Chicks On Speed

One song with three very different mixes and instrumentation. The Chicks On Speed sing that they don’t play guitars and then Peaches chimes in with ‘but I do’ and proceeds to demonstrate that this is true.

The first mix is more or less straight with traditional Chicks On Speed synth, beatbox, and shouted/spoken vocals before the guitar comes in with Peaches speech and from then on it is guitar solo over the top – well, everything over the top. Mix two is initial drums, heavy metal guitar noise, followed by acoustic backing, distorted synth, choral backing vocals – a melting pot of confusion that I love. It even has elements of Hendrix’s All Along The Watchtower to my retro ears. The third mix loses me since the guitar has gone and is replaced by nothing but keyboard. I guess the joke is on me here.

It’s all quite amusing with the band sounding more Rock n Roll than usual (they start off with 'We thought we weren’t a rock n roll band but it sure feels like a rock n roll band tonight'). But it is a concept piece and like much conceptual art it either works for you or leaves you cold. An amusing idea, tending towards the tedious but saved by some bewilderingly juxtapositions of instrumentation. I must admit I love the warmth of the added guitar and hope the Chicks on Speed use it again