After all these years, I finally got my hands on the Holy Grail when it comes to the Church discography. Starfish, starfish, starfish, starfish. It has been almost fifteen years since I last listened to this masterpiece in its entirety, although I wouldn’t have admitted liking it back then due to a musical rivalry with my best friend. Nevertheless, the long wait has made my thirst for this album expand, the longer I hadn’t listened to it the more intrigued I would be in its mysterious luring power. Of course Under the Milky would make its way to a radio station here, a music TV station there, causing me to have violent convulsion and fits of frenzy making me want to yell, “Oh my God, there they are, the Church, the Church, Under the Milky Tonight. This is a classic,” and of course none of my associates would comply since they hadn’t heard of it, as they went on with their meaningful (and/or meaningless lives). Why am I so excited, you may want to ask? Well this is probably the only Church album that has made the US top forty and it was under an independent label. What a wonderful commercial success for members of the band. Not really, Steve Kilbey, the lead singer, despises commercial success, or at least he did at the time, so he wasn’t too worried if they could make a repeat effort, both commercially and sonically. The Church recording activity would relentlessly march forward regardless of success, line-up changes and changing music trends – a feat they managed thanks to they ever-loyal, and might I add stubborn, fan-base. Nevertheless, it was due to this album, and especially Under the Milky Way, which garnered a worldwide cult following.

About the songs, there are ten in all and the total playing time is around 46-47 minutes, so you’ll always be ready for a full listen. All of the songs are sonically very well harmonized and you’ll find that not a single one song jumps out as specifically different.

Anyway I’d better get to my famous song by song analysis before raving in circles in my introductory note:

Destination
A gloomy yet highly energetic song. Starting off with a silent single high chord gradually phasing in with a haunting two note guitar melody line, then the melancholy vocals kick in with low key despondent delivery leading to the chorus. The first time the chorus is delivered, there are actually no vocals, just wonderful movement of lead and rhythm guitars, both going in opposite direction while they perfectly fit in to provide a homogeneous melody. on the other hand is just “Destination” sung by backing vocals several times. After this there’s silence. The song comes to a halt only to be introduced again by very quant vocals with string like guitars phasing in and out. The drums kick in to provide with a little bit of liveliness. The second verse comes in, again with the haunting guitar melody and melancholy vocals. The second time around when the chorus comes in, the only vocals we get are from the support singers wailing “Destination” in the background. That’s basically the song structure of the song, add to it an additional dramatic bridge coming in between the second verse and the Chorus, king of a build up and release before returning to this mid-tempo song. An excellent opener to an exceptional album.

Under the Milky Way Tonight
I am sure you might have heard of this song at one time at another, especially if you listen to adult oriented or alternative radio stations. This is the song that brought the Church to a wider mainstream audience. Basically it’s a four chord ethereal ballad with wonderful textured guitars and again melancholy vocals by Mr. Steve Kilbey. It features a bagpipe solo in middle of the song thereby taking the song to a new height and giving it a new dimension. The guitars again are arranged seemingly perfectly providing to a lot of depth.

Blood Money
This is a darker toned song starting with a muted guitar part delivering a chord picked individually note by note. This is accompanied by the rhythm guitar phasing in an out and the contrasting drumming whereby it starts of with rim-shots ending with a full snare fill-in. The song builds up to a full mid-tempo number for the various guitar solos only to return back to the silent verse which again builds up to an instrument filled chorus. The vocals are typical Kilbey, so nothing too special in this regard. :)


Lost
Ahhh Lost. This song brings back lots o’memories. My best friend and I had this so called band which wrote absolutely atrocious songs with even worse delivery. We even recorded three whole albums on a tape recorder and listening to them every once in a while brings back memories of innocence, naïveté and absolute foolishness. Anyway we made a remake of this song with our own lyrics and we called it the lost tennis ball. A tribute to our two man cricket matches which were plagued by half-day searches for the tennis ball which would invariably be hoisted to the nearest and most developed network of bushes. I still remember parts of the improvised lyrics quite vividly, “Because it’s looooost, it’s loooost, it’s a must that the ball is not lost…” ha ha ha ha. Now, that didn’t tell you too much about the song did it. Well there’s nothing much to say about it really. It’s a very straightforward ballad focused around a D minor being played string by string in a particular sequence, this of course applies to the verse. The chorus picks up a little and is tad more melodious. Relaxing to listen to and easy to grasp.

North, South, East and West
Half way through the album we come to this absolute classic. I might have not mentioned it before but this album has some absolute gems that any music lover must listen to it. This is one of those pearls. A highly energetic rock number layered with the patented Church melancholy, what a wonderful contrast. The guitar work is utterly faultless although not intrusive not alienating the listener. The song structure again goes from a fairly aggressive mood to a slightly more intricate verse.

Spark
Once again we are feature to a fairly dreamy yet aggressive song. This number has almost a punk feel to it, albeit without all the rough edges and layered with melody. I hope this is making sense. What makes this song distinctive is that Steve Kilbey does not perform the vocals. That honour would go to lead/rhythm guitars, Mr. Marty Wilson-Piper thus giving it a more vivacious conveyence
Antenna
This laid back almost folk-laiden number goes back to the more relaxed, yet fairly happy number, would you believe. This effect is achieved regardless of the fact that Steve Kilbey is singing. One of the reasons that this song is so special, apart from being happy and positive, well at least sonically speaking, is that it has David Lindley as a guest star delivering a wonderfully textured mandolin solo mixed in with the guitars.

Reptile
Reptile ranges among my favourite Church song of all time. It is very aggressive, moody and in yer face, as opposed to the dreamy demeanor of most of Church’s offerings. Quite simply it has a nice lead guitar lick or rif, accompanied by another lead part accompanying it and imagine a 16-beat rhythm supporting this. The chorus is a more solid endeavour and fills in the lead parts with strong rhythm guitars.

New Season
This number is sung by axeman number two, Mr. Peter Koppes, so it really makes for an enjoyable listen shying away a little form Kilbey’s vocal style. However, the composition is very suitable to the whole mood of the album as it is very easy to get into focus of the difference in voice texture. With playing time of 2:57 it is the shortest song on the LP but it really vies for a second and a third listen, especially due to its easy listen character and bright outlook. Superb!

Hotel Womb
Speaking of superb, the song which I probably have ignored in my youth is Hotel Womb. The start of the song is a U2-esque with or without you segment which is soon interrupted by Kilbey along with the two rhytm guitars. Just listen to the lyrics:

As we float downstream to the Amazon River
Where the black waters swirl.
I say, why are you people wearing those masks?
I say, can we be reconciled?
She says the mother of the storm has to roam the sky
Searching for her child.

I dream I'm safe in my hotel womb.
Soft and soul made, it's a wonderful room.
I wish I'm back in my hotel womb.
Slip through the crack, to that wonderful room.

Kilbey and Co., really know how to weave an intricate web of words, perhaps at times self-indulgent and even pretentious but always poetic and always eclectic, shying away from clichés, they love to make up their own clichés.

Conclusion

I’ll dare once again say that this is probably the best Church album you’re ever going to hear. However, I say this with caution because I am yet to explore all of the albums preceding this one. I can definitely say that it is their best commercial success and can be an excellent introduction into their music, psyche and sensibility. If you find a copy out there, you cannot afford not to buy it, it’s simply a must.






Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening