Deep Peace: Music from the Late Late Service 5

Description

Deep Peace, sub-titled Music from the Late Late Service 5, is the fifth album by the Glasgow dance worship pioneers Late Late Service, released on Sticky Music in 1997.

Welcome to “Deep Peace”, the fifth album of music by the Late Late Service. Once again we offer what we have done to the wider church both in trepidation and in the hope that it inspires others to do their own thing rather than become consumers of our thing.

“Deep Peace”, as the name suggests, is a collection of gentler, more ambient tracks, mostly created for our “Quiet Service”. The Quiet Service is the moment in the month when we pause to create space for prayer, meditation, contemplation, healing, listening, silence and simply being alone with God. These songs and instrumentals have been the soundtrack to our worship over the last five years. Bear in mind when you listen that these pieces have been created in different ways at different speeds and with the intention of being heard at the next service rather than on an album.

The Late Late Service is an ecumenical Christian community based in Glasgow. We were founded in 1990 and are committed to the democratisation of worship. Women and men are equal partners on our work and leadership and each member has an opportunity to lead and shape our worship. Together we work to develop creative ritual and spirituality in the context of a supportive community. As Christians we are united around the common creeds of the church and work in partnership with other local churches. We try to be open to the widest dimensions of the Christian church and to celebrate and explore our faith through the media of the culture in which we live.

As with the other 4 LLS albums, you are free to use any of this music in a worship setting. Outside this context, normal copyright restrictions apply.

The following people performed or engineered on these tracks: Lesley Brooks, Doug Gay, Simon Halliday, Jane Henderson, Charlie Irvine, Dave McTeague, Steve Malloch, Rachel Morley, John Murray, Ken Nisbet, Kathleen Higgins-Nisbet, Dot Reid, Andy Thornton, Andy Wood.

Thanks to Gordon Bradford, Susan Cumings, Pamela Duffy, Fluid Projections, Heaven Studios, Impact And Image, Heather Norman, Alan Pinder, Steve & Val’s happy house, Rhona Thornton.

Cover design, concept and production: Rachel Anderson, Alan Lavender, Margaret Lavender and Janie Somerville.

Sticky Music, POBox 176, Glasgow, G4 9ER [Album liner notes]

Music from the famed Glasgow alternative worship pioneers for their ‘Quiet Service’ this more or less goes under an ‘ambient’ bag but anyone with preconceptions of melody-less computer doodlings will be relieved to hear «Visions Of Heaven» with a ricocheting light dance groove while the LLS collective are to be congratulated both for the musical diversity – from medieval atonal to beanbag lounging chillouts to Celtic harmonies – and the fact that on a 70-odd minute project boredom never settles. Instead some artful blends of ancient (sometimes very ancient) and modern keep the interest up. Only when, after 50 minutes or so, we get to some dark and somber cello tone poems does the whole thing veer towards inaccessibility. It perks up again for a pleasant lengthy piece of tinkling ambient «Lament» and an even longer might make best use of this album in meditations of the Lord yourself. As it says in Charlie Irvine’s haunting acappella setting of Psalm 1, “It will go right with you if you take delight in the wisdom that God has taught.” [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, December 1997]

“The Late Late Service is an ecumenical Christian community based in Glasgow. We were founded in 1990 and are committed to the democratization of worship. Women and men are equal partners in our work and leadership, and each member has an opportunity to lead and shape our worship. Together we work to develop creative ritual and spirituality in the context of a supportive community. As Christians, we are united around the common creeds of the church and work in partnership with other local churches. We try to be open to the widest dimensions of the Christian church and to celebrate and explore our faith through the media of the culture in which we live.” (from the album sleeve)

Among the legion of “alternative worship” groups that have sprung up in the last ten years or so, there have been a variety of approaches taken. Some have attempted to always be at the cutting edge, taking whatever musical style, slang, imagery etc. which is currently popular and converting it for their own use. Others have done away with any kind of imagery, ritual, and liturgy altogether. Still more have attempted to use the existing imagery of the church, alongside modern cultural influences, and re-invent these things as part of their own worship as a corporate body. The Late Late Service is one of the latter group, and this approach has kept them from becoming quickly outdated (a problem with the first group) and from ending up with an unintended liturgical approach (as the second group is prone to do). This approach leads to an interesting musical output; many members of the community have contributed to the music featured on this album, including Andy Thornton, festival manager at Greenbelt, and members of Lies Damned Lies.

The songs are divided into three sections: “Songs,” “Psalms,” and “Meditations” – with 15 tracks and a total duration of 76 minutes.

The “Songs” section contains seven tracks, starting with «Come Holy Spirit», a chanted invitation over stringed instruments. Drum machines and spacious keyboard sounds are introduced on the second track. This second track is a good example of the group’s mixture of world music, traditional elements, and more modern innovations – bringing to mind bands like Dead Can Dance (but still quite distinctive from that band; less traditional). The vocals on this track are muffled at times, and contrast a little with the lyrics:

God put a new song in my heart
A song of joy and lasting peace
I saw new Heaven and new earth

The pain of the earth has been relieved. Further tracks bring in more choral elements, stronger elements of old-school rave, and a variety of other elements, but the section holds together with a generally downbeat feel and melodies which could easily be used in corporate, contemplative worship.

The “Psalms” section contains only three tracks, based on Psalms 116, 1, and 86. The first track is sung in harmony, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, which leads to a strong emphasis on the lyrics:

The Lord preserves the humble of heart
When I was low he took my part
And when I call on God, I know he hears me

The harmonies on the second psalm sound tighter to me, which is good since it is sung entirely acapella. Psalm 86, also arranged with the instruments low in the mix, is another one where the guitar is the main accompaniment.

The “Meditations” are instrumental; the first three utilize a string quartet, while the second two center more on keyboard-based instruments. This is my favorite of the three sections. While the five of them last 35 minutes, they are immensely relaxing and certainly suited to times of meditation and prayer.

Overall, this disc will prove interesting to anyone wanting to explore new styles of worship. It is a difficult album to listen to in one sitting (it may be better listening to it on a programmable CD player), but it is a refreshing break from the seemingly formulaic approach of so many worship albums, and shows growth from the Late Late Service’s earlier material. [James Stewart, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1998]

CD tracklist:

Songs
01. Come Holy Spirit – 2:50
02. Visions of Heaven – 4:40
03. Deep Peace – 2:29
04. House of God – 4:45
05. Heal Me – 4:28
06. Young Men See Visions – 5:01
07. Agnus Dei – 4:50
Psalms
08. Psalm 116 – 4:55
09. Psalm 1 – 2:31
10. Psalm 86 – 3:41
Meditations (Instrumental)
11. Into Darkness – 3:11
12. A Short Meditation on Loss – 6:31
13. Elegy – 3:56
14. Lament – 9:28
15. Susan’s Meditation Music – 12:57

God In The House – InterFace (Epsom) – 1996