ARTIST: Chaser
TITLE: Best Seat In The House
LABEL: Punktastic Recordings
GENRE: Indie
SOURCE: CD
BITRATE: 160 kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 33:15
RELEASE DATE: 2006-02-20
RIP DATE: 2006-11-02
Track List
----------
1. I'll Be On The Other Side 3:27
(Riot)
2. Best Seat In The House 3:46
3. The Race Is On 3:51
4. On Second Glance 4:37
5. Headlights & Train Tracks 4:34
6. Ride 3:55
7. Red Paint 4:17
8. Riot Remix 4:48
Release Notes:
Note: bitrates are low, coverscans included.
I donÆt even know what to call this, and, at 8 tracks long, I donÆt think anyone
else does either. Album? Mini album? Extended EP? Whatever, itÆs irrelevant.
What does matter is that the boys in Chaser have been hard at work on their
danceable indie-pop sound since their demo recordings, which are collecting dust
somewhere in here, and have quickly developed into something resembling an A&RÆs
wet dream. Title track æBest Seat In The HouseÆ is, as has already been often
cited, 2 parts Panic! At The Disco to 1 part The Killers û itÆs one of the
catchiest songs youÆll hear all year and has such a broad spectrum of appeal
that I fully expect it to lead the Chaser assault on the scenes that they wonÆt
automatically win over anyway. æThe Race Is OnÆ is another favourite of mine
with its distinctive piano-driven leading line. These tracks sit alongside
æRiotÆ as the radio-friendly danceable numbers which are likely to introduce you
to their sound.
Chaser, like almost every young band ever, has the odd æfaultÆ. Well, I say
æfaultÆ, but thatÆs perhaps a little harsh as IÆm judging them against
themselves rather against any contemporary. æOn The Second GlanceÆ slows things
right down for a melody-driven blend of pop vocals and smooth, layered synths.
ItÆs still a great song, but itÆs not what Chaser does best: getting you singing
along and dancing. That said, the trance remix of Riot is designed to get you
dancing, IÆm guessing. But, at the moment, the only substance powering this
review is lemon squash. Had it been a cocktail of acid, cocaine and crystal
meths, IÆd have probably ejaculated all over the CD; itÆll liven up a house
party IÆm sure, but when IÆm just sat here listening I have to admit I press the
skip button.
33 minutes, and itÆs all over. I realise that IÆm undoubtedly going to be
lambasted for delivering a positive review to this CD, but IÆd be lying if I
slandered it. Whether this is your thing or not, I think most people would agree
that Chaser has the raw material there to become a very big band, and this is an
impressive account for a first proper release. Providing they stick to the
catchy end of their sound, there are few restrictions on where they can go with
this.
www.chasermusic.co.uk
www.myspace.com/chaseruk
www.punktasticrecordings.com