The Chills
Submarine Bells and Soft Bomb (2021 Vinyl Reissues)
Flying Nun
Feb 25, 2021 Web Exclusive
Here are long-awaited reissues of The Chills’ second and third LPs from 1990 and 1992, respectively, on colored vinyl from Flying Nun, the label that originally issued these in New Zealand back when they first came out. It is important to note, however, that these are the only two Chills albums that were ever issued on anything close to a major label (Slash, a division of Warner Brothers, in the U.S. while London label put them out in the U.K.). At the end of the tour for Soft Bomb, bandleader and songwriter Martin Phillipps broke up the band, leading to many years in the wilderness (the only exception being the 1996 EP Sunburst) until their unexpected, triumphant reunion with a new lineup in 2014, which has resulted in two more fantastic LPs and even a U.S. tour in 2019.
If you have never heard The Chills, I would first steer you to the 1994 collection Heavenly Pop Hits, which features some of the highlights from these albums, but also covers their incredible early singles, EPs, and compilation tracks. Nevertheless, these albums are not bad places to start. The Chills have always been a very consistent band—in my estimation one of the best that the incredible Dunedin/Flying Nun scene ever produced. Opening with “Heavenly Pop Hit,” Submarine Bells is the poppier and slightly more accessible of the two, as fitting for a major label debut. Contained within are other classics like “Oncoming Day” and “Part Past Part Fiction” alongside lesser-known but still essential songs like “Tied Up in Chain” and the sublime, soaring, closing stunner of a title track.
Soft Bomb is longer, moodier, and thus a bit knottier, but still full of wonderful delights like the opener “The Male Monster from the Id” and the gorgeous “Double Summer,” perhaps their finest overall moment and a song that Phillipps himself has cited as one of his very best. Recorded in Los Angeles, the album also features guest spots from dB’s singer/guitarist (and frequent R.E.M. collaborator) Peter Holsapple and even Van Dyke Parks, who did the string arrangement for “Water Wolves.” At 51 minutes, it’s a bit long for a single LP, yet the new orange vinyl cut sounds fantastic, a quiet pressing not dissimilar to the sound of the original CDs and without the compression and brickwalled type sound common later on for CDs and even some vinyl reissues. The same goes for the green vinyl pressing of Submarine Bells. These were done with care and love, so get them if you can. (www.thechills.band)
Author rating: 9/10
Average reader rating: 8/10
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