The Chalets
Check In (Setanta)
By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: April 11th, 2007 | 4:27pm
Their MySpace proclaims they sound like “your auntie after too many sherries on Christmas Day,” but what the Chalets are is the bubbliest brew to come from Dublin outside of Guinness. This coy and creative fivesome meld the Beach Boys with a mod sneer and sarcasm galore. Flirtatious frontwomen Peepee and Pony embody modern day Gidgets – singing sweeties that have to fend off “weird-looking groupies” who hamper on their fun in the sun. (The quirky garage rocker “Two Chord Song” even jests about the homeliness of male band mates Enda, Chris, and Dilbot.)
Precious and precocious, their songs go down smoothly, like the best seaside strawberry daiquiris. Life’s a beach for the Chalets, but it’s also a battlefield (the Shiny Toy Guns like “Nightrocker,”) a power pop fashion show (“No Style,”) and an altar where they worship electroclash (“Love Punch.”) But the schizophrenia suits these kooky kids.
Check In is like the unpredictable pull of the tide; a bobbing beat may lead a listener to believe they’re wading in familiar waters but then an undertow of Talking Heads or a hazy piano riff drags the album into a whole different direction. Unlike many an overhyped UK band that prove to be one-trick ponies, this Pony and her Beach Blanket buddies dare to explore beyond comfortable musical shores. It’s their party and they’ll play what they want to. And this is one shindig you won’t want to miss.
Issue #23
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more