• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Jul 07, 2023 Web Exclusive By Celine Teo-Blockey

Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten explores “exaggerated aspects of his soul” far from the clamor and clanging of his fastidious band on his solo effort, Chaos For the Fly. Unlike the loud themes of xenophobia, social inequities, and generational malaise that are front and center in his much-feted band’s admirable oeuvre of three solid albums, his solo outing treads a different path. Less muddied by noise, it is more contemplative, taking in romance, sepia-toned nostalgia and his experience with the unctuous nature of fame.

On opening track “The Score” he fashions a love song without ever mentioning love. “When I make my way to you,” he sings, “you will know.” As the finger-plucked minor chords descend quietly dirge-like echoing the ghosts of Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, he employs biblical and literary allusions—“I will lay you down, like a shadow, like a stain”—his ardor is unequivocal. On “I Am So Far” he professes—“When the reaper’s done his looking, I would like you to be there,” his version of “til death do us part.” Fittingly here, he enlists the help of his fiancée, Georgie Jesson, whose ethereal vocals while sparse tempers his Irish brogue for moving effect.

“Bob’s Casino,” the first song that Chatten wrote for the project, features Jesson more prominently and if ever the couple felt the urge to tinker on a full album it would surely be coveted as their voices fit perfectly like two missing pieces in a boxed puzzle. Written on a visit home to the Irish seaside town that Chatten grew up, “Bob’s Casino” unfolds like a faded film, telling the tale of a hardened character, who used his fists too often. Jesson’s angelic take on the chorus and the lush brass and strings prompt us to soften our view of this brute and his lot in life.

The most pointed songs here are also the most memorable and no less, lovingly orchestrated. “All of the People”—which refers to hangers-on as “scum” and “they will celebrate the things that make you who you’re not”—features a beautiful violin and piano bridge. And “Last Time Every Time Forever” interrogates his role as songwriter with Scott Walker-rich crescendos and instrumentation.

Perhaps, the quiddity of Chatten’s songwriting is threefold—he bears the heart of a romantic, the lyrical gifts of a poet, but the wide-eyed cynicism of one cognizant of how the world can ensnare artists of this stripe. This struggle, in his capable hands renders the most exquisite music about our human condition. (www.grianchatten.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10