The Church Priest=Aura

Four years after the commercial breakthrough of 1988’s “Under the Milky Way”, The Church had yet to repeat that success. The Sydney quartet’s seventh studio album didn’t do the trick, but it did something much more interesting. Named for singer/bassist Steve Kilbey’s misreading of the Spanish word for priest (“cura”), 1992’s Priest = Aura establishes a panoramic atmosphere informed by both open jam sessions and the increasing use of opium and other drugs. “We are endless like the sky,” Kilbey murmurs on “Feel”, gently holding court over the cinematic guitar interplay of Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes while new drummer Jay Dee Daugherty (Patti Smith Group) applies welcome nuances. Kilbey’s elegant brooding turns arch on “Mistress”, while the dark historic themes of the waltz “Witch Hunt” carry over into the ominous backing chorus of “The Disillusionist”. Working with producer Gavin MacKillop, who had experience with like-minded Aussies such as Hunters & Collectors and Do-Ré-Mi, The Church stretch out and breathe on this album while still proving adept at chiming guitar-pop (see “Paradox”). Even for all the purposeful vagueness of Kilbey’s lyrics, Priest = Aura remains a strong fan favourite that the singer himself considers to be the band’s defining statement.