Pharmakoi/Distance-Crunching Honchos with Echo Units is the only album by the Australian alternative rock band The Refo:mation, released in 1997.
The Refo:mation was a de facto reunion of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church with their original guitarist Peter Koppes, but without other guitarist Marty Willson-Piper.
Koppes had left the band in 1992 but had played as a guest on their 1996 album Magician Among the Spirits. Following that album's commercial failure however, the members of The Church had turned their attention to other projects and Willson-Piper had left Australia in order to collaborate with other artists and write new solo material.
In his absence, singer/bassist Steve Kilbey, drummer Tim Powles and the returning Koppes spent some studio time together and quickly wrote and recorded an album. Loose in feel, but rich in atmosphere, the eccentrically-titled Pharmakoi/Distance-Crunching Honchos With Echo Units saw a greater focus on concise, guitar-dominated songs, in contrast to the experimentation of Magician Among the Spirits.
The trio had initially thought of calling themselves "The Reformation", but this was altered, on Powles' suggestion, as a courtesy to the absent Willson-Piper.
Track listing
All songs by The Refo:mation
"1:07" – 1:08
"Don't Move" – 4:21
"Traitor" – 5:21
"She Comes In Singing" – 3:39
"All See It Now" – 4:42
"Trying to Get In" – 5:38
"Florian Trout" – 4:35
"5:28" – 3:29
"Who Is the One?" – 5:34
"Get Over It" – 3:45
"Take Your Place" – 3:46
"Towards Sleep" – 5:22
"The Moon and the Sea" – 4:56
"Stop" – 4:51
Personnel
Steve Kilbey – lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, guitar
The Church are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave, neo-psychedelia, and indie rock, their music later came to feature slower tempos and surreal soundscapes reminiscent of dream pop and post-rock. Glenn A. Baker has written that "From the release of the 'She Never Said' single in November 1980, this unique Sydney-originated entity has purveyed a distinctive, ethereal, psychedelic-tinged sound which has alternatively found favour and disfavour in Australia." The Los Angeles Times has described the band's music as "dense, shimmering, exquisite guitar pop".
Marty Willson-Piper is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former long-time member of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church. He joined in 1980 after seeing an early gig where they were performing as a three-piece. He was an integral member of the band for over 30 years. He was also the guitarist for the English alternative rock band All About Eve from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1999 to 2002. He is currently working with Swedish progressive rock band Anekdoten.
Peter Koppes is a guitarist, best known as a founding and almost-continuous member of Australian independent rock band The Church. He is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing mandolin, drums, piano, and harmonica. He has also released various solo albums and various recordings with his group The Well (1989-1995.) Koppes lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland where he also produces albums and conducts seasonal 'song writing' and 'performance for demo recording' short courses at Nambour TAFE, as well as offering private tuition in guitar, drums and song writing. His daughters are Tatiana 'O' Koppes and Neige Koppes who have their own band, Rain Party.
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