Ah, Starfish...the fate that launched 1000 trips...

Its kind of hard for me to critique an album that swept me away like Starfish...the topside of the vinyl version in particular is definitive Churchness to me. As Marcelo perceptively points out, space is used very creatively throughout this album. Everyone loves UTMW, Destination, and NSEW. Blood Money may not be quite as strong, but someone else had to point that out to me before I actually noticed. It seems to work with the flow just fine. I especially love "Lost"...the lyric, the interplay in the guitars, the way the song modulates at the bridge...just beautiful. The 2nd half of the album is less consistant..."Spark" is probably stronger in the acoustic version than it is here, "Antenna" and "Reptile" give me considerable listening pleasure but probably would not make my "best of" lists. "A New Season" is Peter Koppes' finest contribution to the Church, a sunny song with a memorable melody in an unconventional structure that helps break up the darker mood of the songs that surround it. And "Hotel Womb" is a breathtaking finish that also carries an air of caution..."Can't you hear the city that's hidden in there? Its just another mile." Its as though the REAL bliss is just around the corner, and you just might completely lose yourself pursuing it. One of the finest "last tracks" on any album I know.

Random Pan