By Jay Mukherjee
One of the great things about being a guest writer on this venerable blog are the times when I get to put on my "fan boy" hat and review some of my favorite artists of all time. This is the case with reviewing the new EP by The Chameleons. Called Where Are You?, this is their first new material in 23 years. The quintet now consists of original members Mark Burgess (vocals, bass) and Reg Smithies (guitar), along with Todd Demma (drums), Stephen Rice (guitar), and Danny Ashberry (keyboard). Original drummer John Lever died in 2017.
First things first: Mark Burgess could sing along to a phone book (kids, there used to be these giant yellow books with ... never mind) and it would get a great review from me. Now, with that out of the way, the EP starts off with the hard-charging and eponymous single "Where are you?" If you are expecting the signature atmospheric and ethereal post-punk sound of vintage Chameleons, you may be disappointed. Instead, you will get something akin to pre-punk, if such a thing ever existed. The song has a very Seventies rock (in a good way!) feel, in line with Mark's favorites like T. Rex. That being said, there are plenty of touches of old school Chameleons that should make old fans happy, while attracting new fans. Now the lyrics? Those are vintage Chameleons! Mark sings:
"I need someone who can comprehend/the time's not real and there is no end
Who can set me right/who can be my friend/on the days that drive her around the bend
And he sings with the urgency of a person screaming into the void as the world is coming to an end. Great song! That lyrical urgency segues nicely into track 2, a remake of "Endlessly Falling", a song from their 1986 collection of early singles The Fan and the Bellows (incidentally the first CD I ever owned by them).
I need someone that can keep me sane/that can dress these wounds/that can heal my pain
I need somebody that has the grace/to tell the truth right to my face
"Talk about the state of things
I don't know what they mean
If you keep your mind intact
Surely that's a victory
Surely that's a victory"
I always found that song to be quite unique because it represented a more punk, than post-punk sound, in the vein of another favorite band of mine, Wire. Nice to hear a nicely produced and clean remake. The EP punctuates with the elegant and beautiful acoustic song "Forever". All in all a great EP and a tasty teaser for their proper forthcoming album Arctic Moon, coming out later this year.
Where are You? by The Chameleons is out now. Details here. See The Chameleons in D.C. at The Black Cat in August.
[Photo: Mick Peek]