The Chap - Builder's brew (2008)

The Chap, the pan-European, London-based, modern pop group, are back with a mini-album entitled Builder’s Brew, a collection of remixes and cover versions plus some new original material.

The Chap have become known and loved for their inimitable pop – improv- disco – rock – with – strings sound, captured in some crunchy, truly “out there” home production and a furiously rocking live show, complete with dance routines and scary faces.

As with recent acclaimed album Mega Breakfast, Builder’s Brew continues the search for a heart of gold in a world gone cold. It deals with nice faces, bad conversations, wild joy, severe pain, moral panic and some truly bad cycling.

The Chap have expanded their repertoire and are moving into new techno territory, all the while getting with some serious choir singing and funky harmonizing. As on The Chap’s previous three albums, you’ll feel pleasure and terror alike when listening to these songs.

The opener, a new edit of recent single “Proper Rock” has already enjoyed considerable airplay. But why does the song contain a very camp-sounding fire fighter’s choir fronting some kind of fierce sci-fi indie rock combo, demanding “Proper songs about girls and clubbing”? Do they mean that? And what’s with the scary low voice saying “Global Beats, Bamboo Shoot” in that fearsome house/funk/rock track, called “Ethnic Instrument”, remixed here by Parisian disco superstar Joakim. Never mind the cover versions of “Young And Joyful Bandit”—a beautiful song from Fassbinder’s last film—and the all-time Chap classic, their version of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It”. It doesn’t sound much like Tina Turner but instead contains the best violin solo in the world. Fans have been asking for its release for years.



TRACKS
1 Proper Rock [Radio Edit]
2 Young and Joyful Bandit
3 Un Deux Trois Boxen
4 Nice Face
5 Ethnic Instrument (Joakim Remix)
6 Auto Where To (Electroware Remix)
7 Caution Me (Thee More Shallow Remix)
8 What's Love Got to Do With It