the real Chris Marsh

[kris mahrsh]

-n

a Worship Leader based in London.

The latest edition of Worship Leader includes a fascinating interview with the profoundly articulate N T Wright. You can read the whole article by following this link.

I’m a massive fan of N T Wright (who also publishes work as Tom Wright) and often find that he offers thoughts that are frequently the tip of a very formidable iceberg.

In the midst the ongoing debates between evangelicals and liberals, conservatives and charismatics, Rob Bellists and Mark Driscollites, (and more or less sidestepping them), Wright has managed to establish a fascinating stance on what I understand him to mean ‘Kingdom’ perspective. It’s my feeling that Wright offers provocative view on what sung worship is and why we should do it, and in this interview he has made a number of points which I think are worth exploring further.

Wright raises his concerns with current usage of melody and lyrics in modern worship.

“I worry when the words of some of the modern worship songs seem to me just a random selection of Christian slogans as it were rather than actually a narrative of the world as claimed by Jesus and as rescued by Jesus in his death and resurrection and the world is still a suffering place, but which is looking forward to the new creation … if the narrative is broken then it’s not actually helping the people who are singing it in the way that it should.

And then the other thing I really, really worry about is the music … And I am very anxious about worship songs which have deconstructed the tune—the idea of a tune—and that’s the radical nature of post-modernity to deconstruct the narrative. That’s where our culture is. But we ought to be discerning how to do fresh actual tunes, not sort of past issues, copying what was done in the 16th or 17th or 19th or whatever century, but actual refreshed new creation tunes rather than simply a scattering of random notes. You can feel the difference in the congregation when they’re given a real tune to sing.”

I am personally quite critical of the amount of cynicism towards modern worship which I often find poorly argued and lacking in foundation – almost always driven by individual taste or agenda. I have my own tastes and agendas, of course, and therefore challenge myself to work extremely hard as a worship leader not to let those personal preferences dictate the way I prepare and lead.

However, here I find Wright’s worries and concerns fascinating and refreshing. He is not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but rather he is challenging and encouraging us to look to the Gospel story as our ‘muse’.

It is exactly here that I find the sticking point. On the one hand, we must seek creativity in our words and music, but at the same time I feel an immense pressure to make sure that our songs are accessible. The way this has been done more recently has been to subtly (or not as the case may be) draw on the latest Coldplay riff, or Sigur Ros chord sequence. And I find it maddening even in my own songwriting, because these sounds and structures are so embedded in us that it’s desperately hard to break out of.

And when we do use these methods, it does make for quick and easy teaching or new songs. But I guess the next point is: how long do these songs last? I’ve been shocked lately how many songs I used to play every Sunday, and yet now I would hardly consider them. It’s as if their shelf life has expired. At the same time, I’m still drawing on ancient hymns and reusing old lyrics for inspiration for new songs!

It’s enough to drive a worship leader/songwriter half crazy. Over here we’re being told that congregations shouldn’t be expected to sing lower than a bottom A or higher than a top D, and yet over there we are being told to write simple melodies that people can catch quickly and hum to themselves easily during the week.

I don’t have the answers, that much is for certain.

For a while I took part in an online “write a song a month” challenge, and to be honest I found it entirely unsatisfying. I’m realising more and more that good, Spirit inspired songs don’t (read: rarely) just turn up at the first sitting. Most of my songs have gone through numerous rewrites and they still don’t feel finished, but that doesn’t stop me using them. In fact, there’s something about using them with a congregation that helps craft and hone them further.

For me right now, N T Wright has flagged up some very important points which touch on some deep aspects of my ministry. I hope it is sparking something in you, too. I’m reminded of something Paul Baloche said once about the role of the worship leader; we are priests and pastors, and those dual roles are oiled by the prophetic. That should probably be unpacked further, and I might do that another time, so for now I’m going to let it sit there.

Perhaps the core challenge in Wright’s message here is this: how does your ministry respond to and embody the Gospel story and a Kingdom perspective?

There are a number of ways to approach planning a setlist for an upcoming Sunday.

I find that once I’ve gone over initial plans for the service with my vicar, I like to go away and reflect on whatever scriptures we might be using, while prayerfully listening for what God might be saying along the way. That’s often a great springboard – there are usually loads of phrases and themes that will immediately bring a few songs to mind.

Sometimes I might actually find that I’m feeling really stuck for ideas, and I will use some other tools to help me out. I use some software called SongSmart which you can use to prepare chord charts and then transpose them into any key. What’s great about SongSmart is that you can search the song database by keyword – so you can look up themes and words that are coming out in the scriptures to find where those same themes might appear in your songs!

I tend to vary how strictly I plan a setlist based on the theme, as sometimes I find it’s better to be a bit broader in scope to allow for more freedom for God to be at work in His people as they worship. One example would be our current theme for the morning services, which is looking at ‘prayer’. Rather than bullishly trying to use songs that are only about prayer, it’s turning out to be a better approach to use songs that look at the way God speaks and reaches out, and how He has made a way for us to be able to know Him.

Once I’ve got the main bulk of what songs I plan to use, I will then try to shape them into some kind of order, according to how the service is going to run. For example, if it’s an evening communion service we tend to start with a block of 4 songs, then one after the sermon just before communion, with one or two for a closing time of worship. It’s my preference to have blocks of songs either in the same key, or at least using the same capo position. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I try to stick to it as it allows for songs to transition more smoothly. For example, I might play two songs in E with a capo at fret 2 (playing in D) and move into the key of A (playing in G with capo still at fret 2).

After I’m happy with the song order and the keys I’ll be playing them in, it’s time for a run through. That’s nothing more complicated that pulling out the guitar and running one song into the next, to make sure the transitions are likely to work and that I haven’t made a terrible mistake changing a song’s key – sometimes I might do that for the sake of consistency, only to find there’s no way I or the congregation are going to hit that high G that I didn’t quite see coming!

What methods do you use to plan your Sundays?

This year had a bumper crop of outstanding albums. I had trouble keeping up with it all, but this list of my favourites will hopefully give some indication of what’s been hogging my iPod for the last 12 months.

Admittedly extremely late, I have put this list together in a vague order of preference, but not too strictly.
A Spotify playlist is here with the lead singles from the albums.

[edit] It’s taken me forever to put this together, so I will be continuing to update the post over time.

01. Rustie – Glass Swords

Incredible, glacial, frenetic, cyber-glitch electronica. On first listen, it’s a bit like Daft Punk’s Discovery, but sped up and played backwards. One reviewer pointed out the whole album manages to sound slow and fast at the same time. Check the single Ultra Thizz for a quick look, then swallow the album whole like the happy pill it is. Just incredible.

02. We Are Augustines – Rise Ye Sunken Ships

If I hadn’t been invited along to their gig in Hoxton, I’d probably never have heard of We Are Augustines. And that would be a shame, because they’re really, really good. Be warned, the album is a taut, emotional collection of songs about family distress, suicide, and loss, all sung by a man who sounds like he is about to burst into tears at any given moment.
Single Book Of James carries a tragic tale disguised as a barnstorming anthem, while Headlong Into The Abyss carries you along on a wave of indie bliss.

03. Yuck – Yuck

Former members of Cajun Dance Party (remember?) make up 1/2 of Yuck, and the new sound is… entirely different, shifting from an almost Just Jack accent to what I consider to be a delightful nod to nineties college rock, with lazy production and tones that reference Pavement, Teenage Fanclub and  Sonic Youth. Yuck got a lot of stick for being too derivative, but a very quick rerelease of the album to include b-sides and a new song suggests they can expect to look forward to a strong following. Lovely stuff.

04. Summer Camp – Welcome To Condale

Seemingly coming from nowhere, Summer Camp suddenly appeared on Moshi Moshi. It arrived at a weird time of year too, in the middle of autumn, with its summery 80s nostaliga. Bubbling over with movie samples and a deceptive naivety, this is a lot of fun with one or two surprisingly dark moments. Just like last year’s offering from College, this is the alternative soundtrack to The Breakfast Club.

05. Washed Out – Within And Without

Gorgeous, 80s influenced synths and drum fills ripped off of Phil Collins. A truly wonderful record with carefully and sensitively arranged songs. Single Eyes Be Closed is a delay-drenched homage to everything (anything?) that was good about those Essential Chillout compilations that used to turn up as ear-fodder for upper-middle-class wine and nibbles evenings where everyone pretends that they would rather just have Magic FM on instead.

06. St Vincent – Strange Mercy

I seem to have been a bit slow on the uptake with St Vincent. Outstanding vocals and really odd, haunting, thoughtful tunes. The best thing about the single Cruel is the White Stripes-esque spluttering guitar riff, compressed and limited to high heck, and not sounding entirely unlike that scene from Lilo and Stitch…

07. Stephen Malkmus – Mirror Traffic

After a fantastic reunion tour with ex-bandmates Pavement, Malkmus returns to offer an album which is packed with all the energy and creativity that was present in his first solo effort, before his foray into proggy Lou Reed craziness. Not that that was ever a bad thing, particularly, but Mirror Traffic is a coherent collection of fun, quirky, alt. rock songs that never get boring – just check out Tigers.

08. Slow Club – Paradise

Mmm, reverb. It’s everywhere, on the plinky-plonky piano of Two Cousins, the twangy guitar on If We’re Still Alive…
Paradise is a gorgeous record, with it’s surfy vibes and lo-fi aesthetics, and even the occasional belter as seen on The Dog. An unassuming artistic delight.

09. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto

Haters can go on hating, there’s no ignoring really well written songs and outstanding production. Fine, Coldplay rose to become stadium fillers in a short space of time but surely there is a place for that. The Beatles pretty much set the standard, but don’t get me started on that. In all honesty I don’t like Mylo Xyloto as much as Viva La Vida, which I found to be a much more cohesive record. Despite that, the songs are ridiculously good, and when you hit a track like Charlie Brown or Paradise (or Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall), we all know an anthem when we hear it. So get over it.

10. The Field – Looping State Of Mind

YES. If you’ve not come across anything by The Field yet, find anything and get acquainted with it. The opening track on this, the third album, is a great place to start. Where the first album, 2007′s From Here We Go Sublime, used much more minimalist within its own brand of shoegazey electronica, here we have an interesting experiment in loops that build on each other, creating a euphoric upward spiral. I suspect that this is one for the pillheads. Or pilates, I don’t know.

11. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong

As soon as The Pains had an album out, it was almost guaranteed to be in my favourites list for 2011. Their debut was a cracker, and Belong shows a band that stays true to what it does well, while turning the production values up a notch. This one doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a basement by someone who had never heard of mastering. Or mixing, for that matter. Yes indeed, Belong is a raw, emotional batch of blistering college-rock.

12. S.C.U.M. – Again Into Eyes

I like to think of SCUM as a less serious Editors. Which it great, as I never really liked Editors because they were so serious. Ever so slightly left of the mainstream, the album is awash with reverby synths, all held together with a strong pop sensibility. Opening track Faith Unfolds trundles forward with its driving drums, while single Amber Hands is a delirious kaleidoscope of musical lunacy.

12. Roddy Woomble - The Impossible Song & Other Songs

Outstanding sophomore album from the Idlewild frontman. Woomble’s craft has become finely honed, drawing on his scottish roots and love of poetry. This is carefully constructed rock-tinged folk – R.E.M. influences remain evident for sure, while a clear stamp of individuality runs right through the record. Leaving Without Gold is a standout track.

Two new sermons now up, archived on the Audio page.

The Full Armour Of God; 20|11|11
 

Walking In The Light; 30|10|11