The Melancholy Death of the Chemistry Experiment - Reviews

Sandman Magazine

At last! The Chemistry Experiment make My Bloody Valentine look like the very model of the Stakhanovite work ethic, but, thanks to Fortuna Pop!, fans of this ace Nottingham band can now revel in the cinematic joys of the very brilliant ‘The Melancholy Death Of..'. This is an album so ambitious in its breadth that I fair takes the breath away.

Indeed, there's a point somewhere between ‘Glue and Paper' and ‘You're The Prettiest Thing', when the shimmer of a violin kicks in, that you think that this could easily be the best album in the world.

‘You're The Prettiest Thing' – surely the centrepiece of the album – is a pretty remarkable song. If The Chemistry Experiment were called Maroon 5, then it would be number one forever. And, of course, this should be played at every indie disco for the rest of eternity. The Chemistry Experiment could well be responsible for a whole host of indie pop relationships. Just call them Cilla.

So, it's a huge album, then. But never does it descend into the sort of over-produced mush that it so easily could have done. Vocalist, Stephen, whispers and croon his way through the songs like an East Midlands Nick Cave, whilst the multi-instrumentalism of Emily Kawaski is a joy to behold.

Clearly, The Chemistry Experiment were right to hang fire over the release of this record. They wanted it to be perfect. And, go to the bottom of our stairs, that's exactly what it is.

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