The Choir

    The Choir

    Also credited as Youth Choir

    Brentwood, Tennessee16 reviews across 8 releases

    alternative rockdream poppost-punkshoegaze
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    The Choir began in Southern California in the early 1980s as Youth Choir, within the Christian punk and alternative scene associated with Calvary Chapel. Its music developed into atmospheric rock built from delayed guitars, unusual percussion and saxophone, with Steve Hindalong supplying most of the lyrics. The 1990 Circle Slide was dreamy and spacious, balancing ringing guitar with moody melodies and spiritual unease. The independent Kissers and Killers brought a sharper, angrier attitude without abandoning the strange rhythms or poetic writing. On Speckled Bird, released by R.E.X. Music in 1994, the sound grew thicker, with more prominent bass and a persistent sense of tension. By the mid-1990s, the band had moved toward a mellower groove, clearer lyrical confession and a wider range of textures.

    Myrrh's contract ended in 1991, after which the band pursued a mainstream deal and issued Kissers and Killers independently in a limited pressing. R.E.X. later expanded that project into Speckled Bird, combining remixed older material with new songs. The move to Nashville brought practical strain, and touring became infrequent because of other commitments and financial limits. After treating Free Flying Soul as a possible final album, the group reconvened for Flap Your Wings in 2000 and appeared at Cornerstone that July. In 2005, guitarist and producer Marc Byrd became a full-time member for O How the Mighty Have Fallen. The Choir continued recording after the reviewed period, releasing new studio work in 2010 and again in 2024; bassist Tim Chandler died in 2018, while Derri Daugherty, Hindalong and Dan Michaels continued as the core group.

    8 releases reviewed