Emmo’s Blog

Posted by Emmo on September 9, 2009

 

 

 

 

Its finally landed. At long last!
The Wildhearts 8th studio album Chutzpah! arrived through my letterbox on Monday.
I decided to order the Japanese Import for the 4 exclusive to Japanese release bonus songs.  I’m glad I did as the UK version has only 10 songs. The Wildhearts also gave away a free download from a song that didn’t make the final mix so that takes the total from 10 to 15 songs.
That’s more like it!

Chutzpah! is different to other Wildhearts albums in that the song writing and vocals are not all left to group leader Ginger. Every band member has contributed with either lyrics, vocals or both. This means the album has a more widespread sound but at the same time they stick to what they are best at. Great songs.

Every member has brought their influence to the table. You can hear Bassist Scott Sorrys punk influence as well as guitarists CJs poppy influences (including that of Honeycrack his side project in the 90s.) Ginger has maybe been listening to a lot of American bands now he lives there as this album also has an American sound/feel to it.

I am not going to give you a song by song review telling you what I think each song means but rest assured this is another great Wildhearts album. Probably the best album since 1996s Fishing For Luckies. It has taken me about 4 listens to find my feet with it which is unlike any other Wildhearts album but now it’s all fallen into place.

There are some instant classics in the form of The Jackson Whites, The Only One, Mazel Tov Cocktail, You Are Proof That All Women Are Not Insane & title track Chutzpah!
I found a few songs hard to get into on the first couple of listens. Tim Smith, John Of Violence and Low Energy Vortex were the strange ones for me but now it’s just the latter than I’m still not sure on.

The Japanese songs consist of Chutzpah Jnr which is a one minute song that tells you how to pronounce the album (drop the CH!), All that Zen, Zeen Requiemn and a cover song People Who Died which is again sung by Sorry.

The download freebie is The Snake The Monkey, The Lion and The Spider which is another good song but I can see why it was left off as it don’t sound in the same vein as the rest of the songs on the album.

All in all its another triumph for Ginger and his band of merry men but did we expect anything else?

Track listing:

Chutzpah! Jnr – (Japanese Exclusive)
The Jackson Whites
Plastic Jebus
The Only One
John Of Violence
You Are Proof….
Tim Smith
Low Energy Vortex
You Took The Sunshine
Zeen Requiemn – (Japanese Exclusive)
All That Zen – (Japanese Exclusive)
People Who Died – (Japanese Exclusive)
The Snake The Monkey, The Lion and The Spider (Download only)
Mazel Tov Cocktail
Chutzpah!

Rating 9/10

Posted under Album Reviews, Music