Seance (album)

Seance
Studio album by The Church
Released	May 1983
Recorded	301 Studios, Sydney Summer 1983
Genre	Post-Punk
Label	EMI Parlophone
Producer	The Church and John Bee
Professional reviews
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The Church chronology
Singsongs (1982) Seance (1983) Remote Luxury (ep or album) (1984)

The Church's third album, Seance (1983), was a somewhat unexpected about-face from The Blurred Crusade's jangling psychedelia and upbeat rock. Considerably more atmospheric and brooding in feel, the songwriting employed a greater emphasis on keyboard and string effects with the guitars taking largely textural roles on some songs. While numerous tracks have become fan favorites over the years, the album saw considerably less success in Australia than previous releases and had limited exposure internationally. Apart from the rather amorphous noise experiment "Travel By Thought," all songs were written solely by Steve Kilbey.

Most notorious among the fanbase and band members themselves is the heavily-treated drum sound, the work of mixing engineer Nick Launay. This somewhat fatal flaw has resulted in Seance being considered sub-par by some followers and given it a comparatively dated sound. Despite this frequent criticism, the tracks "One Day," "It's No Reason" and "Now I Wonder Why" are often considered standouts among the band's material.

Track listing

1. "Fly" (Kilbey)
2. "One Day" (Kilbey)
3. "Electric" (Kilbey)
4. "It's No Reason" (Kilbey)
5. "Travel By Thought" (Kilbey/Koppes/Willson-Piper/Ploog)
6. "Disappear?" (Kilbey)
7. "Electric Lash" (Kilbey)
8. "Now I Wonder Why" (Kilbey)
9. "Dropping Names" (Kilbey)
10. "It Doesn't Change" (Kilbey)

Credits

• Steve Kilbey: Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, String Arrangements
• Peter Koppes: Guitar, Hammond Organ
• Marty Willson-Piper: Guitars and Vocals
• Richard Ploog: Drums, Bongos, Tambourine
• Michele Parker: Backing Vocals on "It's No Reason"
• Russell Kilbey: Harmonica