Chevelles: Girl God (CD on Zip Records)

Band: Chevelles
Label: Zip Records
Title: Girl God

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Band:Chevelles
Title:Girl God
Reviewed By:Geraint Jones
Date Published:06/06/2002

Label:Zip Records
Format:CD
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I’ve been aware of The Chevelles existence for sometime as they’ve been around since the late ‘80s, but I’ve not had the pleasure of actually hearing anything more than one or two tracks by them until now.

Hailing from Perth - that’s Western Australia as opposed to Perth, Scotland-the Chevelles don’t spring any major surprises. But hold on! This isn’t the start of some big put –down, quite the contrary! Australia has a long respected history of producing good and often great garage rock and power pop bands, the lineage of which can be traced back (not necessarily in a obviously structured fashion – hey, I’m not Pete Frame!) to the great Aussie punk bands, the Saints and Radio Birdman, in the mid to late ‘70s. This continued via the likes of The Celibate Rifles and The Lime Spiders in the mid ‘80s to more recent exponents like DM3, The Someloves and Michael Carpenter.

Obviously there are plenty of bad Australian bands too, but following a cursory glance at the credits my expectations were substantially raised - seven tracks mixed by Michael Carpenter and another two produced by Steve Macdonald from the legendary and much missed Redd Kross - and from the opening chord onwards I wasn’t disappointed. Having confirmed The Chevelles use the reassuring line-up of two guitars, bass and drums I’m more than ready to spin the damn thing! And.......do I really have to tell you?! IT’S GREAT! REALLY GREAT!!. For 45 minutes it is anyway - hey come on this is pop music! It might not win any awards and it’s all been done before, but The Chevelles classic garage pop recipe is as tried and trusted as an apple pie from Mrs Beaton’s cookbook.

Tunes aplenty, loud guitars that ring and crunch and infectious harmonies. This is what pop music should be all about – the ideal soundtrack for bouncing around walls and leaping off beds with imaginary guitar in hand. Disposable it may be, but this 45 minutes couldn’t be any more fun.

There’s not a dud to be found here and three tracks are especially wonderful – ‘C’mon Everybody’ (their own song – not the Eddie Cochran classic), ‘Madeleine’ and 'Angeline Jolie', the band’s ode to the film actress and Mrs. Billy Bob Thornton. Power pop nirvana, one and all.

After so long together it’s heartening to hear music so lacking in cynicism and displaying the boundless energy, bands half their age couldn’t muster.

Track Listing:

01) Every Movement
02) Make It Happen
03) First Time - Last Time
04) Girl God
05) Cmon Everybody
06) Madeline
07) Round and Round
08) Goodbye Sally
09) Zaragoza
10) Angelina Jolie
11) Here She Comes
12) Sleeper
13) Sunshine

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Impressive slab of garage rock and power pop from long serving Western Australian group which, while not springing any major surprises for originality, shows itself to be exactly "what pop music should be all about"

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Girl God - CD
Impressive slab of garage rock and power pop from long serving Western Australian group which, while not springing any major surprises for originality, shows itself to be exactly "what pop music should be all about"

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