Following the success of 'Starfish,' the Church stood poised to break out of obscurity and into commercial stardom. But on its eighth album, Gold Afternoon Fix, the band refuses to break new musical ground, choosing instead to explore further the sound garden it has so meticulously cultivated. It's a calculated gamble – and it pays off, mostly because no other band inhabits the lush, psychedelic region where the Church continues to dwell.

Gold Afternoon Fix opens with "Pharaoh," and the haunting sound of crashing waves entices the listener into an album filled with tales of time travel and heavenly other worlds. The quivering, wavering guitar work of Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes links the tales. Adding to the instrumental texture, singer Steve Kilbey methodically delivers resonant vocals that float across the Church's expansive universe.

All this may seem a bit ostentatious – and it is – but the error is more one of conviction than of pretension. In "Terra Nova Cain," the Church evokes a mystical world that existed "just before the continent sank." "I'll show you how the angels once traveled," Kilbey sings. "They used to call this a Chevy." Throughout the rest of the songs, the band travels similar shadowy regions.

The album, at its strongest, captivates with the understated elegance of its intricate guitars and soothing harmonies. Both "Monday Morning" and "Laughing," which appear only on the cassette and CD, are lilting ballads that showcase the group's strengths. And the punch of "Russian Autumn Heart" and "Transient," on which Koppes takes the vocals, add a needed element of urgency.

Gold Afternoon Fix is the Church's invitation to visit its murky, ethereal world. It's an invitation that should not be refused. (RS 578)

CHRIS MUNDY