What you say
No-one has reviewed Proper Rock by The Chap yet.
What we say
 This record left our Brett feeling happy.
I missed The Chap and The Dirty Projectors when I saw Wire in Manchester the other month which was a bit of a shame, I was quite curious to see what they were like. I've developed an annoying habit of missing things at gigs recently, it's totally bum; I need to start wearing an alarm clock around my neck, Flavor Flav style. Actually I saw Public Enemy recently too.. And missed Antipop Consortium and half of Dr. Octagon. See what I mean? Rubbish. Anyway, I've got a Chap single to review now so that's something, if I'd have seen them live I'd probably have been quite confused to be honest, the general consensus in here is that they're basically a novelty band with intelligence which from my first experience of them sounds about right. The super limited 'Proper Rock' 7" is a catchy bit of guitar oddpop that I'd like to hope is mocking a particularly annoying group of people, small-minded rock snobs. Apparently this is getting a bit of airplay on the dread Radio 1 which is quite nice, it's definitely several cuts above most of the drivel they peddle.
What the label says:
TRACKLISTING:
1. Proper rock
2. What’s love got to do with it?
STRICTLY LIMITED TO 300 COPIES
OVERVIEW:
The Chap, the already-legendary, pan- European, London-based modern pop group, are back with their new single, Proper Rock, which sees them playing, well, proper rock music. Or maybe not…
Why is there a very camp-sounding fire fighter’s choir fronting some kind of fierce sci – fi indie rock combo, demanding “Proper songs about girls and clubbing”? Do they mean that? They even mention
someone called Rod. It’s very confusing, but it rocks and stays in your head for days. Honest!
On the flip side, we find a cover version of Tina Turner’s ‘What’s love got to do with it”. Apparently, it was recorded in about 30 minutes some years ago. It features the best violin solo known to mankind. The singer forgets the lyrics. It’s mind-blowing. For a very long time, fans have demanded that this be released. A truly classic single. It’s infectious, blistering pop music, but all the while something is deliciously wrong here, making for what is sure to be one of the most intriguing releases of 2008.
“Sufficient to gather up much of what is presented to us as contemporary cutting-edge pop and render it deeply mediocre by comparison” Guardian Guide, Track of the Week “The Chap are the only group that have managed to combine the ruff and dirty energy of disco and rock with a sense of pastel warmth and melodic clarity.” Straight No Chaser “It’s cool and dry, and it’s all over the place as well. It’s sonically unpredictable and harmonically lopsided, yet almost infuriatingly catchy. It’s fractured and jerky, but smoothly enticing at the same time. It’s cerebral and detached in its methodology but visceral in its impact. Most of all, it’s fantastic fun. Serious fun.” The Wire “The Chap are both gear and fab!” John Peel RIP
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