Chancellorpink “Valentine Parade” (Wax Electric, 2008)

My funny valentine

Somewhere in Honduras Ray McLaughlin (for he is Chancellorpink) entered into a strange ceremony with a local shaman, in exchange for a few trinkets (two Samsonite suitcases and a sturdy backpack) he exchanged his soul for an amalgam of David Bowie, Scott Walker and Stephin Merritt. He then went back to Pittsburgh and recorded ‘Valentine Parade’.

The strange witchcraft has resulted in a weird brand of pop music where darkness, art, alchemy and outsider spirit serves up songs like ‘I Tear Window Down’ which could be Robert Pollard at his most clear or the title track which is a twinkling Parisian Scott Walker outing. The disorientating oriental Magnetic Fields throb of ‘Red Wedding Dress’ explodes in a chorus of voices, Gilbert & Sullivan by way of the Brothers Quay. A similar swirl of discombobulation pervades ‘Mrs Kowalski’ and it becomes clear that McLaughlin (who wrote, produced and played everything) is a man of singular vision. Each of these songs differs from its neighbour; the skewed pop of ‘Mrs Kowalski’ is followed by the drum and electro soup of ‘The Red Sea’ which is as close to the Associates as you might get in 2008.

I’ll start writing my card for Ray next year for this is an enjoyable listen and you can’t help falling a little for the croon of ‘Unfinished Valentine’ and the ambition that he shows throughout.

Date review added:  Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Reviewer:  David Cowling
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  He is the law