Quirky, catchy, smooth — Alan Chapell’s journey to the birth of The Redhead’s Allegations is what makes the March release so very good. His diversity comes through in his lyrics, while his initial quirky sound stays true to his successful days on the East Coast playing in his college band, All the Voices.
The album addresses living in Brooklyn, loving a girl, and the love-hate of New York City so many of us who live here feel. Chapell takes this simple, autobiographical base for his lyrics and digs deeper into the feels of what it’s really like to watch the city and people change around him.
The peppy first track, “Giving Her More,” is sweet, especially in lines like, “I wanna strangle all your demons.” ::swoon:: In “A Change” he talks on Greenpoint, Brooklyn and all its idiosyncrasies.
His plans to grow old here aren’t realistic in a place where hipsters are taking over old timers’ rent stabilized housing and “Money’s turned things upside down, so I’m gettin’ out, out of Brooklyn.”
The pop rock sound makes it easy to bop your head and thoughtlessly groove to the overall sound, but listening in on the message takes you along a different storyline. I wouldn’t expect less from someone who has the backing of a producer, Jerry Harrison, from The Talking Heads. And from someone who insisted on waiting to make this album until the time was right, and no earlier.
It clearly feeds off of all of his experiences from the East Coast in America to Mumbai, India, where he spent time writing TV jingles and making music with an East-meets-West band, Kalki.
Chapell Dreams Big
Beyond the fantastic sound of Third Eye Blind meeting The Proclaimers, Chapell produces a retro rock sound. He doesn’t stop short of using any instruments he needs to achieve that sound, from a cello to an organ to a horn.
The horn takes on a big presence in “California,” as well as a few other tracks, and takes me back to high school when ska bands lived in my car’s CD player. I’m pleased to hear such an authentic sound with a wide instrumental versatility and lyrical use. It doesn’t hurt that his NYC references are spot on.
The addiction is real — I’ve officially abused replay on Spotify. Learn more about Chapell here.
