Earlier this summer....no.....spring (?)... (aha! it was March!) I discovered The Lower Lights when I was cruising around Cherie Call's blog. Ever since, I've been just a little bit obsessed. The Lower Lights are...well...I can't say it any better than they did, so I'll let them give you the gist (from their website):
"The Lower Lights convened in fall 2009 for five days of diving into the hymns -- familiar hymns, overlooked hymns, Hank Williams hymns, and more. The hope was to connect with these beautiful old songs of testimony on a deeper level, to have a new and personal experience with them. Drawing equal parts reverence and celebration from the rich mine of hymns, we ended the week with 30-plus songs that feel part-revival, part-vigil. We hope our time with the hymns can help others reconnect and have their own experience with these songs as well."
....and reconnect I did.
Sometimes I think that certain hymns that we sing can become like That Word that you say to yourself over and over until it loses all meaning. (Try it.....say "pajamas" about forty-seven times and you won't have any idea what you're talking about.) That's not to say that we've become hymn-singing robots -- that's certainly not the case. But I think we (myself included) have moments where we're simply going through the motions. After all, we have babies to juggle and Sunday School lessons to think about (assuming we've arrived in time to sing at all.) Point is, The Lower Lights gave me just the jump-start I needed.
Their first album, included everything from "Ye Elders of Israel" (sung by a woman) to "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," and it. is. phenomenal. It's like they took our hymns and started from scratch. The result is one of the most beautiful takes I've heard on music I consider to be sacred. But don't take my word for it....listen for yourself:
You can probably imagine how thrilled I was when I found out they'd recorded a Christmas album. A Christmas album!!!!!! Suffice it to say, Christmas came early at my house, and the music did not disappoint. Buy it. You'll love it. I promise.
The Lower Lights: Come Let Us Adore Him from The Lower Lights on Vimeo.
3 comments:
LOVELY. Their music is just LOVELY. Thank you!
Jen, we think so very very much alike. I have had the same minor obsession with The Lower Lights, and I too squealed with glee when I discovered they had a Christmas album. LOVE THEM!
How did we not hang out more often in Provo? I mean, really.
I LOVE them. I freaked when I found out they did a free outdoor concert in provo. Except it was in late Oct. and then weather was awful and our friends had their newborn baby with them so we couldn't go. :( But they are AWESOME. I will be buying the Christmas album, thanks for the heads up!
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