Can it really be 10 years since I first heard this? More’s to the point, can there really have been 10 years of music produced since this album was pushed into the world? And if so, how can it possibly be that this sounds so much fresher and more alive than many albums released last week?
The thing about BABY CHAOS (now known as Deckard) is that they make the sublimely skilled and brilliantly crafted sound obvious and brilliant. This album really does have it all: punk attitude, genius pop melodies, rock spirit, and fine fine musicianship from all concerned, great lyrics and top notch production that allows each song to be the polished gem that it undeniably is. It is, in short, a joy to listen to.
You may have heard all this before in other reviews in, say, Kerrrang!, only to be disappointed by a very average sounding pop punk album, about as fun as bubblegum and just as disposable. I know I have. This album will not have that effect. Sure, there’s enough intrinsic grasp of melody and dynamics to provide an instant hit, but the deceptive depth of the song writing and the lyrics and sheer exuberance will keep you coming back for more. Trust me. I’ve been listening for ten years.
It kicks off with ‘Sperm’, a spiteful little slice of relationship angst. What really stands out on this track is the dynamics, from the initial quietly strummed guitar line that opens out into a fantastic verse riff, which then doubles again into a really pounding chorus (then back again). But this is an album that’s all about understated brilliance.
Continuing the bodily fluid theme, ‘Saliva’ ups the dynamic ante even further, with great soaring, angry choruses, and some superb drumming, before ’Go To Hell’ starts to delicately crawl across your ears, with it’s quiet-but-pacey melody line that (you guessed it) just explodes into a real shout-along chorus. I cannot tell you how much better this is than anything you’ve ever heard by, say, Blink 182 or Sum 41 or, well, anyone with a number in their name, actually. But it’s a lot better. It manages to be punkyer and poppier at the same time, not to mention containing more genuine passion in one riff than most of those over-hyped muppets could manage on the best day of their lives.
It’s on 4th track ‘Breathe’ though where the final part of the puzzle is uncovered: as the mournful, reflective lyric of loss unfolds, you realise what you’re hearing is Emo. Which is impossible, because there were no Emo bands in 1994. Well, maybe one. Unlike most Emo, it’s not sappy for sap’s sake, and there’s also a fury at work that explodes halfway through the song to superb effect, leading to one of the heaviest moments on the album. That dedication to representing the messiness of true emotion, the jagged contradictions and real depth of conflict catapult the lyrical content from merely good Emo to brilliant lyrics full stop.
‘Hello Victim’ then pogos up to you, with its wry lyric of alienation summed up in the refrain ‘I think I should have stayed in bed/But I’m not there and I’m here instead’. That’s the other thing that this has over most Emo – that punk spirit of aggression but also wry humor, coupled with a grasp of dynamic and melody that manage to make near perfection sound effortless. This is instinctively brilliant songwriting. The songs run together like a live set would, keeping the energy up into ‘Buzz’, with its deceptively simple duel guitar riff that will compel your head to nod right through the bridge to the majestic chorus. This song also features one of the finest and most controlled guitar solos I’ve ever heard, perfectly crafted and flawlessly executed.
Things get heavier and moodier next with ‘A Bullet For The End’ – the opening riff could almost be nu-metal, albeit slower and more graceful. But it’s loud, distorted, powerful stuff, and carries a real menace, with some quite spectacular drum fills in the ever-building chorus. The end section of this song also showcases another strength of this band – the way they explore a riff’s full potential and exploit it to the hilt yet still manage to leave you wanting more.
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‘Camel’, a short sketch of a song, links the trauma of ‘A Bullet…’ with this albums third contender for ‘perfect song’ ‘Golden Tooth’, a searing, tongue in cheek, first person perspective demolition of the guy who thinks he knows it all, the one who’d rather make it up than be wrong. In its own way, it’s as devastating a critique of a personality as Pulp’s ‘Common People’ but with the added bonus of being less pretentious, more energetic and way funnier. Another implausibly brilliant guitar solo caps off this two and a half minute work of art, and the urge to hit repeat immediately is almost overwhelming.
Do it though, and you’ll miss ‘Gazelle Boy’, which would be a shame, because, though perhaps not as instantly accessible, it does none the less reward the attentive listener with (yet) another blinding guitar solo and crazed final verse, all of which sets you up for the final track, the utterly sublime ‘Superpowered’, which basically takes all your favorite elements of their songs to this point and does them all at once. The extended intro just builds and builds, from a drum pattern, to a simple strummed chord, then a second guitar and bass part, then the original guitar picks up, the drumming builds gloriously, before dropping to a held chord, quietly feeding back over the opening sung line…. then everything comes crashing back in. The melody on this tune is just magic, pure songwriting gold, and the way the verse builds slowly and epically, before dropping out to the chorus is like pouring lemonade onto your brain – it’s nothing but fizzy joyful goodness. There’s also a magnificent fake ending – it’s almost as if the band thought ‘Nah, even we’re not that cruel, give 'em one more!’ The lyrics are superbly anthemic too; an ode to self empowerment that is genuine enough to be uplifting but remain grounded enough to avoid pomposity or being over sweet by a comfortable margin. If I haven’t yet persuaded you that this song is a masterpiece, then I’m telling it wrong. In fact, I’m going to listen to it again right now, that’s how good it is.
Yep, still impossibly good. ‘Got second sight/and seven senses/I’m no coward/ I’m superpowered…’ Ah man, the drum fill into the second chorus will take your head off, and the decision to just mosh through the riff rather than soloing demonstrates a level of restraint and maturity bordering on genius. In fact, bollocks, it is genius. And so is this album. A gem from start to finish and living breathing proof that there’s nothing the yanks can screw up that we Brits can’t do properly, and often 10 years ahead of schedule.
You may now hit repeat.
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