Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars [iTunes link]
I know this album has been out for a while, but given this group’s tendency towards merging worship with creativity, I feel like this is the proper place to start my first album review.
Gungor, the Denver-based worship collective, has in fact captured my attention since their “first” album, Beautiful Things (also fantastic [iTunes link]). Michael Gungor has been around the worship scene for a while, but a few years ago, he and his band underwent a kind of “professional rebranding.” This resulted in a new name, and a radically different sound. Beautiful Things was fantastic, but as with most singers or bands that are worth anything, they have a choice once they reach a certain point of success: stay the same, or explore other sounds and ideas that mature and grow the band.
Thankfully, they chose the latter.
Michael Gungor recently wrote for RELEVANT Magazine [article link], speaking about his motivations for Ghosts Upon The Earth. In that article, he explains that the majority of Christian worship artists (in his view) record 8 to 15 “snippets” on a given album, with each song striving to be the “home-run song.” This results, in his opinion, with a disjointed and shallow offering that lacks real depth and creativity.
Gungor writes:
"It would be naive to think our liturgy has not been affected by today’s culture of pop music singles. Our church services can become disconnected from a consistent story. Planning the worship service often becomes about finding the best four or five worship singles that will keep people engaged, and then a sermon is given that is separate from anything done in the service up to that point. It’s all about the hits.
I don’t think most Christians today give much thought to the overarching stories that form not only what we claim to believe but how we live in the world."
Compelled to change this lack of depth in worship music, Gungor believes that one remedy is the concept album. The concept album takes an overarching idea, and uses it as the found
ation for every song. The result is a woven narrative throughout the entire work, one that would take the listener/worshipper through an idea in a deeper manner. In Ghosts Upon The Earth, Gungor moves from Creation to the Fall to man’s ultimate redemption through Christ. The highlight is the beauty of life in Christ, and how His redemption restores our created purpose to enjoy life with God.
What a massive idea.
The best part is that Gungor uses this concept album to further mature the collective’s sound and style. Ghosts Upon The Earth feels like the natural progression of the band from Beautiful Things, not just a continuation. There is still a strong Indie/Folk flavor to the sound of Gungor, but this album incorporates other sounds and dynamics that add color and life to every song. If the concept album is to be more of an “experience” for the listener/worshipper, then this album answers the call wonderfully.
The only major drawback (at least for worship leaders) is that some songs may not translate well into a corporate experience, once they are taken out of the context of the album. This may simply force worship leaders to be more considerate of how they plan services, which to a degree, was the band’s goal. I don’t think this means that every service needs to be a performance of concept albums, and I don’t think that was Gungor’s intent, as well. Worship leaders should be more mindful of the story they tell, as they lead worship; deeper worship will translate into deeper belief, which will ultimately lead to deeper relationship with God.