I’m currently in the city that never sleeps: NYC. And yet despite fire sirens going off on the hour, people yelling, and cars honking, I’m locked away in a world of my own, listening to these guys:
The Chase.
First of all, I’m really liking the paisley pattern on the cover of their sophomore album, Slings & Arrows; it ‘s a design that was hugely popularized during the 60’s, when rock’n’roll was thriving under bands like The Beatles and The Kinks; so right away you get an indication of where the songs are going.
It’s worth mentioning because it shows that they’re considering all the details, and I think the look and aesthetic of a musician are important. (One of the reasons why I could never get into Muse)…
The tracks, (all written and produced by Michael Turvey) include:
Luke Jerome on bass,
Ralph Humby on drums and backing vocals,
Harry Street on guitar,
Ben Riley on keys, saxophone, and backing vocals;
and Michael on piano, lead guitar, and lead vocals.
The first track, ‘Tonight’, is pure power. The guitar, the vocals – everything about it! I’d even venture out to say that ‘Tonight’ is to Slings & Arrows what ‘Rock’n'Roll Star’ is to Definitely Maybe.
With the intro. and drums adding a sense of urgency and anticipation, it’s best described as, adrenaline set to a melody. Great way to open an album…
‘Truth & Lies’ rivals ‘A Different Place’ for my favorite song though…
‘A Different Place’ has everything you could possibly want in a song without overdoing it: golden vocals from Ben and Michael, insane guitars (+solo!), fierce drums, and a pounding bass that resonates in your chest… Watch the video here!
As for ‘Truth & Lies’, the imagery of the opening line is perfection:
“A stolen kiss on a rainy day in June.”
It goes on to showcase the brilliant songwriting that makes this band so relatable. It’s romantic, but not in the sappy Boys II Men kind of way…
Edgy, with a subtle aggressiveness, and a rock’n’roll attitude.
***
They also recently released a remastered version of their debut, Ever, Never, or Now? It’s sounding 100000x better and as far as the songs themselves go, the boys never disappoint!
‘One Day’ is my favorite song on it right now. The bass is hot on this track and provides a nice contrast to the harsher guitar.
The unfaltering smoothness of the vocal amidst the dynamic structure of the melody is stunning.
You can hear their influences within the albums (I catch traces of Neil Young, The Beatles, The Kinks, etc.), but they definitely have a sound all their own.
For more check out:
-My INTERVIEW with Michael (one of the most popular posts I’ve written for blog, Cardinal Playlists).
-Twitter: @thechaseonline
-Buy Ever, Never, or Now? HERE.
-Buy Slings & Arrows HERE.
-Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thechaseonline
-Website: http://www.thechase-online.co.uk
Listen, love, and spread the word!
XR
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