Chapterhouse Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Even more out of sync with the prevailing trends upon its release -- Suede had hit the U.K. and Brit-pop's incipient reign was under way, while the U.S.A. still wanted its rock as manly grunge straight up -- Blood Music at once wasn't quite the best follow-up in the world and yet worked much better as an album than Whirlpool, which given that it was constructed from almost as many different sessions as the first album ranks as even more of a surprise. The band's increasingly schizophrenic tastes reflected themselves in the music from the start, as opener "Don't Look Now" started with a swirling bit of techno-psychedelia, punctuated by a guitar riff shortly afterward. Songwise, things were not quite as distinct this time around; singles "We Are the Beautiful" and "She's a Vision" felt a little too much like pale copies of earlier stompers like "Pearl," though admittedly the vocals were a bit more up front. Taken as a whole, however, somehow the album holds together well -- everything flows just right throughout, shifting from the peppier semi-dance of "Everytime" to the chillier, slightly emptier "Deli," from the more rocked-up nuggets like "Greater Power" to the calm, floaty ending, "Love Forever." It wasn't enough in the end to ensure the success of the album or the continuation of the band, but Blood Music still has enough going for it to suggest Chapterhouse might have gone on to greater things next time through. Differing bonus discs appeared on U.K. and U.S. versions -- the former consisted of a full remix of the album by techno duo Global Communication, while the latter included a couple of remixes from other acts, a sweet little number called "Frost," and the awesome "Picnic," a 15-minute ambient/rock piece that arguably was their best-ever number. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Victim of a double whammy -- caught in the already building backlash to the shoegazer scene at home and completely ignored in the States, as was just about anything else British -- once Nevermind and Ten hit the charts Chapterhouse's album debut could have, and should have, won a bigger name for itself. At once more dance-flirting and garage-punky than most recordings by other My Bloody Valentine obsessives that emerged in the early '90s, though suffering the same underplaying in the vocal department, Whirlpool builds nicely on the three earlier EP releases with a similar sense of "what the hey -- if it works, try it." As an album, it doesn't per se connect as a unified piece -- the final track listing comes from a variety of recording sessions with a large number of producers and remixers, including Robin Guthrie, Stephen Hague, John Fryer, and Ralph Jezzard. As a collection of mostly killer tracks, though, this is mighty fine. "Breather" kicks it off with a rushing shudder that mixes its acoustic and electric guitars well, while "Pearl" throws in trancey beats, John Bonham samples, and some fine art-glazed feedback riffs to create as perfect a nugget of the era as any. "Falling Down" has similar heavy-groove action to it, Madchester as played by Loop. Other highlights are more strictly rocky, like the slow-build/rave-up/freak-out/repeat "Autosleeper" and "April," with a big guitar wash up and out through the length of the song. A gentler version of early track "Something More" closes the album well; the overall effect is strong promise for whatever would come next. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
