The Church
El Momento Descuidado

THE REVIEW

I reviewed "Starfish" out of admiration for a group I highly esteem, for the unmistakable voice of Kilbey and for an Album that, in my opinion, is truly "extraordinary"

The Church, who have been around for twenty-five years, a slew of albums, moreover self-produced by them, enjoyed as much yesterday as today by all of us, "small and big fans" always on the hunt for their news, and "almost always" rewarded with moderate satisfaction, an example? ........ "El Momento Descuidado", pleasant and accessible.

The "charmingly shocking" impact, is inevitable for those who have known them from the beginning, but as you listen and re-listen, the whole thing fades away, until you intensely desire it. They have brought back to light nine of their most famous hit songs, all reinterpreted in entirely acoustic form, completely dressed up for the occasion, spontaneous, calm, subdued, relaxing, with finely tuned arrangements, always breathtaking the arpeggios between Koppes and Willson-Piper, a strong emphasis on strings, keyboards, organs, mouth accordions, and mandolins (all characteristic and fundamental instruments for The Church), harmonies suited for the XXI century, accompanying that sweet trail of nostalgic memories that pleasantly make us smile still, in other words, I am talking about "The Unguarded Moment", "Almost With You", "Metropolis", "Chromium", "Sealine", "A New Season", "Tristesse", "Under The Milky Way" and "Invisible", extracted from "Starfish", "The Blurred Crusade", "After Everything Now This", "Heyday", etc. etc... and they have delighted us with another five unreleased tracks, that is: "0408", "November", "All I Know", "Till The Cows Come Home", "Between Mirages".

An Album that stands out? It's hard to say for a group outside the norms, who have consistently traveled against the tide of the '80s, with unpredictable results, very attentive to details and with innate class. This "exception" can surely turn into criticism from many admirers, not inclined to appreciate this their ( ), or it can benefit from benevolent comments on the novelty, thus leaving room for the tastes, judgments, and prejudices of others, but believe me listening to a current "Under The Milky Way" following the steps of the original in "Starfish" will not disappoint you, I find both so engaging.

A very polished sound that "does not adhere to" the original versions, but is a demonstration of the continuous evolution of this group, which does not distort its essence.

I could conclude by stating that time hasn’t worn them down, but has simply matured them, and that says it all!