What a fantastic album this is. Australian psychedelic rockers The Church are hardly know here in Europe. Maybe that's why they've abandoned us. They recently played a headline gig (with orchestra) at Sydney Opera House but a lot of the time seem to waste themselves on playing winebars and cafes in Australia and NZ. What they need is to get some management that will put them on a few festival bills where they will blow the audiences away. They could still be contenders but they are in an under-achieving rut.
This is their 2004 album. There are at least 22 others. But this one is unsurpassed with 14 gems. At least, that's my opinion. With so many releases, everyone seems to have a different favourite. This one includes the single "Song In Space" and other classics like "Nothing Seeker", "Sealine" and "The Theatre And Its Double". The twin guitars of Marty Willson-Piper (also known for his work with All About Eve) and Peter Koppes are endlessly fascinating. The vocals of Steve Kilbey are hypnotic and have shades of Robyn Hitchcock. He is also a mean bass player. On drums you will find Tim Powles, a later addition to the band but again a fascinating musician.
This album is still in print and can be obtained from the label at http://cookingvinyl.com/artists/the-church/ . There was also a double-sided "Dual Disc" version which is out of print and which I regret not buying as it had surround mix of the album. Also released was Beside Yourself, an album of b-sides etc but like so much Church product not easy to find. The lesson here, as with a lot of the stuff I review, is if you see it and fancy it, buy it while you can.
I can't resist linking to this footage of a recent awards show performance of an earlier Church song. Not as lyrically interesting as their later stuff but the guitar work is exceptional:
It's time Marty lost that Rasputin beard though!
The band's website is at http://www.thechurchband.net/
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