‘Uninvited Like the Clouds’ is the ambiguous new album by 30 year-old, cult Australian four-piece, The Church. To be confronted with another band whose name begins with ‘The’, I was pleasantly surprised with this eclectic mix of music presented here.
If you are looking for a summery, cheerful, ice cream and flip flops kind of album, then I am afraid you‘re likely to be sorely disappointed. The front man, Steve Kilbey has a lilt similar to that of Bono, and a sound similar to that of U2‘s ‘Joshua Tree’ days, particularly shown in the lazy sounds of ‘Overview’ and ‘Pure Chance’. These two songs particularly stick out as a flashback to those days of lyrical honesty and anthemic tracks.
Thus I fear that this CD has come at a rather bad time for music lovers, as many are just dusting down their old Motown classics ready for summer, and alas, The Church present the more ethereal gentility associated with nights in front of the fire. That is not to say that this album is depressing and lethargic, quite the opposite. Tracks such as ‘Unified Field’ and ‘Easy’ are uplifting , bearing a resemblance to early R.E.M.
The Church are labelled with the ambivalent title of ‘art rock’ by their record label, and I was expecting the adolescent griping of the art rock world’s darling, ‘Bright Eyes’, but I was relieved to discover the maturity employed with this album. Maturity which is understandable considering they have been around for 30 odd years, but The Church are a perfect example of a move away from the whinging tone of today’s alternative scene. ‘She’ll Come Back For You Tomorrow’ has hit the nail on the proverbial head, as the lyrics seem to reiterate a tale, rather than just a compound fragment of something which later becomes a song, inviting the listener and dragging them along on a sometimes introspective, always thoughtful journey. Definitely invited, unlike the clouds.
‘Uninvited, Like the Clouds’ is more of a novella than a piece of music, and it includes so many elements which add up to a richly layered union of piano, cello, guitar, and organ. Rather than being a chaos of sound and influence, the album begs to be heard, in a league away from the influx of Arctic Monkeys clones, and other bands beginning with ‘The’.