Album Review: "Moonwater" by Chappo

Here is an album that was purchased by me because someone said it was good and a worthy pick up. Ifound out later that my friend had seen them play live and that he felt that they "had potential."

Uh oh.

This recommendation was from the same person who suggested Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour 74, so it came from a trusted source. This person seems to have a similar taste in music to me and has even suggested an awesome little headphone amp so I can rock out on my Les Paul after the wife and daughter go to sleep.

A couple samples of this record were listened to before the purchase. As soon as the songs were heard by this blogger, they were put onto the Amazon wish list.

From the first song, the fact that they are very poppy was very readily apparent. Quite honestly, I am not really a fan of poppy, happy music. Fun's album wasn't purchased by me either.

More and more trying to understand what in the hell this band is seems like a very futile experience. The closest cousins they have in the music world seems to be the aforementioned Fun and Cage The Elephant.

Had those two bands created a musical progeny, it would probably have been Chappo, as long as Pink Floyd was their creepy uncle. (Every well adjusted child needs a creepy uncle to keep them on the straight and narrow!) Many of the songs clock in over four minutes, a few over six, and the title track goes past seven minutes. That makes this band some other brand of pop music, but they are definitely filling in a musical niche, even if it greatly confuses me.

This music does run counter to what I prefer to hear. The rhythm section is at the forefront. If there was ever a band that was attempting to create a melody with the drums, Chappo would be it. The guitar work is low in the mix and often panned to the left speaker, but down in the corner. Through a few listens, few guitar solos have reared their heads.

Yes, I want to hear guitar work. I play guitar and that's my favorite instrument, what can I say?

All in all, this album is a grower. Upon first listen, it didn't make it all the way through. The second went farther, and the third farther than that. At about the fifth or sixth time through, this album became something worthwhile to me. It will be a nice change of pace in shuffle, but that'll be as far as it goes. When it comes out of my car, it won't go back in.

Genre: Pop
Year: 2012
Run time: 54:00

Tracklisting:

1) What Are You Kids On?
2) Explode
3) Hell No
4) Come Home
5) Don't
6) 5-0
7) Native Savage
8) Hollywood
8) Sunblades
9) Shots Fired
11) M.O.O.N. Water