Is it wrong that I usually dislike Christian Artists

[Thunder Peel]

I'm not a big fan of most Christian music either. Most of it is either dull and derivative or it feels too fake, like everything is sunshine and rainbows every day. I'm all for worshiping God but I prefer music and artists who feel real. There are a couple (like Switchfoot and Starflyer 59) that are great but most of the others just sound the same.

It's up to your personal conviction but as long as it doesn't interfere with your walk and God's not convicting you about it then it's fine.

 

[Sir Robbins]

I'm a die hard metal head. I cannot stand Christian metal to save my life. It's a genre they should leave alone. lol Metal always has had a dark feeling to it which is why I relate so much to it. It's hard to listen to music about love, freedom, peace and mercy when your actual life is nearly absent of these things.

 

[NewLifeInHim]

No there's nothing wrong with you. I listen to most kinds of music and have sincerely tried to listen to Christian music but it's just too sappy and saccharine for me to enjoy it. I appreciate the sentiment contained therein however it's not for me. There are exceptions of course, I particularly like the work of Neal Morse who seems to be creatively flowing all the time. His own work is deeply Christian and although he can run into schmaltzy territory occasionally, for the most part I enjoy his output and his work in supergroups such as Flying Colors and Transatlantic, though not specifically Christian in ethos, does still contain his faith's footprint which is good.

 

[lyteside]

unfortunately, "Christian" music has become synonymous with a type of sound/genre of music now (even to the point of lyrical style and content). It's the pop music for another world of people.

 

[followthestar]

Meh I'm not a fan of typical Christian music. Some is good, like For King and Country, but I'm more of a fan of Christian rock. I'm currently in love with Matty Mullin's solo stuff.

 

[BookofMatt]

The Christian music industry is pretty much a mess. It's an industry no different than any other, driven by money, competition and aggressive marketing, and it's difficult to justify its espousal of Christian principles. Likewise, I can't help but look at Chris Tomlin or Hillsong the same way that I'd look at a famous pastor of a megachurch: the message of Christ ultimately gets lost or distorted in the commercialization of their celebrity.

Five Iron Frenzy, one of my favorite Christian bands, were always very vocal about their experiences with the dark side of the Christian music industry: price-gouging, fierce competition, bands and managers who cared more about money than message, etc.. They wrote a song called "Blue Mix" which tackled those issues: "You are responsible to watch what you buy/These bands that you love pull the wool over your eyes". Needless to say, I've been justifiably critical of pretty much any major Christian band who doesn't put their money where their mouth is.

On top of that, I have the same gripes with mainstream Christian music as I do with mainstream pop music (insipid lyrics, commercialized sound, etc.), but whereas the secular mainstream usually sets the trends, the Christian mainstream only follows them and waters them down. There's no innovation or experimentation in mainstream Christian music, it exists solely to be palatable and marketable to the widest audiences. Likewise, the lyrics are rarely ever deeper than "God is great!", and while I have no problem with the occasional praise and worship song, the lack of true substance I hear on Christian radio eventually becomes a major turn-off.

I hate sounding like an elitist hipster ragging on the "mainstream", but I really only apply that mentality to Christian music. That's why most of the Christian bands I like are punk or ska or prog or metal, bands that have no shot at mainstream recognition and play solely out of their love for the music and love of Christ. I get a lot more meaning, authenticity and relatability out of seeing a Christian punk band playing/preaching to a dingy club of 100 people than I would seeing a contemporary Christian pop band playing to 10,000 people who paid $40 a ticket. But, that's just me.

 

[Caminator]

I agree 100% with a lot of the comments here. I only listen to Christian radio (The Message, on Sirius radio) if my wife is in the van. She hates my Christian rock. When she hears The Resurrection Band it puts her back in her teen years B.C., when she went to parties and got drunk. I think it's because, for her, the sound of Rez Band is similar to a lot of '80s rock. Since I don't have a sinful past, there is no music that reminds me of anything negative in my past. Except maybe the time I was in grade 7, walking down the hall in Christian private school singing "We don't need no education" with a buddy. We only did it if the teacher was around to hear it. But as bad as that was, it's not a bad memory for me.

Christian radio makes me sick. Especially Crawford Broadcasting stations. They are horrible. We have one in Detroit, and there's one in Buffalo that I've heard when visiting in-laws in Brantford. They only hire bimbos and milquetoasts to be DJs, and the music is horribly commercialized.

I grew up in the '80s, so I will always love The 2nd Chapter of Acts, Fireworks, Phil Keaggy, Rez Band, Sweet Comfort, Keith Green, etc., but now I would rather hear Neal Morse, Deliverance, and other Christian metal and hard rock. I think Red is totally original. I don't know of any secular band you could compare them to, or that they have tried to sound like. I think they truly have their own sound.

I disagree with people saying that a band compromised just because they sound like a secular band. X-Sinner sounds just like AC/DC and Def Leppard. But so what? Why is that wrong? How does that constitute 'worldliness?' No one ever explains that. They just parrot it as fact. I love the sound of AC/DC and Def Lep, but I don't want to hear their lyrics.

CCM that I can't stomach is Jon Gibson, Matt Maher, Matt Kearney, and all the mainstream female singers. I used to be a Sandi Patti fan, and I saw her in concert in London, Ontario with Billy Crockett, who made me want to throw up. I couldn't wait for him to leave the stage. I think that 'cartoon characters get saved' song is absolutely atrocious!!! Chris Rice should be hung for that song. That whole genre is just revolting.

If my personality could be a sound, it would be the sound of Metallica. I think I relate to their sound more than any other, but I would rather hear Xandria, Sirenia, Stratovarius, and other symphonic metal bands.

 

[Catherineanne]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Taize so far. I like Taize music.

 

[Caminator]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Taize so far. I like Taize music.

I'd like to hear an intro like that for a heavy metal song.

 

[Sir Robbins]

^ Listen to Iron Maiden's new album "The Book of Souls". Lots of great symphonic intros to them. I saw them and heard them live just this past Wednesday in Ft Lauderdale

 

[FreakOnALeash]

Hmmm, strange, I love heavy metal, rock, black metal etc, I don't care what religion a band is but rather if the music is 'good' Just listen to any 'Dream Theater' song, I wouldn't say they were shoving religion down anyone's throaght, but there is a lot of biblical content in the songs and I think the band members are Christians, I love this band, it is metal at its best, progressive theatrical metal anyway, not very heavy but great music, as an atheist and as a musician I love this band!

 

[SistrNChrist]

To be fair, a lot of non-Christian artists aren't that innovative either. And because their audience is smaller to begin with, Christian artists may not really have the opportunity or incentive to try to be innovative.

Exactly...I've heard a lot of top 40 hits, and just like in Christian music, everything sounds the same to the point where you can't even tell the different artists apart. So that's an issue with music as a whole instead of just Christians.

 

[Murby]

How strange... You all probably know I'm not the least bit religious and my opinion of religion is about as low as it can be...
That said.. the Crash Test Dummies are one of my favorite bands.. "God Shuffled his feet".. I love that song!

In fact, there's a bunch of others I like too.. "The Rankin Family".. I think that's Christian music isn't it?

And I love Christmas music.. I have over hundreds of megs of it.

There are so many songs referencing God that I like I can't even remember them all..

 

[followthestar]

I like stuff that plays on RadioU like Truslow, Graceful Closure etc. They're smaller Columbus based bands, I think. Sometimes I'll hear stuff and a year later, they haven't posted anything new. (*cough*Scientist*cough*)
I plan to go to Columbus, OH to see these bands. (it's really expensive from Australia, I think)