Skip to main content

The Chap: Mega Breakfast

By

Sounds Like: Irony.


RIYL: Mekons, Neu!, David Bowie, CSS


A Few Words: At first listen I thought it was a new Flight of the Conchords record: that farcical portrayal of synth pop and Bowie-esque vocals. On further spins, though, I realized that The Chap are, ironically, being sincere in their satire. The Chap's album Mega Breakfast puts pop music on the treadmill and screams, "Sweat, you bitch!" It has a similar effect to watching hordes of homophobic frat brats do the YMCA


Yet The Chap are not a comedy act; they're honest-to-god musicians. The difference between them and, say, Be Your Own Pet, is that The Chap actually read the books at school. Not that literacy makes for good music, mind you; just that it makes for a richer, more enthralling experience. Like the difference between an 86 Ridgefield Cab Sav and grape Kool-Aid. Or maybe it's Kool-Aid in the cab. Whatever. It's cool like tight pants on Francis (Buxton). I haven't heard mock pop this intelligent since Mekons released Me. The ease with which it fits into the genre that it satirizes is testament to its artfulness: it's not just smart, it's goddamn good.


Download "Proper Rock" from The Chap's debut album, Mega Breakfast

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Racoon Wedding :: Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth

By
Download The Paper Boy from The Racoon Wedding's album, Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth Sounds Like : they're gonna rip your ribcage out and find your heart RIYL : White Rabbits, Portugal. The Man, Fanfarlo, Rolling Stones ala Beggar's Banquet From the Press Release : Forming from the ashes of Vermicious Knid, and authoring songs in the basement of the all ages not-for-profit art space they own in a nook of the city’s forgotten downtown, frontman Tim Ford and company boast a sense of loyalty to their community that few other bands share. On their debut LP, Gather Gather Bones/Rattle Rattle Truth , issued this October via their own Ford Plant Recordings Co., the band enlisted the help of engineer Leon Taheny (of the Final Fantasy recording credit) and hammered out a record that teems with the spirit of long-forgotten roots music. It’s indebted to the history of mighty back porch music: unbridled, unedited, beautifully intense.
Post a Comment
Read more

May Day Is Lei Day

By
For the past 31 years in Honolulu, the Brothers Cazimero have hosted an annual May Day variety show at the Waikiki Shell Ampitheatre (because May Day is Lei Day!). When living there, I had the privilege of attending twice, the last time being the 30th anniversary, and just after the sad passing of the legendary Don Ho. Both times were, at the risk of allowing my cynical mask slip, magical. The May Day show is great fun, and follows the format of an old time variety show -- there is an aura of glamour interspersed with a decidedly camp sensibility, with hula stars of past and present gracing the stage. Spirits are high, and the banter among the performers is priceless; at times it feels as though you've wandered into a family reunion, and are a long lost cousin -- instantly at home and enveloped in the warmth. It's a time to celebrate the spirit and culture that truly do make the islands such a special place. There's a song that plays before the Sunset On The Beach movies...
Post a Comment
Read more

CONTEST! Win Tickets to See Whitey at The Railway Club in Vancovuer

By
Whitey puts the "F-U" back in Funk. Download the track "West of Hope" to hear what I mean. What : Two free tickets to see indie post-funk sensation, Whitey, at The Railway Club in downtown Vancouver. When : Friday! Friday! Friday! (6 November) How the funk do I get them? Leave a comment. That's all. RIYL : Vampire Weekend, Ozomatli, Cat Empire A Few Words : We don't do ticket give-aways very often here at Duck & Cover. In fact, we don't do them at all. Which is why this is such a special event. Well, it's a special event so long as you live in or around Vancouver, BC. So here's what happened: these two tickets to Whitey just fell off the back of a truck. No, really. They were just sitting there. So I'm turning my good fortune into an opportunity for you, my loyal reader(s). All you have to do to win the tickets to see Whitey at The Railway Club this Friday is to leave a comment . . . that's it! That's all! I'll put all the ...
1 comment
Read more