The Church - A box of birds

Genere: Indie Rock, Alternative

Similar artists: XTC, World Party, The hollow men

Recording year : Cooking Vinil Records, 1999.

The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Canberra in 1980. Initially associated with New Wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of "progressive rock," featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay.

The Church's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment." They were signed to major labels in Australia, Europe and the U.S. However, the U.S. label was dissatisfied with their second album and dropped the band without releasing the album. This put a dent in their commercial success, but they made a comeback in 1988, with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under the Milky Way." Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, however, and the band weathered several line-up changes in the 1990s. The last decade has seen them settle on their current lineup, which features the original three founding members plus drummer Tim Powles.

"A box of birds" is a cover album that could be seen as the last refuge of a dying band, but that's a cynical reading of the situation. At their best, covers albums can be fun and even revealing, as the band stretches out and play with their favorite songs. Such is the case with the Church's A Box of Birds. Their roots have always been evident -- they were fans of '60s psychedelia, plus bits of '70s album rock and prog rock and post-punk. Not surprisingly, that's what's heard on A Box of Birds, but they've been very clever about their choices; only Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes," Hawkwind's "Silver Machine." and Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" are covered regularly by other bands.

A survey among readers of Melbourne newspaper The Age garnered 37,000 votes and the majority chose "Under the Milky Way" as the best Australian song of the last 21 years.

Fields Of Haze.