Lake Bottom LP

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:44:00 +0000

The strong and lovely voices of the Chapin Sisters offer a raw, deep-down quality to Lake Bottom LP. Listeners who have ever found themselves betrayed by a lover will relate; a theme of troubled love runs through all eleven tracks. The sisters sing about temptation, jealousy, promises kept and broken, loneliness, and longing. Of course, the approach is not feeble or helpless. Rather, honesty and courage abound as needs are identified and communicated, and true feelings and desires are brought to the surface and proudly declared.

The main message is not anti-man or anti-lover; it’s actually very pro-self. The variety of music styles makes this album especially fun to listen to. Lilting harmonies and heartfelt lyrics result in an ear-catching mix of songs. The desperate, begging pleas of “Kill Me Now” complement selections like the catchy (but still melancholy) “Shady River" - the chorus of which stayed with me for days. While this is a perfect post-breakup album, it will be equally appreciated by those not in the midst of heartbreak drama. If you haven’t had a chance to give the Chapin Sisters a listen yet, be sure to check out Lake Bottom LP for a thorough taste of their style.

Written by: Amanda Moss, July 26th 2008

Lake Bottom LP

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:07:00 +0000

By The Chapin Sisters

Plain Recordings

The Chapin Sisters are a trio of gifted recordings artists who have managed to reinvent the love song by incorporating a touch of irony into their modern interpretation of folk- and roots-inspired pop. On their first full length album, Lake Bottom LP, the sisters have created songs that are defined by beautiful melodies and inventive take on the subject of love and all of its consequences, in the tradition of Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, and the Be Good Tanyas.

The trio is composed of singer-songwriters Abigail and Lily Chapin, as well as Jessica Craven, and the album has a deceptively simple musical style. The lead song, “Let Me Go,” lets the listener know just what kind of treat they are in for, and “Kill Me Now” and “Can’t We Please” are other particularly memorable tracks. It is refreshing to hear an album of recorded music sung by talented singers who are capable of performing both lead vocals and harmonizing without the intervention of heavy-handed production (and choreography and light shows). I found myself singing along at the first listening, and every subsequent time I turned on the album.

Talented musicians, these women create an interesting contrast by pairing sweet and sleepy acoustic guitar with occasionally blunt lyrics that echo your thoughts after that date, that really bad conversation, that phone call that didn’t happen, or that run-in at the neighborhood coffee shop... You know the one I’m talking about.

Written by: Ruth Cameron, April 16th 2008