Kickass Album Art
By Ian P.E.
“X-mas in July” yeah, exactly – when Chief Bromide Land arrived at my doorstep. Poster – check, magnet – check, candyland game – check. It reminded me of how it was like when I was getting my first vinyl records in the mail. You’d put the record on and then just spread the whole rest of the package out on the floor – all the great inserts and posters. Indie Labels used to load up their mail order packages with all kinds of extra fun…but in this digital age everything is a freaking wash.
Blame it on the economy, on the stranglehold of the corporate music structure, digital music – whatever! Laziness is my number reason…and let’s not even get into the lack of creative band names out there these days. And that’s what makes this album something to remember…whenever someone mentions album art, I’ll be like – “this one band from Cleveland called Chief Bromide made a full Candyland game for their album art”. Kick Ass!
- Ian P.E.
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CHIEF BROMIDE
Chief Bromide Land // 2009, Self-Release
(A Review by Colleen Drakage)
The lyrics in Bromide Land are indecipherable, but the hazy harmonic style blends vigorously with the instrumentals, and who’s really paying attention to words in Candyland anyway? Think of Velvet Underground, but really under the ground, well…more like underwater. Reading the lyrics, however, gives a good shanking to what initially seems like heroin love songs.
Listening to Chief Bromide Land makes me think of swimming in an above-ground pool and drinking in the garage. They have somewhat pleasant influences…like Sonic Youth, the Meat Puppets and other angsty-shoegaze-arrythmic-swaying kinds. Songs vary from dirges for laying in the dark, to uplifting rambling through the desert scenes. It’s music to get out of town to.
When you obtain this disk of fine noise, tune your player directly to number 8; GOD SHAPED HOLE. Not exactly sure how they came across such a distinct hole, but I’d like to spend some time in there, and I’d bet my night’s tips it was located somewhere in Cleveland…most likely on Whiskey Island.
Chief Bromide was thoughtful enough to pack it all up for you, in a pizza box, to go. PRIZE INSIDE! It has a badass Candyland-ripoff insert that you can actually play with a group of your drunkest friends; it’s enough to make you break out the good scissors and wood glue. There’s only 100 of this deluxe edition, (including the one in my lap) so try not to sleep at the wheel on this one. Copies can be procured at your local record pusher.
