Steve Kilbey & Gareth Koch - Chryse Planitia (2020)

What unites the musical spheres of an Australian rock icon
and a Viennese-trained classical musician?

The answer lies in a shared aesthetic and approach to their craft. There is a wistful and haunting lilt to the Kilbey/Koch songs, as they float seamlessly through a narrative of fallen crowns, fatal hours, and enchanted gardens. To compliment the poignant lyrics is a delicious instrumentation, weaving and wafting, ghostly and waif-like, alternately brimming with rhythmic drive, present yet somehow elusive.

Hot on the heels of two critically acclaimed singles, the debut album Chryse Planitia pulses with a strong and immediately recognisable musical identity. Kilbey and Koch have forged an entirely new sound characterised by a fluid and elegant movement across genres. Their partnership draws inspiration from medieval music to post-modern psychedelia, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, with every imaginable influence in between.

Steve Kilbey, also known as the frontman of veteran rock band The Church, has generated a lifetime of beautifully crafted songs. His subtly esoteric lyrics create an aura of mystery, posing questions and teasing the listener with riddle-like answers. Kilbey’s words evoke a succession of images, half-remembered whisperings at the edge of our consciousness. He is a poet-master of unsaid things whose writing arouses the dreamer within us.

Gareth Koch is a European-born classical guitarist and composer who has recorded most of the major repertoire. His compositional style reflects a lifelong engagement with classical, folk and flamenco music. Although not easy to define, Koch’s music is often characterised by medieval gestures, influenced by the unrequited longing style of the French Trouveres (singer-poets) of the 12th century.

Expertly mixed by Russell Pilling of Damien Gerard Studios and superbly mastered by Grammy Award winning King Willy Sound, Chryse Planitia is a feast for the ears.