The Church
Hologram of Baal
Thirsty Ear
They’re back after, how many is it, four years? Yep, those drippy-pop Australians have re-united to put out a pretty sinister album. Sinister in title, that is.
Hologram of Baal is ten gooey, Church-pop songs about, what else? jingle-jangle happiness or despair. Take your pick, it’s hard to tell: am I depressed or in some sort of euphoria where nothing matters? If you’re a big fan of the Church, you’ll really dig this album, especially “Anaesthesia,” “Ricochet,” and “Tranquility.” All of which mix a lot of syrupy vocals with equally-sugar-coated guitar and electronics. “The Great Machine” is a very strange semi-spoken word number that has a “disturbing” sound, sort of reminded me of a one-sided conversation at a grave. “No Certainty Attached” has a lot of “pop” appeal; it’s upbeat (not like “Reptile,” though) and it sounds like it could hold it’s own in today’s “pop” arena. At the end of a few listens, though, I was going into a diabetic coma… And the Church specialize in doing that to people, don’t they? Thirsty Ear Recordings, 274 Madison Ave., Suite 804, New York, NY 10016
