Steve Kilbey - Unearthed (1987)

This blog has gone far too long without a post about Steve Kilbey and/or his band, The Church. Although they're pretty popular in their homeland of Australia, The Church are known everywhere else in the world, if they're known at all, for their only major hit: the immortal "Under the Milkyway". I think that this is really unfortunate, as their synthesis of new wave, goth, U2-like arena rock, and psychedelia makes for some of my favorite music.

No matter how lush and inviting the rest of the band sounds, though, Kilbey's surreal lyrics and spectral voice are the band's lifesblood, so it's not surprising that Unearthed, his first solo album, stands up nicely to comparison with his primary project's work. Although the dreamlike words and crystalline guitar work are in full effect, Unearthed leans more heavily on synths and drum machines than anything that The Church had recorded up to this point. Like many solo excursions, there's a sense of experimentation and spontaneity to this record, and thankfully, in addition to the cool, weird keyboard pieces, there are a bunch of great songs.

Track listing:
1. Out of This World
2. Guilty
3. Pretty Ugly, Pretty Sad
4. Swampdrone
5. Judgement Day
6. Rising Son
7. Tyrant
8. Transference
9. My Birthday, the Moon Festival
10. Design Error
11. Nothing Inside
12. Other Time
13. Heliopolis
14. Famine

It reminds me of the time I've told you about
Every voice in the world seemed to shout
I sank to my knees, hands over my ears
I could have heard what nobody hears