Hailing from jolly old England, worship leader Vicky Beeching has been writing and leading worship for close to 20 years and is no stranger to the worship community.
Vicky’s new album, “Eternity Invades” was released this week and it’s great! I love how Vicky delivers each lyric with such emotion and conviction that even rockers like “Salvation Day” feel intimate. My favorite tracks on the album are “Deliverer” and “Refuge”. I also really dig her version of Fee’s “Glory To God”, which she co-wrote with Steve Fee.
Grab a spot of tea and a crumpet or two and check out this video to get to know a little more about Vicky and “Eternity Invades”.
I’m excited to be partnering with Vicky’s record label, Integrity Music, to give away 5 “Eternity Invades” CDs to AnIdolHeart.com readers!
Brooke Fraser is one of my absolute favorite writers and artists. Her album “Albertine” is brilliant and I don’t know how she did it, but with her song “Shadowfeet” she has crafted what may very well be the perfect song. It is certainly one of my favorite songs and speaks to me from a deep place. As I’ve been walking out my story, specifically the past few months, this song has become an anthem of mine and I listen to it often when my heart feels overwhelmed…
… on days like today.
Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet
Toward home, a land that I’ve never seen
I am changing: less and less asleep
Made of different stuff than when I began
And i have sensed it all along
Fast approaching is the day
When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through
I’ll be found in you
There’s distraction buzzing in my head
Saying in the shadows it’s easier to stay
But I’ve heard rumors of true reality
Whispers of a well-lit way
I was first introduced to the music of Sigur Rós when I lived in Dallas in 2007 by my friend Brad. I will never forget the first time I heard their music. As I sat there and listened to their album “Takk…”, my heart was completely overwhelmed by the pure beauty of what I was hearing, and I was moved with such emotion, literally to tears. I can count on one or two fingers the times in my life I can remember ever having that kind of response to music.
Sigur Rós hails from Iceland and they don’t even sing in English. In fact, they don’t sing in any particular language at all, but rather in “Vonlenska”, a term used to describe the unintelligible lyrics sung by the band and commonly known by the English translation of its name, “hopelandic.” Nice!
Vonlenska is a non-literal language, without fixed syntax, and differs from constructed languages that can be used for communication. It focuses entirely on the sounds of language; lacking grammar, meaning, and even distinct words. Instead, it consists of emotive syllables and phonemes; in effect, Vonlenska uses the melodic and rhythmic elements of singing without the conceptual content of language. In this way, it is similar to the use of scat singing in vocal jazz. The band’s website describes it as “a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music”.
Sounds like “making music in your heart” to me!
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20)
I am learning that the essence of worship is the response of my heart to who I believe God to be. I believe we can tend to over-think so much about what “worship” is and what it isn’t that we fail to just let our hearts respond to who God is. I don’t need scripted lyrics to experience true heart worship. Sometimes, my worship is deeper than any words I could find, so none seem adequate for what I feel in my heart. I can honestly say that I have had quite a few very profound personal moments of worship set to some Sigur Rós music.
So yeah, I have zero clue what they are saying, but there is something very majestic and regal about their music that captivates me and opens my heart in a way that not much else does.
Here is one of their songs, “Glósóli” set to clips of the BBC’s amazing Planet Earth documentary series. Even though I have no clue what they are saying, this makes my heart worship. How great is our God!
Have you had any “non-traditional” worship experiences that have challenged and deepened what you had previously believed was or was not considered “worship”?
About a month ago I had the opportunity to see worship artist Michael Gungor’s band, Gungor, perform their new album, “Beautiful Things”, live in its entirety at the re:create 2010 Conference. I had been listening to a pre-release copy of this album for a good couple months and as much as I loved it, the CD did not prepare me for what I experienced in the live setting at the conference.
I don’t wait to be overly dramatic, but what I experienced that day was quite simply the most beautiful, riveting and stunning God-inhabited live music and worship experience I have ever had. It was a collision of God and art unlike anything I have ever experienced. Ever. Anywhere. Ever.
Here’s a short video that will give you a tiny taste of what went down that day.
If you’re in the market for a new music purchase, I cannot recommend “Beautiful Things” enough. It has stayed in heavy rotation in my iTunes and iPod since I first heard it, but even more so since the live experience. The album is profound, elegant, simply complex and just plain genius.
The truth is, “Beautiful Things” is worth every single penny you would spend on it, and then some. However…
I’m excited to announce that AnIdolHeart.com is partnering with Brash Music and Nside Management to give away 5 copies of Gungor’s brand new “Beautiful Things” CD!
There are 2 ways to enter (and you can do both!)
1. comment on this blog with your answer to to following question: What is your favorite worship song and why?
2. follow me on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway with the following: @anidolheart is giving away 5 copies of Gungor’s “Beautiful Things” CD! http://bit.ly/atCgwh (pls RT!)
Sounds pretty easy to me.
From all the comments and tweets received, I will randomly select 5 winners on Friday morning, March 12, and those folks will each receive a copy of the “Beautiful Things” CD. Don’t want to roll the dice and wait until Friday? You can buy “Beautiful Things” here now.
