Part Chimp Thriller (Rock Action)
4/5
By: Charlie Hearn
Arriving on my desk in the form of a homemade CDR, complete with hand written in permanent marker album title and no frills photocopied artwork and press release, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first stuck Part Chimp’s Thriller into my stereo. A barrage of hard guitars, harder drums, droning vocals and swirling distortion quickly amalgamates into a collage of lo-fi madness that feels infinite. By the time it does all come crashing down to an abrupt halt with the rather sobering opening of ‘Tomorrow Midnight’, it’s already too late to catch a breath, I’ve been drowned in whatever it was that just happened in the opening 15 minutes. But I think that’s the point - a frantic overcrowding has me helplessly trying to find my balance as I’m engulfed by the ensuing chaos which shortly continues as ‘Tomorrow Midnight’ plunges back into the fuzzy abyss, never to return.
Despite the confusion, Thriller feels like the intricate corruption of an originally fairly straight forward idea. After the initial sensory overload from a band who claims to sound loud regardless of the volume level, it doesn’t take long before you can start to peel away the outer layers of Thriller and take a look into what direction Part Chimp are coming from. Originally formed in the winding catacombs of Camberwell, there’s a distinct British grunge influence throughout the album that points towards a mysterious and dreary existence. Delving further into the core of the album, an undeniably prevalent back drop of traditional rock emerges, hinting towards the soul of the bewildered beast.
The current cast backs this theory up, with one vocalist, two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist. During the down time of the penultimate track ‘Super Moody’, we witness the clearest indications of these core elements, as the unusually calm song peters out, lulling the listener into a sense of security and more importantly normality. This finally leads on to ‘Starpiss’, which takes one last stab at breaking the conventional, mutating back into a calculated scramble of audio that plays out over 8 minutes. This dramatic and drawn out ending ultimately sums up the fundamental concept of the album, as well as unlocking some of the secrets surrounding the puzzling combination of styles and influences that make up Part Chimp.
I’m not entirely sure if I fully understand it. Or even if I’m meant to. But I know there’s something remarkable in it.
Artists in this article: Part Chimp
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