Sublime, poignant and tinged with a distant threat of madness and longing... like sitting in a hot tub by yourself in the middle of a pine forest on the cusp of spring - wind in the branches - elements of warmth and chill that lull, caress and somehow invigorate - mulled wine and hot rum toddies. Can't Stop, On Fire is an eloquent collection of well crafted tunes that hang together as much on their emotional pull as their musical charm. It's an old car lost on a bush track in the red dusty outback carrying Alex Lloyd, Grant Lee Buffalo, Lou Reed and the ghost of Jeff and Tim Buckley... there's a bottle being passed around and an odd scaping sound coming from the roof that no one really cares to investigate...

Chimp: Cerebral Sounds For The Listening Generation 14 September 2003 I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to two very different doses of Chimp recently. Seen them in the flesh and then washed down the remarkable experience with a week in the company of their new album, ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ Both formulas have left me feeling a more complete and rounded human-being. That’s the effect the Brighton-based collective seem to have on all who cross their path. I’d been aware of the name Chimp for the last year. It turned-up in publications and conversations over a pint. Then the band gave an awe-inspiring performance at The Sussex Arts Club (SAC), earlier this month in front of a backdrop of a plane taxiing, taking-off and eventually landing... all presented in wonderful slow-mo. I left SAC clutching my as yet unheard copy of their new album, ‘can’t stop, on fire’ - and it was then that the unfolding of my acquaintance with Chimp took on an extra delightful twist. For spending a week in the company of ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ was not akin to their forty-minute live experience. The recorded Chimp is an altogether different proposition built around a sound that’s best enjoyed with lights off & a top-end surround-sound entertainment system. For this credit can not be taken by Chimp alone as production duties are shared with Julian Tardo, the Church Road Recording Company based producer/engineer. ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ kicks off with the 1 min 50 second, ‘radio deutsche welle’. A swirling funfair ride through cinematic sounds and tender-as-the-night vocals. The opener leads into the single-in-waiting, ‘Hope, don’t chase me down’, a highlight of both ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ and their live set. Harmonies, melody, and a dream like delivery all wrapped-up within a tight delivery that shows Chimp as a united-unit all pulling equally in the same direction. 'my mistake' skips into a tale of weight-of-the-world-on-your-shoulders blues: “Hey it’s my mistake/didn’t mean for the world to break in two.” But, the moral may well be that however hard you’re trying to do the right thing you always end up hurting the ones you love: “if it was up to you/you could drag the life out of me.” But, much in the same way as ‘Hope, don’t chase me down’, 'my mistake' begs radio play. The lyrically deeper, ‘falling out' retains the catchy-as-f**k melody while revealing that the pain on the inside is as powerful as any punch that may be visible to those who see you: “ .. cuts like these show on the skin/and yours/they only show on the inside.” ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ continues to build via personal favourite, ‘green street’, …. a beautifully illustrated tale of moving on but not forgetting your roots. Well, that’s what it means to me, though, to Chimp, there’s probably a whole different meaning! …. to the set closer ‘lakeside’, a ballad of beauty built around Stuart Ripley’s unfussy piano. Which describes Chimp perfectly. There sound is unfussy though there’s so much going on. It’s cerebral-sounds for the listening generation. So, get your ear plugs out and get turned-on to Chimp, the band that don’t do what it says on the bottle. ‘can’t stop, on fire.’ is out now on slow records. Check-out www.chimpweb.com or email chimpmailbox@btopenworld.com for prices and availability. Mike Cobley

love it! love it! downbeat, beautiful, sensitive, understated. mir is epic, i'm currently trying to learn the chords for green st. this is in the running for album of the year