Look Mom No Head

Priest=Aura

After six albums and a greatest hits collection, The Church are unquestionably an established name in the alternative music genre.

But they seem to have reached their popularity peak, hovering in a musical purgatory, unable to produce a breakthrough to catapult them into the upper stratosphere of the Hit Heavens. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" demonstrated that it only takes one smash to accomplish this, but among the long and undistinguished song catalog that this middle-aged outfit drags behind them, such a gem is nowhere to be found.

The Church's newest release, Priest=Aura will not solve this problem. This formulaic collection of songs is destined for obscurity, lacking the consistency to distinguish it from previous releases.

The first cut, "Aura," epitomizes the pretentious pseudo-intellectualism and miserable poetry that crowd out the album's three or four good songs.

Bassist Steve Kilbey, singing in a voice that alternates between warm and lifeless, tells the tale of a young Brit who takes up the White Man's Burden and travels to a distant land where "the natives have pierced teeth." When he returns home, he receives a cryptic message from the natives, which is read aloud at the song's climax. The message is a series of contradictions, following this pattern: "you equals me/ the land equals the sea/ an enemy equals an adorer/ but priest equals aura."

Kilbey's attempt to convey the hypocrisy of the hero's mission through a series of "disturbing" paradoxes reveals a cliched motive and an inept pen.

Immediately following "Aura" is "Ripple," which is so much better than its predecessor that the listener might doubt that both songs were the work of one group. An upbeat verse filled with bright guitar chords is soon followed by a pleasantly surprising modulation, used effectively here but nowhere else on the album.

Other notable songs include "Feel," whose chorus features a rare combination of melody and emotion, and "Witch Hunt," a quirky waltz with a carnival atmosphere reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper's "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite." Its haunting hook and dreamy ambiance provide the album's most enchanting moment.,

Unfortunately, "Old Flame," an excellent tune, is also the shortest song on the album. Although keeping songs short and sweet is an admirable goal, this album is hardly a goldmine of memorable melodies, and The Church could ill afford to abandon this one so abruptly.

Priest=Aura is a mediocre effort from a band whose greatest work may be behind it. At its best, The Church combines interesting lyrics, a radio-ready melody and a dreaminess. At its worst, it sounds like U2 slogging through molasses, without catchy riffs and athletic vocal performances.

This album has its moments but they are few and far between. I would only expect to find it on the shelf of a die-hard Church fan, although, at this stage, I can't see why anybody would be one.