AFTER EVERYTHING NOW THIS

Sixteenth album from "The Church", this one is not to be categorized into their top ones, I'm afraid.

There is nothing too wrong here, but the melancholic music, passionless and uniform vocals, same sort of music through this almost an hour of music are ingredients which I can't find too exciting.

There is even one track recorded live. I have always wonder why the band who has been active for about twenty years by the release of "After Everything Now This" never recorded a live album. Still, they are touring. But when I see the type of events they organize (dinner + show at around 100 AUD $ for a seat) I wonder what are going through their minds. Some sort of "Night Of The Proms" affair maybe; for rich and famous?

To cut a long story short, I prefer to listen to this album (and some other ones from "The Church",) when I don't need to concentrate on their music (while reading, driving?). It is really too much of the same even if their new wave link is again very much present here ("The Cure" and the inevitable Bunnymen).

There are some nice vocal harmonies ("Chromium") but there are hardly any great song featured on this work nor delectable instrumental sections. A long, dark, languishing and soft implication. To listen to one ("Reprieve" is one of my faves) or two pieces is OK, but to have the whole bunch of tracks in a row is quite an exercise.

IMHHO, the best track from this offering is the longer "Night Friends": the melody is catchier and there is somewhat more feeling in here. The mood remains on the soft side (nice piano and ambient passages). The proggiest song of this whole for sure. Some "Lou Reed" tonality for "Seen It Coming" is not too bad either.

This album is average. Five out of ten. I could have rounded up to three stars, would the closing track be some more attractive which is not the case, unfortunately.