The Hypnagogue: The Church's Technological Altar of Dreams
Sci-Fi is taking over the music of Australia’s progressives. This month we have All India Radio’s The Generator of All Infinity album, Echoes CD of the Month for September based on sci-fi themes and space rock. Now New Wave legends The Church return with a tripped out video and Sci-Fi backstory called The Hypnagogue.
According to The Church founder/singer/guitarist Steve Kilbey it’s about the Hypnagogue machine “Invented by Sun Kim Jong, a North Korean scientist and occult dabbler. It is a machine and a process that pulls music straight [out] of dreams. The song follows “Eros Zeta the biggest rock star of 2054 who has traveled from his home in Antarctica to use the Hypnagogue to help him revive his flagging fortunes.” The music that The Church are playing, shown on video screens as musician workers, are pulled form the participants dreams. It’s all very Bladerunner meets Brazil.
The song is a tripped out, hypnotic dirge with a non-stop guitar arpeggio accented by serrated chords while Kilbey intones his lyrics of dystopian dreams and doom. It only breaks in the trippy middle section for a languid e-bow guitar solo.
Sometimes, following your dreams isn’t a good thing apparently.
Note that All India Radio’s Martin Kennedy and The Church’s Steve Kilbey have recorded together before.