Album Review

Cell Division – Chymeia

• 5th Mar 2008

‘Jaded’ the first track presents us with a singer whose voice sounds spookilly like a cross between Kate Nash and Sophie Ellis Bextor. Cut to Track 2: Suddenly we are listening to Tina Root from Switchblade Sympathy crossed with Echobelly.The mind is now active and paying full attention. We have a rather multi-talented voice and thankfully the rest of the band are just as gifted – each pulling on chords of favourite music pastimes. Gothic rock, Classic Rock, Darkwave and Trip-Hop electronica are all present and accounted for.

The album itself doesn’t check the same box more than once. Cell Division seem to have gone to great lengths to explore as far afield as they can. There are undoubtly mis-steps here and there, but the overall effect is a pleasing and memorable one.

The only real misfortune is in ‘The Dead Rose.’ It is a lengthy affair and one that endevours to be large and epic. Unfortunatley it is the chorus that lets the song down gravely. Something grander should have been in its place instead of what appears to be more of an emo rant.

It is unffair to make such harsh criticisims of what really is only a spec on an otherwise hugely varnished surface. Chymeia lives up to its word, the band themselves incorporate such a solid stance on where they would like themselves to be placed in the world of music. And what is best about it all is that they have nowhere else to go but up. With such a bredth of inspiratons they have left themselves open to go pretty much in any direction they chose.