The Church - Sometime Anywhere (1994)

The Church established themselves several decades back as an Australian band with a unique sound, blending together dark, moody post-punk that was just shy of gothic and atmospheric, textured jangle pop. Though favorably grouped alongside bands such as Echo & the Bunnymen and the Psychedelic Furs, the Church never matched their fame outside of their 1988 breakaway hit single, “Under the Milky Way.” Be that as it may, they released truly brilliant albums including Heyday and Starfish.

On Sometime Anywhere, the band explores electronic and world music styles not previously familiar to them. Sometimes it works, other times not so much. The insistent “Angelica” sounds like a great, misplaced Primal Scream track, while songs like “Day of the Dead” and “Loveblind” present the Church in welcome, well-known territory. Unfortunately, those three songs are pretty much the only stand-outs from the thirteen on the album.

The rest, not unlike the album cover itself, seem like disparate pieces forced together, cluttered and disconnected from those around them and ranging from dull to puzzling. Part of the blame could be placed on the absence of two members from the original line-up, guitarist Peter Koppes and drummer Richard Ploog. The remaining duo, frontman Steve Kilbey and second guitarist Marty Willson-Piper, try their best to compensate for the loss. The largest frustration is not that most of the album disappoints, but rather that the few enjoyable tracks show they still have significant talent but aren’t harnessing it as best they could be.

Streamable Track: "Angelica"


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