Sunday 10 July 2011

Chapel Club - Palace (Loog)


As the doom-rock formula becomes ever more diluted, it’s getting harder and harder for a band to stamp their own unique footprint on a style of indie that, arguably, was perfected by Joy Division back in 1979. Songs on Palace like ‘The Shore’ swell to nothing much more than waves of expansive guitars and hefty drumming, producing a powerful yet completely indistinctive sound. If you find it difficult to discern between Editors and White Lies, Chapel Club will only add to your confusion.

The modern reworking of the ancient ‘Dream A Little Dream of Me’ on the meaty ‘Surfacing’ shows a rare moment of creative prowess while the sheer force of  ‘White Knight Position’ is impressive. Bowman’s downbeat vocals and wry lyrics combine well with the heavyweight production on show to give the album a lot of clout. Essentially, the best compliment you can pay Chapel Club is that if they are the new White Lies, at least they’re a better version. 

**

No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers