Since it's been a week or so since our last Blurred Crusade post, I figured now is a good time to continue with our sequential review of the Church's discography by discussing their third studio album, _Seance_.
Now, I admit I'm biased-this is the very first Church album I bought. I was piqued by their video of "Unguarded Moment" (which MTV played once in a blue moon) and, informed by the American New Wave press (as an aside hasn't that scene fallen on rather hard times? Back then there were quite a number of alt. magazines with high editorial standards, beginning with Trouser Press. Now, zilch.), bought it after spotting a copy in an import section in a local music shop...
I was immediately struck by the wistful, old-time ambiance (best symbolized by the music-box guitar sound at the beginning of Electric Lash)-more than any Church album this is the most pastward-looking release. It has always sounded to me like some document from a time now past, not neccesarily the 60's but more like some alternate Earth somewhere. You could say that this album emphasizes just how impossible it is to 'recreate' a Sixties-style sound after the fact, with all the self-consciousness inherent in the effort. Thus I don't think it was intended as such, but more like a reaction to this impossibility. On those terms it suceeds brilliantly.
At any rate I was immediately hooked and soon had bought the American version of OSAH as well. It's odd tho-when the catalogue was re-released I eschewed buying the CD version for about two years-I guess I thought it was TOO old-fashioned or something. When I finally broke down and got it, I remembered what a gem it was.
Seance seems like a flip side to Blurred Crusade-while the latter was forceful, direct, immediate, even angry at times, the former felt more accepting, gentler, as if time has put a perspective on events. Sadness pervades more than frustrated desire, IOW. At any rate I don't think their songwriting skills were ever in better form than on this album...
Fly/One Day: I was annoyed by the video which split these two songs up-the first one always seemed to lead seamlessly into the second. The girl in Fly is on her deathbed, but her spirits are (literally) soaring, calmly telling the narrator not to worry, that "and you can touch it if you try." Sad yet triumphant. One Day is probably the Church's most optimistic song they ever recorded-again touches on the theme of the search for Lover present on BC.
Electric: A wondrous treastise on loneliness-the chorus just kills me every time ("Electric people, nobody knows..."). Nice piano fill really helps.
It's No Reason: The happiness/sadness dichotomy is most evident on this song-somehow it manages to transcend both and achieve some higher plane. The backing chorus adds much to the wistful mood.
Travel By Thought: Completely at odds with the mood of the rest of the album. I consider this filler really but YMMV. I always programmed it out of any tape/CD version of Seance I played since it tended to ruin the aura the other songs were putting forth.
Disappear? The only bad thing I can say about this cut is that the themes here are TOO similar to It's No Reason...but I always play it after a romantic breakup ("What do you expect me to do, disappear?").
Electric Lash: A cute little slice of pop heaven-nothing really deep but smile inducing nonetheless...
Now I Wonder Why: I love the guitar sounds here but dislike Steve's bass line-seems out of key with the guitars somehow. The rhythm-section-less interlude in the middle is truly poignant.
Dropping Names: Steve's lyrical cleverness really comes to the fore here, plus it is a real tight little rocker. If anything from this neglected-in-concert album should be played live it's this (tho the acoustic tour holds hope for some of the other songs here).
It Doesn't Change: I used to dislike this for the long drawn out ending, but now I see it as the hero emerging triumphant no matter whether he finds 'her' ("Another place I look for you"). A very appropriate ending cut to this album.
Now I'll say a few things about the much-derided drum sound. I have rarely paid attention to drums unless they are awful, or it is Keith Moon playing them. I never thought about them as being flawed in any way until I went online and participated with discussions with other Churchers ("What drum sound? Oh...okay...). For me it seems more than appropriate for the themes here; just as a veil a la the cover art obscures visions from times past, the muffled drums seem to suggest songs emanating from a long-lost time. I think if you re-engineer them (as has been suggested before), you'll ruin the album.
All in all an excellent effort: 4.4 stars out of 5.
John DiFool
