Nominated by: Kevy
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Brave Words
The tragic news about Mr Chills, Martin Phillipps, colours the appreciation of this album somewhat.
It is very fitting that we're back at the start of their career (album wise) with Brave Words (Kaleidoscope World is a compilation). It's hard to beat that youthful intensity and joy of performing.
On Brave Words, The Chills produce a distinctively dense echoey low fi Dunedin sound - Look For The Good In Others being a clear example, but elsewhere the distinctive Phillipps' nervy vocals mix it up with the keyboards, the playfulness and experimentation is there, and angst from a failed relationship is also a factor that darkens the mood a tad at times (first song Push is a raw moment).
The influences are clear - REM (Wet Blanket); Syd Barrett (Ghosts); The Cure (House With A Hundred Rooms) but The Chills of 1987 use those influences to forge their own alt-pop sound.
No skips, no duff tracks. Each time I listened I heard new things (that tinkly piano in House With A Hundred Rooms frinstance). I also liked the consistent pace of these songs - it just drives ever onwards.
The cover is interesting too. The characters (band members) appear to be caught in a web of sorts. It's a nice visual metaphor for the complexity of relationships.
All up - a Kiwi classic. I don't know enough about their other albums to call this their best (I only have three early singles and Silver Bullets - again - thanks to Kevy for that album) but it must surely be in the running.
Great stuff Kevy - a fitting way to remember a great NZ musician.
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