Ancient Skies

Michael Gungor

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 2008)
• Original Release Date: September 9, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Brash Music
• ASIN: B001CVCBUI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,781 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Michael Gungor is an award-winning songwriter, a worship leader, and front man for this Denver-based collective. The sounds here range from the wide-angle atmospherics of a U2, Coldplay, or - at its most ethereal - Sigur Ros, to the bluesy intimacy of a John Mayer. And while created for the church, the lyrics range from openhearted, full-throated adoration to stinging reminders of the ways humanity tries to limit God.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good album...a lot of different styles represented, January 8, 2009

By	B. Pinson (Cordova, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michael Gungor is apparently primarily a songwriter but this album is great. I love the lyrics. I purchased the cd based on the album art, which is very good. Front and back of the packaging are nice. I didn't know anything about the band before I got it. The over all sound of the album is rock, but there are some praise ballads if that is even a category. I like the opener. It starts with a distorted guitar line, the middle of the song is consistent and then there is a nice jam session at the end of the song. I noticed they added extra jam time to a lot of their songs where a lot of bands would just end the song. This is nice. I feel like I got my $10 worth. I feel this is very generous of the band. I don't like to pay for a cd and feel like I am only getting the shortest versions of the songs, like they save the extended versions for concerts or practice sessions or something. With this cd I feel like the band gave me everything they came up with in practice. It is a very thorough album. Glory is Here is probably my favorite of the cd. Starts out as a good praise song, in the middle it sounds like Enya, then at the end it picks back up with yet another extended ending.

There is one song on the disc where the girl in the band gets lead vocals. Its a nice song. The primary lead singer has a good voice though and it blends with the music well. It is unique enough but not too unique.

If the band reads these amazon reviews I would like to express appreciation for not being the typical worship band that just feels like they need a cd. This is a quality product and it is appreciated.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Christian band you never heard of ;), November 21, 2008

By	Michael Wallette (Anchorage, AK United States) - See all my reviews

I first heard The Michael Gungor Band at the "Beyond Music Conference" in Anchorage this year (2008). These guys were one of the worship bands, and, despite the fact that I was not feeling terribly good the night they played, they absolutely blew me away. I bought "Ancient Skies" from the booth they had at the conference, and highly recommend it.

Blending some of the best guitar work ("Fly" and "Say So" in particular) I have ever heard in Christian music -- or any other genre, for that matter -- with passionate vocals, strong arrangements and truly creative music, "Ancient Skies" is an awesome CD, and has rarely been out of the CD player in my truck since I bought it. While, in my opinion, a lot of Christian bands often sacrifice the music for the sake of the lyrics, I never felt like the songs on "Ancient Skies" were compromised to get a point across. The lyrics are meaningful, but always fit the music, and the music itself...well, it's a crime that I've never heard this band on Christian radio.

I don't know for sure what musicians influenced The Michael Gungor Band, but to my ears, the music at times reminds me of everyone from The Beatles, to Yngwie Malmsteen, to The Cars, to ColdPlay. That's a diverse mix, but these guys (and lady ;) pull it off, and it *works*.

Highlights? "Say So", "Be Praised", and my favorite, "Glory is Here". As I mentioned above, the guitar work at the end of "Fly" is nothing short of amazing. I've played guitar...well, probably since around the time Michael was born...and I still can't play like that. "Say So" is a raw, straight-ahead rocker, and is easily my 2nd favorite track on the CD. It's got so much energy, you can't help but be pulled along by the music. "Glory is Here" is an intense, deeply moving song. It's a lot slower than most of the other songs on the album, but twice as passionate. Every time I hear the song, I find myself choking back tears, and when they played it live...well...hearing a huge auditorium full of worship leaders singing along with the wordless cry at the climax of the song was a tiny glimpse of heaven.

In short, if you even think you might possibly be interested in this CD, just buy it. You will be glad you did.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Customer, October 16, 2009

By	Josiah Hodgett "theburn" (shell lake, wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancient Skies (MP3 Download)

We had The Michael Gungor Band at our church this summer! It was really neat to be able to have such a prominent band come to our small town in the middle of nowhere, and we are really grateful for their ministry!

This CD combines all the little quirky and musically excellent things about Michael, Lisa and the band. The songs are big and their heart and passion brings that out!