On My Stereo: Flyleaf

It seems within the public eye that rock music - especially heavy rock and metal - and Christianity do not mix. This is something which has annoyed me a lot over the years, because I like rock and heavy metal, but I don't generally like a lot of what such music seems to be about.

Which was why, when I discovered something called white metal, I was overjoyed. Bands such as As I Lay Dying are proper heavy rock (even screamo) and they only sing about Christian themes. It is something which most do not believe possible, but it is, and it is out there if you want to look for it.

My favourite Christian rock band at the moment - whose songs are 'mainstream' within the rock community and are even played on music channels like Kerrang! and Scuzz - is Flyleaf. I've already mentioned one Flyleaf song on this blog, but I got their self-titled debut album for Christmas, and it is phenomenal. The first song, I'm So Sick, was even used in Die Hard 4, and has excellent female screaming in it. (I recognise at this point that to say 'screaming' might sound strange to those outside of such rock circles, but believe me when I say that it's just another method of singing.) They are certainly worth checking out, if you like metal and heavy rock.

On My Stereo

When I was in my (Christian) primary school, I remember there was one assembly that my class had to do about worship music in its various styles. Each group (there were about four groups) had a different style of worship song to talk about. When our teacher told us what we were going to do, we immediately started asking how many genres of music could possibly be that are used for worship. My teacher replied by saying that any genre of music could be used to worship - "even rock music". I particularly remember that there was indignation at this point, for no one in my class thought that you could use rock music to worship. I suppose rock music has a bad reputation, and indeed it is quite hard to find worship music heavier than pop rock. In the case of Building 429 - especially their album Listen to the Sound (which both of these songs are from) - rock music definitely works for worship.

Building 429 - Made For You

This song has one of the best introductions I've heard for a while. It builds up perfectly and is a great karaoke track. This song tells the story (in the first person) of someone realising that to find themselves, they must find themselves in God. It's a great song to sing along to. 

Building 429 - Right Beside You

This song is different to every single worship song I've ever heard, for one simple reason: it is not in the POV of a Christian speaking to God nor the POV of God speaking to us. Instead, it is in the POV of a Christian talking to another Christian. It is one of encouragement, and reminds the listener about how Christians should act towards each other; that we should take care of each other as family.

On My Stereo

Matt Redman - Fires

I think after last month's On My Stereo I've already established that I am a massive Matt Redman fan. Every month I get obsessed over a different song of his, and this month it's Fires. This song caught my attention immediately with its foot-stamping riff, which is especially powerful on the live version on 10,000 Reasons, which has the crowd clapping along. The general feel of the song is a hopeful one, a reminder of God's power in that He can "move the highest mountain" and "keep our dreams alive"; it's also incredibly inspiring - I've already 'stolen' a line from the verses ("holding onto light") as the name of an upcoming fanfiction. Yet one of the most interesting things about the song is its use of the concept of fire. God is described as the "fire in our eyes", a spark within us that gives us vibrancy. But the song also says that "God keeps our fires burning"; that He is the force that keeps us alive. Overall it's a very energetic song, one that you can dance to and stamp your feet along to.

Sam Bailey - Guardian (Live @ Soul Survivor 2012)

In contrast to Fires, Guardian is not a foot-stamping song that you want to dance to. Instead, it's almost guitar-ballady in its slower beat. Nevertheless, the song is no less confident in its image of a protector God, one who "go[es] before [us]" and is there as our guardian. One of the reasons that this song is so powerful lyrically is that it takes most of its lyrics from the Bible. Lines are taken from throughout both the Old and New Testaments, seamlessly knitted together and even made to rhyme; you can find lines from Psalms, 2 Corinthians, and even the Lord's Prayer. The chorus in particular is remarkably uplifting; a chorus that you can't necessarily move about to, but that you can definitely sing at the top of your voice - especially by the final time round when the changed beat of the bridge propels the song into a more energetic experience. Yet it makes no assumptions; the lyrics ask for God's help before declaring that He is our guardian, protecting us always. The image of a God who is always ahead of us is one that is comforting, and particularly hopeful.

On My Stereo

Matt Redman - 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
This is a beautiful song, both musically and lyrically. The first time I listened to it, I have to admit I was a bit scared of the death reference in the bridge, but when I listened more closely to the lyrics it was a beautiful message of hope of getting to Heaven. Lyrically, I think the best bit is the first verse. This reminds us to stay faithful and focused on God throughout the whole day, no matter what happens. It depicts an individual singing praise in the morning and asking God that "whatever may come and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes". The song is soft and slow, and the lyrics fit perfectly with the music. Also, it is a live song (off of the album of which it is the title track) which means that you can hear the response of the crowd - and imagine yourself as one of them. The use of the crowd participation is particularly good in the bridge: Redman sings the line "Still my soul will sing Your praise unending ten thousand years and then forevermore", yet he leaves a gap between "unending" and "ten", during which the roar of the crowd kicks in and pushes the song into the chorus once more. This song is a perfect example of why live worship is worth listening to as well as studio-recorded tracks.

Matt Redman - We Could Change the World
In a stark contrast to 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) this song is fast and lively. On my way to college there's a really long road that it usually takes me two songs the length of We Could Change the World to walk down. But this song is so fast, and makes you just want to move, that I made it further down the road in one song than I ever have before. Another reason that this song is so engaging is that lyrically it is incredibly encouraging. It begins by asking if we can live like God is stronger, greater, more powerful than all our faults, failures, and any and all other powers. The verse ends with "Can we live like this?" And when the beat kicks in for the chorus you scream "Yes!" and it's a wonderful declaration of living for God's glory. By the end of the song you're not singing "Can we live like this", but "We gotta live like this" and "We can live like this". It makes it seem possible and fills you with a can-do attitude that chips away and all the 'ifs' and 'buts' that usually prevent us from living to the fullness of our potential for God's glory.

On My Stereo

The Rend Collective Experiment - You Bled (Live @ Momentum 2012)
This is the third Rend Collective song that I've reviewed on here, and this song carries on their great folk melodies. This song is one that you can't help but sing along to - it begins with a lot of harmonious "whoas", which have a quirky tune to them so that it's really fun to sing along. The lyrics of this song are pure and simple: they are about the joy of knowing that Jesus' love is complete, sacrificial, wonderful, marvellous, and for each and every one of us so that we can all declare what it says in the beautifully emotive bridge: "Yes, Jesus loves me". The beat is a heavy one that is pounded out by the loud drumbeat, quite slow but it lends itself well to the soft deliverance of the lyrics. This version of the song is a live version (though there is a studio version on Rend's debut album Organic Family Hymnal) and this song really reveals the benefits of having live versions of worship songs: you can just hear the crowd singing along to every single word; it brings about community, and when you feel like you're part of something like a crowd of worshippers it heightens your emotions to the expressions of the song and you can just lose yourself in it.

Beth Croft - Set A Fire (Live @ Momentum 2012)
This song is kind of a strange song in that it doesn't really have that many lyrics. There are only two verses - or one verse and a chorus, if you will - that are repeated throughout. However, the lyrics are simple yet powerful and when you listen to them you get the feeling that you don't need any other words. They are in the first person, forcing each worshipper to make a personal request to God to "set a fire down in my soul that I can't contain and I can't control"; this can almost be a little scary, and indeed when you let yourself get drawn in by those words you can feel the adrenaline begin to pump through your veins. Yet that same fear is stilled by the fact that to ask for God to do this for us just feels right. What also makes this a wonderful song is the music itself. It starts off slow, complimenting the emotion behind the words and allowing Beth's voice to just flow over the top, but it gets faster as the song progresses. The slowness at the beginning draws you in, then by the time the beat kicks in at the 3 minutes 20 seconds mark, you're hooked: tapping your feet and singing at the top of your voice, just wanting to let yourself go and dance.

On My Stereo

Rebecca St James - Above All
This song has a rather important meaning for me this week, as I was singing it as part of my church choir on Good Friday (and in the middle of the practises I found that I had it on my MP3). There aren't a lot of lyrics to this song; there are only two verses which are actually the same. This version of the song is a lot different than the choir singing to piano, but has a beat that makes you want to dance. The chorus is one that you can belt out and sing at the top of your voice, which makes it a great song for group worship.

Tom Field (feat. The 29th Chapter) - Go
I love this song. It begins with a great guitar riff that only lasts about a second, but it really gets the song going. It has a strong beat and even though I can't work out all of the lyrics, the words that I do know are a declaration that isn't that difficult to make. Sometimes worship songs can make us make promises that maybe we feel we're not ready to make, but this song doesn't do that. The promises are nonthreatening, ones that we're not afraid to make. In the middle of the song The 29th Chapter break through with a hip-hop section, but they're not rapping so fast that you can't understand what they're saying. Overall this song is a dance anthem, one that it's really fun to sing along to (as long as you know the lyrics first).

On My Stereo

Casting Crowns - Prodigal
This song is off of one of Crowns' earlier albums, Lifesong. The best way that I can think of to describe this song is that it is a guitar ballad; it's slow, intimate, and raw. The song is based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and speaks in the first person as the son who demanded his inheritance early and went off to explore the world. This song is full of emotion, the anger and sorrow felt by someone who has hit rock bottom and all they need is the forgiveness of their father. This song paints an image of a raw relationship with God; it describes him not as 'Father', but as 'Daddy', reinforcing the feeling that we are truly God's children, and that when we turn from living with the world to living with Him, we are returning to the only relationship that can truly sustain us.
Casting Crowns' latest album, The Acoustic Sessions: Volume 1, is out now.

The Rend Collective Experiment - The Cost
This is a happy song that you just want to dance to and sing along to at the top of your voice. It's a vow to follow Jesus despite the hardships that we may face, and a declaration of faith that when we fall, grace will pick us up again. The lyrics of the second verse of this song really make me want to scream them out, punching the air. It's a reminder that no one ever said that being a Christian would be easy - and it certainly isn't - but that despite all of that, "real love is not afraid to bleed". This song is almost like a battle cry, a declaration that Jesus is worth it all.
The Rend Collective Experiment's latest album, Campfire, is out now.

On My Stereo

These articles originally appeared in the e-zine Hitch Co., a performing arts magazine of which I am the CCM correspondent.

Beth Croft - Avalanche
This song, originally by Hillsong United and covered by Beth Croft for the 2011 Soul Survivor/Momentum live album, is wonderful. It shows in exquisite simplicity the intimate relationship between us and God. It provides a beautiful image of opening yourself up to God and hearing a response. Off of the Momentum disc of album We Are The Free, it is aimed at university students, but the soft music provides an incredible emotion that can affect anyone, and Beth Croft's unique voice brings a humble and warm quality to the song, working in perfect harmony with the music.
The 2012 Soul Survivor/Momentum live album, Kingdom Come, is out now.

The Rend Collective Experiment - Praise Like Fireworks
Somewhat inappropriately for the time of year, this is a summer-y song that wouldn't sound out of place being sung around a campfire (and indeed it has been included on Rend's forthcoming album, Campfire, which was recorded around a campfire). This song is perfect for those who enjoy more lively worship, a song that you can dance to as well as sing along to. The charm of this song is in its uncomplicatedness; there are no big words or themes, it's not trying to tell a Bible story or even evangelise like some worship songs do. It just says that God is good, so we will praise Him. The lyrics are easy to pick up and the tune is catchy - a perfect song for group worship, much like a lot of Rend's tracks.
The Rend Collective Experiment's latest album, Homemade Worship By Handmade People is out now, and their forthcoming album Campfire is out on the 28th January.