The 1981 Listening Post - The Church - Of Skins and Heart

The Church - Of Skins and Heart #131 April 13 1981 The Church Of Skins and Heart Genre: Rock 4.5 out of 5 Highlights: For a Moment We’re Strangers Chrome Injury An Unguarded Moment Don’t Open the Door to Strangers This record feels…ahead of its time. Yes there are a lot of toes dipping into the late 60s psychedelic pop sound ala the Furs and I have to wonder just how popular that first First record was down under. What’s happening here is a fully realized, terrific set of what would probably be considered “New Wave” in 1981, and “Alternative” in 1991 songs and it’s that rare beast that had me stopping everything and listening again. I would bet a month’s salary that The Church opened for U2 on an Australia leg. How could they not? “Memories in Future Tense” seems to be directly inspired by a Boy aesthetic. “Bel-Air” could have fallen off a mid-career Cure record. I just wanted to say that. Cuz I’m listening to it. Again.
I really love how it starts off with the brokenness of that moment that “we're strangers For a minute you look away For a second or always For an instant another day Such strange things you say” But it closes with that warning…”Don't leave your thoughts unguarded Don't let them float where they will They never tell me what I want to know Don't open the door tonight” In the end we are all strangers to each other, yes? And maybe for more than a moment, but perhaps we should be aware that some of those strangers wish us harm. This album was a much needed jolt to an otherwise unimpressive year of music…so far. https://music.apple.com/us/album/of-skins-and-heart/713478306

The 1985 Listening Post - The Church - Heyday

The Church - Heyday

#487/1120

November 1985

The Church

Heyday

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

4.25 out of 5

Highlights:

Myrrh

Disenchanted

I think The Church finally got it right. Did they tour with The Moody Blues? They should have. So, here’s my question about this era:

This music is so obviously steeped in Summer of Love tropes…is it retro? Is it current for the time? What was going on here? I mean, 1967 was only 18 years removed and, at first I think of time spans like that as eons and then I think, shit, 9/11 was like yesterday, right? And that was 18 years ago. 

I can’t tell if the Church is continuing a legacy, embracing nostalgia, moving the genre forward or what?

I do know that they’re really good at it, thought. At least, here.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ7ztNazTVB-rtT46f-OqORe-Takttki

The 1983 Listening Post - The Church - Seance

The Church - Seance

#231
1983 Housekeeping
The Church
Seance
3.25 out of 5

Highlights:
One Day
Dropping Names

I seem to recall The Church and The Fall getting confused in my life at some point. I never listened to either but I thought they whereon and the same. I missed The Church in the previous overviews (I think I probably missed about 100 albums, from the unearthing that have come up here. It would be best to just move forward, I think.
I don’t want to make a habit out of this but this album isn’t available anywhere and Sheffield was kind enough to build a playlist off YouTube. This would’ve been better if the playlist was built on Apple Music or even Spotify out of available tracks, but alas, it wasn’t and Sheff has been patiently expecting this review for about a month. 
So, The Church. Australian band that listened to a LOT of The Cure, huh? Like softening of Bauhaus and an attempt to make it go down a bit easier. Love and Rockets would perfect this a few years later. The thing about The Church is that they sound more like an unearthed band from the late 60s who were ahead of their time than a cutting edge band moving the form forward.The same-same mid tempo plod with heavy bass and background jangly acoustic guitars gets old by the end of side one. It’s too bad that it continues on Side Two all the way until “Dropping Names’ when the band begins to show signs of life. Well, to be fair, the drummer seems to have woken up. Either that or demanded that he be allowed to prove that he can actually play. If the album was 40% more this, it would rank a LOT higher. However, it being the shortest song on the album, save the opener, I am left wondering if maybe he didn’t have the stamina. Or if he was just overruled by all the sorrow.