The Church - Remote Luxury

Collecting the contents of two separate EPs into a full-length album for American purposes, Remote Luxury actually makes for a reasonable release, avoiding the miserable drum sound that plagued Séance. The band are hardly so groansome, mixing the light synth touches evident on Séance with a tight, sharp postpunk groove. While the comparisons to bands like R.E.M. were sometimes stretched a bit, there's no denying the similar love of brisk, economic velocity which crops up on many of these songs, including the steady beat of "Violet Town" and the crisp flow on "Into My Hands." "No Explanation" perhaps fits the R.E.M. likeness best after a brief instrumental beginning, a shimmering, strummed gem with a great main melody. Kilbey again handles the vocals with his usual mix of low-key singing and sometimes clever, sometimes obscure lyrics, while the band as a whole keeps things moving. Willson-Piper, who handles lead vocals for "10,000 Miles" and "Volumes," and Koppes by now show their excellent guitar abilities almost at every turn, their avoidance of pointless flash in favour of compelling hooks and a little extra shading when needed always coming through. "A Month of Sundays" and "Shadow Cabinet" are just two highlights of their abilities, beautiful and hummable all at once. An interesting if slightly atypical effort on the disc is "Maybe These Boys," with a relentless keyboard hook that almost sounds like a military fanfare leading into the full band performance, though with further keyboards still prominent. Kilbey's vocals are eventually contrasted with a Vocodered treatment of the same words, making for a strange, unsettling ending.

Remote Luxury serves as a fascinating, transitional artifact in the discography of The Church, capturing the Australian quartet at a pivotal moment of creative redefinition. Released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records as a vehicle to break into the North American market, the album seamlessly stitches together two distinct domestic EPs, Remote Luxury and Persia. By moving away from the cavernous, drum-heavy goth-rock textures that defined their previous full-length effort, Séance, the band embraced a more radiant and streamlined sonic palette. The result is a collection that feels remarkably cohesive, bridging the gap between their early post-punk roots and the lush, sprawling neo-psychedelia that would later define their career.

The album’s greatest strength lies in its exquisite guitar architecture, driven by the dual-interplay of Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper. Their chiming, effect-laden Rickenbacker and Fender guitars weave intricate webs across tracks like "Constant in Opal" and "Maybe These Boys", establishing a foundational blueprint for mid-80s jangle pop and dream pop. Supported by Richard Ploog’s tight, understated percussion and Steve Kilbey’s driving basslines, the instrumentation feels light yet purposeful. This refined musicianship allows the band’s innate gift for melody to shine through, replacing their previous claustrophobic moods with an expansive, sun-drenched atmosphere.

Lyrically and vocally, Remote Luxury finds the band leaning heavily into surrealism and detached romanticism. Steve Kilbey delivers his lines with a distinct, deadpan charisma, his rich baritone anchoring the ethereal instrumentation with a sense of literary mystery. Tracks like "Shadow Cabinet" and "Volumes" offer a glimpse into the band's collaborative depth, with Willson-Piper stepping up to deliver contrasting, urgent vocal performances. The songwriting expertly balances pop accessibility with experimental whimsy, highlighted by the title track's hypnotic, slow-burning groove and the unusual acoustic intro tagged onto "No Explanation".

Ultimately, while Remote Luxury was a record company construct designed for market convenience, it stands on its own merits as one of the band's most accessible and rewarding releases. It perfectly captures a brilliant cult band finding their commercial footing without sacrificing their artistic integrity or esoteric edge. For retrospective listeners, the compilation is not merely a bridge to their 1988 masterpiece Starfish, but a stellar display of atmospheric alternative rock that continues to influence modern indie and shoegaze movements.

Ripped to MP3

1. "Constant in Opal"

2. "Maybe These Boys"

3. "Wrong Way"

4. "10,000 Miles"

5. "Into My Hands"

6. "No Explanation"(featuring a unique 20-second instrumental acoustic intro)

7. "Signpost"

8. "Shadow Cabinet"

9. "Volumes"

10. "Remote Luxury"