Luminate

Some people talk about how this is an apathetic generation. We don’t believe in anyone, we don’t have passion for anything, we don’t stand up for anyone but ourselves, and we have no interest in affecting change unless it immediately benefits us. The band members of Luminate may or may not fall in line with this pessimistic way of thinking, but their latest EP, Miracle, is a call for anyone who might fit this description to wake up and do something. Now.

With an ambient rock sound that drives and pulsates from the moment the record starts, Miracle is a rallying cry for this generation of Christians to be the change they want to see in the world around them. At the same time, the emphasis is decidedly upon relying on God to give them the strength required to make this stand. When lead singer Sam Hancock tells the listener to lay down their own lives on “It’s Our Time,” it’s not a subtle message he wants to get across, and when the background chants in “Take Control” are on display, it’s not long before you feel a sudden urge to make your choices count.

The music on this record often matches the passion in Hancock’s vocals. The swelling sounds of “Heart on Fire” rise with his voice as he reaches the climax of the song where he shouts that he is the Lord’s and he wants to live and fight for everything he’s been dreaming of. And even on some of the quiet parts of “Guide Us Home,” his voice lilts and gets thin as he quietly sings the title words, struggling to hit the right notes.

With songs like “Take Control” and “Hear Our Cry,” Luminate have created anthems that need very little exposition or explanation beyond their self-explanatory titles. They are basic phrases that won’t rock your world or cause you to reevaluate your life and everything you’ve ever done, but they are simple phrases and there is something to be said for that. Sometimes in a walk of faith the best things to do are the simplest ones. The lyrics aren’t cryptic in any way and propel the songs along in the exact fashion you would expect them to. They lend themselves well to responsive worship, and that is a worthy goal to aspire to.

Miracle isn’t exactly an appropriate title for the content of the record itself, but it is fairly representative of what the band wants to do for today’s Christians in terms of help them to make their faith vital. It is something of a miracle when someone chooses to stand up for God and say, “Yes, I will follow you,” and it is even one to have people who are willing to aid in that cause as Luminate are doing, so when one causes the other to happen and the cycle continues, it does indeed become a miraculous thing.

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