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A F T E R M A T H from Hillsong United

by Tim Schraeder on 02/15/2011 in Music, Reviews with 16 Comments

Hillsong United will break some charts today with their sophomore studio realease, A F T E R M A T H.

I got my copy of AFTERMATH about a month ago and haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of Hillsong United so this review will be a bit biased. BUT, I will say that I generally prefer live projects over studio projects. I love it when the crowd seems to overwhelm the musicians and singers and makes a song of their own in live projects… there seems to be so much corporate energy and passion that is oftentimes not as present in studio albums. That being said, AFTERMATH follows Hillsong United’s first successful studio album Saviour King where we were introduced to Hosanna and Saviour King… both of which are standards in most churches today. Although the passion on these projects is contained to a studio they don’t fail to deliver heartfelt anthems for the Church.

This album is a fresh new sound from UNITED and will no doubt top sales charts and set lists for church worship services. It’s fresh, edgy, original, and at times absoluetely breathtaking.

The thing I love most about Hillsong United is that unlike many groups or bands out there, they are rooted in and committed to their local church, Hillsong Church based in Sydney, Australia [now with locations around the world including New York City]. Hillsong United isn’t a typical band and they don’t do concerts… they are group of musicians and songwriters who love Jesus, are committed to their local church and travel the globe leading people in worship experiences that leave you utterly and completely in awe of God’s presence. It’s not your typical church music and it’s not what you’d expect from a Church group but it’s the sound of a new generation of believers proclaiming the hope and freedom they’ve found in Christ and they can’t stay silent.

“The message of Jesus Christ is eternal, yet He continues to reveal Himself in new ways… giving us what we need to be followers and disciples of Christ for this time in history,” says Hillsong United frontman Joel Houston. “Life with God is fun, its an adventure, it is grace, freedom, peace and everything in between. Whether you are listening to our newest album or our very first, our prayer and passion is that you are empowered to live life with God, encouraged to stay on the course and excited about all that He has for your future.”

On the title of the album, AFTERMATH, Joel Houston says, “The cross is a paradox. What was a symbol of failure and death is now established forever as a symbol of life and victory. The crucifixion was a gruesome and traumatic event and at the moment of surrender as the storm clouds gathered and the skies went to darkness it would have seemed to all who were witnesses, especially His followers, that all hope was lost – the so called ‘Son of God’ humiliated and tortured, dying as He hung upon a cross. But unlike any historical event that has ever taken place before or after, this moment would change everything – Forever. Because of the cross we no longer have to live entangled in the fallout and the wreckage of our lives, or the worst the world can throw at us. We have been lifted out of the ashes and into the LIGHT of the aftermath. We find hope, peace, freedom, and life, and we can know with assurance that He is with us no matter what comes our way.”

A few songs that stood out to me on this project:

  • Take Heart – This song wrecked me in a good way. It’s a dramatic introduction to set the tone for a great album. This song talks about God’s faithfulness and calls us to take heart, hold on to hope and take courage through all seasons of life. It’s heartfelt, epic, passionate and ends reflectively with strings. I seriously listened to this song on repeat for about 2 days before I listened to the rest of the album. It’s that good.

  • Go - This is classic stadium rock at its finest with this catchy ballad that says “we’re giving it all to go your way.” Note that purchasing the deluxe edition of the album on iTunes is worth it to get the music video to this song.

  • Like an Avalanche - What a beautiful picture…  being “caught up in grace like an avalanche.” This song starts off quiet and ends in explosive cry, “take my life, take all that I am, with all that I am I will love You…” This song is sure to be one that will follow the same popularity as “Hosanna.”

  • Rhythms of Grace - One of my favorite translations of Matthew 11:28-30 is in the Message where it says, “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” This song talks about the transformative power of God’s grace in our lives. This song definitely is in the top 5 for me on this album, talking about how none of us can imagine how great God is and how expansive His love is for us.

  • Aftermath – First off, MARTY SAMPSON IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aside from that, this beautiful song is the title track of the album and shares how we are all caught in the aftermath of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It’s a stunningly beautiful song, lyrically and musically, and paints a captivating picture of the freedom and hope we find in Christ. His love will light the way.

  • B.E. -  B.E. is an instrumental interlude featuring clips from the song A Beautiful Exchange. I can see many churches using this song for random videos. Definitely has a great vibe… sounds out of this world!

  • Father – I can’t wait to hear this song live. It will be out of control. This is song touches on the fact that God’s grace is enough for everyone and is a cry for the marginalized and oppressed. It’s a beautiful song revealing God’s heart for justice, reconciliation, and hope.

  • Search My Heart – The vibe of this song is just plain awesome. And the song is a familiar prayer “search my heart, and search my soul” and ends with the powerful declaration that “without You I am nothing.” This is a close contender for being one of my favorites from this project.

  • Awakening  - For the first time, Hillsong United covers a song from Chris Tomlin from the Passion Awakening project and does a great job of adding their signature spin to it. LOVE IT. Such a great and powerful song.

This album has a fresh sound, will encourage you and remind you of the truths of God’s Word, and will give you a new song to sing. It will take you on a journey and beyond the creativity, musicianship, and lyrics, it will leave you with a great sense of awe… of God, His love, and the hope we have living in AFTERMATH of His grace.

Even if you think you’ve heard Hillsong United before, you haven’t heard anything like this and you owe it to yourself to get found in the AFTERMATH.

Hillsong United is hitting the road across the USA starting in March… check and see if they are coming near you!

To celebrate the release of AFTERMATH, I’m giving away a few [legal!] copies… it’s too good to keep to myself!

Here’s what you need to do to win:

1 – Make sure you are following me! I’m @timschraeder

2 – Tweet this: I want to be found in the #AFTERMATH. I entered to win a copy of @hillsongunited’s new CD! Details here: http://bit.ly/hudrIF

3 – Leave a comment below [to confirm you did the first two steps] and let me know your favorite Hillsong United song and why you love it so much.

NOTE: I have to approve each comment so hang tight if yours doesn’t show immediately!

I’ll randomly pick a few of you throughout the day. You will a valid USA iTunes account to claim your prize!

New Christmas Tunes from Park

by Tim Schraeder on 12/07/2010 in Just For Fun, Music, Park with 11 Comments

Charlie Brown, Mariah Carey, and the “Rat Pack” make up a majority of the artists in my Christmas playlist. This Christmas I’m adding a new CD to the mix, Christmas Songs Vol I, a collection of songs from the bands at Park.

Park has a unique approach when it comes to music… we don’t have a traditional “worship team,” we have bands. Under the leadership of Joseph Tenney and Matt Marron [formerly of Pomeroy], we have a number of bands who each have their own unique style and genre that create original music as well as updating hymns. Instead of having a short list of musicians and singers and plugging them in where they fit, we put band leaders through extensive training, host auditions of musicians and singers and form bands that not only create great music but do life together in community.  It’s a different way of approaching worship but one that is resonating well with our congregation.

Christmas Songs Vol I is a collection of classic Christmas carols as well as original songs performed by nine of Park’s bands. It released at our church over the weekend and is now available for purchase on iTunes. It’s all over the place musically [in a good way] and captures the creative approach Park is taking with our band model.

I think it will make a great addition to your Christmas playlist so much so that I’m going to give away 5 copies! Just comment below and let me know your favorite Christmas carol. I’ll be picking the winners randomly now through tomorrow at Noon.

Either way, check it out and get yourself a copy… all proceeds from the purchase of the sale of the CD will go to benefit Renew Chicago, Park’s outreach arm that partners with other ministries around the city to make a difference!

Objectified on Good Design

by Tim Schraeder on 12/02/2010 in Movies with 1 Comment

Over the weekend I re-watched the documentary Objectified from Gary Hustwist, the producer of one of my all-time favorite documentaries, Helvetica, and the soon-to-be released Urbanized.

Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.

Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential product designers, and looks at how the things they make impact our lives. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves?

In the documentary, they interview Dieter Rams, an industrial designer from Germany who is said to have influenced Jonathan Ive from Apple. Dieter shared his thoughts on what good design is and said:

  • Good design should be innovative.
  • Good design should make a product useful.
  • Good design is aesthetic design.
  • Good design will make a product understandable.
  • Good design is honest.
  • Good design is unobtrusive.
  • Good design is long-lived.
  • Good design is consistent in every detail.
  • Good design is environmentally friendly.
  • Last but not least, good design is as little design as possible.

These are some fantastic thoughts to consider as design things… from brochures and postcards to webpages and email campaigns. You can read more about Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for design here.

Objectified is well worth watching, just make sure you have a Moleskine handy to jot down some thoughts and ideas that may be sparked while you watch it. And, if you’re on Netflix, you can watch it instantly!

Influencers :: How Trends & Creativity Become Contagious

by Tim Schraeder on 11/04/2010 in Movies with No comments

Leadership is influence — nothing more, nothing less.

In today’s world that’s noisy with different voices, influencers rise above the rest and stand out. They take a stand. They set trends. They lead movements. They have a voice. They are leaders.

If you consider yourself to be a leader or a person of influence, do yourself a favor and take time to watch this short film “Influencers: How Trends & Creativity Become Contagious.”

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today’s pop culture.

“Influencers” belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.

I loved this film, it’s energy and creativity, and the message it brings. I think it has great implications for all of us, especially emerging leaders.

Be sure to check out the press kit, too. There’s some great content in there.

Did you love this as much as I did? Hang on, there’s more! An in-depth series will launch online November 17.

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