“The World Will See” by The Unlikelies – Now available!
December 18th, 2009 by Travis Swan | Posted in Announcments, New Music
Announcing – “The World Will See” by The Unlikelies. Now available on iTunes and Amazon.com! Also check out the free full quality preview mp3 of “Almighty.”
When Travis Swan and Katrina Stone collaborated for the first time in 2005, it was unlikely that anything would come of that four-hour songwriting session. Facing differences in musical influences and disparate upbringings, they penned the first track of their new album The World Will See. “When we wrote Only By Your Grace, I had no idea it would spawn into an entire album, ” says Stone. And nearly 5 years later, it finally has.
Putting differences aside, these two musicians found some middle ground by fusing elements from their musical preferences to create a fresh, new sound. Swan’s background in rock/punk and Stone being based primarily in pop music allowed an unlikely sonic landscape that shakes up the average worship music setting. Katrina cites the influences of Jason Mraz, Blue October, Ingrid Michaelson, and Norah Jones while Travis has been molded by the likes of U2’s The Edge, Steve Camp, Angels and Airwaves, and Skillet’s Ardent Worship album. “Musically speaking, Katrina and I come from opposite ends of the spectrum,” says Swan. “I think my favorite part of making the album in a musical sense was coming up with ways to finger all the ridiculous piano-oriented chord progressions on my guitar.”
The album’s central theme comes primarily from the track Almighty, an upbeat yet powerful song that pushes traditional music boundaries. The collaboration of progressive arrangements, soaring guitars, and Swan’s vocal range make this song a central track as well as define the vision for the whole musical endeavor that is The World Will See. “God has chosen the frail and the weak (his church) to display him to the rest of the world through their lives, their service, and their surrender to him – these concepts pop up all over the album,” cites Swan.
As the album progresses, the familiar hymn Nearer, My God, to Thee opens new doors with a not so familiar arrangement. Utilizing a full spectrum of instrumentation like bells, strings, and organ, they made an older song accessible to a new generation. “When we were working on that track, we really wanted to convey the peace that comes with knowing God. We tried to create that in the track, the vocals, everything, ” says Stone.
Closing out the album is the inspiring and moving He is Risen. Backed by a choir from their home church in Fort Collins, Colorado, He is Risen displays the lyrical aptitude of these two writers. “What I love about this song is its sense of unity,” says Stone. “We wanted to write a song that would create a community when a church would sing it.” Hitting their mark with such lines as ‘where there once was ruin, there is now redemption’, and ‘let us come together, all who have been made new’, they have concentrated their lyrical aptitude on creating biblically sound theology as well as personal experience. “My favorite part of the writing process was literally plagiarizing the Bible as we battled through writing song lyrics!” claims Swan.
More than merely music, these two musicians desire for their music to touch the hearts of worshippers and inspire other musicians. “First of all, as with the title, I hope that this is one more witness of God’s glory for the world to see,” says Swan. ”Secondly, I distinctly remember the lyrics of songs; the slightest suggestion of one of my favorite songs can get it stuck in my head for days on end. I really love it if the lyric is an encouraging one. I hope one of these songs gets stuck in someone’s head for a few days and helps change someone’s life.” Though their differences may be many, their vision for the music has always been the same: for the world to see Christ.
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