In a recent interview during the launch gig for Music Is Art Vol.1 Steve Balsamo and Rob Reed of Chimpan A shared their approach to writing music for this new album:
Those words totally sums up Music Is Art Vol.1. There are no boundaries and no set agendas about style. Balsamo and Reed are musical magpies, borrowing elements and bright trinkets of sounds from anywhere and combining them into even better and moving pieces of music. Make no assumptions about Chimpan A or this album, just go with the flow.
For anyone not familiar with Chimpan A it is a project led by multi-instrumentalist Rob Reed of Magenta and vocalist Steve Balsamo. In that recent gig interview Reed and Balsamo shared that the rather peculiar project name was inspired by an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ called ‘A Fish called Selma’, which had a spoof musical based on ‘The Planet of the Apes’ which had a song called From Chimpan A to Chimpan Zee. Chimpan A was originally only intended as a ‘place holder’ name for their new project in 2006… but the name somehow stuck!
Reed and Balsamo have also previously worked together on Reed’s Kompendium project in 2012. Balsamo has played with South Wales band The Storys since 2004, but is probably best known for playing Jesus to superb effect in the 1990’s in a West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. Rob Reed is probably more well known for leading the progressive rock band Magenta, as well as reviving Cyan more recently, and for his Mike Oldfield inspired instrumental Sanctuary projects… amongst other things. However, Chimpan A sounds nothing like any of those projects. Chimpan A have previously quirkily described themselves as: ‘kinda like Pink Floyd’s Peter Gabriel loving brother, wearing Bjork’s poppier swan dress, while making Massive Attack a cuppa’… whatever that means! What it does tell us is that Chimpan A is quite unlike any other musical project out there, and Music Is Art Vol.1 serves to underline their imaginative and fearless approach to blending all sorts of styles together, played with great skill and feeling.
The Empathy Machine in 2020 set the bar VERY high indeed for Chimpan A. (It was my ‘Lockdown Album’ – a perfect accompaniment and antidote for that strange, dislocated period). Rather wisely Reed and Balsamo avoid the temptation of trying to produce ‘Son of the Empathy Machine’, although there are clearly some echoes of that ambiently beautiful album. Music Is Art Vol.1 has a more ambitious scope with a main album encompassing a range of styles, often in the same song, and then an additional disc of different mixes and some incredible cover versions of iconic songs by such greats as Peter Gabriel, The Hollies, Carole King, Jimmy Webb and… erm, Hot Chocolate (yes really, and it’s GREAT fun!)
Wolves kicks off the album joyously, chiming in with Peter Gabriel 80’s era sounding keyboards and Kirstie Roberts proclaiming ‘It’s a Beautiful Day’ (which does echo The Calling from the previous album) before Balsamo smoothly takes up the vocals. What is immediately evident is how Chimpan A have so splendidly blended the vocals of such different vocalists, as Balsamo’s voice is punctuated with acclamations from Roberts and a subtle echoing line from Christina Booth of Magenta. Wolves takes an unexpected direction when poet, Tony Dallas, recites a fascinating spoken word monologue, which works so well – no wonder that Balsamo and Reed have previously described Tony Dallas as their ‘secret weapon’. The finale is a recap of the opening theme which bookends as Roberts sings ‘when the Wolves come to my door.’ It is a great way to open the album and Chimpan A show yet more love and skill with an 80’s feel song later in the album with Saviour. Reed’s chiming echoing guitars roll along with Ged Lynch’s smoothly rhythmic drums. The cool bass line is laid down here by the legendary Guy Pratt of Pink Floyd’s post-Waters live band and Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets fame. Kirstie Roberts’ soulful vocals pulsate with energy supporting Balsamo’s cool voice. This great song is just SO Tears for Fears in feel – this is a good thing… a very good thing.
Chimpan A show their dexterity and range with the 10 minute mini-epic I Will Wait For You… epic in a smoothly grooving but fragile way, which sucks in the listener to the emotions dripping from every word of Balsamo’s voice. A tinkling piano and synth backing backs the combined but contrasting voices of Kirstie Roberts and Christina Booth, before Roberts takes off vocally falling later to a soft heartbreaking monologue from Tony Dallas. These passages are bewitching with poetic intensity set within sympathetic softly percussive settings. Balsamo’s voice returns, brittle with emotion, interweaved with Christina’s beautifully echoing responses. Kirstie’s soulful voice takes over the ascendant finale and over strings a bluesy guitar passage ripples out. It’s a highly unconventional song bringing together so many different elements… as they said, there’s no rules as long as it moves you. They absolutely nail that agenda with I Will Wait for You. Balsamo and Reed recently comically shared in their album launch gig that one of the reviews for their 2006 debut album described them as ‘drowning in a sea of pretentiousness’ but they feel that ‘we’re swimming in a sea of pretentiousness, rather than drowning’ !! The evidence of this album is twofold – they are far from pretentious and they are neither drowning nor swimming in their music – they majestically master those waves with assurance, skill and feeling.
As if to demonstrate their diversity, Chimpan A delve into the work of Welsh classical composer Karl Jenkins’ work The Armed Man. Balsamo has touchingly shared that he played The Armed Man to his father while he lay dying. Karl’s Song commences with a choral introduction over which Kirstie briefly sings soulfully. Christina takes up the vocal melody, but as they do so much on this album she soon blends perfectly with both Balsamo and Roberts. The classical motif returns briefly in the middle, and one can hear the sincere emotion which imbues this song, based on such an elegiac memory for Steve Balsamo for his father.
The crystalline Skeletons is a show case for Balsamo’s beguiling voice over Reed’s delicate piano and sweet orchestration – just mesmerising.
The last 3 songs on disc 1 are devoted to the Sorter suite, derived from a theatre project called ‘Grand Ambition’ in Swansea. Sorter is a play written by the functioning heroin addict Richard Mylan who asked Reed and Balsamo to write some songs for his play. The Keeper smoulders on a bed of soft rhythms, smooth melody and sensitive vocals until Richard Mylan recites his impactful monologue, conveying such brutal honesty and searing emotion. In contrast Invisible People sweeps in on a wave of cinematic strings before rather thrillingly a Gary Numan-esque synth line takes over… with some horn sounds… obviously! Mylan returns mid-song more sinisterly (with some rather frank language), telling a tale of having to buy drugs from some shady characters. Presumably the addicts are Invisible People, and there’s real feeling in the refrain ‘If Hope is a Prayer, I’m on my Knees’. The song breaks down into a stark piano, and then some increasingly vibrant electronic sounds and the interweaving voices of the three main singers. The swelling strings return to open the curtain for the striking mini-epic Dreaming Will Kill Us Dead. The strings recede as a dog barks, and synth beats bring in Balsamo impressive vocals and Reed’s perfectly judged piano. Steve Balsamo’s vocal range and control astounds before Christina’s emotive vocal refrain transfixes us almost to a stop except for the rain drops of Reed’s piano. The main theme returns with more orchestration and Balsamo’s glorious voice. A brief choral interlude transports us into another fascinating stream of consciousness from Mylan… these words just sound so authentic, full of lived experience. Chimpan A have done such a great job in framing these words so intuitively and sympathetically – these 10 minutes really do touch your heart and soul. Chimpan A have proclaimed against what they term as the ‘TikTok-ification’ of music in which listeners are only exposed to 20 second clips of music which is devaluing and dumbing down music which appears to be becoming increasingly generic and homogenous. This is certainly not an accusation that could be directed towards Chimpan A who are unafraid to draw on so many influences and ignore the obvious and formulaic. The Sorter suite of songs is a perfect example of this more ambitious and intuitive approach to composition and performance.
The second disc in this impressive release is filled with fascinating cover versions and interesting remixes. In the recent album launch gig Rob Reed explained the thinking behind releasing covers of some iconic songs was simply to find a way to find a way for people unfamiliar with their music to get into it through more familiar avenues. He went on to say that they decided to take on some pretty ‘untouchable covers’ which Steve Balsamo humorously retorted ‘we touched them a LOT!!’ (😊) Indeed they did!
It takes some guts taking on such classic songs as Peter Gabriel’s Here Comes the Flood , Jimmy Webb’s Wichita Lineman, The Hollies hit The Air that I Breathe, and even songs by Carole King and Hot Chocolate!
Here Comes the Flood slowly drifts in on softly chiming synths with Angharad Brinn’s pure voice and is then joined by more instrumentation and Balsamo’s assured vocals. However, it is when the song opens up more dramatically with more instrumentation and Kirstie Roberts more assertive soulful vocals that you realise that Chimpan A are taking this wonderful song in totally unexpected directions. The blending of the voices of Brinn, Balsamo and Roberts is inspired and skilful.
Perhaps the best cover on this second disc is the shimmeringly gorgeous cover of Wichita Lineman, which bewitches with the magical combination of Balsamo’s mesmerising voice and Reed’s tastefully subtle piano and orchestration. Christina’s breathy vocal refrain mid-song welcomes in a sultry, dreamy trumpet sound. The groove builds in the latter stages but by then the listener is in a heap on the floor blown away by the majesty and delicacy of this stunning cover. It is no surprise that Reed and Balsamo professed their great love for Jimmy Webb at the album launch gig. That shines out from every perfect moment of this cover version.
In total contrast to this shining gem of a cover, Chimpan A take the classic pop ballad of The Air that I Breathe, which The Hollies turned into a major hit in 1974, and turn it into a much darker toned and sinister sounding piece. This also features Guy Pratt’s bass playing. This is a song which has been covered differently since the writer Albert Hammond (with Mike Hazlewood) wrote it for his 1972 debut album, followed by Phil Everly taking a rather sombre take on it in 1973. More recently Radiohead were successfully sued for using the song as the basis for their early hit Creep, with songwriting credits now given to Hammond and Hazlewood (!!). Ironically it is probably Radiohead who are closest in style to this twitching, eerie cover. The accompanying video for this song, which is all weird gas masks and post-apocalyptic gloom, tells you all you need to know about the darker atmosphere and twisted take on the refrain ‘All I Need is the Air that I Breathe’.
Just when you feared that Chimpan A may be getting a little too dark and sombre they then throw in a thumping version of Hot Chocolate’s Every 1’s a Winner. As a live song this was a great celebratory finale, and the energy jumps off the disc as Kirstie Roberts takes centre stage with her soulful verses in this vibrant disco filled fun. Although not technically a cover The Secret Wish does include inventive samples of the unmistakable opening from Oldfield’s Tubular Bells … it seems Rob Reed cannot resist a reference to his boyhood musical idol.
If an artist or a band is going to do a cover then don’t just produce a carbon copy – do what Chimpan A do – take it apart and put it together again with different perspectives and apply your own stamp to the song.
The other tracks on CD 2 are different mixes, including ‘Candlelight mixes’ for an even more fragile but lushly orchestrated version of Skeletons and a stripped back and heartbreaking Dreaming will Kill us Dead. It is perhaps appropriate that the finale of this album shines a spotlight on just the two main artists in Chimpan A as Reed and Balsamo perform a simple but resplendent live version of Wichita Lineman… it is staggeringly beautiful.
In 2020 I concluded about The Empathy Machine that ‘this is music to balm the mind and soothe the heart’… well, Chimpan A have done it again with Music Is Art Vol.1. Chimpan A have created music of great quality, quite unlike any other album you will hear this year. Music Is Art Vol.1 is simply magnificent and achingly beautiful – a triumph of sublime genre bending and blending, created with consummate skill and soaked in touching emotions.
If there’s any justice this should be regarded as one of THE albums of the year… but of what genre?! Who cares, just open your Heart and listen to the music.
TRACK LISTING
CD 1
01. Wolves (5:53)
02. I Will Wait For You (10:05)
03. Saviour (3:54)
04. Karl’s Song (3:50)
05. Skeletons (4:03)
06. Anybody Out There? (7:46)
SORTER
07. The Keeper (10:34)
08. Invisible People (8:30)
09. Dreaming Will Kill Us Dead (10:14)
CD 2
01. Here Comes the Flood (4:24)
02. The Air That I Breathe (4:09)
03. Wichita Lineman (4:15)
04. Every 1’s a Winner (3:20)
05. The Secret Wish (3:40)
06. Smackwater Jack (3:42)
07. Skeletons (Candlelight Mix) (3:56)
08. Saviour (Ged & Guy Mix) (4:09)
09. Dreaming Will Kill Us Dead (Candlelight Mix) (6:14)
10. The Air That I Breathe (Cronenberg Mix) (6:15)
11. Wichita Lineman (Live Performance) (4:09)
Total Time – 102:36
MUSICIANS
Steve Balsamo – Vocals
Robert Reed – Keyboards, Guitars, Bass & Loops
~ With:
Nigel Hopkins – Orchestration
Kirstie Roberts – Vocals
Christina Booth – Vocals
Angharad Brinn – Vocals
Ged Lynch – Drums
Guy Pratt – Bass Guitar
Neil Fairclough – Bass Guitar
Neil Taylor – Guitar
Francis Dunnery – Guitar
Tony Dallas – Spoken Word
Richard Mylan – Spoken Word (‘Sorter’)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Tigermoth Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 29th August 2025
DISCOGRAPHY
– Chimpan A (2006)
– The Empathy Machine (2020)
– Music Is Art Vol.1 (2025)
