The Chapman Family - Burn Your Town (Album Review)
Wednesday, 09 March 2011
Written by Rhys Morgan
Anticipation! Hype! Both serial rapists of the hopes and dreams of so many fledgling bands. Countless bands get brushed aside because of the fleeting reviews of their debut albums. But things may be different for The Chapman Family. In all honesty I had heard little of their music until writing this review. I had heard their name thrown around in conversations with a few of my musically enlightened acquaintances but that was about the long and short of it.
It’s always great coming into a new album or band with nothing to go on, no expectations. It’s hard to be disappointed. And the feeling dissatisfaction never manifested itself. That’s not to say that 'Burn Your Town' is faultless and is by no means The Chapman Family’s own 'Funeral' or 'Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not'.
From its lullaby begins ('A Certain Degree') to its grandiose ending ('Virgins [Reprise]') 'Burn Your Town' draws heavily on everything from punk to Britpop but struggles and hit its stride and hold its consistency. But they are doing things differently from bands of the same ilk, if you can imagine Editors making music that wasn’t painfully exasperating, you wouldn’t be far away from 'Burn Your Town'.
The album has deafening reverb, murderous drum fills and trauma inducing bass in equal measures. Stand out tracks include 'All Fall' with its speed rock guitar and 'Million Dollars' which sees Kingsley Chapman doing his best Ian Curtis impression which is no bad thing (and let’s face it, better than any plans Peter Hook has to defile Curtis’s memory any further).
The only glaring weakness in the album is 'Kids', which consists of pretty generic source material and unfortunately sounds like a song by The Enemy pumped full of steroids.
'Virgins [Reprise]' is a stunning finale consisting of two parts, both equal in their vast beauty. It starts out slowly and simply, vocals and acoustic guitar while electronic distortion spirals upwards. The song builds itself to crescendo and then dies, for five minutes, before it is resurrected for more of the same.
So, without a mass of hype to accompanying its release, 'Burn Your Town' actually stands up very well. It’s angry, it’s loud, at times heartfelt while if not a little naïve at times. The Chapman Family have given themselves a great starting formula to improve upon and have shown that staying under the radar is, often, the perfect place to be for a band.
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From its lullaby begins ('A Certain Degree') to its grandiose ending ('Virgins [Reprise]') 'Burn Your Town' draws heavily on everything from punk to Britpop but struggles and hit its stride and hold its consistency. But they are doing things differently from bands of the same ilk, if you can imagine Editors making music that wasn’t painfully exasperating, you wouldn’t be far away from 'Burn Your Town'.
