MARTY WILLSON-PIPER Spirit Level NEW 1992 CD The Church

Personnel: Marty Willson-Piper (vocals, guitar, bouzouki), Andy Dare Mason (guitar, piano, keyboards, organ, synthesizer, backing vocals), Martin Rossel (guitar, organ, tambourine, backing vocals), Rickard Pilath (piano), Matts Alsberg, Mats Ronnerstam (bass), Millicent Frastley, (drums), Michael Blair, Anders Hernestam (drums, percussion), Ann Carlberger (background vocals).

All songs written by Marty Willson-Piper.

..packs some disarming tunes..
Reflex  (11/10/1992)

One review reads   'I purchased a used copy of this album out of curiosity. I have since acquired Willson-Pipers newest album ("Hanging Out in Heaven") and his earlier "Rhyme." And while the new album has a nice collection of songs, I listen to "Spirit Level" the most often.

Marty Willson-Piper is The Church's 12 string partisan. On his own he must rely on his own voice, his guitar arranging skills and his quite considerable songwriting skills.

When I first heard the otherwise good opening track "I Can't Cry," I found Willson-Piper's scratchy thin voice annoying. There's no Steve Kilbey here. The second song "Will I Start to Bleed" proved a little too hard-rock in sound for my taste. Things were not promising. However from "Turn Away to the Stars" right up to the end of the album I could no longer remember that I didn't like his singing. This is because the fine songs and sparkling arrangements dominated all the way through.

So what does Marty Willson-Piper do on his own? For starters, he makes more rigorously song-based music than is usual with the Church. The music is the product of a guitarist so there is a great emphasis on either electric or acoustic guitar--usually 12-string in either case. The songs are generally mid-tempo or even slower and some, such as "Kiss You to Death" are positive rockaballads. Fear not, I am talking about really good rockaballads here.

[They] report a number of used copies of this now-deleted disc here. I recommend that any person who fancies the Church buy this. I also recommend this to any Go-Betweens fan and to any other modern electric folk/rock junkie. And if you are also turned off by Willson-Piper's voice on first listen, do yourself a favor and play this disc at least three times before you give up on it. I think by then the songs and arrangements will have won you over.'

track listing