Cosmic-tinged alternative rock never sounded better than Australia’s
the Church during their late-’80s heyday. Albums like Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix were oases of beauty amidst the ugly yet
vital cynicism that inspired the band’s American peers (Jane’s
Addiction, NIN). After these watersheds, though, and in the aftermath
of losing drummer Richard Ploog, the Church seemed to struggle in terms
of material and finding the right producer to capture the band’s
interstellar, overdriven style.
Although Untitled #23, the band’s latest release for Lansing,
Mich., label Second Motion, contains a couple of marvelous tracks and
has received glowing reviews, it’s mostly a return to the cluttered,
swirling, noncommercial sound that the band has specialized in since
abandoning Los Angeles studios in favor of Sydney. Highlights include
“Deadman’s Hand,” with its stardust-encrusted guitars and rhythms that
may inspire a drive down a moonlit desert highway, and the lovely
“Pangaea,” a lullaby that drifts like an asteroid belt.
Otherwise, Untitled #23 is as indistinct as its title
suggests, dwelling inordinately on no-tempo psychedelic pop minus any
of the stinging guitar leads usually unleashed by guitarists Peter
Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper. Unless you’re a diehard Church fan, let
me recommend the recent and very excellent solo efforts by Church
frontman Steve Kilbey and Willson-Piper, also out on Second Motion.
Dudes should’ve saved that fine material for the Church album!
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2009.
So. Let me get this straight… you want them to keep making Starfish over and over? They’ve made >>23<< albums!!! This fantastic work made by true craftsmen that needs to be recognized as such.