The Graceland Conspiracy – We are chaos
The Graceland Conspiracy's 'We Are Chaos' is a stunning dream pop debut from Belfast, spacious and utterly transportable.
Colin Crooks has built something patient here. 'We Are Chaos' opens wide and stays there, acoustic lines, distant synth textures washing out toward the edges while McMahon's vocals float through the centre. There's brass in the mix, handled by Jon McKinley, and it lifts the track at exactly the right moments. I love the folk-esque elements in this; and the turns it doesn't telegraph at all. It's a song about the thrill of not knowing where you're headed, and the music earns that uncertainty. Gorgeous dreamy folk-pop, all warm and wonderfully unhurried.
The Graceland Conspiracy is a new project from Belfast, led by Crooks alongside vocalist McMahon, guitarist Paul Wilkinson, drummer Gary Taylor and McKinley on brass. Crooks has history in Northern Ireland's scene, previously releasing through Good Vibrations as part of PBR Streetgang. Wilkinson and McMahon crossed paths in country-rock outfit Jackson Cage, while Crooks and Wilkinson both spent time in The Dollybyrds. It's a lot of intertwined roots for a band that sounds this fresh. Really glad to have them on the blog, a great track.