Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars by The Church–Album Review
Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars by The Church–Album Review
Well into their fifth decade of making music, mostly Australian neo-psychedelic pioneering five-some The Church has put into wide release the companion piece to last year’s concept album, “The Hypnogogue.” Originally sold at the merch table following their gigs last year, the new album, “Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars,” complements and completes that album’s arc. The pair of albums follows the rise and fall of the Spiders from Mars, I mean, the fall and rise of an addicted Antarctic pop star in a post-apocalyptic near future in the year two thousand and fifty-four.
What sets this album apart from their earlier companion albums like Somewhere Else (Sometime Anywhere’s partner) or Bastard Universe (paired with Hologram of Baal) is that it stands on its own as an album. It’s a solid effort and it makes me wonder why they didn’t just release a double album last year.
The ever-prolific and sole remaining original member, bassist/vocalist Steve Kilbey, still has a lot to say. Not only did he manage to write two albums worth of material on a single theme, but he even wrote a whole companion novel! He penned “Eros Zeta and The Hypnogogue”, which expands on the story of the most southern pop star. Given his easy way with lyrics and turns of phrase, it’s not surprising that he could crank out a novel. It’s only a wonder he hasn’t done it sooner.
Kilbey’s lyrics are in top form throughout the album. Consider this verse from “Pleasure,” and how the words coil like snakes entwined:
Land on your feet in another suite
It’s sweeter, complete, still standing in the street
In the street where you live with its mansions and flats
With its fountains and statues and gardens and flowers
“Pleasure” is one of the most gorgeous songs The Church has ever written. I’ve kept it on repeat all week. As the song slides into the outro, the synths fade out and this lonesome country slide guitar kicks in. It’s one genre the band should explore more. Now that Alabama native Jeffrey Cain is a permanent member of the band, maybe he can steer the ship into those uncharted waters.
One lyrical oddity that falls a little flat is when Kilbey goes meta and name-checks himself in “Song from the Machine.” It’s an odd choice that maybe can be explained away by the story: perhaps Kilbey himself was an influence on the Eros Zeta character.
Another highlight, “Manifesto,” with its Eastern European guitar line, channels early Calexico reinterpreting an early Church track like “Shadow Cabinet.”
It wouldn’t be a Church album if there wasn’t an epic jam near the end of the B side, and “Strange Past” does not disappoint, peppered with sci-fi squawks and swirls. The long version is much more enjoyable than the radio edit, and while the radio edit hits all the right notes, it’s just not as interesting because it ends all too soon.
The instrumental closer “Music from the Ghost Hotel” starts with a guitar line reminiscent of “Numbers,” the lead-off track from “After Everything Now This.” It’s pretty and entrancing with its loopy, e-bow-laden fills, but it doesn’t come close to soaring to the epic heights reached by “Second Bridge” from “The Hypnogogue.” It’s a more quiet way to go out.
Hugh Stewart
Speaking of going out, last year, Kilbey said “The Hypnogogue” might be the last Church album. “Eros Zeta” was written at the same time, so while it’s still possible that they may never release another album, I don’t see them hanging up their guitars just yet, and wouldn’t be surprised if they put out another one in the next year or two. The band is tight and firing on all cylinders. Watch their live performance on KEXP and see the band in top form. Kilbey and company show no signs of slowing down creatively, and that’s a good thing. Some people say there isn’t enough church in our lives. I can’t help but think they’re talking about the band.
The Hypnogogue by The Church–Review
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