If you ever wondered what Tom Waits would sound like fronting the Black Keys, wonder no more.
Dead Chic is an association between Andy Balcon of Heymoonshaker and Damien Félix of Catfish (no, me neither). Their music, which they describe as heavy soul, is raw but varied and melodic. Rémi Ferbus is on drums (Kimberose) and Mathis Bouveret-Akengin on keyboards (Catfish).
Opener “Hedonista” is full-on Waits from the vocals, gravelly and bluesy, with music that could be the soundtrack to jolly voodoo ritual; “Fortune” continues the tribal air with a more melodic tom-heavy track. “Cuanto Cuesta” (“How much does it cost”) is still rhythmic but has a more Latin feel, a mood that continues into “Mirage”, a slower song with vocals from Tugçe Senogul, whose name suggests a Turkish home. The song builds to a dramatic and atmospheric climax.
“Romance” is the first song that sounds anything like more routine: crisp drums, big chorus and very absorbing. Someone’s a Led Zep fan.
France, England, Spain, Turkey, there’s only place left and that’s a flamenco-tinged dusky tune about … Manchester, and it’s the standout track, with its crisp, often spoken lyrics, and impressive guitar. This is followed by “Paris”, just acoustic guitar and vocals at first and then an Editors-ish dark pop tune.
Four songs left and I’m not listing them all but the quality is high to the final “Know Your Worth”.
A most enjoyable and absorbing album. The sound is somewhere between Black Keys and Led Zep (and also reminds me of French signer Arthur H, who’s a bit Nick Cave, if you can reduce a long career to four words). The vocals are most gravelly and deep, but with enough range to avoid it getting too much. Well worth checking out; top class maverick indie.
JMC
