SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHAMELEONS – ARCTIC MOON

CHAMELEONS
ARCTIC MOON
METROPOLIS RECORDS

A new album by Chameleons is big news. It has been 24 years since their last studio album, 2001’s Why Call It Anything, and although they have toured a great deal in the past quarter century, their recorded output has been missed. Arctic Moon is an album that has been anticipated by fans for years, and they will not be disappointed. It is their best album to date. Vox and Reg Smithies are the only two of the original members, but they have assembled three other players who contribute and make a great sound. Stephen Rice (guitar), Danny Ashberry (keyboards), and Todd Demma (drums) have been with the band since 2021, and the touring has certainly solidified their sound.

The album opens with the brilliant “Where Are You?” which was the title track of one of the two EPs released last year. It has the Chameleon sound and brilliant lyrics. “Lady Strange” is a brilliant song with trademark Chameleons’ guitar and melody. Vox’s voice on this and throughout the album has never been stronger and, as usual, he sings with conviction. “Feels Like The End Of The World” has tasteful orchestration and the song soars with a strong melody, great playing and thoughtful lyrics.

But it feels like side one is the buildup and opening act for side two of the album, which is incredibly strong and feels like the centre or grounding for the Arctic Moon. “Magnolia” is a slow building and borderline psychedelic song which slowly creeps up on the listener. It has traces of twang and Tex-Mex rock and works brilliantly, but then quickly slips into classic rock. It is also a great love song—”My soul is dead without you”. So well expressed.

Which leads into “David Bowie Takes My Hand”, a loving tribute to David Bowie, in a similar vein as Bob Dylan’s tribute to John Lennon, “Roll On John”. At eight and a half minutes, the song takes its time rolling out the music and lyrics. It is clear that Bowie means a great deal to Vox and the band. The album ends with the first single from the album, the stunning “Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing”, which is sequenced perfectly on the album. In many ways it is connected to the Bowie tribute and it is a moving way to end the album. The subtle reference to Elvis and stark warning the song raises are brilliant right after a tribute to Bowie.

Arctic Moon has been a long time coming and it has been a long time between studio albums. Yes, there have been EPs and live albums, including a couple of brilliant acoustic albums, but this is the album that we have been waiting for from The Chameleons. It is an astounding album full of great music and lyrics, but more importantly, it is an honest and emotional album. Arctic Moon is one of the best albums of the year and an album that may surprise a great many people. Welcome back Chameleon

SPILL FEATURE: THIS IS GOING IN THE DIRECTION WE WANT IT TO – A CONVERSATION WITH VOX OF THE CHAMELEONS

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