20 Alternatives to “Christian Music”

The problem with a lot of christian music is that it isn’t very good. and this in many ways is by design. Because of this I generally avoid most contemporary Christian music. That isn’t to say that I don’t listen to music that connects with my faith though. In fact a great deal of the music I listen to deals with spiritual themes. I have decided to craft a list of artists that have a great deal of spiritual themes in their music that I think are doing something unique musically and are worth a listen to. I don’t know if any of these would technically be in the “Christian” genre, but they all have deep connections to the faith and I think they are all worth your time:

1. The Mountain Goats, this album is all about the Bible
2. Sufjan Stevens Seven Swans is the richest theologically I think
3. Pedro the Lion/Bavid Bazan – once explicitly Christian now he’s broken up with God and he wrote an album about it
4. Mewithoutyou – their music spans a wide swath of styles and spiritualities this album is a good introduction
5. Derek Webb is worth checking out this album gives a bit of a personal glimpse into his spirituality
6. Danielson a very different sound but worth checking out, one of my favorites
7. Woven hand / Sixteen horsepower – Great stuff all around, with deep spiritual tones this is a good one
8. Johnny Cash – I’m sure you know a lot of his stuff, but did you know his last album is a beautiful reflection on his own spirituality (as is much of his other stuff) Check it out
9. Over the Rhine is certainly another band worth your time. 
10. The Fleet Foxes display an array of Christian spirituality in their work.
11. The Civil Wars have roots in the “christian” music scene and their work reflects spirituality in many ways.
12. Mumford and Sons has some very overt spiritual tones in their music and it’s worth listening to.
13. Anathallo – Deep spirituality, quality music
14. The Cobalt Season is good ol’ homegrown contemplative Americana
15. Josh Garrels – Just plain beautiful music, more then worth your while
16. Welcome Wagon – Folky, gospely fun
17. Half-Handed Cloud – You will feel much better about life after listening to this one
18. Bob Dylan – His music wrestles with faith in many ways. Take a listen to this one for starters.
19. Leonard Cohen explores spirituality in some deeply profound ways. This album is probably my favorite.
20. Smashing Pumpkins / Billy Corgan  – I’m always trying to figure out what exactly Billy believes. Now that the Smashing Pumpkins are making music again I look forward to more offerings like this.