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Sites with Chaps music
Updated by unknown at 18:14:23 06/10/07
Where Night Holds Light (2006)
- Caboose
- Blanket of Pain
- Cornered and Jaded
- Master and Commander
- Movements
- Migratory Birds
- Insects
- The Poacher
- Where Night Holds Light
- Occupations of Freedom
Purchase a physical copy from Maple Music here!
Listen to clips and download Where Night Holds Light at Zunior.com here!
Listen to clips and download Where Night Holds Light at i-Tunes here!
Where Night Holds Light was released February 21, 2006,
after having been in the works for a year and a half. Recorded
at Profile Studios
by Chôn and at The Hive
by Jesse Gander.
One week before its release, the album broke previous Chaps records
by going to #5 overall on !earshot Online.
'It's almost scary how good these guys are getting.'
'. . .[the Chaps] have completely subsumed the disparate new wave/electro and country influences that sometimes caused jarring instrumental pile-ups on past recordings. That takes some of the gleeful anarchy out of the sound (something I always liked) but it also forces you to consider the songs rather than the schtick, and the songs are damn good.'
-- unknown author, SEE Magazine,
Edmonton,
February 23 2006 (Full review)
'The novelty band name does great disservice to a band that seamlessly blends multi-layered instrumentation with verbose lyrics and wraps it all up in countrified simplicity. With banjoes, trumpets and synthesizer in the Vancouver band’s arsenal, Where Night Holds Light is an experiment of understated excess.'
-- Tara McEwen, Dose,
Vancouver,
February 20 2006 (Full review)
'. . .there's good stuff here: Caboose imagines 54-40 lost in the alt-country backwoods; the title track is grand, hopeful and orchestral. . .'
'And Occupations of Freedom, about regret and those on the lone, is something Johnny Cash might have liked.'
-- (3 stars) Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail,
Toronto,
February 17, 2006 (Full review)
'Layered with banjo, piano, horns, jangly guitars, accordion, autoharp, and rolling vocals, this is a splendid, velvety addition to the Buttless Chaps’ expanding oeuvre.'
'The time to avail oneself of Where Night Holds Light is at or around hour two of a road trip. . .buy it and get out of town.'
-- Emma Sasse, Vue Weekly,
Edmonton,
February 2006 (Full review)
Updated by unknown at 11:52:27 01/14/08
Love This Time (2003)
- 18 Rabbits
- Love This Time
- Babbles
- Lonely Hearts
- Fresh Horses
- Shuttle Systems
- Banjee
- Plain Wrench
- Numan
- Kinda Empty
- Brotherhood
Love This Time was released September 16, 2003. With the
engineering skill of Chôn at Profile
Studios, the patience of Randy Iwata at Mint Records, and the
help and input of several amazing Vancouver artists,
this new release sounds unlike anything we've
accomplished to date. It's also our first release with
the aforementioned Mint Records.
Even before its release, the
title track had already made the Anti-Hit
List in Toronto's eye
Weekly.
Purchase a physical copy from Maple Music here!
Listen to clips and download Love This TIme i-tunes here!
Listen to clips and download Love This TIme at Zunior.com here!
'Once again, the Chaps pull off the extraordinary task of
blending country crooning with Kraftwerkian futurism. . . '
'Here I was thinking 2001's Death Scenes I II III was just a
fluke. Behold -- the brave new future of country music has
arrived.'
(5 stars) -- Chris Rolfe, eye Magazine,
Toronto,
October 2 2003 (Full review)
'. . . Shuttle Systems for example is frankly far too close to early
Depeche Mode for comfort. Then again, Ford Pier, one of several guests, has a lot of fun on the
electro-new wave blast of Numan. Good fun.'
'The Buttless Chaps’ best material though, some of it truly exceptional, hints at bands
like Lambchop as much as anyone else - from their ability to layer and overlap the
instrumentation so deftly to the subtle absorption of country and other musical influences
to ultimately create, at their most successful, something quite distinctly their own.'
-- Geraint Jones, Comes With a Smile,
London,
March-April 2004 (Full review)
'My dad thinks they're a gay band. My girlfriend thinks they have beautiful
album artwork. I just think they're brilliant.'
'A truly cohesive album, this is a record worth picking up for any fan of
country, alternative, electro-pop, or any genre in
between.'
(9/10) -- S. Sutherland, My Sweater
(Full review)
"And speaking of grotesque, Love This Time sounds like it would best fit in a VH1 classic '80s special, with way-too-bouncy pop songs backed with zingy synths. Some of the synth-less instrumentals are almost pretty, but Dave Gowans' vocals -- which often border on the spoken-word -- are too serious, too toneless and too melodramatic. Those who adore jangly, overeager pop songs may find a home for this record, but otherwise, these songs are about as desirable as, say, a pair of pants with no seat." -Catherine P. Lewis www.autumnshades.com Tablet Magazine
(Full review)
"Love This Time is their best yet, with the deadpan baritone of vocalist-guitarist-banjoist Dave Gowans at perfect ease in the band’s slow, cabaret-style western shuffles (think more pop-oriented Calexico, especially with the inclusion of horns) and at odds, but interestingly so, when the keyboards come marching in." - 8.4/10 Ron Jacobs San Diego Citybeat
(Full review)
Updated by unknown at 13:13:16 01/13/08
Experiments (2002)
Experiments is the CD we put together for our 2002
summer tour. We included some of the songs from the Death
Country Live disc, and added a pile of new stuff--from
studio outtakes from the Death Scenes I II III sessions and some unreleased demos.
Purchase a physical copy from Red Cat Records here!
- Outlaw
- Devil's Club
- Carry me Home Punk
- Vegas
- Rave
- Outlaw
- Desert Song
- Trek Wars
- Six Strong Men
- Finnish Revolutionary Song
- Bonesaw Jim
- Urban Fear
- Experiments
- Take
- Fresh Horses
"If you've ever witnessed Vancouver's Buttless Chaps live, you'll know that they have a fearless love of the absurd, which makes its way into plenty of material that doesn't make it onto their somewhat normal albums. All of that can be found on this compilation of live tracks and odds and ends, which includes some of their most ridiculous moments - the techno send-up "Rave," the sci-fi "Trek Wars" and the inevitable non-ironic new wave hit "Fresh Horses." It's not all fun and games though, with "Urban Fear" and "Desert Song" standing out among new live cuts. Definitely for fans only, but further proof that the Buttless Chaps are one of the most unpredictable bands working in Canada." - Micheal Barclay, Exclaim! Nov. 19, 2002
Updated by unknown at 13:16:53 01/13/08
Death Scenes I II III (2001)
- Midnite Cowpoke
- Death Scenes I II III
- Six Strong Men
- Death on the Plain
- Tracks Tonight
- Malone
- In My Fingertips
- Elevator
- Hired Hand
- Fastest Gun
- Disco Dancer
Recorded in a legendary sea of shit by Scott Henderson, this album
contains a lot of the energy and music we've been
accumulating since our last studio disc two years ago.
Released on August 14, Death Scenes I II III is
distributed by Sonic
Unyon and Scratch Records,
and you should be able to get it or order it from most music stores
across Canada. You can also buy
it online from CD Baby.
Listen to clips and download Death Scenes I II III at I-tunes here!
Download Death Scenes I II III at E-Music here!
'If you're a fan of vintage country music, or you just
really enjoyed David Byrne's movie True Stories, be
sure check these dudes out. The Buttless Chaps may not
be the fastest guns in the West, but they sure do sit
tall in the saddle.' --Christine Leonard, !earshot
Online [Full
Review]
'. . .this is a record which just demands that you persevere, as
you know it's gonna take you somewhere interesting before
sundown.'
'If you like your Americana challenging and a little
demanding, then you could have a good time with this
record, especially if you're prepared to put time into
getting to know its twists and deviations, which will
largely bring pleasurable surprise.'
--MP, Americana UK
'. . .a country rock record in the best sense of
the word. . .'
'. . .as great as Death Scenes is, it only
reflects a few sides of a band that likes to show
off its diverse musical tastes. . .'
--James Keast, Exclaim!
(Full
review)
'Like their previous album, the equally brilliant
Tumblewire, The Buttless Chaps madly embrace
synthpop and rockabilly on Death Scenes, coming
across like the Clash if Joe Strummer decided that Hank
Williams was the way to go instead of Lee Perry.'
'So be warned--your favourite song may change hourly.'
'If Canada is going to have a group for all people, for
all occasions, The Buttless Chaps handily deserve that
mantle.'
--Vue Weekly,
Edmonton (Online review not yet available)
'Third and definitely best album from this
Victoria/Vancouver down home ensemble . . . '
'. . . singing and songwriting have taken a dramatic
upward turn in the maturity and comfort quotient,
alt-country folks who didn?t like the first two Chaps
albums will find plenty to latch onto here as everything
good about the first two is infinitely better here.'
--Scratch
Records (Full
review)
'Who says country-rock has to be all dreary,
melancholy and filled with endless odes to Neil Young?
These West Coast Chaps do indeed take things a few
steps farther . . . '
'. . . Death Scenes I II III is a
genre-bending, multi-instrumental disc -- one that
would look quite fine wedged between your copies of
Deserter's Songs and Power, Corruption &
Lies. No, really.'
(4 stars) -- Chris Rolfe, eye Weekly (Full
review)
More reviews:
Review on Canoe.ca.
A review
in No Depression magazine.
Updated by unknown at 11:53:35 01/14/08
Death Country Live (2000)
This disc pulls together 16 songs
recorded over the first two years of the band's existence. Six of these had never been released before.
Purchase a physical copy from Red Cat Records here!
- Six Strong Men
- Tom Byrne
- Polecat
- Pop Song
- Devil's Club
- Outlaw
- Disco Maniac
- The Finnish Revolutionary Song
- Travellin' Life
- Basement Suite (featuring David P. Smith)
- Tracks Tonight
- Vegas
- Elevator
- Rave
- Take These Tears and wipe them on your sleeve
- Carry me Home, Punk
Updated by unknown at 13:17:16 01/13/08
Tumblewire (1999)
&artgaller
- Devil's Club
- The Trailer Life Two-step
- Pullman
- Vegas
- Indecision
- Polecat
- Pop Song
- The Finnish Revolutionary Song
- Occupations of Freedom
- Take these tears and wipe them on your sleeve
Recorded and mixed in Burns Lake, B.C. at Ronin Digital Works
and mastered in Victoria by Tolan McNeil at Media Magic.
The front and back cover paintings were done by Victoria
artist David P. Smith, and the interior artwork was created
by the band.
You can see a scan of the original painting
here.
You can also buy
it online from CD Baby.
Listen to clips and download Tumblewire at I-tunes here!
Download Tumblewire at E-Music here!
'Possibly the hardest working Canadian band to surface in
the past few years, Victoria's Buttless Chaps follow up
their splendid debut. . . on a wild
musical expedition that takes us all over the map.'
'And you thought all West Coasters were lazy
stoners.'
--Jon Bartlett, Exclaim!
(Full
review)
'. . .the Chaps have put out a second album of
toe-tappin' versatility. I recommend this album. . .'
--Patrick Beattie, The Martlet
Updated by unknown at 13:22:50 01/13/08
The Buttess Chaps (1998)
- Atlantic City
- Long Road Home
- Tom Byrne
- Wasted
- Travellin' Life
- Visions from the Haze
- Carry Me Home
- Outlaw
- Trailer Life
- Radiator
In 1998, Outlaw was chosen for the acclaimed Scott
Smith film rollercoaster
The song is played over the opening scene and the closing
credits.
Recorded in Victoria by Nick Blasko. Cover design &
artwork by the band. originally released as 500 handmade stamped and stickered copies only. Now available as a CDR with original sticker & stamp in a cardboard digipack.
Purchase a physical copy from Red Cat Records here!
Listen to clips and download The Buttless Chaps S/T at I-tunes here!
Download The Buttless Chaps S/T at E-Music here!
'The band's superb musicianship absolutely shines on
this intimate recording. And while a little production
would have gone a long way this is a fine piece of
work.'
--David Hayden, The Coast, Halifax
'. . . captures emotion not often heard. . . and showcases
some fine musicianship from a new band.'
'A great album for those bleak winter nights, and summer ones
too. . . '
--Jon Bartlett, Exclaim! (Full
review)
'Quite possibly one of the finest records to come out of
Victoria in years. . . it will simply shake your
foundations. . . breathes sentiment and
atmosphere. . . '
--Victoria Times Colonist
'What the Buttless Chaps do know a lot about, however,
is dusty guitars, wandering souls, and truck-loads of
heartache. They know the line between folk and country
is a blurry one.'
'[The Buttless Chaps] transform road-weary stories into
liquor-induced lullabies and western travelogues.'
--Michael Kissinger, Monday Magazine
Updated by unknown at 11:54:35 01/14/08
Buy online
Mail Order
Here are some links on how to order Buttless Chaps cds. Scratch records ships in Canada, to The USA and to International customers. They also provide good packaging and a fast turnaround for your order.
You can also buy our first three CDs online at CD Baby.
Updated by unknown at 17:45:22 01/19/07
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