Lacuna by The Church: Album Review
Lacuna by The Church: Album Review
There’s no stopping the venerable neo-psych Aussie outfit The Church. Still led by the indefatigable sole remaining member and founder, Steve Kilbey, the band has released a string of solid albums over the past few years. The new album, Lacuna, delivers 17 songs of their unique brand of neo-psychedelic dream pop in 80 minutes. But the album doesn’t feel samey at all, and the closest thing to a filler is the reprise of the opener near the end.
If anything, Lacuna rocks a little harder than any album of theirs in recent memory, which is a welcome course correction for a band in its fifth decade. They’re not stuck in a rut. But don’t worry, the music still shimmers (see “Ferrari” or “Everytime”) and even jangles (as on “Winter”) here and there.
Looking for new inspiration for their 28th studio album, they decided to record it in Austin, Texas. You can hear the expansive Texas sky and wide-open spaces in the languid chords, the lyrics, and the song titles like “Western” (naturally) and “Sky River.” “Pleasure” on their previous album, Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, had this country tinge to it, so maybe Texas has been calling to them for quite some time
Lacuna opens with “Lumbini Grove,” a cinematic, slow-burning intro that the band could use as walk-on music before a show. When the song properly begins, Kilbey’s voice sounds brittle, almost weak. Just when you think time has taken its toll on him, he belts out the chorus, and for the rest of the song (and album), his voice is strong and confident.
Kilbey’s lyrics continue to dazzle and confound. He offers up wicked wordplay like “Raver Shoegazer was a beautiful geezer/ Rack full of pedals, salad full of Caesar/ Lovely little wife/ You just couldn’t please her all of the time.”
In “Everytime,” he sings that “love can be a crime but never a sin,” which could be a commentary on all the manufactured outrage around gender.
That said, there’s one head-scratching line in “Martian Skyline” where Kilbey sings, “the cat sat … on the mat.” It turns out the cat is telepathic, which is arguably cool in a trippy way, but come on, you can do better, Steve!
The guitars sound heavier on many tracks. The most notable example is on “The Lemurian,” which marches on insistently to the lost continent in the lyrics before settling into this dreamy break. Just as we’re on the verge of giving in to the lull, Kilbey repeatedly warns us that “you know you could expect just about anything.” Suddenly the music shifts and the guitar churns out the most jagged riff I’ve ever heard the Church do, jarring us awake from our reverie.
Kilbey’s “Paladin” is no goody-two-shoes from Dungeons and Dragons. This paladin smokes black hash, calls for war and manages to break the sound barrier on his horse. The song is a gorgeous, shimmery yet lonely journey.
“Rapture” is an upbeat pop gem with a beginning that builds anticipation just like “Tantalized” off Heyday did, only thankfully without the horns. “Sky and Hill” is an equally upbeat rocker.
“Forever” is the false ending to the album, more like a movie climax. It totally feels like one of their closers, a slow-building epic full of gorgeous guitars and longing lyrics. The guitars in the final two minutes are some of the best they’ve ever recorded. You’ll put this song on repeat.
Adam Nicholas
But Lacuna’s not over yet! They briefly return to “Lumbini Grove” on “Lumbini Theme (Slight Return),” a short instrumental, then they move on to the actual closer, “Sacred Echoes,” now a supersized 9-and-a-half-minute epic suite in three parts, each an homage to one of their influences. It starts with a grandiose opening that would make Pink Floyd proud before gently dissolving into “Sacred Echoes Part II,” the single released last year with drums and synths that recall the majestic swells of Sigur Ros. Then “Part III” launches into a space jam complete with seagull-screaming guitars that’s a worthy successor to the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” only without the lyrics.
For a band that was considering abandoning recording altogether just a few short years ago, they’ve found new energy and a new stride. The album flows with the confidence and comfort of a band that can see the destination for their music and knows exactly how to get there. As Kilbey said in an interview with Psychedelic Scene, the members all want to be here, and it shows. As long as they can maintain the current burst of creative energy from their past three albums, The Church will continue to draw a devoted congregation.
Lacuna drops today, October 30th!
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