Chandeliers are leading the way with an old, illness familiar sound that dominated the earlier part of this century but has yet to be heard since acts like Daniel Striped Tiger and Tokyo Police Club. ‘MONDAY’ is the third effort by the caps lock-loving trio.
As the usual Chandeliers sound of heavy guitars and thunderous, patient spastic drumming fills your ears with the opener ‘Swim Gym’ you notice that Daniel Coulson’s vocals have taken a much more aggressive, spookier, yet emotional tone. It’s a departure from their 2012 ‘BIGSHOT WEEKEND EP’ but Coulson pulls off incredibly technical, structured fast-paced guitar sounds underneath haunting lyrics flawlessly.
‘Shame,’ which clocks in at about a minute and a half, is perhaps the most accessible and moving song on the release. Short, sweet, sour and full of angst, this sounds like one of the finest unreleased indie songs of 2002 rather than 2013.
A smooth transition from the jagged vocals of ‘Shame’ leads into the final track, ‘Not Smart (Just Well Educated)’ shows how versatile the Chandeliers truly are, channeling their old epics into a new work.
‘MONDAY’ is more captivating than the last 2 releases by Chandeliers combined, as this EP presents a more aggressive plethora of swinging emotions over shining guitars. Do not miss this terrifying trio in JP tonight at Mesopotamia. They’ll be joined by fellow feisty friends in Winter and Soft Focus.