Oct 19, 2011

RhoDeo 1142 Aetix

Hello, Aetix is still at that great southern land, they too have rallied in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and joined the global Occupy movement. Much has been said by the media (elite stooges) that the movement lacks an agenda and basically was senseless or worse, deriding the protesters as lazy and workshy, completely beside the truth, but then ever since 9/11 the press have proven to have become completely opposed to reporting any truths that would upset the powers that be. Admittedly those that tried quickly got the sack and being blacklisted in the States these days means the Gestapo (Homeland security) is always on your back.

Back to the Occupy Movement, what is it that brings them out-

We, the people, rallying in Occupy Together protests around the world are battling first and foremost for the right to life, in the face of elitist governments and corporations doing their best to depopulate this globe through machinations hardly known to the public.As one people, united, we the 99% acknowledge the reality. That the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members together with a system that protects our rights upon corruption of that system. No true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come together at a time when corporations run our governments. They place profit over people, self-interest over justice and oppression over equality. Because our governments have failed in their responsibilities, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights and those of their neighbors. We are rallying for the restoration of human dignity, where people have been treated like cattle by the various elites of the world in their pursuit of wealth and power.

Todays band combines the jangling guitar pop of '60s icons like the Byrds with the opaque wordplay of frontman Steve Kilbey to create a lush, melancholy brand of neo-psychedelia rich in texture and melody.

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From the early 1970s, Steve Kilbey and Peter Koppes had played in several glam rock bands in Canberra, Australia. In April 1980 they formed a three-piece with Nick Ward on drums and began performing. After Marty Willson-Piper (hailing from Liverpool) joined them, they took the name 'The Church'. Allegedly, the name was chosen largely because it was unclaimed, but later allusions to the band's spiritual interests by Kilbey hint that it was less coincidental. Their debut album, Of Skins and Heart, was recorded late in 1980, produced by Chris Gilbey and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. Almost all tracks were written by Steve Kilbey. A second single, "The Unguarded Moment," was released alongside the album in March 1981, it appeared on the charts, thanks to this publicity, the band went on their first national tour.

The success of "Of Skins and Heart" manager Chris Gilbey to present the band to Carrere (europe) and Capito (US), which both went on to release it. In both regions, the album was renamed and repackaged with slightly altered track listings. Capitol also released an edited version of "The Unguarded Moment" which was a minute shorter than the original - a decision that didn't much please the band. The second album this The Blurred Crusade, was released 1982, this time both mixed and produced by Bob Clearmountain. Stylistically more complex than the band's debut, it is widely considered a more consistent and sophisticated work. The first single, "Almost With You" resulted in a second hit for the band, and has since become one of the band's trademark songs.

Due to this renewed success, the Church went on a second Australian tour. Carrere released the album in Europe as well, bringing in enough sales to convince the band to tour there for the first time. But Capitol, the band's American label, declined to release The Blurred Crusade and demanded the Church write more radio-friendly material (3 min tracks) . in 83 they released the self produced "Seance" thought to be too dark and cryptic by the fans, but that ticked of the reviewers in Europe and the US. The last two albums had done well thru import in the US and when Warner released the packaged double EP Remote Luxury, their first US tour came about, a mixed result as it didnt make the any money. After a sabbatical the band returned with Heyday in 86, the album was well recieved but sold too little for EMI Australia so they got dropped, revenge was sweet as the next year, after a disturbing encounter with the LA life style where they recorded Starfish, the single Under the Milky Way' became a huge international hit . Of cause pressure was on to top that with their next album Gold Afternoon Fix, which didnt deliver the return of marketing investment. Returning to Australia they licked their wounds and wrote priest=aura, considered their best work, though at the time it got a mixed reception, without marketing support and Seatle grunge taking the limelight the album marked the end of the Church's commercial achievement.

The band went off to diverse side projects and upon release of 94 Sometime Anywhere, the band had transformed musically , the recordlabelsaw no future in it and dropped them. With new drummer Tim Powles, the Church issued 1996's Magician Among the Spirits on the tiny White label; a subsequent tour marked Koppes' return to the fold. Hologram of Baal followed in 1998, and a year later the Church released the covers collection Box of Birds. After Everything Now This and the double album Parallel Universe both appeared in 2002. The group signed with Cooking Vinyl in 2003, releasing Forget Yourself, a magical collection of new songs that harkened back to their late eighties days. They continue to be prolific and their latest studio album Uninvited, Like the Clouds (06) was recently followed by, a follow up to their un-plugged El Momento Descuidado (04), El Momento Siguiente (07).2009's album title of Untitled #23 is a vague signal that the Church is returning to the spacy, hazy territory of their heyday on this, their 23rd album.

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The Church's fourth album, Heyday, released in 1986, was a pivotal experience for the band, as it marked the first time they had attempted to write an album collectively (previous to this, Steve Kilbey had served as the primary song-writer), and they did so despite the fact that going in to the recording sessions, the band was on the verge of disintegration.
What had made Heyday, so distinctive was its orchestrated sound, as producer Peter Walsh had made liberal use of multi-tracking instruments and vocals to lend the album its oceanic depth and ethereal textures, presenting both a brilliant slew of songs and some fantastic performances, the quartet created a flat-out fantastic record. While the process of creating Heyday gave The Church a creative second-wind, the album failed to break through commercially; as a result, the band was unceremoniously jettisoned by their record label, EMI.


The Church - Heyday (flac 341mb)

01 Myrrh 4:19
02 Tristesse 3:29
03 Already Yesterday 4:14
04 Columbus 3:50
05 Happy Hunting Ground 5:31
06 As You Will 4:45
07 Tantalized 4:59
08 Disenchanted 3:55
09 Night Of Light 4:47
10 Youth Worshipper 3:43
11 Roman 3:51
12 The View 3:41

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Gold Afternoon Fix should have been a consolidation of the band's increased commercial profile and cachet after "Under the Milky Way," Unfortunately, the Church's original choice for producer -- John Paul Jones, who likely would have helped oversee a total masterpiece -- was rejected, leading to another session with Wachtel. This time the balance between accessibility and art didn't succeed as planned. The end result is an album that's sometimes fantastic, sometimes merely there. After that things move between hit and miss, but there's enough character coming through to ensure a pleasant listen.


The Church - Gold Afternoon Fix ( flac 410mb)

01 Pharaoh 3:54
02 Metropolis 4:44
03 Terra Nova Cain 5:10
04 City 3:22
05 Monday Morning 2:46
06 Russian Autumn Heart 4:06
07 Essence 5:14
08 You're Still Beautiful 3:07
09 Disappointment 6:10
10 Transient 4:22
11 Laughing 4:35
12 Fading Away 3:40
13 Grind 6:07

The Church - Gold Afternoon Bonus Fix ( flac 313mb)

01 Much Too Much 3:51
02 Take It Back 4:03
03 Desert 2:50
04 Forgotten Reign 4:20
05 Hunter 4:24
06 Dream 2:56
07 Ride Into The Sunset 4:32
08 You Got Off Light 3:29
09 The Feast 4:49
10 Metropolis (Acoustic) 4:18
11 Grind (Acoustic) 5:37

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Probably the most obscure album title yet from the Church, and definitely one of the least likely to provide a catchy radio single, but with this defiant reclaiming of their own destiny, the band came up with its best album to date. If not as gloriously catchy as Heyday, Priest = Aura shows the Church fully in charge of creating evocative, poetic, and gripping music with a distinctly unsettling edge. Part of the strength of Priest = Aura is its excellent sequencing, organized from start to finish. The opening song, "Aura," finds the band coming in after an atmospheric synth start, Kilbey's sly lyric equally applicable to the band's recent situation and standing as a cryptic invocation of strange experiences away from home.


The Church - Priest=Aura (flac 403mb)

01 Aura 6:59
02 Ripple 6:03
03 Paradox 3:59
04 Lustre 5:45
05 Swan Lake 2:26
06 Feel 3:55
07 Mistress 4:12
08 Kings 4:35
09 Dome 4:00
10 Witch Hunt 1:27
11 The Disillusionist 6:24
12 Old Flame 1:37
13 Chaos 9:34
14 Film 3:56

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once elsewhere (Sunshine outback--been deleted but now here in remastered flac)

The Church - The Blurred Crusade ( 82 ^ 408mb)

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hello Rho,

Do you still have access to the three The Church albums?

Thanks and Stay Safe

AJ