I must respectfully disagree with the assessment of this album taken by Fraulein and others...Whereas Starfish was an album that jumped out at me seemingly from nowhere, GAF made me a whole-hog Church fan, reinforcing the strengths of its predecessor with a much more consistant lineup of songs. Only "You're Still Beautiful" doesn't QUITE connect for me. I have also found GAF to be more effective than Starfish in terms of indoctrinating others to the Church cause.

Thetawave has summed up much of what this album has to offer lyrically. I also feel that this album has some of the finest musical moments the Church have put forth...consider the tag to "Metropolis", with that mandolin adding a subtle extra layer to the guitar and bass parts; the contrast between the rumbling rhythm and lazy-sounding, higher pitched vocal on "City"; the lovely lullaby-like feel to "Monday Morning"; the euphoric "Russian Autumn Heart" (Marty's finest contribution to the Church, for my money); the soaring chorus of "Essence"; the perfectly-composed guitar break on "Disappointment"; the wistfulness of "Laughing" (love the bridge: "I understood before I knew / I realize I spend my life coming back to you.") and of course the rippling lead guitar melody and creative use of dynamics on "Grind".

Compare GAF with Blurred Crusade, and see how this band has grown over 8 years. Here is a more lyrically mature album, and the sound of musicians who have mastered their distinct sound and who have left behind childish things (though perhaps not without a sense of regret). Nothing, not drummer problems, management problems, being sequestered in a Southern California studio with a coked-up, child-porn loving producer could water down the Church at the dawn of the 90's. Nothing for this band would ever be simple again, nor would I want it to be. Here begins the era of the Church making music for grown-ups.

Random Pan