Arista dropped them but the Church soldiered on -- Tim Powles fully joined in the songwriting process a number of times, while Peter Koppes guested on various cuts after his absence from Sometime Anywhere. Violinist Linda Neil also appeared along with other guests from that record, with Magician Among the Spirits being the attractive end result. If the band was still a touch fragmented, Magician shows them well on the road to becoming a fully tight unit once again, with a number of interesting diversions along the way. Sonically, things followed in the vein of Sometime to a large extent, trying out different approaches and backing, often exploring more spacious, sometimes very late-night, relaxed arrangements. This underlays the key Church elements of mysterious, attractive, but always slightly melancholic songs, resulting in a fine blend of past and present. Steve Kilbey perhaps gets lost from time to time lyrically -- the opening track, Welcome, is one of his least successful, naming what seems like a random list of celebrities and noted figures past and present. Frankly, his at-times cryptic poetry would be a much better choice. That and other slight stumblings aside, Magician hits some great high points. Comedown was unsurprisingly selected to be a single, its orchestrated surge recalling prime T. Rex mixed with the typically dark-but-sweet guitar chime of the band. The well-titled Grandiose and beautifully blue The Further Adventures of the Time Being are wonderful, while Marty Willson-Piper and Koppes unsurprisingly once again do some fine work on guitar, as songs like Ladyboy and the quieter title track show. Powles' drumming is revelatory, capable of both straight-ahead rock surge and more complex, subtle work informed by other traditions -- consider his work on the lovely Romany Caravan, which also gives Neil a chance to shine on her instrument. The original version of Magician has since been overtaken by Magician Among the Spirits Some, which adds some B-sides from that time as welcome bonuses. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

1		Welcome
2		Come Down
3		Ritz
4		Grandiose
5		Lady Boy
6		It Could Be Anyone
7		The Further Adventures of the Time Being
8		Romany Caravan
9		Magician Among the Spirits
10		After Image

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