Crippling King, the new five-song EP from Chicago’s Chaperone, is like a bit science experiment in progress. It’s a little bit of folk, some harmonies and a gracious handful of pleasant-enough lyrics, but the alchemy is not yet formulated. Hearing this handful of songs is a cool way to get a taste of the many directions the band could progress.

Upon first listen, the recording quality of some songs sounded like an old vinyl record; slightly scratchy and faded. It wasn’t until after reading the Cripple King press release that I realized how intentional this was. Chaperone, which consists of Shaun Michael Paul, Miles Doornbos, Thom Des Enfants, Mark Sheridan and Shaylah Kloska, recorded the EP in the winter of 2009-10 in band members’ kitchens and hallways. The press release boasted that, “The band used everything from laptops to untuned pianos to space-heaters to create a vast, textural space; a home for songs with humble root.”

While the bare bones, grassroots approach definitely has its appeal; I would love to hear what this band sounded like with the benefit of technology on their side. An equalizer and a stronger low-end or something to push their throttle forward could take the band from backyard barbeque to standing room only.

Crippling King is a testimony to the band’s potential. At first, it’s lingering and a little jumpy from track to track, but later corrects itself with some fine tune-age. It starts off with “Fed on Coal” which has a nice melody, but the vocals get pitchy in places, the harmonies not seeming to line up correctly.

The group hits their stride a bit more with the song “Thomas!, their upbeat single, with more of a grunge undertone, the electric guitar giving it some personality, some edge. “Witches & Sailors”, has vocals that mesh much better, exemplified in the last 30 seconds of the song, when the wide range of voices seem to come together nicely in the most rudimentary “la-de-da’s.”

“Letter to Home” has more of twang to it, with Kloska’s voice getting more spotlight. It isn’t until the very final song, “Waltzing Topside” that she gets the lead vocals, and you can really hear how impressive her voice truly is. The song is so simple, but her voice gives it character, suggestive of a Brandi Carlile kind of folk singer.

What is captivating about Cripple King is it only takes five songs to hear progression. It’s reassuring to know that great songs are loaded in the barrel of Chaperone’s gun, they just need to pull the trigger.
_________________________________________________________________
Catch Chaperone on Thursday, October 14, at the Subterranean for the Cripple King EP release party. Tickets are available right now at Ticketweb.com for only $8!
________________________________________________________________

LISTEN: Chaperone – “Thomas!”