Peter Koppes
Love Era/ Irony
[Immersion]
Rating: 8.2
Australian favorites the Church have released more than
20 albums over their course of their sprawling career.
Their most prominent members have each recorded a minimum
of six solo records, and all of the members have been
involved in numerous compilations and side projects.
Peter Koppes once said that one thing he'd like to be
remembered for, is the largesse of his discography. And
who says size doesn't matter?
Koppes' latest release is for the newly- launched
Immersion Records, which Koppes founded in hopes of
increasing international exposure for Australian bands.
Love Era/ Irony is Koppes' contribution to the
"variations on a theme" approach to music making,
illustrated by the similarity of Immersion Records
releases to the once- upon- a- time best works of
the Church.
The last song on the record "Esoterica" recalls the
early works of former 4AD artists Xymox-- it's both
subtly electronic and guitar- driven. "Apex Farmer" is
a slow and pensive piece, featuring light- as- air female
backing vocals. Current Church drummer Tim Powles gets
mixing credits on most tracks on Love Era/ Irony
and injects his own natural instincts into the final
product. All the lessons Koppes learned on his winding
musical journey are applied on this record, and the
end result is a very solid record.
Not that there's anything horrible about pop music or
straight rock and roll (some of my best friends are
rock stars...). But there's something nice and
comfortable about listening to more mature music--
songs that reflect the complicated road that
"alternative music" has taken in the past couple of
decades. Who better to illustrate this journey than a
musician who's managed to make contributions every
step of the way?
-Aparna Mohan