GALLERY 47 – Chaos Ensued (Bad Production Records)

Chaos EnsuedGallery 47 used to be a six-piece band from Loughborough but it/he is now just Jack Peachey working solo under the name with Chaos Ensued as possibly the completion of a trilogy. Or possibly not. The album came to me out of the cloud, as many do, and will be commercially available only as a download. Fortunately, I’ve got a rather sprauncy hand-made CD so thanks for that, Jack. I listened and was instantly knocked out by the opening track.

‘Rolling Tight’ opens with a guitar riff topped off with electric keyboard and then a mean lead guitar break before the song starts. It’s a very 1960s sound and it reminds me of something but I can’t quite think what it is. It’s a belter of song.  Jack takes things down a little with the piano-based ‘Embers’ and it initially seems that ‘Choices’ will go the same way until the drums come crashing in. It’s an odd juxtaposition of Jack’s fragile voice with a big arrangement but effective nonetheless.

Next we’re into some straight rock’n’roll with ‘Weeklong’ which sounds like one hell of a party followed by a contender for the album’s best song. I’m not sure what the principal instrument on ‘Rise’ is – if I said pizzicato bass ukulele you’d have me locked up – but it’s very catchy with a guitar break that sort of matches the whatever-it-is. Lyrically it’s very clever. Try this: “Would you reckon I was under-ripe? Would you put me in a fridge or a dustbin?”. It’s a song about ambition and lack of success as far as I can tell.

Jazz piano introduces the 12-bar ‘Downcaster Rivers’, a blues about depression in the modern world – just my interpretation, you understand – while ‘Going Steady’ begins with strange drones and hand-claps with Jack’s voice half-buried in the mix. ‘Give In’ is possibly about parents and children and the lack of understanding therein and with ‘Lay Me Low’ and ‘Song For Ben’ we are back to urban melancholy with almost minimalist accompaniments.

Chaos Ensued is a record that defies categorisation and doesn’t follow any rules, which is good with me, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/gallery-47

‘Rolling Tight’:


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