After signing to Arista in 1988, they saw their largest international success with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under The Milky Way" which resurfaced on the soundtrack of the cult movie "Donnie Darko". Whilst the band remain feted by their peers, subsequent commercial success proved elusive: 1990s follow-up album "Gold Afternoon Fix" failed to capitalise on their success, and the band weathered several line-up changes after its release, first losing long-term drummer Richard Ploog, then Peter Koppes following 1992s "Priest = Aura". That album baffled and confused many fans upon its release as to what band The Church was considered to be, but is now considered a seminal album and one of the most revered by Church connoisseurs. The vacant drum-stool on Priest=Aura being occupied by Jay Dee Daugherty of Arista labelmate Patti Smiths group, and it was produced by Gavin MacKillop of Moose.
Reduced to a two-piece, Kilbey & Willson-Piper re-grouped with the assistance of drummer/producer Tim Powles to record 1994's "Sometime Anywhere", concluding their obligations to the Arista and Mushroom labels. The commercial decline, combined with the Church being ignored again by a music press more focused on the Nineties' music trends, could have brought about the demise of the band, had it not coincided with the breakthrough of the internet, thus enabling direct communication from the band to its passionate cult fanbase.
This brought about a new beginning for The Church, with Peter Koppes rejoining the band for recording 1996s "Magician Among The Spirits". The band (with Koppes back into the fold, and Powles now as the permanent drummer ), hit a re-newed creative surge and with regained selfconfidence, released "Hologram Of Baal" 2 years later, and toured Australia, the USA and Europe.
The first decade of the 21st century found the band releasing severeal highly critically acclaimed albums, like 2002's aptly named "After Everything Now this" and 2003's "Forget Yourself", the latter breaking new ground with bandmembers swapping instruments in the recording process. Live performances stray from high profile events like the 03 concerts at Sydney Opera House and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, to low-profile gigs for smaller audiences, often confusing old 80s fans, surprised to find the band still playing, wrongly assuming the band just being one in the never-ending string of reunion acts.
2009's album "Untitled#23" marked yet another highlight.. its essence represented in just 10 songs, and with a strong less-is-more approach, the albums core identity being on par with Starfish, it also finds Steve Kilbey breaking new ground as a vocalist.
2010 saw their 30th anniversary, with extensive touring in the US and Australia. Their unique position and importance in the australian music scene was recognized with an ARIA award.
Their album, "Further Deeper", was released in 2014, and "man woman life death infinity" in 2017.
An Interlude
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Psychic angels spread on the top of her head
And in the compartments of my dread
The rush hour crush travels home to bed
"You never seem to hear" she smiled
Statues tiptoe for a glimpse of the child
The lawns are always lush and wild
Spacious floors bejeweled and tiled
Mermaids drowned but I clung to the raft
It's just the water in the bath
An interlude for the busy staff
The Church’s song ‘An Interlude’ speaks to the feeling of being disconnected from the world around you, and the imagery used in the lyrics heightens this feeling of disorientation. The opening lyrics, “They're going to send you away” she said, suggest that the singer is perhaps a bit unstable or disconnected from reality. This feeling is emphasized by the mention of psychic angels on the woman’s head, which adds an otherworldly quality to the scene. The singer then goes on to describe his own sense of dread, which is compartmentalized within him as he travels home during rush hour.
The woman in the song seems to be trying to engage the singer in conversation, but he is not fully present. She tells him “you never seem to hear” and remarks at how statues are “tiptoeing for a glimpse of the child”. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer’s inner child, the part of himself that is playful and open to the world, but which is not able to flourish due to the pressures of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
They're going to send you away" she said
She spoke about others dispatching you
Psychic angels spread on the top of her head
Her head is adorned with spiritual messengers
And in the compartments of my dread
My trepidation is sectioned off
The rush hour crush travels home to bed
The throng arrives to sleep after its commute
"You never seem to hear" she smiled
Amused, she expressed how you always seem inattentive
Statues tiptoe for a glimpse of the child
Sculptures sneak a peek at the youngster
The lawns are always lush and wild
The grasslands are continually verdant and untamed
Spacious floors bejeweled and tiled
The expansive levels are embellished with gems and ceramic
"How are you getting home" she laughed
Mockingly, she asked how you plan to return home
Mermaids drowned but I clung to the raft
The mermaids perished, but you held onto the floatation device
It's just the water in the bath
It's only the liquid in the washbasin
An interlude for the busy staff
A break for the occupied personnel
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KILBEY, KOPPES, PLOOG, WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself