The Chasms - Alchemical Postcards
The Chasms - Alchemical Postcards
The first 20 copies come with a cd sampler of the Chasms work from other albums, singles and sessions called National Strategy on Sound, Disorder and Drone Defences.
The Chasms were a band from the Isle of Man, two Lancastrians and a Manx/Canadian. Simon Pott - bass, Richard Quirk - Guitar, Mike Seed - drums and vocals.
Their formula of floor tom and snare, distortion, feedback and esoteric storytelling gave us a number of albums and EP’s released online and, in the case of Alchemical Postcards, limited edition compact disc.
Alchemical postcards was, as were all Chasms releases, recorded in a barn in an isolated area of the Isle of Man which gave the band free rein to play their fully improvised compositions at ear splitting volume.
The ambience and isolation of the barn were integral to their sound with just a single stereo mic used for recording.
Nothing was pre planned apart from a need to embrace basic drums, distorted bass and guitar and waves of feedback. Vocals were added at the mixing stage, often close mic’d with Mike Seed providing tales of sea spirits, the tide, storms, mysterious arrivals from the subconscious and imagined characters with the power to deceive.
The tracks on this album mirror those on the original CD issue.
The Occult Soul Review (yes, there’s humour here too) is a vivid account of the devil and a number of old postcards depicting scenes from the past. (The Isle of Man, it’s maritime history and the important lifeline of shipping feature strongly throughout this album).
Thomas Merton 240 Volts alludes to the unfortunate demise of the Trappist monk mentioned in the title.
The Midnight Boat leads a three chord progression into a lament for someone or something familiar connected with the sea.
Ghosts to Starboard is a whispered story of watery spirits amid an ocean of distortion.
A Copse of Trees, where an imaginary script is played out amid the copse of the title.
In Circus Beach Incident, the circus’ dwindling attendance is augmented when a storm blows in an audience of drowned sailors to witness the performance.
The Chasms only played live three times on the mainland, understandably given the logistics of travelling from an island in the middle of the Irish Sea which is unfortunate when a wider audience would have meant more recognition.
If comparisons are necessary, think MBV, early Jesus and Mary Chain and in contemporary terms, Mildred Maude and The Dead C but these are just signposts.
The Chasms can be found at:
thechasms.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/groups/1014487888710592
