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Source: Goldmine Magazine (?, ?, USA)
Issue: ???, Volume ??, No.??
Date: Jul, 1994 ?
Subject: Review - Sometime Anywhere
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THE CHURCH
SOMETIME ANYWHERE ARISTA (07822-18729-2)
By Stephen Thompson

Wading through the Church's new "Sometime Anywhere" is, to put it mildly, a daunting task. The album's 13 songs occupy a sprawling 77-minute package, and that's not taking into consideration the 30-minute bonus disc.

Yes, it's a massively lengthy collection - and Steven Kilbey still sings like a low-key Bono - but "Sometime Anywhere" is a warm, compelling record. The Church hasn't scored a big hit since 1988's stunning single "Under The Milky Way," but the album meanders amiably, as if the band didn't have anything to prove. And considering the Church's immense and often excellent body of work, maybe it doesn't.

"Sometime Anywhere"'s lush, eight-minute single "Two Places At Once" (viva radio edits!) is simultaneously pretty and radio-unfriendly, insuring the album's place as a "for fans only" release. And that's too bad. The record strikes a likable balance between lazy pacing and ambitious arrangements, and it's a terrific mood-setter. (If you're looking for dancier Church material, the bonus disc features several catchy, hook-intensive cuts, and none of the seven tracks exceeds five minutes.)

Many music reviewers detest long records: After all, who wants to endure an 80-minute epic when you get the same pay for listening to a concise 20- minute EP? But as long as the quality is consistent, and it is here, there's nothing wrong with giving fans enormous quantities of music for their money. "Sometime Anywhere" is a languid, sleepy record, but there's plenty of it to go around.

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