The Church
Forget Yourself (Cooking Vinyl/spinART) The Church isn’t a one-hit wonder, and this is not a comeback. “Under the Milky Way” notwithstanding, this elegant pop quartet from Sydney, Australia, has remained active since 1981, putting out one solid effort after another. The fires still burn bright on Forget Yourself, their 17th album, which cooks like a simmering pot roast, the fumes of inspiration emanating steadily but unmistakably from a meaty batch of songs. The formula has changed little since 1988’s commercial breakthrough Starfish. Bassist/singer Steven Kilbey’s cryptic wordplay and rich, deep voice seep through brooding, spacey textures provided by dual guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes. On “The Theatre and Its Double,” Kilbey’s bass rumbles menacingly, while Willson-Piper picks ripened 12-string magic behind Koppes’ shimmering gauze. “Song in Space” hints at Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” guitar line, and “Telepath” is a divine construct, with an inspired Kilbey emoting behind immaculate interplay. Just when you have them pegged, the last few tracks brim with a spare, ambient beauty, like the twinkling of the Milky Way itself. This indescribably smooth blend of precision and atmospherics is the Church’s hallmark. (Thursday, March 18, midnight @ Elysium)
This article appears in March 19 • 2004.