The Chameleons - Strange Times (1986)

You may not have heard of The Chameleons, but you’ll know their sound. Are you a fan of Interpol? Editors? Or, errr, The Killers? These bands, among many others, have been influenced by the post-punk quartet from Manchester.  If atmospheric songs with echoing guitars and dark, humour-tinged lyrics are your thing, look no further than Strange Times.

The album begins with the anthemic “Mad Jack”, an upbeat ode to that one friend you have who can’t keep out of trouble. With an addictive guitar riff and some beauties from lead singer Mark Burgess (“He holds the night/Walks in shadow and avoids the light/Masturbates the madness in you!”), there can’t be many opening tracks that are better at drawing you into an album.

But oddly enough, the mood quickly gets a bit darker and stays that way for the next few tracks. Burgess’ eerie laugh at the start of “Caution” sets the mood perfectly, a cryptic song which descends beautifully into an intense ending. The sombre sensation is seized upon with one of the quietest songs on the album, “Tears”, a heartfelt yearning for home.

Darker still is “Soul In Isolation”, a dramatic, despairing piece which is a great demonstration of the interplay between the two guitarists. Powerful stuff indeed, but this is where the emotional intensity of the album seems to end. Not that the same can be said for the eeriness; just listen to the intro for “Swamp Thing”! Despite the helplessness from previous songs being gone from Burgess’ delivery, his lament on the pressure from the world around him strikes a chord with many a tired soul. Combined with a murky, menacing backdrop and some true guitar brilliance, this is the album’s high point.

With the first half of the album being so breathtaking, it seems like something of a shame that the tension drops and the mood is much lighter after “Swamp Thing”. But The Chameleons laudably manage to remain introspective without the need for more drama; the guitars creating a superbly dreamy scene and John Lever’s beat keeping things ticking over gently. It’s all standard fare such as love, growing up and so on, but the consistent lyrical quality is remarkable (in stark contrast to the erratic songwriting of the band’s aforementioned successors). Highlights from the second half include “Seriocity” gently drifiting into the start of the next track, the jangling guitar of “Childhood” and the peaceful instrumental track “I’ll Remember”.

So while the intensity drops towards the end of the album, it’s unfair to claim that the quality does so as well. It’s just that the start of the album is so excellently dark and moody that it’s easy to feel like the best listening comes in the first half. But by concentrating that energy so well at the start before chilling out towards the end, The Chameleons have an album that fully showcases their range of talents; not just post-punk rockers but downtempo dreamers.  Admittedly, the sound is not a million miles away from their more famous contemporaries, Echo & The Bunnymen. Yet through the atmosphere they create, as well as the lyrical excellence of Burgess, The Chameleons produce something quite unique that goes down as essential listening.

8/10 

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This album was released in September 1986 by Geffen, available from Zavvi.