If there’s one thing I find frustrating, it’s the number of bands that don’t put a tracklisting on the cover of their artwork. For me, and I guess any listener when it comes down to it, it’s vital to know the name of each song. Chalk Four have made the schoolboy error of neglecting to list the names of the songs on the art and instead did it on the CD itself, which is kind of useless when the disc is spinning in a covered stereo. Oh well, I won’t hold it against you boys…
Anyway, originally from Croydon, you may know Chalk Four as the band previously called Old Firm Derby – a band that I actually quite like from what I remember (indeed a swift check of the PT archives shows a 4-star review from 2004). There’s no doubt Chalk Four keep a small chunk of their former guise as an influence, but the standard of musicianship is a hell of a lot higher. While Osker and Audio Karate are mantioned as influences, tracks like ‘Engineer’ are a lot more Benton Falls meets early The Get Up Kids, with tinny guitars and some rather pleasant dual vocal harmonies. The hooks may not be the strongest around, but they’re more than a little solid and interesting enough to keep you interested.
Over the course of seven songs and around 23-minutes you come to realise Chalk Four are better than your average UK act. They don’t sound like too many other bands doing the rounds, there’s no pretentious fashioncore twattism (if that’s even a word) – it’s all about the strength of the music. And if you do anything today, I’d recommend checking out the song ‘Capewell’ which is an absolute dream. The production may be a bit rough round the edges, but this is a lovely little record which deserves your attention.
www.myspace.com/chalkfour
paul