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The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Canberra in 1980. Initially associated with New Wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of "progressive rock," featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay.
The Church's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment." They were signed to major labels in Australia, Europe and the U.S. However, the U.S. label was dissatisfied with their second album and dropped the band without releasing the album. This put a dent in their commercial success, but they made a comeback in 1988, with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under the Milky Way." Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, however, and the band weathered several line-up changes in the 1990s. The last decade has seen them settle on their current lineup, which features the original three founding members plus drummer Tim Powles.
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The Church may be the best band in the entire world. Or maybe not. A moderately successful band that's managed to influence just about every band coming out of Australia today. They had a hit... can anyone name it? I guess they had a few more in Australia, but nothing major.
They're a musical anomally. Eternally outside of time and space, except when they want to be. I've loved them for years. Steve Kilbey would write the Dead Sea Scrolls if people hadn't already, I'm sure of that. One day he might claim to have done so in a past life. Just you see... The funny thing is, I'd believe him.
They have their moments... their pop moments, their "experimental" moments, their rock n roll moments... For a man who sings about ghosts and magicians and star crossed lover in ancient Perian myths over swirls of ambient sounds, Mr. Kilbey has a keen sense of rock n roll. At worst, an academic take on Marc Bolan and Jim Morrison... at best, hymns for a coming race. Always otherworldly, but always as intimate as a half-forgotten memory.
Everyone knows the "Starfish" album... "Under the Milky Way", "Destinations", the exquisite "Hotel Womb" (one of the best songs ever)... But "Seance", "Priest = Aura", "Hologram of Baal", "After Everything Now This"... the list goes on. Over 2 1/2 decades of music making under the pop idiom... managing to progress and evolve through all of it. Melodies copped from other worlds via a band that, if they keep it up, will one day actually turn into a ball of light (or at least convince their fans they have... not a hard task).