(Photo : Integrity Music)
Rend Collective - The Art of Celebration
Dove Award-nominated Irish worshipers and modern day psalmists Rend Collective will be releasing their fourth album, The Art of Celebration, on March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day). They have released a music video for the first single, "My Lighthouse," the song that is also being offered as an "instant grat track" download from iTunes beginning Tuesday (February 18) with each pre-order of The Art of Celebration. Devotionals for the song, which observes and celebrates God’s luminance in the times of "troubled seas," are going to be created for both YouVersion and BibleGateway in the near future.
Rend Collective band leader Gareth Gilkeson talked about the song in a press release, saying, "Celebration, the practice of joy, is a choice. That doesn’t mean it’s always an easy choice to make. We know that we inevitably must navigate storms of sorrow and shadows, disappointment and doubt in this life."
As a band, Rend Collective made what they're calling a "theological breakthrough" that is changing everything about their approach to music and life. The discovery? "Seriousness is not a fruit of the spirit, but joy is." That joy is something they share in the new album.
Gilkeson explained, "This record is an attempt to reflect something of the irrepressible laughter in the heart of God. It’s a call to the cynical to once again choose celebration over condemnation and a reminder to the broken that 'the joy of the Lord is our strength.'"
This is not really anything totally new for the band as celebration and joy have always been at the core of what they do. Known for pushing artistic boundaries, daring the faithful to re-imagine worship and community, the band is just taking it all a step further as they focus on the joy that can only be found in the Lord.
The Art of Celebration will be offered in multiple formats: digital, physical CD and as a limited edition, double-album vinyl which will be available at select retailers, as well as through IntegrityDirect.com and at Rend Collective events.
