DON JAIL ROADWAY recorded/released: 2006 label: Brise-Cul (SADE050) format: CDr issue: unknown running time: 30:00 aka: $100,000 Win Fall

01: It's Hard Not To Die 02: Deathgrip On Living 03: From Life & Death To Living Dead 04: Death By Death Defiance 05: L'Amour De Mort 06: Waiting To Die (And The Suspense Is Killing Me)

Holy Bat-Dick, Robin -- this is one whacked-out slice o' greatness, like the diabolical offering of some dude who grew up dreaming of Bootsy Collins or maybe one of those gyratin' dudes in the Ohio Players, without ever realizing he was made for playing in Cheer-Accident instead. Or maybe Arab on Radar reinvented as a dubby, clubby lounge act. The opening one-two knockout punch of "It's Hard Not To Die" and "Deathgrip On Living" both built around hypnotic, dubbed-out bass lines and an off-kilter sensibility, sets the tone for the remaining four tracks of loopiness and sinister, springy basslines occasionally obliterated by sheets of crunchy white noise. King Tubby himself would levitate from the grave with pleasure at the sound of that extended-reverb abuse and dub-hell bass on "L'Amour de Mort," an efx-heavy stop 'n start hypno-mantra that occasionally turns into a psychedelic devival swirling around an endless ping-pong riff. Static, excessive reverb, endless repetition, and a cryptic, indeciperable monologue are all elements that form the lengthy and mesmerizing intro to "Waiting To Die (And The Suspense Is Killing Me)" -- then these swirling sounds fade away, followed by a beat and a fuzzy riff, and the song begins to build in slow but deliberate fashion as the singer comes and goes. It's all strange and disorienting, sure, but insanely catchy -- you will not be able to resist the tyranny of the beat in conjunction with that enormous, dubbed-out bass. Rarely has an approach to rock been so twisted and still so listenable. - The One True Dead Angel, 2006 Of a different kind is the music of Chapeau, which features lyrics and vocals, so Chapeau records songs on this release, but sure it's not the typical songwriting style, although in some ways it tends to be. These 6 songs and lyrics deal with darker themes, namely with murder and death, which can be understood as a very personal issue for everyone. Some of the titles are: 'It's hard not to die', 'From life and death to living dead', 'Waiting to die (and the suspense is killing me)'... It's interesting how Chapeau combines the music and the singing, sometimes sounding like a very stripped version of Nick Cave. It seems the music is played on a combination of more regular instruments - bass guitar, percussions, etc., and additional electronics, adding noises, effects and dizziness to the atmosphere. With enough diversity and variations in the sounds to keep it dizzier, this is a strange and very captivating shorter album of 30 minutes. - Vital Weekly, 2006