TOXICPETE.CO.UK
I've been waiting patiently to hear this - it seems like an age ago that I waxed lyrically about their album 'Burgers' and now, at last, I can savour the delights of Toupe once again with their new album, 'Chat!'. And, just as expected, what delights we have here; 'Chat!' is the mutts nuts, a piece of modern musical experimentation that combines creative writing, stunning musicianship and a bold sense of realism, all laced with black humour and other madcap comic nuances.
Yes, it was well worth waiting for; 'Chat!' is everything I expected it to be and more! As I listen I can't help but feel that Toupe have matured somewhat since the days of 'Burgers'; 'Chat!' just seems more together, better rounded, focussed and honed. Possibly not an album that you'd want your parents to hear too much of, 'Chat!' is quite 'close to the mark' in several places - but hey, what d'ya expect - this is Toupe for Christ's sake. Toupe don't pull punches, they tell it like it is - uncut and in the 'flesh'. Once more Toupe have cottoned onto a theme and gone about their business in true Toupe style and no holds barred.
Based, almost uniquely, around two bass guitar leads, drums and a few keys, Toupe thump and pump out a magical, eclectic mix that sits somewhere between The Mothers Of Invention and Ian Dury & The Blockheads. The lyrics are hard but true, lyrics from the street - humorous, dark, cutting, lewd and perhaps, at times, offensive. The music is exciting - funked-up jazzy undertones, sometimes oddly discordant, sometimes truly inspirational - amazing. 'Chat!' is Toupe as I remember them to be; fresh, original, spicy to the point of being scorchin' hot, a joy to behold!
Toupe are Karl Evans (bass and backing vocals), Jason Havelock (drums and backing vocals) and Grant Sharkey (BEGC bass, piano and vocals); (why couldn't I have been given a great rock'n'roll name like Grant Sharkey?) together these dudes make such a fantastic 'noise', they write with unbridled reality and grit. Sharkey puts in some impressive piano work on 'Chat!' and it's inclusion adds another dimension to their sound.
As I listen and write there's a bloody big smile all over my face - Toupe do that, they bring a bit of off-the-wall (in)sanity to the often wooden and dull music scene - they lift you up and never let you down. Theirs is an altogether different take on contemporary music - one that gets the job done with unashamed honesty, to the point and right on the money. Toupe put some fun back into serious rock music. Toupe's way is infectious and enlightening. Toupe cross boundaries that most outfits don't even realise are there!
'Chat!' by Toupe is undeniably brash but absolutely amazing - top entertainment - a must for the collection of anyone that wants to go that bit further - unputdownable!!
+++++
Toupé really are on a hiding to nothing when it comes to recording a studio album; there is absolutely no way they can replicate the sheer onslaught they can produce during a live performance. Even more importantly the sense of the unexpected which occurs throughout any live Toupé performance can only be partly captured on a disc. That said, 'Chat' goes further than their previous two studio recordings when it comes to carrying the weight of sound the band can throw out. There's laughter too, lots of it, something which is never missing from a Toupé gig. This sits comfortably on the album, especially after 'The International Anthem' which sounds like a riot of smiles.
Lyrically, 'Chat' cuts to the chase. On opener 'The Thermodynamics Of Hell' the all important words are initially accompanied by a simple piano. So, watcha gotta sayToupé?
“The atheist awakes, he turns on the news and there's some pious men on the loose again, and this time those fuckers are armed, because they wanna do you harm. Maybe it's just me, but isn't it hypocrisy to commit your acts of hate to spread your God's love and grace? It makes me quite irate. So fuckers, bring it on.” And so it continues...
Toupé have always had the ability to mix serious topic (religion, faith and racism) with relative trivialities (haircuts and fat people/big tits), yet just when you think it's all getting a little too deep, up pops a one-liner to lighten the mood. Then the funny stuff is delivered with such passion and fervour that you know these guys are serious about their humour. Their 'targets' are hit with precision accuracy – belly laughs abound.
After the initial message has hit home, the scene is then set for 'Big Ones', a blast of a song which in many ways typifies what Toupé are all about. A true story about an potential post-gig one-night-stand in the USA, Grant's excitement being dampened somewhat when the young lady in question chucks in a loaded religious question, “will the love of Jesus Christ be in the room with us tonight?”. Sex and religion - perfectToupé fodder. 'Big Ones' rocks too and features Karl's bass sound that reminds me of the theme tune to 'Rhubarb and Custard' and Zappa. Then there's Jay's drumming – jazzy, funky but mainly gloriously heavy.
After the onslaught has continued through 'Haircutz' (a two minute attack on bands absorbed with image-over-content), 'The Science Of Stuff' leads into what is a relatively weak mid-album. Either side of 'Yo Mama', this song and 'Villains' both have cool moments either musically or lyrically, but the standard has slipped. Only slightly mind - these songs are far from duffers, but if I've got to skip any songs on the album I'll skip these two.
'Yo Mama' is a joke. Three minutes of 'fat' jokes to be precise. Yo mamma is so fat... she jumped in the air and she got stuck... not even the tide will take her out... etc. Basic humour maybe, but it's all in the delivery, and this is sung with real passion and meaning. This is almost a ballad with doo-wap harmonies and piano accompaniment. Yes it's a joke, but Toupé like contradictions and this one's deadly serious.
From here to the end 'Chat' barely lets up. 'White Russians' is probably the best track on the album. A staple of Toupé's live set for a number of years, the song has been tweaked slightly but suffered none. Seriously heavy, Rhubarb bass is back, and Jay's drumming takes off. There's a jazz break mid-song which slows things down before the bombardment recommences. I must have looked like a dick a number of times singing along to this whilst sitting in traffic. Its just one of those songs. Fuckin' irresistible.
'You Fell Over' and 'Terms And Conditions' give a kick in the balls to that popular sport of insurance claims. Its a funky piss-take and hits the spot perfectly. 'T&C ' carries on the humour via a spoken disclaimer, though perhaps drags out the point a bit too far, slowing down the pace of the album.
The final three tracks on the album (before a final apology to all mamas) are all killer tunes. 'Join The BNP' is a two minute ska influenced stomp. This one's gonna be a live winner; “Be nice, be nice, be nice, people, people, people, people, people, people be nice.” These guys deal in logic, not nationality. “If you need a team to cheer, try Humaniteam!” The friendly message is further enhanced by 'The International Anthem'; this time it's three minutes and surely another song to put smiles on punters faces. It's just a funky blast – a sing-a-long without any words. Woooo!! Happy days!
The heaviest and most intense is saved 'til last. 'Uraniborg' is a journey. It's trippy, with a lavish psychedelic feel. Lyrically this one's 'out there'. The subject of astronomy gets a look in, but the writing here is from a different planet compared to what has gone before. Boyz with haircutz will wonder “are we here or are we there?” This one may prove difficult to carry off live, but musically this is wonderfully dirty with flecks of cosmic dust.
'Chat' is Toupé's best album yet. It's heavier, dirtier, funnier and yes... it goes further to capturing their live sound than 'Alopecia' or 'Burgers'. 'Chat' may not be perfect, but it perfectly captures the essence of what makes Toupé a great band - making such a superb album whilst sounding like they're just pissin' about. Their ability to chuck out fantastic hardcore funk with what appears to be ridiculous ease takes some doing.Toupé have done it for fun – now to see it live...
+++++
THEMAG.CO.UK
When Toupe sent us this record, they made quite a point of including all the lyrics. Far from being a substitute for proper annunciation (you can hear every 'fuck'), this is because the words are incredibly important to the band.
Indeed, things are very topical and cover subjects such as raceism, personal injury claims, religeon and... Well... Big boobs.
It's the juxtaposition of these serious subject with humourous cheek-tongueing that makes Chat so appealing, right from the crooning, piano-led opener, 'The Thermodynamics of Hell'.
Long-standing Toupe fans will have to wait for the third track, 'Big Ones' before that familiar Toupe groove kicks in, but there's plenty more where that came from! Brand-new-classics include the tuneful 'The Science of Stuff', 'White Russians' and the stand-up jibing 'Yo Mamma'.
'Haircutz' launches a scathing, but light-hearted (I think) attack on the bands with cool haircuts, suggesting they spend more time at the salon than they do writing songs. I'm sure they haven't got anyone in particular in mind, but after listening to the fuzzy lo-fi interpretation of the song, I certainly do.
Many of the tracks on Chat are arranged loosely into pairs, with 'Yo Mamma' finding a reprise later in the album, 'You Fell' getting the magical-mystery-tour treatment in the chaos of 'Terms and Conditions' and the genius (and certainly not accidental) pairing of 'Join the BNP' and 'The International Anthem'.
The first of this couple describes the plan to sign us all up to the British National Party in order to get a majority vote for a change of name. The newly titled "Be Nice People" would presumably be delighted to join in with the non-lingual 'International Anthem' of noises, shouts and (appropriately enough) laughter.
The amazing thing about Toupe is that, despite laying down another fine album, they're already planning the next one (presumably codenamed 'Project D').
Chat is a record that will score highly with fans of Burgers and demonstrates enough musical evolution to remain a distinct work in its own right. They had to travel across America to wrte it, but it was worth the effort!
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