The Church Of Skins And Heart (White vinyl)

Description

Condition: Brand New

• Description
• Release details
• Tracklist

• The Churchs debut already has so much of what would make the band special, even if it arrives in a leaner, more direct form than the dreamier records that followed. Of Skins And Heart sits in that great early-80s zone where post-punk sharpness, jangling 12-string guitars and a faint psychedelic haze all meet, with Steve Kilbeys voice giving the whole thing a cool, slightly distant mood. The Unguarded Moment is the obvious centerpiece, but what makes the album hold up is how often the band sounds like it is discovering its identity in real time, pushing beyond simple new wave into something more romantic, mysterious and atmospheric.

  What makes it especially rewarding is that it still feels hungry. The songs have more attack than later Church albums, and the guitar interplay between Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes is already distinctive, giving even the straighter pop moments a shimmering, searching quality. It is not quite the finished article, and some of the arrangements are stiffer than what the band would later achieve, but that sense of a major sound taking shape is part of the appeal. For anyone who likes jangly guitar pop, early neo-psychedelia and Australian post-punk with real melodic instinct, this is an excellent debut and much more than just a historical precursor to Starfish.

  Reviews

  The Churchs Of Skins and Heart carved out a unique place in popular music from an unlikely location PopMatters

  Of Skins and Heart is a curious record. It plays lip service to the prevailing winds of new wave but still manages to contain the ringing Rickenbacker jangle of 1966. PopMatters

  A reassessment of the Australian quartets early LPs is especially useful considering how well it displays the band finding its way toward its signature sound, a swirl of psychedelic rock that contains familiar elements but that sounds like no one but the Church. The Big Takeover

  The gorgeous guitar soundscapes and occasionally evocative verbal imagery seemed to promise bright things to come. Trouser Press

  Their wash of ringing guitars neatly complements the moody intensity of Steve Kilbeys songs. Shadow Cabinet

• Artist: The Church Label: EMI Format: LP Units: 1 Country: Australia & New Zealand Genre: Pop & Rock Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave

• Right Side
  A1 For A Moment We’Re Strangers
  A2 Chrome Injury
  A3 The Unguarded Moment
  A4 Memories In Future Tense
  A5 Bel-Air
  Left Side
  B1 Is This Where You Live
  B2 She Never Said
  B3 Fighter Pilot…Korean War
  B4 Don’T Open The Door To Strangers