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.
Replated/Chromium
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Frightened faces, basket cases
Jags and riches, queens and witches
Electric mantras and tight-fitting dreams
Never been so high
Gilded flowers, long-lost hours
Meet a maniac in the cul-de-sac
Otherwise it's this ennui
All this waiting, brings me down
All those colors, bring me around
Never been so high
(Chromium platin')
Never been so high
(All this waiting brings me down)
Never been so high
(Suffocatin')
Never been so low
(All those colors bring me around)
Broken records, faded labels
Songs to sing to when you were young
A tattooed pierced arm, fresh and perfumed
Switch your prison, fly away
All this waiting brings me down
All those colors bring me around
Broken records
Never been so high
(Gilded flowers, long-lost hours)
Never been so high
(Morning programs with fake suntans)
Never been so high
(Meet a maniac in the cul-de-sac)
Never been so low
(Otherwise it's this ennui)
Jewels on your fingers, tears in your dresses
Fabulous mansions, damp little rooms
This one will shrink me, this one will grow me
Human to sleeping, reality looms
This ennui
This ennui
This ennui
The Church's song "Replated/Chromium" seems to be exploring the highs and lows of life, and the various distractions we use to escape ourselves. The lyrics describe a range of experiences and emotions, from the "silver needles, golden eagles" and "electric mantras and tight-fitting dreams" that lift us up, to the "broken records, faded labels" and "ennui" that bring us down. There are references to wealth and luxury ("jags and riches, queens and witches, jewels on your fingers, tears in your dresses, fabulous mansions") juxtaposed with boredom and dissatisfaction ("otherwise it's this ennui"). The song hints at a desire for escape, expressed in lines like "switch your prison, fly away" and "human to sleeping, reality looms."
The repeated refrain "never been so high" and "never been so low" plays with the idea of extremes, suggesting that perhaps the singer is experiencing a kind of manic-depressive cycle. The use of words like "suffocatin'," "all this waiting brings me down," and "reality looms" also points to a sense of confinement or restriction that the singer is trying to overcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Silver needles, golden eagles
Valuable possessions or experiences, like acupuncture needles or eagles, which may represent freedom or power.
Frightened faces, basket cases
Emotionally unstable or stressed individuals, often due to external factors.
Jags and riches, queens and witches
Different types of people, ranging from wealthy and powerful to magical and mysterious.
Electric mantras and tight-fitting dreams
Vivid, energetic thoughts or beliefs that may feel constraining or limiting.
Never been so high
Experiencing heightened emotions or sensations, possibly due to the aforementioned experiences or possessions.
Gilded flowers, long-lost hours
Beauty and luxury, contrasted with the loss of time and/or youth.
Morning programs with fake suntans
The artificiality of media or societal expectations, such as early morning news programs featuring overly tanned anchors.
Meet a maniac in the cul-de-sac
Encountering someone dangerous or psychotic while trapped in a small, confined space.
Otherwise it's this ennui
Feeling bored, restless, and unfulfilled with the monotony of daily life.
All this waiting, brings me down
Impatience and frustration with the slow pace of progress or change.
All those colors, bring me around
Bright and vibrant experiences or memories that lift one's mood or spirits.
Broken records, faded labels
Outdated or repetitive ideas, music, or experiences.
Songs to sing to when you were young
Nostalgia for one's past, particularly enjoyed during times of reflection or introspection.
A tattooed pierced arm, fresh and perfumed
A visually striking, possibly rebellious or alternative appearance coupled with a sweet scent.
Switch your prison, fly away
Breaking free from mental or physical limitations, such as escaping one's work or routine.
Jewels on your fingers, tears in your dresses
Symbolizing both opulence and sadness, the duality of life experiences.
Fabulous mansions, damp little rooms
Opposites in terms of wealth and comfort, yet representing different types of emotional and psychological captivity.
This one will shrink me, this one will grow me
Different experiences or relationships may contract or expand one's sense of self.
Human to sleeping, reality looms
Transitioning from consciousness to unconsciousness, or possibly referencing death.
This ennui
Repetition of the aforementioned feeling of boredom or restlessness.
Contributed by Olivia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself