SpyderPop Records to Release Special Double Album for Chris Church
Big Stir Records and SpyderPop Records present a very special double installment of our joint album relaunch program spotlighting an artist who has recorded for both labels: CHRIS CHURCH. Both 2020’s BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE and 2017’s LIMITATIONS OF SOURCE TAPE, separately and under the specially-priced umbrella title CHRIS CHURCH: THE SPYDERPOP ALBUMS, are set for release as album-replica CDs and on all digital platforms October 15 and are up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com and www.bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com now. They’re accompanied by a new three-sided single featuring a track apiece from each record — “Left In The Summer” and “Something Completely” respectively – joining “Fall” from GAME DIRT, Church‘s 2021 album for BSR. The relaunch initiative continues a banner year for the North Carolina singer-songwriter… and one that holds yet another surprise before it’s over.
The two acclaimed albums at hand are eminently worthy of consideration on their own substantial merits, especially BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE which had the misfortune to see its initial release in the very first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. That unavoidable accident of timing meant that a large swath of music fans missed out on Church‘s ambitious reimagining of what he calls “Heavy Melody,” the ’80s intersection of hard rock and power pop too easily dismissed by the hipsters of today. “The fun is relentless, and that is what this music is. A backdrop of wholesome music with depth… One thing is undeniable, this passion injected work is a breath of fresh air far removed from the current monotonous tones that dull the airwaves,” wrote Kevin Burke of THE BIG TAKEOVER, while POWER OF POP called it “a literal godsend, evoking the likes of Cheap Trick, Guided By Voices, Splitsville, Fountains of Wayne et al with 12 gorgeous gems that bear repeating.”
Further accolades from the likes of I DON’T HEAR A SINGLE (“No one is making an album like this these days. The guitar is back, thank God!”), THERE ONCE WAS A NOTE (“a pure shot of rock and roll adrenaline at a time when we need it most”) and MONOLITH COCKTAIL (“this album was born to be played on the radio”) testify to the fact that BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE remains an uplifting gem overlooked in the tumult of dark times, and one ripe for rediscovery. The riff-driven, radio-ready “Left In The Summer,” which kicks off the new single, hints at the heavy, melodic would-be hits that comprise the collection.
LIMITATIONS OF SOURCE TAPE, Church‘s 2017 debut for SpyderPop, was for many their introduction to his work and remains an essential touchstone for those just now discovering him. Although far from the first release in his genre-hopping career, L.O.S.T.’s pristine and passionate pop ushered in Chris‘s now-customary dominance of Year’s Best Album lists (GOLDMINE, IDHAS, THE LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE, TWIRL RADIO and more). “Something Completely” is only a core sample of the record’s depth of melody… the marriage of diverse guitar textures, emotively inventive lyrics and Chris‘s unmistakable, impassioned vocals remains just as potent today as it did upon the record’s release. No comprehensive collection of the best of the 21st Century guitar pop can be said to be complete without it. Bringing BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE and L.O.S.T. together with this year’s acclaimed GAME DIRT under the combined Big Stir / SpyderPop Records banner goes some distance toward demonstrating the breadth of Chris Church‘s talent and versatility. But there’s more to discover – on his own and in collaborations with other artists, he’s produced masterful works in genres as diverse as prog, doom metal, and purely experimental performance art. And his vaults still contain unreleased treasures, one of which will materialize before the year’s end on BSR. While longtime devotees and new fans alike await news on the new release, the relaunch of THE SPYDERPOP ALBUMS serves as a reminder – or a revelation – of what makes CHRIS CHURCH such a singular force on the current rock landscape, and why we can expect many years of rewarding music to come.
