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" |
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;
- Here Now (Madness) – written by Joel Houston and Michael Guy Chislett
- Say the Word – written by Joel Houston
- Heart Like Heaven – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston
- Touch the Sky – written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas and
Guy Chislett and performed by Taya Smith
- Street Called Mercy – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston
- When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah) – written by Joel Houston
- Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) – written by Joel Houston
- Prince of Peace – written by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and
Dylan Thomas and performed by Joel Houston
- Empires – written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas, Chris Davenport and Ben
Tennikoff
- Rule – written by Matt Crocker and Joel Houston
- Captain – written by Benjamin Hastings and Seth Simmons
- Closer Than You Know – written by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and
Guy Chislett
- 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
Bonface Morris.
