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The Melancholy Death of the Chemistry Experiment
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by Thomas Ferguson
Melancholy. It’s a great word, say it to yourself. Here it’s an apt word, too, and it fits the debut proper from The Chemistry Experiment like a glove – these eleven songs are virtually brimming with it. Let’s not confuse it with depression, though – there’s too much hope, faded glamour and potent beauty here for it to be depressing.

‘The Melancholy Death Of The Chemistry Experiment’ is also one of those albums that flits so effortlessly between desolation and grandeur, not to mention a number of styles, that it’s difficult to tell whether this is simply a cohesive LP or…sat down?…a conceptual one. With the way you get the organ-fuelled proggery of ‘Glue + Paper’, the upbeat-comedown disco of ‘You’re The Prettiest Thing’ and a wealth of Pulp-inspired slow-burning sound-scapes (albeit with a more lateral narrative strung together by Steven J. Kirk’s richer-than-rich tones), you wouldn't put it past them. There’s even room for fractured beats at the tail end of ‘What Are We Good For’ and, in the form of the intriguingly-titled ‘2:30am: Killing Puffins’, the concrete ambience of ‘background-core’. Oh yes.

Granted, at times the album frustrates through its limitations, and not being able to put across fully the sound in The Chemistry Experiment's collective pregnant head. The orchestral flourish at the end of ‘Thoughts On Gravity’, for instance, sounds like it should be much bigger, and by rights should rip the listener’s jaw off through sheer power. It’s clear, though, that ‘The Melancholy Death Of…’ is most likely to be a snapshot of this band’s vast idea-pool, and hints at the likelihood that this band will create something spectacular soon enough. A shiny penny to anyone who hears a more moody, magnificent and, above all, ambitious record this year.

  • The Chemistry Experiment 8 / 10
Words: Thomas Ferguson

The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

Ooh, a Chemistry Experiment album? Is this in the shops, or one of those buy-off-the-website affairs?

Re: The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

As its on Fortuna Pop, you ought to be able to buy it in the shops :)

Re: The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

Hmm, no luck in Nottingham today. It seems like so many albums just don't get distributed to that many shops. :/

Finally

Yes, finally found a copy of this, in, of all places, HMV in Birmingham, having been unable to find it in Nottingham for the past four months or so. And it's pretty good, Starlite Ballroom's a beautifully stately opening track. Spent the first listen of the album trying to work out whether the lead singer reminds me more of Jarvis Cocker or Kurt Wagner. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and went for Jarvis.


The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

I've had the album a while now as hopefully they will be playing Feedback in Lancaster some time soon.

It's a great album with 'You’re The Prettiest Thing’ being the stand-out track.

I advise people to get into the shops and order this.

The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

cant find it anywhere, listened to it online but cant get in the stores anywhere.
literally rocked all round london with wallet in hand and couldnt find it.
anyone got a clue?

The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/202-5581819-1515856

The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of

Hi Steven from The Chemistry Experiment here.

I'm not sure what's happening here, it *should* be in the shops but it doesn't seem to be. The amazon entry lists a delivery time of 4 to 6 weeks!

In the meantime. you can email elpresidente@fortunapop.com to find out what's happening, or order one from them for 10 UK pounds over paypal by sending the money (and instructions!) to ministryoffinance@fortunapop.com.

Thanks for all the kind words! Hopefully we can get this sorted...

The Chemistry Experiment - The Melancholy Death Of

Stragely enough, the best place to buy it online seems to be Tesco:

http://www.tesco.com/entertainment/Product.aspx?R=643069




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