ARTIST: Chevelle
ALBUM: Hats Off to the Bull
LABEL: Epic
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2011
A Tip of the Hat
Photo courtesy MSO PR
Written by Katie J. Norris
Chevelle has been playing and creating albums since their inception in 1999. They’ve had a pretty steady rise to notoriety over the years and they have landed several hits on the top of charts. There’s been some drama within the band as far as members leaving or being fired, depending on who tells the story, and they have faced the brunt of some misconceptions early on, with an earlier album release projecting them to the Christian market. Oops. They all have their respective views, but they’ve always aimed to be open minded in their lives and with their music messages.
Hats Off to the Bull is their sixth studio album. The first thing to note is the production on this one. Joe Barresi, who produced for Queens of the Stone Age and Tool, did an incredible job here. There are some very clever accentuations of sound effects and crafty sparkles of dynamics that spice it up and help the listener take note of the subtleties. This kind of technical creativity shows the range of a good producer past mere high-quality mixing and mastering.
The album opens with “Face to the Floor,” a great opening choice. It sets the pace for the album, and has landed hit-status on the rock radio charts. Second up is “Same Old Trip.” It has a catchy melody, but you don’t realize you’ve been singing along until the last chorus. “Ruse,” vocally starts off a little too similar to the previous song, but the lyrics are attention grabbing, and the melody in the chorus brightens the song with the use of some major chords thrown into the structure. “The Meddler” is not my favorite song, as it rings melancholy without pulling in too much emotional energy, but the guitar effects are rich and show off Chevelle’s Cure influences. The instrumental breakdown into the bridge of this song feels a little more organic and it ends on a high note. Notably, I must say Pete Loeffler really does excel on vocals here. “Piñata” is rhythmically a very fun song, and near the end it breaks down into a fist-pumping anthem, making it catchy enough to be a hit. The next song, “Envy,” is the surprise track on this album. It is haunting with its swells and Pete’s harmonies resonating in the stratosphere. The lyrics are poetically emotional and Pete gives a passionate performance. Even when their signature rock-sound jars into the mix three-fourths through the song, it retains that slightly airy atmospheric feel. It is quickly becoming a favorite.
“Hats Off to the Bull,” the title track, is packed with heavy rock chords, powerful guitar riffs, an angry chorus, and a ripping guitar solo. It’s not spectacularly unique, but its hard rock, Chevelle style. The next few songs, “Arise,” “Revenge,” and “Clones,” are all decent songs; however, they blend into the album a little too casually and attract the feel that they are paraphrased duplications of the earlier half of the album. The tunes begin to bleed into each other for the second half of the album, with the exception of “Prima Donna,” which seems to be their signature acoustic track on this album. Chevelle tends to always include some kind of simpler song on their albums to strike up the diversity, and this one is quite interesting with a melody that takes us into the world of the gypsies. The acoustic guitar and vocals are accompanied by enhancements of slow strings and a shaker for percussion reserved solely for the choruses. It is one of their better-done songs. “Indifference” and “Glimpse of the Con” are the following slower songs to wrap up the record. They have a singer/songwriter-rock vibe that eases the listener down to a close.
In this album, there are some noticeable points of head bobbing and some interesting musical and lyrical ideas throughout. And while the whole thing is entirely listenable, there is nothing that breaks the mold or shocks the soul. But nobody does Chevelle better than them, and it’s that constant drive of solid songs, album after album, that keep us coming back for more. A well made album start to finish, with a bonus live performance track of “Still Running,” Hats Off to the Bullholds Chevelle’s strong force in the rock world, steadily pleasing fans with another release.