- The Hitchhiker Chore 6:26
This review was rather a surprise for me because, as I was listening to “The Coastaline Fire”, I realised when it was recorded. This album is from 2002! Now I highlight that because, as you listen to the previews, I want you to notice how relevant this album sounds in 2016! Why Chore broke up I will never know, because they were that ahead of their time. The freshness of the album permeates throughout each and every song as if written and recorded by four Nostradamus’s.
Special thanks to the folks at Label Obscura for having the foresight to release such a newfound classic!
Be sure to get your copy of “The Coastaline Fire” HERE.
About Chore & “The Coastaline Fire”
Canada’s budding Label Obscura has announced that it will release a limited run vinyl reissue of ‘The Coastaline Fire’ LP – the final album by Ontario indie rockers Chore before they disbanded in the early 2000s. All tracks have been remastered for vinyl.
Originally hailing from Dunnville, Ontario, the band found their spiritual home and built up their primary fan base in Hamilton. Chore swelled in the heavier side of Canadian indie rock in the late 90s and early 00s, drawing on the power of Helmet and the intelligence of Fugazi with the majesty of Sunny Day Real Estate to create an eccentric sound of their own.
After releasing two wildly eclectic records with Brian Pettigrew on bass guitar, founding members David Dunham (drums/vox), Chris Bell (guitar/vox), and Mike Bell (guitar/bass) made a drastic step in a new direction by recruiting Mitch Bowden (guitar/vox) for their third and final offering ‘The Coastaline Fire’. Released to critical acclaim in 2002, the release of this album saw the band sharing the stage with such luminaries as The Dismemberment Plan, Shiner, and the Rheostatics while also growing close to such friends as their ‘soon to be successful’ peers as Alexisonfire, Wintersleep, and Constantines.
Since that time, all band members have moved on to other music projects. Nowadays, Mike and Chris can be seen and heard in Customaries, Dave drums for Not Of and makes electronic music under the moniker DAVIDS, while Mitch is at the helm of his own project Don Vail.
Label Obscura has exhumed Chore’s swan song to give it new life as a 180 gram double LP with gatefold jacket. Set to drop on November 18, this release will feature updated artwork and liner notes, along with five previously unreleased songs. These include three originals, which were recorded shortly before their dissolution, and two covers (Behind The Wheel by Depeche Mode and Subspace Biographies by Robert Pollard), which were recorded shortly after Mitch joined. This will be on a one-time limited edition pressing of 300 copies…Please enjoy.
SOURCE: Official Bio
Their stylistic tug-of-war ultimately proves that rewards are most rewarding when they come with a struggle
– EYE WeeklySmall-town Ontarians Chore succeed in the seemingly paradoxical task of making loud, heavy music elegant
– NOW MagazineThe emotional textures of the album flow in a continual wave, gradually building from sparse and melancholy to loud and angry, or breaking out abruptly on the sense
– ECHO MagazineYou’d be wise to use Chore as a starting point in the diversification of your record collection and listening habits
– Metal Maniacs
