Artist: The Church
Album: Untitled #23
Year: 2009
Grade: 3.5 pretzels
Everyone loves a surprise and this album was just that for me. I had no idea that the Church, one of my beloved bands from Australia, were releasing a new album this year. Imagine my surprise when a news bulletin for this latest album popped up online. However, it’s no surprise that a new Church album wouldn’t be greeted with fanfare and trumpets. It’s been over twenty years since they had any impact on the music industry outside of Australia, when “Under The Milky Way” crept its way onto the charts. However, even in the face of no international success, the Church have continued to churn out lovely, high-quality work.
In many ways, not having the pressure of trying to be successful in the States or England seems to have helped the band immensely. Their past few albums have sounded tremendously comfortable, which is a contrast to some of their previous albums, which had the occasional moment where the band seemed to be trying too hard to impress people. An album like Untitled #23 has an incredibly charming, unassuming quality about it. It knows not too many people are going to buy it outside of the core nucleus of Church fans. So, instead of worrying about winning over new listeners, it delivers exactly what Church fans want.
Untitled #23 is a dreamy, ethereal adventure, full of drifting rhythms and dark moods. The twin lead guitar work, which has long been their trademark, is in full effect. With both guitars playing intricate, winding parts, the sound is very rich and layered. There’s also a bit of a world music flavor to the album, with the occasional flute popping up at unexpected moments. Combined with the restrained, simple rhythms, Untitled #23 has an unusual tribal vibe to it. However, the star of the show, as with most Church albums, is frontman Steve Kilbey, whose majestic baritone voice gives each song a warm, velvety feel. His abstract lyricism ("Pangaea" is an early favorite for "Most Awesomely Vague Song Title Of The Year") is another highlight, especially on the stunning “Deadman’s Hand”, where Kilbey manages to take a nonsense lyric like “on our way to crush the revolution” and turns it into an evocative anthem.
While it may not be a great album, Untitled #23 is a solid example of how a band can accomplish a great deal by thinking small. The Church have had moments of spiraling ambition in their thirty year career, many of which have left us with disappointing albums. It’s encouraging to hear them finally embracing the audience they have, instead of trying to branch out. They’ve figured out that their moment in the spotlight has long since passed. However, this hasn’t stopped them from releasing some very good music, even if few people are really listening.
In many ways, not having the pressure of trying to be successful in the States or England seems to have helped the band immensely. Their past few albums have sounded tremendously comfortable, which is a contrast to some of their previous albums, which had the occasional moment where the band seemed to be trying too hard to impress people. An album like Untitled #23 has an incredibly charming, unassuming quality about it. It knows not too many people are going to buy it outside of the core nucleus of Church fans. So, instead of worrying about winning over new listeners, it delivers exactly what Church fans want.
Untitled #23 is a dreamy, ethereal adventure, full of drifting rhythms and dark moods. The twin lead guitar work, which has long been their trademark, is in full effect. With both guitars playing intricate, winding parts, the sound is very rich and layered. There’s also a bit of a world music flavor to the album, with the occasional flute popping up at unexpected moments. Combined with the restrained, simple rhythms, Untitled #23 has an unusual tribal vibe to it. However, the star of the show, as with most Church albums, is frontman Steve Kilbey, whose majestic baritone voice gives each song a warm, velvety feel. His abstract lyricism ("Pangaea" is an early favorite for "Most Awesomely Vague Song Title Of The Year") is another highlight, especially on the stunning “Deadman’s Hand”, where Kilbey manages to take a nonsense lyric like “on our way to crush the revolution” and turns it into an evocative anthem.
While it may not be a great album, Untitled #23 is a solid example of how a band can accomplish a great deal by thinking small. The Church have had moments of spiraling ambition in their thirty year career, many of which have left us with disappointing albums. It’s encouraging to hear them finally embracing the audience they have, instead of trying to branch out. They’ve figured out that their moment in the spotlight has long since passed. However, this hasn’t stopped them from releasing some very good music, even if few people are really listening.
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