Customer Reviews

Bells and Whistles

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Chase does an amazing job at creating moods. This album is an awesome follow up to "Oh, Musica!". Chase's voice really shines, and the song writing is superb. If you are looking for a new artist to add to your collection, I highly recommend Chase's work.

Where do I start with the latest incarnation of the artist known as Chase Pagan? Formerly a protégé of Ross Robinson and the prominent (sic) nu metal scene of 2004-2005, Pagan was signed to Geffen who later rejected his unimpressive debut. Pagan decided to capitalize on the burgeoning new freak folk scene and reinvent himself as a arty singer songwriter in the same vein as Devendra Banhart. Pagan released a free EP in this new guise called "Oh Musica!" and has since followed it up with a proper debut entitled, "Bells & Whistles."

"Bells & Whistles" might contain some of the best new folk music ever but I can't get through three tracks on the album. I don't think being jaded is the issue here. Pagan's vocal style is very affected, precocious and over the top. To get a picture of what Pagan sounds like, imagine an ultra feminine Antony Hegarty and you get the picture. As a matter of fact, the actual instrumentation is ok if you're into a faux cabaret style of performance. If his voice were easier to take, I might have been able to make it up to his tenth song on this disc. "Bells & Whistles" doesn't seem so much like a proper album as it seems like a Frankenstein creation put together by a focus group or committee and that is a shame. With a little more work and maybe some testosterone Chase Pagan might be on to something.