The Hypnogogue - The Church (Communicating Vessels/Easy Action Records)
Confession time: never really paid much attention to The Church. Cost of having other stuff to do is that you miss a lot.
Conclusion first, though: you're gonna enjoy this. "Ascendance" is the first track and you're gonna go all gooey and lose it from there, taken as you are into a beautiful, well-sculpted world. The band have put a huge amount into "The Hypnogogue" - the music isn't standard throw-away rawk by any stretch; the more you listen, the more exquisite layers you'll discover.
As you probably know, the band has undergone line-up changes over the years; at the moment Kilbey has guitarists Ian Haug (Powderfinger) and Ash Naylor (Even), drummer Tim Powles (with the Church since 1994), and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero). Steve Kilbey, of course, plays bass and handles the lead vocals; it will be interesting to see the band live, as there are a lot of backing vocals.
"The Hypnogogue" is one of those tricky things, a concept LP, and you can think relationships, high drama, regret and mistakes; the title track, by the way, is my favourite.
To top it off, the production is superb. Really, if there's any justice, The Church should be on film and TV soundtracks left and right.
I could make a few comparisons, but they don't matter, not really. All that matters is whether you'll enjoy this collection of songs which soar and float and groove you back and forth.
