Few '80s bands - even the ones that really, really looked the part - made music as consistently mesmerizing, haunting, and gothically satisfying as Australian alternative rock group The Church. I was reminded of that fact intensely and in the best way last week while cruising the contents of my iPod. This album track from 1988's Starfish ambles along with a creepy confidence that is pretty much unheard of in the wide expanse of rock and roll lyricism.
I don't even have a chance to gush about the musicality of "Lost" in the limited space in which I'm working here, chiefly because Steve Kilbey's vocal delivery of lines like the following is so damn satisfying: "The pursuit of adulation is your butter and your bread/It's an exquisite corpse and its lips are red/And its teeth are glistening." I don't know about you, but I don't think it's entirely a coincidence that I'm preparing to watch in mere moments the latest episode of HBO's powerhouse vampire drama True Blood. That's called a segue, ladies and gents.
- Sample or download "Lost" here.
- Compare prices on The Church CDs here.
- Top 10 '80s Down Under Artists
- Top 10 Songs of 1988
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Arista
Comments
The Church are SOOOOOO under-rated it is a tragedy! All of their music has this spectacularly haunting sound to it. Other Church suggestions are Under a Milky Way, The Unguarded Moment and Almost With You. These Canberra natives alterni-pop-psychadelia really struck a massive chord with me.
I remember cranking the song Reptile probably early 90s, using it to get everybody fired-up prior to hitting bars in SF. Another awesome song from that album. Their Gold Fix Afternoon had some strong moments, too.
I know your blog focuses on the 80s, but The Church are still making great music. To celebrate their 30th anniversary they did a career retrospective tour of the US and are now gearing up to do the same in Australia. Excellent show — catch it if you can. And I hear they may be coming back to the US in the spring….