Review:

on 2011-06-14 CharlesMartel Said:

After the break-up of the Chameleons, various band members went off and did their own thing. Most of these projects were startlingly unsuccessful, almost certainly doomed if for no other reason than the fact that no one paid much attention to the Chameleons in their lifetime either so no one was going to pay much attention to the members going solo - such are the vagaries of the UK music scene. Mark Burgess, vocalist and bassist with the Chameleons came out with "Zima Junction" as part of one such outfit called, with much hubris, the Sons of God.

This album is going to take anyone familiar with the Chameleons work a bit of getting used to. It is principally acoustic and often the tracks are nothing more than an acoustic guitar accompanying a voice. And yet, if you listen closely enough, you will undoubtedly hear the same hooks and melodies as can be found in much of the Chameleons' work in the eighties. Just listen to the guitar on "Happy New Life", probably the best track on the album in my opinion, as an example. Anyone not knowing could not but mistake this for being the Chameleons.

But this is not post punk any more than it is some sort of modern folk. Burgess has taken his musical style in a new direction. It is one which is uncomfortable at first because it sits so uneasily with what you are used to as a Chameleons listener. But was that not, in all probability, Burgesss plan? Just settle back, enjoy the familiar tones of his voice and listen to the words and how the convey the images which have developed since his earliest days of song writing.

The lyrics are much sharper and well developed. The penultimate track on the album is an effort by Burgess to take the music a step further - adapting work by modern classical composer Philip Glass. Interesting it may be, but it does not add much. Just make sure you switch off before you get to "You Only Live Twice", complete with James Bond film outtakes. However much it may have appealed to Burgess on a personal level, it is a track which would have disgraced Robbie Williams.

What must be remembered, however, is that this album is little more than a collection of demos. The album which it was supposed to become never materialised - apparently the record label ran out of money. For some reason, probably to cash in on the Chameleons name, the demos were later packaged up and marketed as an album, which is a bit cheeky to say the least. What you are getting is, warts and all, what the intention was.

The intention was never realised and, as a consequence, this album had the potential to be so much better. There are some good tracks on here but not enough to save it from a much lower rating than it might have got had things been different, had Burgess concentrated less on trying sound unlike the Chameleons and more on sounding like Mark Burgess. There are times when I can listen to this but, although pleasant enough, it does not move me like other Chameleons and post-Chameleons material.
Rating: 7/10