Last week, Christianity Today music guy Russ Breimeier, in a newsletter I somehow failed to get, talked about something we at Patrol have debated for several years now: the “sound” of Christian music. That unmistakable sound that outs a passing song on the radio as Christian music, even when you’ve heard only a few seconds—seconds that didn’t happen to include any lyrics. Many, many friends have confirmed their possession of this awkward sixth sense, the ability to spot a Chris Tomlin or MercyMe or Casting Crowns single after hearing approximately 2.5 seconds of strumming. Breimeier asked for affirmation from his newsletter readers, and planned to report the findings the next week (today).
It really is a shame that we missed the memo, because dude, this is totally like what we specialize in. Here’s how I would describe it: utterly and completely soulless. Production with no heart, guitars obviously being strummed by passionless studio musicians who get paid by the output, a sort of pleasureless concoction of light-rock’s meager elements. Music that is made for a company to sell records or a person to sell their ministry, or any scenario where music is displaced as the primary focus. If you happen to catch any vocals, they’re even more of a tipoff: unbridled earnestness, more about the actual subject of the song than the “hey, I’m singing pop music and it’s awesome” factor. How can one detect all of that in about 3ish seconds? I have no idea, but I know it is more than possible.
CT readers apparently weren’t much help, so Breimeier used that insufferable band O.A.R. as an example:
They're kind of a radio-friendly, pop version of Dave Matthews Band (though not nearly as skillful a jam band). Have you heard their new single, "Shattered"? …When I heard it for the first time on mainstream radio, I thought it was some Christian band that had crossed over! The monotonous melody, the simplistic guitar strums, the basic drum pattern, the flat bass line—to my ears, it sounds exactly like many other Christian pop songs from over the last five years.
Come to think of it, this is a perfect way to put it. O.A.R.? The band no one knows how got big enough to make four albums? That tasteless cocktail of distilled Oasis and non-alcoholic Weezer? That love and those memories? It’s brilliant! It’s the same kind of earnest, talentless soullessness that gives away Christian music every time we hear it. And it’s all proof again that even skilled instrumentalists (which have no proof includes O.A.R.) a great band do not make.
Anyway, nice job bringing this up. Next time, hopefully we can be of more service.
Posted by David Sessions| SUBSCRIBE | SHARE | CATEGORY: The CCM Patrol
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mmmh, I’ve never thought about this supernatural talent of spotting Christian music before but I think I have it.
There’s just something about Christian music, even when it’s ‘good’ that’s impossible to describe. In a lot of ways it’s just that the production values are always arranged in this textbook way with no originality or punch or anything. Just bland, bland, bleh, I’m gonna go throw up-ness pretty much. Then there’s the non-existent melody, that’s a straight give away.
— Tim · Oct 1, 01:19 PM · #
It’s even more difficult to describe since sometimes it’s not enough melody, sometimes it’s too much. It can be vastly contradictory things like that. But I guess the root of the issue is deeper, which is why I love the phrase “skillful, but somehow not convincing.” All the right elements are there, but somehow it remains self-conscious, continues to have something to prove. It’s baffling, really, but undeniable.
— David · Oct 1, 01:22 PM · #
I believe this sixth sense you refer to is “Praydar.” *
*copyright 2008, Jordan Kurtz.
— Jordan · Oct 1, 01:39 PM · #
Praydar. We should all use that now.
— Tim · Oct 1, 03:39 PM · #
Reminds me of a road-trip game we played. Hit the seek button on the radio and guess the artist.
Every time we got to the Christian station we were pretty sure it sounded like MercyMe or Casting Crowns, but we weren’t sure which one or if was some other similar band.
— Jim U. · Oct 1, 03:44 PM · #
I think the christian sound is comparable to the old days of dubbing off the radio. When I was a kid I used to record my favorite songs off the radio and ub them over and over onto endless mixtapes. Remember that sound of the 5th and 6th dub? the loss of fidelity, the hiss and the buzz star to build the music seemed like a cheaper version, a bad cover-band. That christian music, always with an ear to the ground and a finger to the wind of mainstream music, it is a cheaper version of everything. The few and far between bands that forge ahead and try something new never get played and never heard. Leeland and the rest take the best of mainstream music (see coldplay) and add a pinch of jesus for good measure. So if it sounds like a 8th generation dub or has a faint sound of something else…youre on christian radio.
— JAKE DOCKTER · Oct 1, 04:38 PM · #
@ Jake
Everyone knows that Christian bands rip off mainstream bands but sometimes that Christian factor you find in Christian music is noticeable because it’s not like other bands.
There’s just this way of putting lyrics together, this meaningless stringing together of ‘praise’ that make it so recognizable.
And the music’s there doing the same thing – the same well worn chords calcuated to create a ‘worshipful’ mood. It’s never real or inspired or just let to be. It always has to be something, have these certain words, say these certain things, instead of the songwriter expressing what he’s feeling. Which is what songwriting about.
And maybe whatever the artist felt or originally wanted to express gets dubbed and dubbed until you end up with something that says nothing. And it’s souless.
— Tim · Oct 1, 06:48 PM · #
What jumped out at me was someone assessing Dave Matthews Band as “skillful”.
Take THAT, Dave Matthews Band!
— Don Sparrow · Oct 2, 02:20 AM · #
Ah, this is brilliant! I have the same strange sense. The only problem is telling Casting Crowns from Chris Tomlin from Jeremy Camp from Mercy Me from everyone else. ;-)
— Katie · Oct 2, 08:42 AM · #
Where I work we play online Christian music 24/6. After 8 hours of Christian music all I want is some U2, Coldplay, something original! Casting Crowns drives me up a wall because their lyrics are either bad or make no sense. If someone likes Casting Crowns I always ask them to tell me what the phrase “life song” means. Usually, they have to think about it too long.
— Sarah · Oct 2, 10:21 AM · #
It even takes a “Christian” website to copy what a secular-ish site is doing before it gets it right. Same with christian music. I never listen to the local “christian” radio station cause i know what they play is total bs. You have no idea how angry i get thinking about tomlin. the “christian” music i listen to is usually alright. Playing in a worship band, I have to listen and play some of those songs. They’re not all bad. You just have to search. I think part of the problem is with Tomlin and Casting Crowns and worship bands overall, there are reasons why they sometimes make it so simple.
1. They need to be simple for a worship team at a mediocre church to be able to pick up the songs, strum some chords, and be on their way. But I agree, as musicians in a church and in the “christian” worship industry, we need to be pushing ourselves to creating something that’s actually dynamic and challenging. Most people would shit a brick if they came to the young adult service at my church.
2. The melodies and lyrics in 99% of worship songs are boring and cliche. There’s a difference between a melody being simple and non-existent. Let’s try a little harder.
Most of what we hear is crap. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just trying to shed a light from their perspective since i’m kind of a part of it.
Btw…if we listen to rap and rock now a days, there has also been a plateau in that area. How many times in rap do we hear about getting a woman, how hard the rappers life growing up in the hood was, money, etc. we all know.
— Ryan · Oct 2, 04:57 PM · #
I think that lousy christian pop music stems from the fact that pop music is inherently un-christian.
Yes, I’ll admit that a form of music is, in one sense, a thing indifferent. But, at the same time, pop music was created as the product of a rebellious culture. The form was created as a vehicle for particular content, and that content is (generally) incompatible with the gospel. Christians can’t write good pop because they are at cross-purposes with the genre. (It’s the same reason that Christian heavy-metal is an oxymoron)
I’m not saying there isn’t a place for secular music, but pop is not the style to sing in church.
— Melissa · Oct 3, 08:15 PM · #
I’m disturbed that this Russ is the same fellow who perpetrated the horrible Buckley comparison, managing that and the criminal pairings of Buckley/Mraz and U2/Coldplay… perhaps it was accurate, since Buckley-to-Mraz might be the same gap of Mraz-to-CCMsinger (same with U2-to-Coldplay, Coldplay-to-CCMsinger).
It’s disturbing that, understanding the Christian music sound, he still made those comparisons.
Then again, listening to as much Christian music a week as his job probably requires of him cannot be good for the soul, so we should perhaps cut him some slack for being developmentally stunted in certain ways.
— Mark P · Oct 17, 12:23 PM · #
I wish I had found this earlier!
From someone in Christian Radio, I’ll give my two cents on that “CCM Sound” that we can spot.
It’s often untwanged Country music production. This isn’t terribly surprising, since it’s often done in Nashville. But listen to country music: muted bass and drums – with simplistic and predictable beats, heavy emphasis on layered vocals, buried lead guitar, simplistic guitar work, superfluous string sections. Instead of singers with a twang and a gutsy grunt, replace it with what people expect: that so-so Youth Leader/Worship Leader vocalist that sounds more “earnest” than “authoritative.” Kind of like Alan Alda leading a rock band.
Why is this? The same reason your local LiteFM station has removed all solos from Lifehouse and Matchbox 20 songs from the past 10 years: That all-important 35-55 crowd doesn’t want it. Except in CCM, it waters down into the other artists – which is why you’re seeing the mass exodus of non-worship and Adult Contemporary artists from the CCM labels.
Ironically, at least in my case, is while I can spot the CCM station a mile away, we still play NeedToBreate (as does the local mainstream Alternative station) who somehow avoid a fair amount of the pitfalls.
— David Poe · Oct 19, 08:27 AM · #
@Melissa: Some of the only Christian bands that actually have a distinctly original sound are metal bands. I’m thinking specifically of Becoming the Archetype and Crimson Moonlight.
I loved this article, because it’s something that I’ve believed for years – that Christian music just sounds inferior. I liked Jake’s analogy of dubbing tapes. Eventually, it all just breaks down.
David had a great point when he said that most Christian bands aren’t playing music for the sake of music. Instead, they’re playing for the sake of their ministry. That’s great for their ministry, I’m sure, but it produces horrible music that I keep far from my ears.
— Citizen.VII · Nov 5, 01:39 PM · #