Baby Chaos / Ape Confronts Cosmos LP / 6 March 2020 -PCN Album Review
BABY CHAOS
APE CONFRONTS COSMOS
RELEASE DATE – 6th March
Three Hands Records
Review : John Brown
Baby Chaos return amidst a veritable smorgasbord of talent currently plying their trade in Scotland. The level of songwriting, from both established and new acts, is at a high and it will take something special to rise to the top of the pile. Does the new offering from Baby Chaos have what it takes to take them to the peak? Let’s see…
Worth mentioning first is the overall sound of the recording. It is absolutely superb! The recording, mixing and mastering is top notch. It’s best listened to at a moderate volume to enjoy the dynamics and the craft of this long player; it really is a joy.
The songs are all well crafted and, unusually, there is no fill. Each song grabs the listener and demands attention. The album is immediate with no bedding in or several listens required. There are 13 tracks and on an album this long you could find you switching off but not on this occasion. Neither, as on some rock albums, is it one paced in your face from start to finish.
There are some riffs that might seem familiar but you can’t quite place them and there are no rock cliches. It’s all done in a refreshing manner and sure there are parts where your mind takes you to places like The Foo Fighter or Queens of the Stone Age; not because Baby Chaos sound like them but because that what we do — we try to put all acts in a neat wee box of genre matching.
There are some glorious passages to be found such as the breakdown and outro of “The Wild Beast”. If this doesn’t have you foot tapping and head nodding then, perhaps, music isn’t your thing.
Track 5 — “I Belong in Battle” — arrives and defies any idea of what you thought this album is or is going to be. It’s a beautiful acoustic track that flies in the face of the previous four tracks and gives you a chance to catch your breath before re-entering rock mode in track 6!
This album is definitely not a one trick pony; it’s in your face from the off but it’s not rock by numbers. There are nuances and subtle reminders that rock music isn’t just about screaming and 100mph foot to the floor music. Baby Chaos serve up some beautiful acoustic guitars, fantastic drumming and diverse vocals that remind us that rock music can be a thing of beauty if crafted properly.
Does this album have a chance of taking Baby Chaos to the top of the music pile in Scotland? The short answer is yes, yes it does.
BABY CHAOS will announce live dates, videos and details of unique interactive performances soon. In the meantime, APE CONFRONTS COSMOS provides a welcome and thoroughly exhilarating return.
APE CONFRONTS COSMOS | TRACKLIST
- Out of The Blue
- The Wild Beast
- You Won, You Won
- Run Towards the Roar
- I Belong in Battle
- Mouse. Lion. Mouse
- Orphans on The Moon
- A Quiet Jubilation
- Everything I Counted on Has Been Proved Wrong
- The White Witch
- Your Body Is a Nervous Work of Art
- One Thousand Sorrows, One Thousand Joys
- Cut Through the Ocean
BABY CHAOS
- CHRIS GORDON | vocals and guitar
- GRANT McFARLANE | guitar and vocals
- ALSHY EASTON | guitar and vocals
- BOBBY DUNN | bass
- DAVY GREENWOOD | drums
It’s beautifully crafted and none of the songs drop below a 7 out of 10 and there are a couple that teeter around the 9 out of 10 mark. Very few songs ever make the 10 out of 10 pinnacle so to have a couple of 9’s is good; it’s very good.
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