Untitled 23

Untitled #23
Studio album by The Church
Released	6 March 2009
Recorded	Spacejunk III Studios, The Orange Room Sydney, New South Wales 2008-2009
Genre	Alternative rock Dream Pop
Length	50:28
Label	Second Motion Records, Unorthodox
Producer	The Church, Kevin Lane Keller
The Church chronology
El Momento Siguiente (2007) Untitled #23 (2009) TBA

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Untitled #23 is the 23rd full-length album (counting the Australian releases) by Australian rock band The Church.

The album was released 6 March 2009 on the band's own label, Unorthodox Records and Second Motion Records in North America. Praised for its moody yet strong songwriting, it has yielded some of The Church's best reviews of their career.

Australia's Rolling Stone praised the album with a 5 star review:

"You have to admire the Church’s stubborn refusal to cash in on their early success and do the whole nostalgia rock circuit thing. By hanging everything on the faith that their best work is still ahead of them, the Church sound every bit as relevant now as they did way back in 1987. Their new songs sound emotional, raw and at times even scarily angry, without ever sounding like they’re trying to conjure up demons-long banished by years of comfortable living and golfing trips." -Matt Coyte, Editor In Chief, Rolling Stone Australia (June 2009).

Stephen Thomas Erlwine at allmusic.com reviewed the album as follows: "That slight trace of mystery and ambiguity in the title of Untitled #23 is a vague signal that the Church is returning to the spacy, hazy territory of their heyday on this, their 23rd album. the Church has never quite left this swirling psychedelia behind, but Untitled #23 has a delicate, suspended quality, floating at an elevated distance above earth. It's familiar yet not tired because the Church has a unified sense of purpose here, crafting tightly written songs that are then expanded and elongated when recorded, giving them an otherworldly quality. What impresses is the assured, masterly touch: the Church has been at this so long, they weave their spell seamlessly, so it's only when examining the list of the many, many records that preceded this that Untitled #23 seems unique: they have done many good, verging on excellent records, over the past decade, but only this has the songs and the atmosphere to be placed next to their best albums."

The album is rare among the band's catalog in that all lead vocals are sung by Kilbey.

On 24 Feb 2009 the band released an e.p., Coffee Hounds, prior to the release of Untitled #23. This includes the title track "The Coffee Song" and an instrumental version of the same, together with a cover version of "Hounds of Love" by Kate Bush.

Following Coffee Hounds, the band quickly released a teaser e.p. titled Pangaea (March 2009) (intended to serve as a preview/companion of Untitled #23). The title track serves as the single release for the album track of the same name. According to the band this was done to maintain a cohesiveness to the album rather than breaking the mood and elegiac tone with what are distinctively more upbeat tracks. Lead vocal contributions by Koppes and Willson-Piper appear on the other tracks, which are: "LLC", "Insanity" and "So Love May Find Us."

Untitled #23 was released almost simultaneously with the Pangaea e.p. on 6 March 2009.

The "Operetta" e.p. which followed (27 Nov 2009) the release of Untitled #23 includes the title track (from the Untitled #23 album) plus three tracks which are jams/outtakes from the Untitled #23 recording sessions: "Silhouette in Meltdown", "Moon Hangs in Black" and "Particles Matter."

In April 2010 the band embarked on their 30th Anniversary tour, playing an all-acoustic set chronicling one song from each album played in reverse order. At each show, a full color retrospective program was distributed to each audience member along with the third EP from U#23, "Deadman's Hand", containing the single along with four unreleased tracks from the Untitled #23 sessions.

In 2011 the album, along with Priest=Aura and Starfish, was played in its entirety on the band's 30th Anniversary, "Future, Past, Perfect Tour."

Track listing

1. "Cobalt Blue"
2. "Deadman's Hand" Frank Kearns on 12 String Acoustic Guitar
3. "Pangaea"
4. "Happenstance"
5. "Space Saviour"
6. "On Angel Street" Frank Kearns on Bass Guitar
7. "Sunken Sun"
8. "Anchorage"
9. "Lunar"
10. "Operetta" with Ambient Electric Guitar by Frank Kearns

^[1]

In June 2009 the band launched the "So Love May Find Us Tour 2009", a month long tour of the United States and Canada in support of Untitled #23. The tour's name derives from the 17 minute epic track of the same name from the Pangaea EP, released in advance of the album. This song along with, "LLC" (sung by Peter Koppes), and "Insanity," (sung by Marty Willson-Piper) from the Pangaea EP also appear on a limited edition double vinyl LP released through Second Motion and the band's own Unorthodox Records.

In 2010, to coincide with the band's 30th Anniversary Tour the band gave away copies of the Deadman's Hand EP with every ticket purchased. The CD contains the title track plus "Stardust," "The Kicker," "Dakota," and "The Garden," all outtakes from the Untitled #23 sessions.

Personnel

• Steve Kilbey: Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards
• Marty Willson-Piper: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Backing Vocals
• Peter Koppes: Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals
• Tim Powles: Drums, Backing Vocals, Guitars

References

1. ↑ http://home.earthlink.net/~thechurch/albums/church-albums.html?untitled-23-track-credits.html&main