Thousand Mile Stare… Best look elsewhere
Review: Chicane – Thousand Mile Stare
Published on June 14th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Nicholas Bracegirdle’s fifth album as Chicane (six if you include unreleased 2003 album Easy to Assemble) initially surprises with the twinkly, graceful, Sigur Rós-like epicness of Vigri-featuring opener “Hljóp”, but has slipped back into deeply unremarkable, bordering-on-Robert-Miles dance music by the following, aptly-titled “The Nothing Song”.
Yes, ‘dance music’ – as in too smoothed over and clinical to fall into any sub-category, which suffice it to say is really not necessary now we’re not in the ’90s any more.
“Windbreaks” then sounds like the first two songs stapled together, “Playing Fields” tarnishes Kate Walsh’s smooth vocal and a groovy slow-jungle beat with bland Moby piano, “Sólarupprás” could very well be a dance remix (yes, dance!) of “Hljóp”, “Goldfish” is suitably washy ambient pointlessness, and “Flotsum and Jetsum” (sic)…well, if flotsam is floating wreckage and jetsam is what’s cast overboard to lighten the load, you can safely file this one in the jetsam category.
Don’t let the occasional dalliances with glacial Icelandic splendour fool you – Thousand Mile Stare is the sound of old ground being covered over and over again.
Rocksucker says: Two Quails out of Five!
Thousand Mile Stare is out now on Modena. For more information, including a list of live dates, please visit chicanemusic.co.uk
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
