The Church - untitled #23

The Church are one of the most consistent bands that don't suck in music today.

Since the early 80's they have been turning out album after album of melodic, subdued pop. In my opinion nothing they have done since has matched the glory of what my best friend and I call "the trilogy" of albums: Starfish, Gold Afternoon Fix, and Priest=Aura. Yet they continue to make the world a fuzzier place with their distinctive droning guitars and ethereal lyrics.

The voices of Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper, and, in a rare vocal performance, Peter Koppes continue to be as haunting and beautiful as ever. The songs are as well written as they always have been but there is something to the album that has been lacking in their new material lately. I can't put my finger on it. There is a feeling of nostalgia, but without the sadness.

You could say that this is more of the same old stuff since the Church has followed the same formula for more than a quarter of a century. You would, however, be wrong. These songs pack more of a punch than anything released since the trilogy I mentioned earlier.

This is the perfect follow-up album to the acoustic greatest hits collections: El Momento Descuidado and El Momento Siguiente. They reintroduced the wonderful old songs with a new twist and set the stage for what I hope will be a new trio of albums full of original material. (Although the more pessimistic side of me figures this will probably be the third album finishing what began with El Momento Descuidado).

Recommended tracks:

Pangaea
This song would have fit well on Gold Afternoon Fix or Priest=Aura. The inclusion of a cello makes it stand out from the material on those albums though. It's a tasty little ethereal nugget.

Deadman's Hand
This song would have fit well on Starfish. The song brushes up against 'Under the Milky Way' a few times, but manages to stand on its own as a great tune.

Sunken Sun
Simply awesome! With layered guitars and lyrics evoking both the mythic and the mystic, 'Sunken Sun' earns its place in the pantheon of incredible Church songs. This should be a single.

Lunar, Operetta, and Cobalt Blue are also outstanding songs. There is very little on this album that isn't worthy of at least one more listen. I recommend it highly for old fans and for new fans it needs to be the 6th album you get.