Experimentation and new perspectives characterize contemporary gospel. This is evident in the album by Rend Collective Experiment campfire. The album maintains an authentic feel of worship music by pushing the boundaries of worship music.
The band, which has captured the hearts of countless gospel lovers, is in the genre of folk music. The 12-track album is a testament of the band’s brilliance in gospel music. In order to understand the influence of the album from a neutral perspective, it is crucial to explore both the positive and negative aspects of the album.The album campfire pushes the boundaries of gospel music with its bold and unique sound. In order to understand the music of Rend Collective Experiment, it is crucial to explore their motivation and origin as a worship band.
Rend Collective Experiment was founded in 2004. It began as a group of young individuals who were discovering their Christianity. The origin of the band is in Northern Ireland in Bangor. The band consists of six members who tour. However, the full number of the band is 15 members when they are at home.The first album of the group was organic family hymnal in 2010.
This was preceded in 2012 by homemade worship by handmade people. The success of the band in the first albums resulted in their premier live album titled campfire. The band, which comprises of individuals with a common interest explore the association of life, the community and God. The beliefs driving the band are that they strive to succeed in order to help unfortunate individuals (Hoganson Media, 2013). This is evident in their music, which is solemn and pure touching the hearts of worshipers globally.
The music in the album is a compilation of 12 songs from the bands two previous records. However, the difference is that the songs have a live feel. The style of the album is characterized by retro-folk instrumentation. This style made it possible for the album to be played in the setting of the ocean waves and campfire. The results of the album capture the energy and raw feeling of Irish worship. Despite the Irish origins in the album, the style has resonated with audiences globally.
The album begins with a rendition of the popular worship song Kumbaya.There are other modernized renditions in the album, which make it an interesting listen. The album is characterized by the use of a wide range of instruments. This makes the band’s music unique in the sense that it is not confined to the formalities of characterizing the genre. The album is consistent with the band’s image of being intimate and with a folk feel (Lengauer, 2013).
According to the band members, there are no exclusions in Christianity and the music should represent this reality. Considering this, the manner through which the song was recorded and the title is symbolic to this argument.For instance, the album was recorded outside in order to ensure that there were no physical boundaries in experiencing the music. In addition, the title signified that all individuals could gather around and enjoy the music similar to the experiences of a campfire (Hoganson Media, 2013). The album also has a sentimental significance to the band.
The setting of the album is consistent with the beginnings of the band where they used to interact as Christians in campfires. This is a solemn recognition of the humble beginnings of the band.This shows the sincerity and the virtues of the band in the album (Shi, 2013). The album shows the character of the band and their motives in gospel music in that they are not singing for glamour but for the worship experience. The music is also characterized by lyrics, which are provocative.
This is crucial in inspiring the listeners to be subjective. For instance, the line “you gave your beauty in exchange for my ugliness” shows the sinful nature of humans and hope for redemption through Jesus. It is evident that the lyrics have a straightforward approach on issues to do with Christianity and salvation.This influenced the character of the album not to be consistent with commercial albums, but to have an intimate and interactive approach with the audience (Louder than the Music, 2013). Despite the author being inclined towards the Christian audience, the album is appealing due to its approach to community music (Louder than the Music, 2013). In addition, the decision to record the album live, gives a unique and memorable experience for the audience, and there is a feeling of life in the songs.
One of the tracks, which stand out in the album is, “Build Your Kingdom Here”.Listening to the track, it was evident that it was justified for the song to have immense popularity in the charts. The energetic song is engrossing to the audience and excites the listeners. The song maintains its exciting tempo throughout making it a favorite among the album’s selection.
The song has the uncanny ability to differentiate itself from other songs in the album where it has an energetic and interactive feel. The song creates a feeling like nothing else matters but the lyrics (Hoganson Media, 2013). The passion of the band is evident in the song, and this is infectious for the public.The song is intense, and it sets the standards for the revolutionary style of the band.
The song makes a memorable listen to the audience explaining the buzz around this album. Despite the positive feedback about the album and the band, there are some negative reviews about the campfire. For instance, the genre of folk music is not relatable to everyone. This may disinterest individuals who are not attracted to folk music, particularly contemporary listeners. Another criticism of the album is that the success of the songs was due to public hype.
The hype is not a characteristic of worship music and is more suited for commercial secular bands (Smash Music, 2013). This is detrimental since it poisons the feel of worship music and worship bands. However, despite the hype, the album maintains the characteristics of a gospel album. There are no big sounds and the serene and solemn feeling of worship music can be experienced.
In addition, the rendition of Kumbaya has also been criticized as a cheesy attempt to remake the song. The band appeared to use this song to increase the number of tracks on the album.The album campfire is an artistic masterpiece of worship music. The band Rend Collective Experiment breaks the boundaries, which characterize worship music. A unique element in the album is the decision to record it at a campfire.
This created a raw feel for the album creating a memorable experience for the audience. The song “Build Your Kingdom Here” stands out in the album with its energetic and solemn feel. The album is a must listen for not only folk and worship music lovers, but for those who enjoy campfire songs.