From the Well

Personnel: Peter Koppes (vocals, various instruments, programming);
Melodie (vocals); Lindsay Buckland (dulcimer); David Moor (piano); Susan Turner, Jane Cox, Michael Hamer, Melvin Stewart, Bulle-Neige, Little O (background vocals).
Leaving behind the demo-song sheen and buried vocals of his debut solo release Manchild and Myth, Peter Koppes emerged the better for it with 1989's more purposeful From the Well. The production value, for starters, seemed to have moved out of the bedroom and into a proper studio. The keyboard and drum-machine-reliant backing tracks that seemed cheap and tinny on Manchild and Myth finally got the attention they needed on From the Well, sounding richer and adding to the overall drive of the album (rather than wallowing in an incoherent wash of reverb). The vocals, too, had improved, sounding less like Mick Karn being smothered under a pillow, and more like a guy that was at least trying. This wasn't to say that Koppes' voice had blossomed from caterpillar to butterfly (his vocal delivery still made Steve Kilbey's dour crooning seem positively animated by comparison), yet there was a new found confidence that was glaringly absent on Manchild and Myth. The addition of female vocals on many of the tracks helped to break up the monotony by providing moments of Maureen Tucker-esque innocence ("Lullaby") or Dominique Durand sultriness ("Only Wait"). Improvements aside, Koppes' songs still didn't drive as much as plod, and the album lacked any truly standout tracks because of this fact. Diehard Church fans could probably find a few rare moments to latch onto on From the Well but, for the majority of listeners, the album just served as a reminder that Peter Koppes, the solo artist, still remained a work in progress. ~ J. Scott McClintock