Thrifty Tunes 08.22.09: The Church - Gold Afternoon Fix
Posted by Paul Hollingsworth on 08.22.2009
AC/DC, INXS and Men at Work are world famous musical exports from Australia. This week's Thrifty Tunes takes a look at another group from down under, a criminally underrated and overlooked band called The Church
While the early 90's are now most remembered musically as the years of grunge's ascent and pop metal's fall, there was another equally important musical development which owed more to bands like Big Star and Love than The Sex Pistols and The Ramones . Side by side with the explosion of grunge (if somewhat less stormy and violent) was the creation of what came to be known as dream pop. A few of the bands like The Cocteau Twins, crossed over into the mainstream, but most remained underground and underappreciated. (Bands like Lush, Pale Saints and The Sundays .) Almost without exception, these bands were very British, but The Church an Australian band on a major label, were one of the few bands of the time who successfully absorbed elements of dream pop into their original sound, which was based more on psychodelia and new wave elements.
In 1988, the band had an unexpected hit single with "Under the Milky Way", a sort of primer course in dream pop, complete with acoustic guitars, and wide-open, cloud-like atmospherics. None of the other bands songs up until that point sounded anything like "Milky Way", but because record companies thrive on hits, the band was sent back into the studio to record a new album more in line with the hit song than the other, more progressive and less radio-friendly songs they had previously produced. The result, Gold Afternoon Fix , is an album which the band called "lousy" and "hideous." Bands, however, tend to be horrible critics of their own work, and this record, I think, is no different.
The albums kicks off with the combo of "Pharaoh" and "Metropolis", two songs which are closer to the bands pre-"Milky Way" sound than anything else on the album. There's a hint of The Velvet Underground , a band whose altar is worshipped upon by most dream pop bands, and, especially on "Pharaoh" there's a nod toward some Animals-era Pink Floyd . The band was reportedly unhappy with the record company's edict to produce more "Milky Way" type songs, and the tension and displeasure is evident on the recording. "Pharaoh" is a tense song, the type of song you'd listen to while a terrible storm brewed on the horizon.
"Terra Nova Cain" is the first obvious imitation of the band's biggest hit, but I feel it moves the band forward instead of backwards. While the attempt may have been to recapture the mood of a previous song, the band, lead by Steve Kilbey , were musically too talented to rewrite the same song, no matter what the record company wanted. "Terra" sort of acts as a coda, in fact, to "Milky Way", and its a tribute to the band's talent that they were able to pull it off.
"Monday Morning", in my opinion may be the best thing the band ever recorded. It's almost Beatle-ish, with a nice, sing-along chorus and a twiangy, unobtrusive mandolin, which may have given R.E.M. a few ideas for a song they wrote a few years later. The song is melancholy without being depressing, a fine line that very few songs are able to pull off. "You're Still Beautiful", which was a minor hit for the band, is another song which showcases the band's unmistakable ability to write a radio-friendly hook, while still maintaining an edge which lesser bands often loose in their quest for their next big hit.
The album closes with a long piece of prog-type rock called "Grind", which wouldn't seem out of place on a Yes or King Crimson record. The band's record label, after spending a great deal of money and time on promotion for the album, were ultimately thwarted in their attempt at cashing in on the band's biggest hit, as the record didn't sell particularly well and the band, except in their native Australia, faded from the public eye. I think the band was simply a victim of time. "Milky Way" was so far removed from everything else on the radio at the time that the public didn't know what to make of the band and couldn't deal with an album full of similar sounding songs. If this album were released today, it would still sound comfortable and fresh with what is out now, particularly in the dream pop and shoe gaze genres. Much like Venom last week, this was a band that was too far ahead of the times to be appreciated in its own time, but whose influences extends far beyond its hits songs.
Complete Track Listing: (1990 on Arista Records CD Version)
1. Pharaoh
2. Metropolis
3. Terra Nova Cain
4. City
5. Monday Morning
6. Russian Autumn Heart
7. Essence
8. You're Still Beautiful
9. Disappointment
10. Transient
11. Laughing
12. Fading Away
13. Grind
The Church continues to release new material, Untitled 23 , their 23rd release (depending on how you count all the band's EP'S and other releases over the years) came out earlier this year. Except for "Under The Milky Way" the band is largely unheralded in the United States, which is a real shame. (And the song's use in that silly Donnie Darko movie did it no favors.) The Church have an unique sound, above average lyrics, and write some of the best hooks in pop music. They definitely deserve more attention and acclaim, especially for refusing to tour as nostalgia act. Their new material is just as good, if not better, than what's on this album, which is a very rare feat for any band.
