Empires: Hillsong UNITED Full 2015 Album Download and Review

So after Hillsong released their fourth studio album “Empires” on Tuesday last week (that is May 26, 2015), I moved around the webosphere to see what the main Christian music storehouses were saying about the new album.

Official album art for Hillsong UNITED's "Empires"

Empires: Hillsong UNITED Full 2015 Album Download (66MB)

What I met was a mixture of views (as always because it is impossible for everyone to think and say the same things about an album).

Some commentators were saying that Hillsong are no longer singing music for the congregation – music like what made “us” to really love them – like the music they did way back in the days of Mighty to Save, Best Friend etc etc.

Others were saying that this music album is more for the unchurched; yet others hailed it saying that Hillsong know exactly what their audience needs (musically and worship-wise) and they delivered excellently.

Anyways, here below is my own review of the album and the download;

Track listing

Empires is a 12 track album that lasts 71 minutes and 31 seconds. It has a bonus track, Sunburst (not included in the download I am sharing.)

The official standard edition track listing is as below;

1. Here Now (Madness) – written by Joel Houston and Michael Guy Chislett
2. Say the Word – written by Joel Houston  
3. Heart Like Heaven – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston
4. Touch the Sky – written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas and Guy Chislett and performed by Taya Smith
5. Street Called Mercy – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston      
6. When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah) – written by Joel Houston      
7. Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) – written by Joel Houston      
8. Prince of Peace – written by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and Dylan Thomas and performed by Joel Houston
9. Empires – written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas, Chris Davenport and Ben Tennikoff
10. Rule – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston      
11. Captain – written by Benjamin Hastings and Seth Simmons      
12. Closer Than You Know – written by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and Guy Chislett

13. Sunburst (bonus track) – written by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Scott Ligertwood and Guy Chislett.

Music style and acceptability

The music style in Empires is typical of Hillsong UNITED (that is, if you know what I mean.) UNITED’s music style is quite different from that of Hillsong Y&F’s music style, which is quite different from Hillsong WORSHIP’s music style.

Joel Houston is kinda the unofficial worship leader for UNITED, while Reuben Morgan heads WORSHIP and Laura Toggs leads Y&F. (This is my unofficial view of things.)

Back from when they did Zion and followed it up with The White Album, UNITED have rather acquired an indie-electronic sound – which is quite different from the alternative and contemporay worship we used to have from the long ago Hillsong band and the electronic-dance-pop and techno genres mostly done by Y&F. This means, Hillsong as a band, according to me, targets different audiences with their music. That is why it is not just a big band called Hillsong Church Band or any other name that may suit such a band; but that it is intentionally divided into teams with separate target audiences.

With a keen ear and eye, you’d realize that Y&F do music for the youth, UNITED do music for the mature millenial, while WORSHIP do music for a general church audience. You also discover that there is a certain consistency in how these three music groups/teams write their songs, use instruments and arrange chords.

Have UNITED climbed a notch higher? Maybe. But I think it is fair enough to say that they are simply doing what they know best: giving us an album with that “Hillsong touch”. This means that this album may not be appealing to a certain audince that prefers having a whole album that can be done for congregational worship. This album is likely to tread on a rather love-hate (lovehatric so to say) path with many listeners.

Songs like "When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah)," "Prince of Peace," and "Captain" feature a more acoustic sound. They showcase a more intimate sound that churches can sing with a skeleton crew rather than needing layers upon layers of instruments.

“Closer Than You Know” has this beautiful ending with some kind of Selah moment. The title track “Empires” seems to have this extended Selah thing that runs for 2 minutes and 30 seconds before bringing back the bridge again at the end.

“Here Now (Madness)” has a beautiful repetitive theme:

“Coz I know that You are here now

Still my heart, let Your voice be all I hear now

Fix my eyes on the things that I can’t see now

Spirit breathe like the wind come have your way…”

If you would do some “local DJ’ing” and play “Here Now (Madness)” alongside “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)”, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” and Bethel Music’s “You Make Me Brave”, I promise that you’ll come out different…

Then there is that song “Rule” with a techno beat and style. “Say the Word” is more of a folk/pop styled song (is that Taya Smith doing it again?)

Album and song titles

At least Hillsong in general don’t have the tendency of making song titles short and meaningless as many musicians struggle to do. (I always wonder if they do this intentionally, out of advice from the recording company/producer or they just wanna be crazy about short song titles.)  

I am of the school of thought that a music album is like a book: telling a flowing story right from the cover (album art), to the title/name of the album, to the chapters and subchapters (choruses, pre-choruses, bridges, vamps, intros, outros, interludes and ends), to the lyrics (which are the words in the “book”.)

Unless the theme remains the same throughout an album, people will tend to think, “Aaaaah, so nobody really thought hard about that title, right…?”

Hillsong have also mastered this over the years and they have done it quite well on this album.

Audibility, singability, fluidity, quality and flow

This album is of great quality in both sound and creativity. A few songs are rather complicated to flow and sing to the unprofessional worshiper; but most are singable and likeable: with unique bridges and beautiful overlaps. Some chords and riffs are well twisted and repeated; and come out to somehow surprise the listener. (Which is a remarkable thing by the way.)

As Ryan Barbee of JFH puts it, “Empires has a minimalistic sound that relies on rich melodies and meticulous instrumentation”.

Most tracks on this album have a great emphasis on synths just as it is typical of UNITED. I am listening to the album in the background via earphones as I edit a document, and I have no problem capturing the lyrics at all. Even with the music volume at level 6 on my player, I can still hear every tiny sound and word.

The drums are done well. Not noisy, not disruptive on the vocals and not intrusive. Voice blending is good. Lead vocals and backup vocals meet well together in the songs.

The album flows well from song to another (I disabled shuffle so that I listen to the music in its original track flow.)

Lyrical content

There is no doubt that Hillsong as a band (as a whole) have mastered lyrical content in their songs. Songs that are meant to arouse emotion, do it quite well. Songs that are meant to arouse meditation, songs that are meant to drive us right into falling at the feet of Christ do it so well too. I guess they have some of the best songwriters that take Scripture and put it into music quite well.

One notable thing is that Ligertwood (remember him from “With Everything” in “This Is Our God” album?) is one of the song writers (co-wrote ”Sunburst” actually)

Conclusion

So, is this the 2015 album we have been waiting for? I don’t know.

Considering that we have had great music (with relation to this genre) from the likes of Bethel Music, Derek Johnson, Hillsong Y&F, Jeremy Camp, Plumb, Third Day (that great Lead Us Back worship album) etc etc, and because we are just in the middle of the year, I cannot draw a conclusion on this.

But you should download it, listen to it and make your own judgment. (Smily face.)

References

An Open Letter to UNITED (New Release Tuesday) 

Hillsong United: Empires (CCM Magazine) 

Hillsong UNITED, "Empires" Review (Jesus Freak Hideout)

Empires: HillsongUnited album (Wikipedia)

Bonface Morris.