IN-PRESS MAGAZINE,
NOVEMBER 20th , 2002
Chris Chapple possesses a singing
voice so rich in timbre and true
in tone,
that once heard, it cannot be forgotten.
This is Chapple's greatest asset,
though certainly not his only one. This second
LP for the Melbourne singer/songwriter
iterates his considerable talent as lyricist
and songwriter and proves yet again
that
with enough talent and taste, you
can
make a stunning recording with
no more
than an 8-track reel to reel recorder
and
a collection of sympathetic and
gifted
friends. Though Whisky Bay starts
off
in minimalist, home recorded fashion
with the beautifully bare One
Day We'll
Both Be Well, a song that
showcases
the aforementioned qualities of
Chapple's singing, it ain't long
before
we're swaying along to a full rock
band,
horn section included.
If You Love A Leaver is
tough but
supple, demonstrating that Chapple
can
rock as effortlessly as he croons.
In teaming up with Blackeyed Susans
guitarist Dan Luscombe, Silver
Ray
drummer Brett Poliness and The
Spoils'
Sean Simmons on bass, Chapple has
managed to really pick the cream
of
Melbourne like-minded musicians,
and
consequently assembled a formidable
rock group. From the more muscular
moments of If You Love A Leaver
and
What Night-time Did To Me
to low and
slow contemplations like the title
track
and Old Skin, Chapple's
abilities are
relentlessly impressive.
-Martin Jones.
SMOKING DOG PRESS, JUNE 1999
Chris Chapple's debut solo album
is a really pretty record. Now was that taking the easy way out ? Maybe
, but I could have instead rattled on for a half page or so about Chris'
soulful vocals , a voice he uses to illuminate some great lyrical poetry
, the stripped down country-sprinkled musical framework he's
built which draws attention to
some simple
but effective playing , or just
rabbited
around about how for a first up
effort It's a Wonderful Life is a lovely beginning and
one that deserves your inquiry
.
Now wasn't this better than the
potentially banal banter I would have sprouted ?!!?
In re-iteration , Chapple's songs
resonate
with a warm glow from the heart
and the
throat .
IN-PRESS MAGAZINE ,
JULY 29th , 1998
It's a Wonderful Life takes you
by the arm
and urges you to take a stroll
down that
melody brick road .
The music is sparse and smooth
but expect some rocky road ahead , because life wasn't meant to be easy
, though it can be "wonderful" according to Chris Chapple .
The music on this album varies
in sound
from the single haunting acoustic
guitar to
the whole band support including
strings
and harmonica . Good Intentions
, What
Are We Waiting For? , It's a Love
Song
and Gravity strike the loudest
chord with remarkable phrases and melodies that
linger in your mind long after
the songs
have ended . The track Intermission
is a fantastic movie monologue that perfectly underscores the theme of
women , love observations , betrayal and apathy that
slithers through the songs like
a snake
through grass but lacking the venom
that would strike fear into the listener .
Chris Chapple's songs are reminiscent
of
Billy Bragg in voice and accompaniment
.
The lyrics are similar in style
to Leonard
Cohen in that they are subtly depressing
but the music is so absorbing that
you somehow forget for a moment that the
words are not to be taken lightly
.
The cover art is striking : very
'60s - three female models wearing A-line mini dresses
and heavy make-up . The pictures
on each dress (the cat , the rose and the eye)
appear to be yet another representation
of the theme that primarily involves
women. The feline - we purr , meow and hiss , the
rose - we just love a bit of romance
, and
the eye - we see more than we know
.
- Zoe Whatmore .
If you liked the recent resurrection
offering from British artist Stephen Duffy , you might find similar charms
in the world of Chris Chapple . Guitarist with Melbourne outfit Autohaze
, Chapple has blended tinkering
pop with accessible charm for a
solo album
on Cruel But Fair Recordings called
It's a Wonderful Life (8 out of 10) .
(The title proves both true for
the gems
which it houses , and ironic considering
sometimes the mournful and generally
inward looking lyrical content.)
But Duffy
is just the most recent in a long
ever-
evolving procession into which
Chapple
easily steps . This Melbourne gent
certainly is not a carbon copy
. Thankfully
he never resorts to a whining Anglo
style . Indeed , It's a Wonderful Life falls as much
into an Australian , stripped-back
songwriter tradition as anything
else ,
casting clear light over personal
poetry ,
with some inventive guitar work
thrown in . Chapple's strengths and beauties are in his heartfelt proclamations
and those gentle melodies where there's room left to breathe . Likewise
the instrumentation works for it's simple but never naive creation of mood
: strings , harmonica , simply strummed guitar
all work without ever overworking
.
Plus there are three hot babes
with
extremely cool frocks rockin' the
cover -
always a bonus !
Ask for it at your local indie
store or
write to GPO Box 276B Melbourne
3001 .
- Tracy Grimson .
ZILLO & WESTZEIT MAGAZINE (Germany) JANUARY 1999
Sometimes you can't believe that
an album is really good , because you think if it was really that good
it just wouldn't get lost like it did . "Overcome by Happiness", the current
record by the Pernice Brothers made me feel like that , and this album
falls into the same category . It even sounds somewhat similar . Here you
have indie rocker Chris Chapple , on the laidback singer/songwriter path....soft
, sometimes even contemplative pop music , and one catchy tune after the
other (that only slightly recall his previous work with Melbourne indie
band Autohaze , who had a brief stint in the European limelight a few years
ago with a singles compilation on the Creation label ).
Chris played almost all the instruments
on the record himself , and even though the drums sound a little unconvincing
at times , the excellent songwriting , the great guitarwork and his pleasantly
warm voice definitely make up for that . If there was any justice in the
world , this album would be a contender for "album of the year" .
- Carsten Wohlfeld .
SADNESS IS IN THE SKY , JUNE 1999
This totally independant debut release
for
the Autohaze guitarist is very
admirable
from every angle .
Chris Chapple has a way with words
that
kinda grabs my attention . A true
songsmith , his simple , predominantly
acoustic tunes are filled with effortless harmony . The lyrical content
here is sufficiently ambiguous , leaving the tales
of lost love and movement open
for
personal interpretation .
The cover features three Charlie's
Angels
style chicks in grayscale-picture-print
dresses ; stylish stuff . Chris'
deep , solid croon adds necessary warmth throughout
the ten tracks . Gravity kinda
reminds me
of The Police's King Of Pain ,
and it's my favourite song here . Also excellent is Inconsequences , it
has great lyrics like "making up for getting nowhere / by
driving faster and faster" , and
Out Here,
So Long , which strolls along on
yet
another sweet acoustic melody .
This is well worth tracking down
;
contact Cruel But Fair Recordings
.
- Patrick .
VOICEWORKS MAGAZINE , ISSUE 35 , Summer '98-'99
This is a stunning collection of
heartfelt
songs from the former Autohaze
guitarist. With smooth vocals , some great pop moments, and clever , sad
and emotive
lyrics , this release deserves
close
attention . There are ten songs
in all
(most of them unforgettable) on
which
Chris plays all the instruments
(except
strings on the melancholy "Taxi",
which
are by Jen Anderson) .
My favourite songs ? Well , all
of them , particularly the quiet "Gravity", and the album's super pop song
, "Out here , so
long" , featuring the line "it's
gonna take
a lot of love" which sounds like
a blurred snapshot of an eighties hit that I've (thankfully) forgotten
.
"Inconsequences" starts with a
Mazzy
Star feel and moves into yet another
catchy chorus , containing tasteful
piano , a great guitar melody and
more hook-heavy vocals .
If the soulful sad songs leave
you
feeling melancholy , just have
another
listen to "Intermission', which
is dialogue
from "An American Dream"- it's
sure to
get you chuckling again .
The music of Chris Chapple would
have
to be one of the best discoveries
I've
made this year . The songs on this
album
are refined , his voice rich and
the arrangements suitably dynamic .
Check it out .
Out through Cruel But Fair Recordings
,
so most likely available at your
local independent record store in Melbourne . Otherwise , write to GPO
Box 276B ,
Melbourne , 3001 .
- Lex Cran .
Chris Chapple CD "It's a Wonderful
Life"
BEAT MAGAZINE , JULY 22nd , 1998
I suppose if I'd been asked to comment
on
what style of solo album would
come from
the lead guitarist of famed Melbourne
quartet Autohaze , I never would
have imagined that it would so closely resemble
the band's moods and melodies ,
considering that the main songwriter
is frontman Tim Jackson . However Chris Chapple produces a wistful ,lulling
collection of songs that even Jackson
would be jealous of . For the most
part acoustic, It's a Wonderful Life rarely rises
above a whisper , but finds its
charm in
simple arrangements , predictable
chord progressions and lamenting first person narratives . Thankfully the
lyrics sidestep
that awful corny storytale style
seen in
some songwriters , and find banal
descriptions with a twist to please
;
"I asked her twice and she told
me twice /
told me that she'd never sing for
me /.....
/still there's two things I never
told her /
apart from that I'm loose and cheap
/ well
one I'm holding on to what I took
from her/
two is that she sings in her sleep"
("Inconsequences") .
Chapple's guitar melodies are sweet
and repetitive, once isn't really enough !
"It's a Love Song" slips in some
folky
guitar work ,before drawing focus
away to
the vocals and a heart wrenching
chorus;
"I'm in love with love and not
with anyone",
easily being the most vulnerable,
honest
number on the album .A sound bite
at
the mid point of the album , "Intermission",
sounds as though it has been lifted from a
forties movie . An anthology to
the album perhaps , the piece being light , but
develops into a woman telling her
lover
she is contemplating contracting
out his
life. In a similar way , Chapple's
music may
appear bright, but often describes
lost
feelings ."Out here ,so long" picks
up a
little,the electric guitars bringing
in a little
force to push the melody to the
fore .
Apart from Jen Anderson's beautiful
strings on the graceful "Taxi"
, Chapple
has created 'A Wonderful Life'
on his own. Closing with the instrumental , and aptly
titled "Out" , a morph on the first
track
"Good Intentions" , Chris Chapple
has
actually proved with "It's a Wonderful
Life" that he is very 'in'.
-Louisa Williams.