Uninvited Like the Clouds

The Church | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cooking Vinyl
• ASIN: B0009VY6MI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,612 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Twenty-five years into a career that long ago gave up any pretensions of the Top 40 and boasting a line-up with three original members and one newbie, Powles, who has been there adecade, the Church are feeling fine.

As their 25th anniversary approaches, The Church, having recently returned from international touring, are continuing to push the boundaries of what a rock band should be.

Uninvited, Like the Clouds marks the first studio release since 2004’s Forget Yourself

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner from the "Rhodes Scholars of Rock", April 22, 2006

By 

DarkCloak "MusicMage" (West Wildwood, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uninvited Like the Clouds (Audio CD)

You read the opening header correctly; The Church are a band of sonic and melodic erudition. With no peer to speak of, they manage to sustain and maintain a creative tension for over 25 years that other musical entities could only hope for (barring very few exceptions). What struck me most about this latest release, Uninvited, Like The Clouds, is the sheer dynamics and infusion of fresh inspiration.

Upon listening, parts of this recording allude back to the glory days of the band's early era. I hear bits of "Of Skins and Hearts", "Heyday", "Gold Afternoon Fix" among other notables in their back catalogue coupled with a fresh 21st century spin that only a quarter century of experience can bring.

I'm astounded (but should I be since since 1988 I've designated The Church as my *very* favorite musical entity amongst a very wide cross section of bands & artists?) at the continual prolfic output they've released over the years. Especially in this decade alone. "Unified Field" is simply awesome. This tune ensnares the listener with a hypnotic jangle of guitar orchestration second to none. "Untoward" is rife with somber acoustic laced atmospherics that captivate, bewitch, and satisfy. "Easy" continues the pristine sonic sheen only The Church seem to know how to create, as well as numerous others.

The Church are clearly a band that is both the sum and whole of its parts. I cannot remphasize enough how distinct, competent, and prodigious they are. More than residing in a league of their own, they occupy a musical dimension seemingly only accessible to those willing to attune to the higher sounds and melodies they scatter about. A willing convert and eager proselytizer of their true artistry, I'll gladly share the devotion they inspire to those who would take the time but to listen deeply.

Also, another recommend from them is the import limited release only, the spontaneous jam project from 2005 titled "Back With Two Beasts". Amazing and sublime...as usual from a band who I've come to expect nothing less.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars melodicjanglingpsuedoscifimetaphorheavypoptriprock, April 18, 2006

By 

CrackerBarrel (Pensacola, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uninvited Like the Clouds (Audio CD)

SO,...here we are....some 26-ish odd years since Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper began making oddly beautiful noises with electrified stringed instruments. The Church have "been around" (so-to-speak). albums came and went...., MTV exposure came and went......record labels came and went...drummers came and went................

YET,..here we are in the year 2006 and The Church have "apparently" released album number three hundred and eleven-de-leven. blah blah blah. BUT WAIT,...some people actually recognize the band from the DONNIE DARKO soundtrack and some people actually watched the Common Wealth Games opening ceremonies (in Australia) and caught themselves saying "Yeah,..I know that band....they're great!!". the rest of us KNEW The Church never really "went away". IN FACT,..we've been treated to several wonderful Church albums over the last few years. WE are just sorry that YOU'VE missed out!

AND NOW,...here we have Uninvited Like The Clouds. is it good? YES. the protagonists include the usual suspects: Steve Kilbey's

otherworldly baritone vocals/lyrics accompanied by Peter Koppes'/Marty Willson-Piper's imaginatively conjured (and effects-heavy) guitar trapeze-work along with the cohesive percussive mortar of Tim Powles. ULTC exhibits a bit more melody and "poppy-ness" (than recent albums) that occasionally harkens back to their mid-eighties days. it also includes some of the metaphor-heavy sci-fi prog-rock trips (that was ALOT of hyphens!) that they've been delving into since 1992's masterpiece Priest=Aura. while songs like "Block" (The Church has a reputation for "brooding" album openers and this one is no exception), "Space Needle" and "Real Toggle Action" pile on the otherworldly tension,..."Overview", "Easy" and especially "Unified Field" bring on the jangling sunshine that somehow sounds new and a little "familiar" all at once. "Day 5" somehow majestically combines all of the above elements to great effect. wonderful stuff! Koppes adds the dramatic epic "Never Before" and Willson-Piper slides through the slightly bluesy "She'll Come Back For You Tommorrow" (BOTH of which are wonderful "side-trips"). ALL-IN-ALL, this album exudes confidence by a band that knows EXACTLY what it is doing. it borrows a "little bit" from it's own past without sounding the LEAST bit plagerized. at first listen it might sound effortless,.......upon second listen you notice all the AMAZING subtleties and otherworldly sonics that dance around the soundscape (MOST of which are created by ambient guitar trickery),...THEN YOU REALIZE that The Church (perhaps more than ANY band on earth) can conjur up these massive and dense stereo dreamscapes MORE NATURALLY than most bands can fumble through a cliched/distorted barr-chord progression. these are epic soundscapes and sonic melodic atmospheres that sound like NO ONE ELSE. i'd say this album is QUITE remarkable. for a band that has "been around" as long as this band,..there is not ONE hint of "staleness". IN FACT,..it seems as if some new audio adventures are ONLY BEGINNING. FIVE BIG STARS.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of their best, April 18, 2006

By 

T. Lewis (FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uninvited Like the Clouds (Audio CD)

Already critics are calling this The Church's best work since the Starfish/Heyday era, although I would argue Priest=Aura is their best work. Regardless, after 26 years together as a band, it boggles my mind that they could release such a powerful album.

The first half of the cd really is a rocker, which comes as surprise with the band's age and tendency for acoustic shows of late.

The cd really brings out the bands melodic/poppy side, something that has always been there, just not as out in the open as on this cd.

Stand out tracks are "Block", "Unified Field", "Easy", "Never Before", and "Day 5".

If they were in their 20's and were coming out of some trendy music city in England, "Unified Field" and "Easy" would be on the radio everywhere and this CD would sell 500,000 copies.

I highly recommend it to any Church fan who has left the flock or for those who may be new.