so you should try and be as creative with your artistry as possible. If you go half way on it and then just try and coast on the fact that the music is about God so you don't have to put effort into it, you're doing a disservice to music being an art form. The christian mentality is the message is good, so the vessel carrying it doesn't have to be,

    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 10 Jul 2010, 17:01
    Not everyone is blessed with incredible talent. True, a lot of bands just try to get by, and have a lot of potential, but you can't say that everybody is super-creative and talented and original. I agree that you should be as creative as possible, but I don't believe that I can see how far the artist has reached into their potential.

    I totally agree with your views on the music market, don't get me wrong. But I can't imagine abandoning the Christian industry because of this, because music is probably the most important part of worship to me. I've felt hundreds of times closer to God since I've really started listening to more Christian music.

    I don't just listen to any music as long as it's Christian, I'm not saying that. I have some friends who do, and I can't really understand that. But there are plenty of good bands that are Christian, and I love their music more because of that. I do make more allowances on the quality of Christian music than secular, just because secular music lots of times will start changing the way I think, to be more like the world.

    And I only see the fact that originality is rare in the market as incentive to search harder and deeper into the music scene to find some. Yeah, lots of bands do seem to go by how many times they can cram Jesus' name in the song, but others are truly genuine. I don't listen to Christian music just for the safety, because yes, you can find "safe" secular music. But does that mean their music is glorifying God? Sure, they may not be explicit, but beneath the surface is still that undercurrent that will pull you in. I get into this foot-in-the-door rut...oh, I can listen to this, because it's only one cuss word...well, if that song's okay, then this song isn't *that* bad, once in awhile can't hurt, even though it's sexually explicit...this song is about suicide, but I enjoy it so much, I guess it won't hurt, even if it depresses me...and then I find myself listening just to secular music...with really bad themes.

    • Mixora said...
    • User
    • 10 Jul 2010, 17:02
    Anyway, I've really enjoyed this discussion, for the record(:

    And on-topic - Life is a good song. It was free on iTunes a couple of weeks ago(:

  • Noisetrade.com

    Have any of you heard of NoiseTrade.com?? This is a website that lets you download of a bunch of different artists for free in return that you just post about it on your wall or send their music to others in an e-mail. I've gotten a lot of music that I like, especially if you like acoustic music, there are a lot of great artists that you can check out. The artists that I recently liked from there were Ben Rector, Sandra McCracken, Katie Herzig, Amy Stroup, and The Waiting Kind.

    And I noticed glahoiten said something about Future of Forestry... i would like to say they are a really great band but all of their recent stuff just doesn't seem to compare to their Twilight album. :)

    Do you know what REAL love is?
  • glahoiten said:
    HOLY MOLY YOU ALL KA-RAAAAAAAAAZY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AMAAAAAAAAAZING CHRISTIAN ARTIST. Josh Garrels. http://www.joshgarrels.com/


    I. Couldn't. Agree. MORE!

    This guy is incredible. More than incredible.

    Check him outtt!

  • I have two artists that need love:
    House of Heroes - Everything they do it just cool. I love the older stuff, and the newer stuff is good too!

    Ed Kowalczyk - He is the former vocalist for Live and his new stuff is spectacular!

    • LegacyR said...
    • User
    • 19 Sep 2010, 02:05

    Saltillo was a great find!

    Praise This one will will empower almost everyone!

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