Chase Pagan

Chase Pagan

Bells & Whistles

[4/5]



The phrase “they don’t make them like they used to” clearly resonates with Chase Pagan. He decorates Bells & Whistles in the colorfully flamboyant sounds of ’70s glam rock, with vigorous nods toward prog. His taste for the eclectic transports him even further back in history, with some rhythms and instrumentation reminiscent of vaudeville and bebop. Despite the vertigo-inducing musical time travel, Pagan’s compositions aren’t rehashes.


At the core of the Chase Pagan experience is his singing, which at times approximates the glass-shattering falsetto of Jeff Buckley as well as the carnival-barker baritone of Tom Waits. Pagan possesses an astounding amount of control over and confidence in his abilities. Far from the dominant mode of the times when singer-songwriters err on the side of fiscal caution, Pagan throws such inhibitions to the wind in favor of wildly diverging sounds and moods. He shows no fear in adopting a multiplicity of voices, be they effeminate or macho.


Given his boundless vocal (and musical) range, it’s no wonder Pagan’s been likened to everyone from Freddie Mercury to Thom Yorke. Neither is sufficient in describing his natural power as a singer and musician. His rollicking piano playing and vibrato vocals lend a Queen air to several songs (especially the jaunty “Life Garden”). But if Pagan is reminiscent of one ’70s star, it is Marc Bolan. While not as inventive as David Bowie or as otherworldly as Mercury, Pagan shares something with Bolan’s more proletariat rock glam-ness. Pagan uses Bolan’s brittle guitar crunch on his harder rocking material and his vocals bear more than a passing resemblance to those of the T. Rex impresario.


In addition to courageous vocal performances, Pagan attempts challenging song structures. “Gun And The Sword” is downright theatrical, moving through divergent passages and punctuated by pulsating horns. Other songs, such as the breezy “Better Off” or the throbbing “Search” dispense traditional verse-chorus-verse framework in favor of repetitive melodies and rhythms.


Lyrically, Pagan spins engaging narratives in the tradition of Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen. “Don’t Be Gay (Working Title)” is thematically consistent with the Replacements’ “Androgynous,” wherein a concerned father encourages his son to “wear blue” and not play with dolls. Over a nicked melody from the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “John & Betty” examines the relationship between an amorous man and his many partners, including a Vegas prostitute.


Pagan could be criticized for living in the past. A mustiness hangs over the record like the smell of bell-bottoms and tie-dyed T-shirts hanging in your parents’ closet. But that doesn’t diminish the majesty of what Pagan creates. He’s looking back to get beyond and with a touch of ingenuity, Pagan could become a genre-defying force in contemporary music. (ESPERANZA PLANTATION) Casey Boland

GO DOWNLOAD: “Bring Down The Day”

Categories: