Chop Chop "Screens" (Archenemy Records, 2008)

Smart urbane electropop from gifted songstress

“Screens” is the second LP from Chop Chop: essentially Catherine Cavanagh and '...a few drunk, wayward Boston musicians she lured into her attic studio for an occasional session...', and it announces its arrival with stately French horn and solitary plucked guitar, until a flourish of drums kick in and Cavanagh does things with her voice that will make grown men weak in the knees, singing about the minutiae of memory and thought, stark and naked in her honesty but wry and witty nonetheless.

It’s a bracing opening and first track “In a Room” is undoubtedly one of the highlights of “Screens”. That’s not to sell the rest of the record short, however, because what follows is a frequently inventive and very exciting sequence of songs pitting deft melodic sensibilities against unusual sonic textures. The squalling feedback that closes “Fed” stands in stark contrast to “Play”’s sweet tunefulness but both songs demonstrate a worthy and talented pop songstress, aided by a trio of skilled collaborators (Chris Cupcake contributes bass, Carlos Cola XXII drums and CC Moniker guitar).

Elsewhere the songs surprise and delight. “Goon Shoe Drop” is dissonant and strange, telling a story of malaise and menace, while “Northern Armies” and its succeeding track “Northern Armies Again” are absolutely gorgeous, the former built around jaunty bass and sassy electric guitar and the latter around a sweet acoustic strum punctuated by odd rhythmic breaks, but both characterised by Cavanagh’s dulcet vocal inflections and compelling imagery ('...In that moment I could smell you straight through to my bones/If you had touched me well I would have exploded...'). The closing track even throws languid lap steel into the mix, sounding entirely out of place but nonetheless fitting beautifully into this record.

“Screens” over its duration manages to be serious and playful, challenging and engaging, and it’s a very exciting record that showcases a genuinely original talent.

Date review added:  Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Reviewer:  Alex Cleary
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Artists' Official Site