1. Dry Bones
2. You Are The Beauty
3. The Earth Is Yours
4. Crags And Clay
5. Beautiful Things
6. He Is Here/We Will Run
7. Spotless/You Have Me
8. Brother Moon
9. Father's World
10. Heaven
11. This Is Not The End
12. Doxology
The purest inside of me jumped with glee when I read the words of frontman Michael Gungor saying about his latest live album, "I felt like I needed to let the recordings stay as live and authentic as possible. So we made a rule: no overdubs."
This is how talented rock/worship band Gungor wanted their latest live album A Creation Liturgy to be heard. Letting the live Gungor experience coming through to the listener, exactly how it would sound if you were stood in the room when it was recorded.
I would compare Gungor's sound to bands like Arcade Fire and... Read More The purest inside of me jumped with glee when I read the words of frontman Michael Gungor saying about his latest live album, "I felt like I needed to let the recordings stay as live and authentic as possible. So we made a rule: no overdubs."
This is how talented rock/worship band Gungor wanted their latest live album A Creation Liturgy to be heard. Letting the live Gungor experience coming through to the listener, exactly how it would sound if you were stood in the room when it was recorded.
I would compare Gungor's sound to bands like Arcade Fire and Elbow, with the creative edge of Mumford & Sons or Radiohead, but with the beauty of artists like Laura Mauling, even a bit of Muse in there.
The album opens with the track You Are Beauty, with an opening line that is sung acapella with some stunning harmonies. The song then picks up with some quick finger picking on a country sounding acoustic guitar. What is great about the whole album is the audience is free to talk, shout, sing along, clap - nothing is taken away from the recording and you can hear them from the first moment with the crowd clapping along to this folk opening number.
Towards the end of the song there is an acoustic guitar solo which then moves into a wonderful haunting piece of music, with the drum sound adding a real intensity. It's like a whole opera story in one song and really takes the breath away.
Next track Heaven has a more soulful and funkier sound to the first track, I found myself saying out loud 'Ohh Yeah'. Let There Be is an eerie little number, starting with a simple piano and a female vocal that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's beauty could easily bring you to tears.
"My soul cries out for you, these dry bones cry for you" is the lyric to haunting track Dry Bones, which sounds even more astonishing with everyone singing together. For me this is one of the best songs I have heard in ages, and this live version takes it to another place completely.
Some songs are just interesting to listen to ('This is Nor the End' and 'The Earth Is Yours), whilst others could bring a grown man to tears (Spotless/You Have Me).
For me this album is an epic, and if it's not in the running for live album of the year at the LTTM Awards, well I will be shocked. This album is mind blowing, it's beautiful, it's soulful, it's just down right raw, passionate, energetic and musically stunning. I didn't want it to end, and I'm glad I could just press repeat as most songs on this album left me breathless. This to me is one of the albums you've just got to have in your collection.
Any album that ends with an acapella version of the 'Doxology' and makes it sound so beautiful is good by me. With this album I felt like I went on a journey, an exciting, energetic journey. Now I need to step back and take a deep breath. Wow.
Review by Jono Davies
LTTM Rating 5 Out of 5 Stars Standout Tracks Dry Bones
You Are Beauty
This Is Not The End
Grammy Award nominated group Gungor will be headlining the 'LST in the Park' Christian music event this weekend in London. Hosted by the London School of Theology, the event sees Christian musicians and bands performing at LST's…
The new live album from worship band Gungor has now been released. 'A Creation Liturgy' was recorded during their 'Ghosts Upon The Earth Spring Tour' earlier this year, featuring twelve tracks from the group's highly successful…
US worship band Gungor will release their new live album 'A Creation Liturgy' on 9th October 2012. Recorded during their 'Ghosts Upon The Earth Spring Tour' earlier this year, the twelve track album features songs from the highly…
