Above the Golden State was an American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band from Portland, Oregon. Their self-titled debut album, ''Above the Golden State'', was released on July 22, 2008 through Sparrow Records. The band's first single from the album was "Sound of Your Name", which was included in

WOW Hits 2009 ''WOW Hits 2009'' is a two-disc compilation album composed of some of the biggest hits on Christian radio during the previous year. Disc one features more of the adult contemporary hits, while disc two features the CHR–pop and rock hits. The ...

as a bonus track. An EP (extended play) called "The Golden Rule" was released in 2010, with lead single "I Am Loved". On April 3, 2012, The band released a new EP titled "Word's Don't Act," reflecting the name of its first track. The band then raised money for the independent release, at the same time changing the band's name to Nations. The self-titled album "Nations" was released on August 27, 2013.

Musical style

Above the Golden State has been described as being indie rock and Christian, but Above the Golden State self-describe their music as "west coast

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

." Lead singer Michael Watson said "we're doing our best not to call it

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

—basically, it's that with a touch of the rainy

northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

." The band has said that they are fans of all musical styles, and have been influenced by Weezer,

Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron was one of the pioneering figures of the Christi ...

and Delirious?, as well as the Beatles and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Members

* Michael Watson – lead vocals, guitar *Tim Aylward *Brook Mosser

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

*2010: ''The Golden Rule EP'' *2012: ''Words Don't Act EP''

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Above The Golden State American Christian rock groups American musical trios Sparrow Records artists Musical groups established in 2007