Horizon Music started with the idea of creating current sounds for this young generation. What if worship music could be done so well with mainstream pop sounds, that it became interesting to those who haven’t been willing to listen before? A sound that is much like present day mainstream pop music. Pop worship that is so excellent and current that even those who don’t know Jesus might be willing to give it a listen and end up enjoying it.
Our hope is that a young generation of believers and unbelievers alike will listen to this music with joy and abandon, hearing the good news of the Gospel in the sweet spot of their favorite genre. We are praying and believing that more people will fall in love with Jesus because of these new and current worship sounds.
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Take a Victory Lap| Posted December 19, 2017
The past year was one where worship music took quantum leaps into a number of different genres, including urban, pop, rock and, perhaps most notably, electronic music. Originally pioneered by a wave of Australian churches--Hillsong and Planetshakers were at the forefront--2017 saw an explosion of worship movements embracing EDM as the vehicle for delivering its vertically oriented lyrics.
While some albums seemed to be formulaic--copying the genre frontrunners or the chart-topping DJs of the mainstream--it's pretty refreshing when something jumps out and surprises me. The incredibly artful and polished sounds of Portland, Oregon's Horizon Music do just that with their excellent debut, Victory.
The first place I have to comment is on the incredible production. Rather than seeking to replicate existing tastemakers, Horizon is making a taste of its own with the help of Northwest power-producer Dave Lubben--employing inventive arrangements and unpredictable patches to create a soundscape that is all their own.
Vocally, the band is at the top of their game. The five different worship leaders on the record offer different styles, steering away from the classic worship leader sound while, while not venturing all the way over to the sit-and-watch singer-songwriter vibe. They, and the songs themselves, are artfully inviting.
Lyrically speaking, there's no guessing as to what Victory is all about--Jesus' current victory in our lives and ultimate victory over sin and the grave. While Pastor Stan Russell ties it in a nice little bow with a spoken-word track "Basic," the Gospel is all over the record.
There are three big themes of the record: God's triumph, our need of Him and our desire to share about Him.
Highlights include the reflective and worshipful "Glory," the pulse-pounding and evangelically themed "Tell The World," the rhythmically fantastic "Waterfall" and the '80s-infused testimonial song, "Kindness."
The Bottom Line:
Look, it would take a lot of reading that people simply won't do to go into each of these very strong songs and talk about their ingeniously nuanced musical choices, their strong and overt lyrics and powerhouse vocals. Many times, the challenge in these reviews is finding a few songs to focus on. The problem here is that there's SO MUCH GOOD happening here, it's hard to pinpoint. How about this: Just listen to it.
At a time when worship music is inundating our ears from every direction, take special time to listen to Victory by Horizon Music. At a time when there are two camps of worship music--congregational, singable music, and reflective, meditative songs--and two camps of arrangement--raw instruments and over-produced, chipmunk-chirping EDM--it's nice to find a project that finds the radical middle, and by doing so, creates something new altogether.
Song to Download:
"Kindness" (Get it on iTunes here)
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