Recorded in his living room on a four track, Chris Jones’ demo is a beguiling and unhinged
solo acoustic effort. Sounding like he doesn’t even own a tuner, nevermind use it, first
track The Popper repeats an insistent Eastern-flavoured riff of bends and slides over and
over and over. And over. For six minutes. His voice is the only thing to save the listener’s
sanity – and it’s as dreadfully out of tune as the guitar. Why then, do I find myself reaching
for the repeat button?
Next track Happy Mask does little to relieve the hypnotic tension of the demo, the unfamiliar
style is so gripping that you can’t fail to listen. As the track draws to its conclusion,
Jones’ bizarre “the horse, the horse, the horse is waiting. He waits all night, all night,
all night, all night…” seems to somehow make perfect sense.
The standout track here is closing effort Let’s Get Busy. Built around a cascading riff that
includes Jones detuning his strings as he plays, the song is the weirdest on a completely insane
demo. Shouted backing vocals this time support the usual deranged main vocals, only this time
the lyrics are as repetitive as the riff.
The only comparable artist would be Syd Barrett – not for the style but for the mental illnesses.
Referring to it as stoner acoustic rock gives off the wrong impression but is certainly in the
ball park. Mind you, if this was played at Glastonbury the hippies wouldn’t know what hit them.
Reviewer: Alch
Date: 2004
Hmmm, Chris Jones is actually from Burton-on-Trent, so I wouldn't normally
include him on the site (it's not particularly near to Sheffield), but this
is such an unusual CD that I wanted to make an exception. This is Chris' third
CD, and as he says, his influences include the likes of Syd Barrett, Cat Power,
Nick Drake and the Velvet Underground. The style is highly original, and takes
a minute or so to get used to, but it's definitely captivating. He's been playing
around the Burton/Derby area for a year or so, and is keen to branch out further
afield - so if any of you are looking for a band to put on, why not contact him
and ask for a copy of the demo!