{"id":13674,"date":"2012-03-23T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=13674"},"modified":"2013-02-19T23:42:35","modified_gmt":"2013-02-20T05:42:35","slug":"a-musical-reflection-on-lent-by-the-brilliance-ep-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/a-musical-reflection-on-lent-by-the-brilliance-ep-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Musical Reflection on Lent by The Brilliance [EP Review]"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I went to the most unique Christian music concert I have ever attended. As an artist, I always enjoy supporting the arts that help to promote the faith in visual art and performance art, but I don\u2019t think I saw this coming.<\/p>\n

On March 1st, I went to the Gungor<\/a> concert at Grace Covenant here in Austin, and it was truly amazing.\u00a0Surprisingly\u00a0 I was most impressed by the opening band, The Brilliance<\/a>. Both bands take their musicality to new heights – experimenting with multiple instruments, poetry, and simple prayer, but I will leave Gungor for another time.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Usually, contemporary Christian music makes me think of artists like Matt Maher<\/a> or Jackie Francios<\/a>.\u00a0Then there\u2019s the older forms of Christian music that go back a few centuries, like Gregorian chant, or even classical that are based on prayers and the Mass. Listening to The Brilliance, it\u2019s hard to put The Brilliance in a category with any of those.<\/p>\n

The unexpected insight was probably the biggest surprise. I\u2019m fairly comfortable praying with protestants, but this night showed me new lessons in ecumenism.<\/p>\n

The Lyrics<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The very fact that a non-Catholic group decided to do EPs to explore the Liturgical calendar is enough to get my attention, but then I listened to the lyrics and I was absolutely blown away.<\/p>\n

Each song was carefully crafted as true works of poetry. The first song \u201cDust We Are and Shall Return\u201d focuses on themes of Ash Wednesday. The lyrics are based on the imposition of ashes with the reminder of our mortality and the necessity of dependence on God.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

The second song, “Now and at the Hour of Our Death,” is where I was caught off guard so much that I ended up overwhelmed with emotion.<\/p>\n

At the concert, David Gungor paused and took the mic before beginning the song. He explained that the next song was based on \u201can old prayer that has been prayed for centuries by our Catholic brothers and sisters.\u201d I was certainly intrigued by what he was about to sing in a church full of mainly protestant and a few Catholics. I was on the edge of my seat.<\/p>\n

The song begins with \u201cHoly Mother of God, pray for us, pray for us…\u201d I almost didn\u2019t believe it. Non-Catholics not only talking about Mary in a protestant church, but asking her to PRAY for us. I would have fallen out of my chair if I hadn\u2019t started tearing up. Simply beautiful.<\/p>\n

I would have never expected that from non-Catholics. Later, I was even more surprised to find \u00a0out that their Advent EP had a song to focus on the first half of the Hail Mary. Wow.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

After talking about the Theotokos, they later proceeded to sing a song about communion with theology explaining the Eucharist so clearly that John Calvin would have rolled over in his Protestant grave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe body and blood of Your beloved son. The body is broken, God\u2019s love poured open to make us new.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not bread, wine, and a table, but body, blood and Calvary. Brilliant. I wish more Catholic hymns had lyrics like that. Seriously.<\/p>\n

My favorite thing about the EP is how authentic it feels. Sure it\u2019s full of rich and theologically correct symbolism, but I think the honest cries from the heart are what sell the music.<\/p>\n

Lent isn\u2019t always easy, and then when we look at the Gospels of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, and it\u2019s downright painful. When a lot of Christian music is out there to be only \u201cpositive and encouraging,\u201d The Brilliance embraces songs that show the frailty and brokenness of humanity.<\/p>\n

The Music<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

David Gungor – Lead Singer<\/p><\/div>\n

David Gungor, the singer and leader of the band, set out to create worship music that didn\u2019t sound like everything else out there, and I think they succeeded. The Brilliance is band that is centered around a string quartet and a piano. The rest of the music brings in other strings and percussion to develop a very sophisticated and deep sound.<\/p>\n

Their music isn\u2019t the kind of music that gets you up and jumping. The Brilliance produces music that is so profound and beautiful that you can\u2019t help but go into more contemplative prayer. If you don\u2019t open it up to it, it might come off as more depressing, but it\u2019s just a different type of spirituality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Brilliance<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t have anything against hand raising praise and worship music outside of the mass, but this worship music pointed me to prayer faster and deeper than any of the usual contemporary Christian music ever has before.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t tell already, I loved Lent and highly recommend it. I only wish that it was a full album and not just an EP. Their music has a lot of lessons for Catholic musicians about quality, creativity and courage to not hide from traditions that may come off as \u201coverly-Catholic.\u201d<\/p>\n

They spoke about creating music to focus on the liturgical calendar, so I am hopeful that the last,\u00a0dissonant\u00a0minor chord of the EP will find resolution in the hope of the Easter. I look forward to more of their music.<\/p>\n

May God bless them in their ministry, and I pray that Catholics and other Christians can continue to develop high quality music to show the natural beauty of Truth.<\/p>\n

If you are interested, you can buy the Lent and Advent EP along with the full length CD on iTunes<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I went to the most unique Christian music concert I have ever attended. As an artist, I always enjoy supporting the arts that help to promote the faith in visual art and performance art, but I don\u2019t think I saw this coming. On March 1st, I went to the Gungor concert… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,87],"tags":[681,679,101,514,680,682],"class_list":{"0":"post-13674","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-faith-blog","7":"category-reviews","8":"tag-concert","9":"tag-ecumenism","10":"tag-mary","11":"tag-music","12":"tag-protestants","13":"tag-season","14":"entry","15":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25449,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/a-creation-liturgy-cd-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":0},"title":"A Creation Liturgy [CD Review]","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This month, the Denver-based Christian-collective, Gungor released a new album entitled A Creation Liturgy. This past Spring, I wrote a review on an EP released by the band The Brilliance, also based in Denver, after a concert I attended here in Austin featuring both bands. I've wanted to write a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Creation Liturgy - Gungor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/A-Creation-Liturgy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28038,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/music-of-the-season-advent-volume-i-and-ii-ep-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":1},"title":"Music of the Season – Advent Volume I and II [EP Review]","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"December 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The majority of world is confused thinking it\u2019s Christmas already, but we\u2019re still in the season of Advent. In fact, we just started. While it\u2019s not the same penitential season as lent, Advent provides a great opportunity for prayer, fasting, and preparation. In today\u2019s world, it take a lot of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Brilliance-Advent-630x630.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9285,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/01\/hope-in-death-a-review-of-give-us-rest\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":2},"title":"Hope in Death [A Review of Give Us Rest]","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"January 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Great music can be some of the most beautiful art, and Christianity is in great need of more of it today. It\u2019s no secret that in contemporary music the Catholic Church is not at its high mark. Personally, I think that Gregorian chant from the Traditional Latin Mass is hard\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/GiveUsRest.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10742,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/the-start-soundwave-cd-release-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":3},"title":"The Start -Soundwave [CD Release Review]","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"February 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In the land of barbecue, you\u2019ll find more than just your choice of meats. The band Soundwave, mainly known as the house band for DCYC for the past 3 years, has just released a new album. This small town band from Lockhart, TX shows the extent of their God-given musical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/TheStart-Soundwave1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":79132,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/local-workshop-music-ministry\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":4},"title":"Local Workshop for Music Ministry","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"January 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The arts are a\u00a0necessary\u00a0part of the work of the Church. The beauty of\u00a0good art is not just superficial positive emotions about Jesus, rather beauty is in support and extension of Truth.\u00a0It requires craftsmanship and skill to execute effectively. In recent generations, with a lack of training and attention on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/events-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"JesseManibusanWorkshop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/JesseManibusanWorkshop-550x216.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/JesseManibusanWorkshop-550x216.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/JesseManibusanWorkshop-550x216.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40559,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/dream-of-a-home-mike-mangione-concert-fundraiser\/","url_meta":{"origin":13674,"position":5},"title":"“Dream of a Home” Mike Mangione Concert Fundraiser","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"July 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Austin, TX \u2013 Folk-rock singer\/songwriter Mike Mangione will be performing at St. Edward\u2019s University Jones Auditorium on July 19th at 8 p.m. with Paul Finley opening. Mike will be performing songs of his latest album, \u201cRed-Winged Blackbird Man,\u201d to hit stores September 3rd, in addition to his established repertoire. Tickets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World and News"","block_context":{"text":"World and News","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dream of a Home","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DreamofaHome-464x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}