***********************************************************
Source: Promo Cassette Info Sheet
Issue: Date: May, 1994
Subject: Review - Sometime Anywhere
***********************************************************

THE CHURCH
SOMETIME ANYWHERE
BY ARISTA RECORDS, INC

'Sometime Anywhere'. In this instance, these two words are combined to create an elusive and spiritual idea. Any actual interpretation as to the meaning is left to the listener. But, regardless of what that might be, one is left with the feeling that they have experienced something special.

The same can be said about the relationship between Steve Kilbey and Marty Willson-Piper, two musicians who together create something special. For almost fourteen years they have been the musical core of The Church. Now that Peter Koppes has left the band to pursue his own musical interests, it has come down to Steve and Marty reaching deeper into themselves to create the newest Church album. It has been the chemistry between Kilbey and Willson-Piper that has created the essence and sound of The Church which is explored and expanded on 'Sometime Anywhere'.

Their recorded history began in 1981 with the release of 'Of Skins And Heart'. Since then they have released seven other albums: 'The Blurred Crusade', 'Seance', 'Remote Luxury', 'Heyday', 'Starfish', 'Gold Afternoon Fix', and 'Priest=Aura'. Once labeled an "up and coming alternative Australian band," The Church gained a cult following with their first five releases but it was the release of 'Starfish' in 1988 on Arista that gained them a widespread audience. The album featured the beautiful hit song "Under The Milky Way" and "Reptile." A major U.S. tour followed and the band found their popularity here in the States growing. Two years later they followed up with 'Gold Afternoon Fix', which featured "Metropolis" and "You're Still Beautiful." The album and tour once again brought the spotlight back onto the group. The press compared them to the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits since they had achieved success without having to compromise their music.

"I feel that it's really important to just write songs without worrying whether it's going to be a hit or not," Willson-Piper stated. "As a musician you should write music to please yourself and if you write a great song then maybe you'll have a hit. And that was the case with 'Under The Milky Way.'"

1992's 'Priest=Aura' featured the brilliant single "Ripple." The album showcased Kilbey's passionate vocals with Willson-Piper's amazing guitar work and was well received by long-time Church fans and the critics. However, at the end of their Australian tour, Peter Koppes told Kilbey and Willson-Piper he would be leaving. "We weren't sure if the band was going to exist anymore," Willson-Piper said. "I figured we would just know if and when the time was right to get back into the studio."

In mid-1993, Willson-Piper left his home in Stockholm, Sweden to join up with Steve Kilbey as his home in Sydney, Australia to begin working on what would become 'Sometime Anywhere'. When the two of them came together to start writing songs for the album, they weren't sure what they were going to come up with. "Originally we were worried about the chemistry being different after all that time together as a four-man band; so we just started messing about together in the studio," Willson-Piper stated. The first song they came up with was "Lost My Touch." "Once we recorded that, we knew everything was going to fall into place."

Willson-Piper explains how the atmosphere in the studio was unlike how it had ever been before. "The role-playing that used to be a part of the band was gone. Steve and I could just create something and not worry about what everyone's role in the songwriting process would be. We would just play directly onto tape and see how it came out. Many of the songs on the album were first takes." Kilbey and Willson-Piper also began to experiment by switching instruments around. "On some tracks I would play bass and Steve would play guitar or piano or whatever. I couldn't even tell you who played what on many of the tracks. It helped bring many new ideas and expanded our songwriting." Under this relaxed atmosphere, songs like "My Little Problem" and "Lullaby" were written and recorded.

'Sometime Anywhere' has something no other Church record has ever had. The song "2 Places At Once" is a duet between Kilbey and Willson-Piper. "The way that song came about is interesting. Steve and I jammed the song onto tape then went away and wrote separate lyrics to the song. Each of us didn't know what the other was writing and it turned out we had different ideas about what the song we had written was about. The great thing about it, I thought, is that the lyrics really work together very well. It comes across almost like I'm singing from Venus and Steve is singing from Mars. Two different personalities combining their strengths to create something quite unique."

Two other tracks that highlight the album are "The Maven" and "Loveblind." "The Maven" captures Willson-Piper's guitar playing at his best, showing his ability to create dominating chaotic guitar structures. While Kilbey's vocals on "Loveblind" are as powerful and passionate as they have ever been, the two of them also explore different shades of music on tracks like "Angelica" and "Eastern." They successfully combine their own sound with different musical styles to create a fascinating blend.

Steve Kilbey and Marty Willson-Piper have come together again to create a new meaning for The Church. It is something to be experienced. Sometime anywhere....

***END***

Return to Reviews Index