Fans of The
Church are a devoted bunch. They hang on every word and note ever produced
by Steve
Kilbey, Marty
Willson-Piper, and their various bandmates. The Church never completely broke
through in the States, though, and I think there's a reason for that. Their blend
of Byrdsy guitars with postmodern song structures was pleasant, but I never found
it compelling enough to go out and purchase all their many albums, EPs, and singles.
Their debut, Of Skin And Hearts is fine, and later records like Remote
Luxury, Heyday, and Starfish (their biggest American hit) are very
strong, but the Church always seemed to be more about the "sound" rather
than the "fury." (It made them an impressive live act, however, with
all the swirling guitars and white light.) Buddah's Under The Milky Way: The
Best Of The Church is an excellent overview, including early standouts like "Unguarded
Moment" along with later hits like the title song.