Chic Chameleon is the band name for a Patrick Froese, a multi-instrumentalist from Edmonton, Alberta. His group’s debut release is an EP titled Doomed. He’s also performed at many Edmonton live venues and his first single release “Dreaming of Heaven” will be featured in a movie produced by Girls in Film and TV. If like me you’re put in mind of “Karma Chameleon” you can flush that right now because they sound nothing like Culture Club.
Froese grow up on a farm on the Alberta prairies, which he says gives his music “a distinct sense of vastness and self reliance.” His primary genres are shoegaze and dream pop, for which he uses “lush reverbs, repeating delays and thick choruses (along with) layered guitar lines and synthesizers.” Though he majored in music composition at an Edmonton university, he also took audio engineering courses so he could learn to record and mix his own compositions. During Covid lockdown, Froese bought some recording gear and tracked these songs in his childhood bedroom by himself, along with mixing and mastering. Froese describes Chic Chameleon pretty accurately as “…a dream-inducing ensemble that will propel you into a realm of reflection and thought. With sonorous synth lines, wistful guitar melodies and surging bass and drum grooves, the mission for this project is to bring a fresh flavor of melancholic music to the Canadian scene.” Thematically, this album deals with the loss of several close family relationships during the time of recording. The title Doomed refers to “the feelings of overwhelming loss… a lot of depression, sadness and healing happened over the course of recording, and these songs were a way to cope with the trauma.” Musical influences include Mac DeMarco, Beach House, The War On Drugs, Mitski, Radiohead and Japanese Breakfast. “Samtree” introduces the Chic Chameleon style as the kind where reverberant sound waves envelop every corner of their sonic universe, as if you’re lying in the sentient mattress on their album cover. It’s a mid-tempo track with swirling Fender guitars through all sorts of pedals. It’s got a sweet uplifting sound with perhaps a hint of melancholy in the dreamy vocals and some of the chords. “Dreaming of Heaven” takes things a little more seriously, with a guitar and organ arrangement that at first put me in mind of a church service. As the guitar and piano overdubs join in, it shows more of a George Harrison or Leon Russell influence, with spacey, phasing vocals like 10cc. The melodies here feel natural but with a few unexpected changes that become more familiar with repetition. Froese’s lyrics tend to be in very short chunks, so that they print out narrowly from top to bottom: “You're dreaming / Of heaven / You're seeing / a vision / You're dreaming / Of heaven Again.” “Noble Lies” has more swirly guitars, dreamy vocals and prominent bass. The keys have a magical ‘80s quality. The title of this song could actually have been “I’m your punching bag” as those are the chorus lyrics. Again the melodies and chords are constantly surprising and impossible to predict. The final track “Doomed” appears to be the most closely tied to the recent tragedies in Froese’s life, but even so it’s every bit as beautiful and immersive as the other tracks. There’s a web of picked guitars with various treatments, otherworldly synths and yearning vocals. In a strange way the song almost seems to be writing itself, with the dreamy chords and melodies floating forth from the ether in the exact order they are needed. This is an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see what may come in the future from this unique artist.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|