What the hell exactly is Chapell trying to do here: and other not so serious questions

By Luke Mullen

Indie rocker Alan Chapell is a big, enigmatic ball of contradictions and juxtapositions in a nicely tailored white linen suit. Born in Stamford, Connecticut and now living in NYC’s West Village, Chapell has made music from Mumbai to Managua over the years. Showing no sign of tiring, Chapell has been writing new material at a feverish pace. He sent over a handful of songs from his soon to be released album “Love in the Summer of Trouble” and asked me what I think.

I must confess – I have no idea of what to make of these songs. From religious allegories to heartbreak to falling in love, Chapell initially comes off as a two-trick pony as most of his songs seem to fall into two categories: songs about love and songs about social justice. Well, in fairness – that’s not necessarily a bad thing as those are two pretty deep pools for Chapell (or anyone else’s) pony to swim in. And at least in one of the songs I was asked to review, Chapell is able to mix in both concepts quite seamlessly.

Here’s what I can say about the handful of songs I was provided – they’re certainly quirky and moody and at times, even dark. But they’re also so poppy that if you’re not paying attention to the words (except maybe the choruses), you’d think Matthew Sweet has arisen from the ghosts of “Girlfriends” past. A few of the songs almost have a party vibe which evokes the heyday of Talking Heads or the Bogmen or any of those other acts that Jerry Harrison has been associated with over the past two decades. Harrison produced Chapell’s debut The Redhead’s Allegations a few years ago and his influence can still be felt in Chapell’s past two albums several years later.

But if you take a moment and actually listen to the lyrics, there’s some serious shit going on in this Chapell dude’s brain. Remember, this is the same songwriter who somehow made a catchy pop tune out of the deep water horizon oil spill disaster. (That’s the album Harrison produced back in 2016). For example, on what appears to be the title track of this album, Chapell is describing a burgeoning political movement developing in Brooklyn and led by a charismatic Latina. “Down on the corner an angel spoke of wrong and right.” Is it Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Probably not. But the similarities are striking given that this song must have been written at least several months ago. And if you’re not really looking for it, you may miss lines like “Blood is the Color of Angels” because the lyrics are practically slathered in gorgeous harmonies provided by likes of Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King. You may also miss some of the larger symbolism because you just can’t stop nodding your head Rodney Howard’s grooves or the cascading violin lines played masterfully by Lorenza Ponce.

And I honestly can’t tell you if this juxtaposition of sheer, unadulterated poppiness along such stark and serious lyrics is the best thing or the worst thing about these songs. Either Chapell is a genius for candy coating these serious messages with his pop sensibilities, or he seriously needs to consider picking a fucking lane. But my opinion on this subject seems to fluctuate by the minute so what the heck do I know.

Then there’s “By the River.” It starts out with Ponce again – playing a synth-like pseudo violin part with a fantastic hook that settles into a nice enough song about a guy and a girl heading down to the river for what might or might not be a romantic interlude. And it works nicely on that level. But then if you listen to Chapell’s lyrics, it’s not entirely clear what those two kids are doing. Is it a simple roll in the hay, an acid trip, or perhaps something more akin to a scene from Jonestown? But my mind soon wanders away from the specifics as I’m seduced by the vocalists King and Mizelle chanting “by the River” – and then Ponce breaks into a kickass solo. It’s sort of dizzying. Good? Bad? I dunno. I’m really not sure who or what Chapell is just yet. But I can say one thing for Chapell – you just can’t look away.

But perhaps the largest juxtaposition – the darkest song with the most boom-boom party beat comes from the song ‘You Gotta Go.” (A.K.A. a not so subtle sign indicating that Chapell is not necessarily a fan of the current administration or culture in Washington DC.) “All of these men stealing the future. I speak to those who stand with him, and to those just standing by.” Personally, I prefer dancing to something about “getting lucky” than songs raking mud on the collective sins of our political culture… but that’s just me. And hell, that political stuff worked great for Bono.

Will it work for Chapell? Ultimately, I think you have to decide what you mean by “work.” While he may never play stadiums, I’ve heard that Chapell’s live persona is extremely charismatic. He’s one of those performers who seems tailor made for the small-ish 400+ seat theaters that seem to be popping up across the U.S. Will his message reach a more mainstream audience? I’m not sure. If you’re in NYC you can find out for yourself as Chapell plays City Winery on Aug 16.

Based on what I’ve heard thus far, Chapell and his instrumentation create a dynamic, catchy listening experience. Chapell is well on his way to creating his best work of music yet with his third album. This is an artist who is clearly onto something – even if as I write this I’m not entirely sure what that something is yet.

Luke Mullin is a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and writes about music, sports and whatever else happens to cross his mind. You can find him on Twitter at @lmullin7.