Worship music that is...INTERESTING?

So I help lead worship at my church. I worship with all my heart when at church since it's about God and not how I feel. But then I get home...so much good music that isn't worship...and practically no worship that interests me anymore. I have a respectable collection of Christian music that is skillful, thought provoking, experimental, genre pushing. When was the last time worship music was any of those things? As a big fan of Hillsong United and the style of worship they helped create, I've heard a ton of sorry clones. Hillsong United themselves have really disappointed me as of late too. 

I've seen a few metal worship threads. I don't want metal worship music. I want to hear if you guys found worship music that I could play for my mom. BUT I want it to be interesting. Probably on the softer yet lush and intricate side of things. Here are two rare examples.

David Crowder Band - "Open Skies" This band had a great variety of styles. This song has a great laid back lounge grove, acoustic guitar, violin. Just killer and accessible. Crowder's solo stuff isn't nearly as good though, and some of the radio singles aren't as impressive as lots of deep cuts. From Illuminate to Give Us Rest has so much to offer. He does have few heavy numbers like "Be Lifted", "You are My Joy" and "God Almighty None Compares"



Kings Kaleidoscope - "All Creatures" Love how deconstructed and reassembled this hymn is! Those instruments! Need more bands like this. This new band can be a bit too generic indietronica for my liking, but they're at least trying! Gosh. Hillsong hasn't sounded this relevant in years.   



So yeah, I don't want to just rail on Christian worship...but Empires by Hillsong United is terribly dull and I need something now! Thoughts?

Crowder is my all time favorite worship artist, hes just so friggin talented

Here are my fave songs of his











Im sure you guys know the Newsboys song, "God's Not Dead"

well did you know

Crowder did it first

Yeah dude, I agree that the David Crowder Band is the best. Bluegrass, folk, EDM, alt rock, even some moments of progressive rock and heavy metal. Crowder and his band really showed what a worship album should sound like. An album like A Collision is a journey and not just a set of songs.

I think once "worship" became an actual style of music instead of something one did unto the Lord, the wellspring kind of dried up.

I kind of dig that Kings Kaleidoscope tune.

Check out Dustin Kensrue The Digital age and Ghost Ship as well. I also love John Mark McMillan.

I wouldn't call it intricate, but Newsboys "He Reigns" is a really great song.

oteis wrote:Check out Dustin Kensrue The Digital age and Ghost Ship as well. I also love John Mark McMillan.

Oh yeah, I've heard of The Digital Age basically being Crowder-less Crowder Band. I'll check those out.

Newsboys are good yeah.

TheOldMan2084 wrote:I think once "worship" became an actual style of music instead of something one did unto the Lord, the wellspring kind of dried up.

Amen. The same could be said about hymns and gospel too, but it happened darn quick with the modern worship stuff. I think with all the music available instantly on the internet it's apparent to any serious music fan that worship music is getting so redundant and samey.

Petra

I stand by the idea that the old hymns are the best worship music. Best suited for congregational singing. Modern worship music is pretty awful for the most part

seth wrote:I stand by the idea that the old hymns are the best worship music. Best suited for congregational singing. Modern worship music is pretty awful for the most part

For sure. Old hymns are infinitely better, not only do they actually have good melodies but the lyrics are deep, not just "I love God" over and over again for 5 minutes

Good topic, I sing in our worship team as well. Always grateful for new inspiration.

seth wrote:I stand by the idea that the old hymns are the best worship music. Best suited for congregational singing. Modern worship music is pretty awful for the most part

 

I do want to clarify there's nothing wrong with saying you love God in the song ofc. I just feel there's more meaning to less surface-level praise

Perhaps not interesting as such, but my favorite was All my days by Glen Kaiser. It has a real melancholy feel about it, at least I think so

I'd like to throw Sam Dishington's project, Quiet Waters into the ring for discussion. I have really enjoyed the post-rock worship feel. Not something you'd sing in a church, probably, but great for personal devotions. 

This guy is like the Steve Winwood of worship leaders:

Listening recently -Christian "Celtic/ambient/prog"; multi-instrumental*

Iona:
Island in West Scotland, site of a beautiful Celtic Christian monastery founded by St. Columba in 563 AD.

"...one of the oldest Christian religious centres in Western Europe. The abbey was a focal point for the spread of Christianity throughout Scotland"    -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Abbey




*
David Fitzgerald - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, flageolet, piccolo flute, flute (Chinese), dizi, suona 
Nick Beggs - chapman stick, bass (Wal 5 string), cymbal (small) 
Terl Bryant - drums (Sonor), cymbal (Zildjian), drums (Big Bass, Salvation Army, Swiss), tabla, bongos, gong, bells, cymbal (varisped, reverse) 
The Peter Whitfield Strings - guest, ensemble (violins, viola) 
Fiona Davidson - guest, harp (Celtic) 
Frank Van Essen - guest, percussion (additional), violin (solo) 
Troy Donockley - guest, uilleann pipes, low whistle 
The Congregation of Kensington Temple Church - guest, voice (heavenly hosts) 
Dave Bainbridge - keyboards, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, chimes, programmed by 
Joanne Hogg - vocals, keyboards

Check out Henry Maneuver on YouTube.  I dig his stuff, but I think he just does singles and no albums.  He used to only release music that way, anyway.