Chin Up Chin Up
In Puerto Escondido, which is just beautiful. Big waves, sun, and great food. Why doesn´t everyone come here, I want to know. Anyways, I discovered Chin Up Chin Up based entirely on the name of their first album: We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers. It pretty handily wins the “most awesome record title of the past few years” title. I mean, it could have sounded terrible and I still would have given it a few listens. Fortunately, it’s actually quite good.
They don’t quite sound like anyone. Or rather, they sound like a lot of different folks. The Cure is surely an inspiration, but there’s a lot more than that going on here. Trilling guitar lines, hushed vocals, shimmery keyboards and other effects, and extremely long song titles (“Why Is My Sleeping Bag A Ghetto Muppet”) bring to mind Sufjan. And, when they’re rocking out, I can’t help but think of any number of those Montreal bands (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, etc.).
Most of the songs work from one overarching beat or riff, which they play around with, using a variety of instruments, meters, and mixing levels to flesh out. Which means this is great mood music, though it does also mean that if you’re not paying close attention, you’re likely to miss the nuances, and each song will begin to run into the next. Still, there are enough moments where they let loose to keep you honest.
They’ve got a new album scheduled for release on October 10th, but in the meantime, here’s a couple highlights from their first record:
Virginia Don’t Drown
We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were SkyscrapersThe Architect Has a Gun
“Virginia Don’t Drown” is the clear standout, and hopefully a sign of what is to come. But all three are quite good.
Oh, and you’ll notice awesome titles don’t end with the album. I mean, there’s “Why Is My Sleeping Bag A Ghetto Muppet,” or “The Architect Has A Gun,” or “Get Me Off This Fucking Island.” Seriously, who comes up with these?
And, if you like ’em, you can buy a t-shirt at their Myspace page.