SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE CHILLS – SPRING BOARD: THE EARLY UNRECORDED SONGS

THE CHILLS
SPRING BOARD: THE EARLY UNRECORDED SONGS
FIRE RECORDS

Has the late Martin Phillipps been given enough credit for his role in bringing something new and fresh to modern rock music with his band The Chills? The debate on that one has yet to ensue, but a worldwide fan base and a slew of critics have made up their minds–Phillips’ name should be up there with those considered the greatest in rock.

As his and The Chills’ record company notes, Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs is a sort of a Phillipps passion project that reimagines his earlier unreleased songs. Unfortunately, Phillipps wasn’t able to finish the project himself before his death in 2024, so the album was finalized by the remaining band members, his family, and friends.

As Phillipps noted himself when discussing the project: “All of the songs needed varying degrees of rewriting; a 60-year-old man couldn’t just stick to the lyrics of those formative years. And some of the songs were just vague recollections, incomplete, only blossoming during recording.”

Yet, the album turned out to be not just another personal vanity project, all due to Phillipps’ immense talent and musical and lyrical capabilities that are yet to be fully appreciated. This album is another chance to do that.

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