Art of the Cover - The Church's "Further/Deeper" (2014)

What wonderful artwork!

Yap, the wonderful Steve Kilbey and The Church are back with release of the band’s long awaited new record Further/Deeper.

Further/Deeper, which is due out on Jan. 23rd and can be pre-ordered now.

The album also comes in a special 2-LP vinyl version, which contains bonus tracks.

The new album, the band’s 25th, was released last month in Australia, but doesn’t arrive in North America until Feb. 3rd.

After over three decades of making music in various formats, lineups, places and cognitive states, this is a band who have committed to exploring unchartered sonic territories. With long-time member Marty Willson-Piper being unavailable, Ian Haug (formerly of Powderfinger) came on board to partner the iconic guitar playing of founding member Peter Koppes.

Describing this album,"The magic started on day one," says singer/bass player Steve Kilbey. "Someone strummed a chord or struck a drum or plucked a note and we were off. We wrote and recorded like demons and it was inspiring to feel every member using all his resources in the service of this record".

Twenty-six songs were born over eight days of exploration in Sydney in late 2013. Guitarist Peter Koppes, recalibrating his personal canvas in the absence of his long-time foil Marty Willson-Piper, drew palpable inspiration from the quartet's remixed chemistry.

"This new incarnation of the band with Ian Haug has brought a joyous energy to the music we've written together," he says.

Tracklisting


1. Vanishing Man
2. Delirious
3. Pride Before A Fall
4. Toy Head
5. Laurel Canyon
6. Love Philtre
7. Globe
8. Spinning
9. Old Coast Road
10. Lightning White
11. Let Us Go
12. Volkano
13. Miami

Home Art Babes Cartoons Dylan Music Videos Other

The Music - “Xmas” Gift From Steve Kilbey & The Church

The wonderful  Steve Kilbey and The Church are treating fans to a free download of a new Christmas song - rather, erm ... cryptically called “Xmas”.

What is probably the saddest Xmass song ever will appear as one of three previously unreleased bonus tracks on the forthcoming 2-LP vinyl release of the band’s long awaited new record Further/Deeper.

Below, you can stream and/or download the song via Soundcloud. 

The song will be joined by bonus tracks “Marine Drive” and “The Girl is Bouyant” on the 2-LP vinyl pressing of Further/Deeper, which is due out on Jan. 23rd and can be pre-ordered now.

The new album, the band’s 25th, was released last month in Australia, but doesn’t arrive in North America until Feb. 3rd.

It’s the long-running band’s first record without guitarist Marty Willson-Piper, who was “not available” and has been replaced by Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug.

  

Home Art Babes Cartoons Dylan Music Videos Other

The Far Out Corporation - FOC (Grant McLennan & Ian Haug)

The Far Out Corporation - FOC (1998)

(Grant McLennan & Ian Haug & pals)  

  

"It's wonderful. I've been wanting to get back to playing with a more regular nucleus of people, and I've just found the grooviest and best somehow."

- Grant McLennan on who he chose for the F.O.C.

The Far Out Corporation was a side project set up by the great Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens and a few pals, including Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug.

This, unfortunately, was their only release.

"I thought I'd conceptualise a pop group. It was a series of sound experiments, very art-oriented. It came from the purest of motives, and that's the thing I'm most happy about, actually."

- Grant McLennan on the forming of the FOC.

FOC also included Ross MacLennan (no relation to Grant) of Turtlebox on drums, and Adele Pickvance (who would later perform with the Go-Betweens) on bass.

McLennan can be credited with forming the FOC, having been asked to contribute to a small musical programme in Brisbane. His role in the band was mainly that of vocalist; a superbly executed task, as we see his rich, smooth and somehow lightly gravel strains reaching the far corners of a song before springing back to breathe out the next fairytale.

The background to the group's genesis is that, in November 1997, Grant was asked by an "audio curator" to be involved in an "auditory exploration" which would be held over six nights. Grant's concept was to "invent" the perfect pop group, which would perform on one of the six nights.

Grant got a few friends together (Adele Pickvance, Ian Haug and Ross MacLennan) and developed some computer animation. This animation and other pictures were printed out and the images were hung on the wall and the music was developed from the inspiration from the images. Grant then arranged and wrote lyrics to the songs.

Well, the night apparently went so well at the art space, that the group decided to do more than the one-off that was planned. They decided to do further collaboration and call themselves "F.O.C" which according to Grant could stand for "Far Out Corporation," "Fear of Commitment," "Face of Concern," etc.

"It was quite interesting, because I'd never written like that before. We'd come in, and things would be projected on the walls. We were writing to what we were looking at, it was a totally different approach. We were starting with no idea, and looking at images. It was the opposite to making a film clip. There was urban stuff, images from travels overseas...mainly Super-8 black and white."

- Ian Haug on the writing of the album

Grant described the music as "melodic, groovy pop music" and said F.O.C was a "dense band."

In 1998 the collective recorded a number of songs in Brisbane & Sydney and released their debut self-titled album produced by Tim Whitten on Polydor Records. The album took just over two weeks to complete; 8 days to record basic tracks, 4 days for vocals and extra bits and 5 days to mix.

Tracklisting

Don't Blame The Beam
Hold
Sick Bed
Montreal
Shadow Overload
If You Want Release
Sketch
The Shower Song
Suicide At Home
Parachute
Still Burn Down