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The Church 'Forget Yourself'

added 26 January 2004 at 09.49

It’s almost mandatory that reviews of ‘Forget Yourself’, the latest release from Aussie veterans The Church, state that this is their 17th album of their 23 years together. Most of the writers seem surprised to find that they are still around. You can hardly blame them.

For the uninitiated then, they formed in Sydney in 1980, their early records brought comparisons with everyone from The Byrds to The Only Ones and The Cure. However a penchant for jangling guitars, Pink Floyd and all things psychedelic soon found them lumped in with the Paisley Underground that also embraced the likes of R.E.M., The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade (ask your dad).

Commercially they peaked back in 1988 with the excellent ‘Starfish’, although it barely caused a ripple in the UK. If you’ve heard of them at all, it’s probably for that album’s ‘Under The Milkyway’ which featured prominently on the soundtrack to Donnie Darko. Other than that they’ve never really come close to registering on the mass public’s radar. Although it’s probably the fact that they never went global that has allowed them to develop and release a series of brilliant but defiantly uncommercial albums, each eagerly awaited by a devout following. But what you really need to know is if ‘Forget Yourself’ is any good. The simple answer is yes, it’s great.

Much of it recorded live in the studio with drummer and producer Tim Powles keeping it raw, in places it can feel quite dense, simply because there is so much going on. As usual, it’s the effects heavy guitar playing of Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes that gives the songs much of their character. The euphoric soaring ‘Telepath’ showcases their virtuosity, the intro to ‘Song In Space’ sounds like a drunken accordion, the gentle, philosophical ‘Maya’ and the haunting ‘I Kept Everything’ play on more traditional territory, while ‘The Theatre And Its Double’ (don’t let the pretentious title put you off) is a gloriously gloomy swoon with keyboard washes and some monumental string picking.

All this while frontman Steve Kilbey spins out his typically intriguing lyrics. A literary fellow, he’s never been afraid to take ideas from religion and mythology, yet here he seems to be addressing the human condition more directly. Whether marvelling at the everyday (“The music and the traffic and the rain are blending / the water meters, the fire escapes / children in the present moment unending / nobody knows their former shapes”) or addressing the larger questions “I’m a tiny little flash in a damaged universe”, “Wait! Let me sort this out / If it's a question of faith or a question of doubt”. Either way it makes a change from the charming lyrical indolence of, say, Jet.

The Church may have spent the majority of their existence out of step with fashion, but with ‘Forget Yourself’ they have created that most elusive of entities; an album that challenges its audience (it’s caused some consternation among hardcore fans) and keeps getting better on repeated listens. Excellent.

The Church 'Forget Yourself' (Cooking Vinyl) Released January 26 2004.

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