‘Arctic Moon’ is the first full-length album by Chameleons since 2001, marking the return of one of the most influential bands of the 80’s and 90’s.
Long cited as a hugely influential act, having inspired the likes of (The) Verve, Oasis, Interpol, The Killers, Editors and White Lies, Chameleons are renowned for their transformative catalogue and intense, emotionally charged live performances, creating a legacy that extends far beyond their four studio albums to date. Their widely acclaimed debut, ‘Script of the Bridge’ (1983) has been cited by many as a masterpiece way ahead of its time, and was followed by ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically!’ (1984), ‘Strange Times’ (1986) and ‘Why Call It Anything?’ (2001).
Their unique sound quickly won them an audience with its mix of melancholic yet energetic and powerful tunes, hypnotic, ethereal riffs and a potent, timeless lyrical style. They are considered one of the most influential guitar bands of the ’80s and ’90s, contributing substantially to the post-punk, shoegaze and indie scenes.
2024 saw the release of two EPs that kicked off a new chapter for the band. ‘Where Are You?’ consisted of three new songs, while ‘Tomorrow Remember Yesterday’ featured five re-recorded archive tracks. ‘Arctic Moon’ sees them propelling forward musically while retaining the essence that originally made them iconic.
‘Arctic Moon’ is the first full-length album by Chameleons since the release of ‘Why Call It Anything?’ in 2001. “There is an obvious maturity to the songwriting on this record, and anyone familiar with our past work will hear that this is a positive step forward. While we’re proud of the band’s legacy, we really wanted to forge something fresh while retaining that profound and imaginative quality we’re known for. We think that we have managed to do that and deliver a very strong record!” – Vox
The Veldt
Website: https://theveldt.supertape.site
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Bandcamp: https://theveldtmusic.bandcamp.com
Identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis originally hail from Raleigh/ Chapel Hill, North Carolina programmer Hayato Nakao, originally from Japan, hooked up with the Chavis brothers while living in New York. Along with Drummer Dale Miller, Micah Gaugh Keyboardist/Saxophone, Bassist Alex Cox and guitarist Martin Newman make up the current line up.
Lifting their band’s name from a Ray Bradbury science fiction story, their own life stories have also been quite fantastic. After signing to Capitol Records in 1989, The Veldt were soon in the studio with dream-gaze guru Robin Guthrie working on their initial recordings, playing American concert halls with Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and recording ‘Marigolds’ with Lincoln Fong (Moose). Not long after, they would record their classic ‘Afrodisiac’ (1994), produced by Ray Shulman (The Sundays, Bjork, Sugarcubes) and released via Mercury Records.
They have also collaborated with TV On The Radio, Mos Def and Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), and shared the stage with The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Chuck D, Living Colour, and Schooly D.
This past year has also been pretty monumental, with highlights including sold-out tours with Phantogram and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, a European tour, two separate Canadian tours, appearance at some of North America’s and Europe’s hottest psych fests, a spotlight feature on Time Warner Cable TV and being named as east coast support for Modern English. Performing since they were children, the Chavis brothers’ musical roots lead back to the church and southern juke-joints, and listening to music that included gospel, Motown and Pink Floyd. The Veldt formed in the late 80’s in Raleigh amongst the royalty of the legendary North Carolina music scene, including bands such as Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, The Connells, Dillon Fence, The dBs, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Ryan Adams. Pitchfork recently included their album ‘Afrodisiac’ in the top 50 shoegaze albums ever released. Their sound also inspired future generations of alternative artists, including TV On the Radio.
This latest EP sees the band returning to their roots, albeit with plenty of distortion, programmed beats and pedal effects. They’ve also involved A.R.Kane, who produced ‘And It’s You’. Borrowing the title ‘The Shocking Fuzz of Your Electric Fur’ from an E.E. Cummings poem, this EP includes five tracks with a raging sound influenced equally by the emotional soul of Marvin Gaye, free jazz warriors Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders, various Drake hip-hop tracks, long-term musical kin Cocteau Twins, and their own fertile electric imagination.