Over the past 4 or so years now, North London's very own The Chap have become well known and loved in various circles for their incomparable and unique brand of, and I quote, "pop improv disco rock with strings" sound along with their memorable feverishly and energetic live show (complete with dance routines I may add). Their third dish entitled Mega Breakfast, borne out of their obsession with food, shows a step forward from their previous 2 critically acclaimed releases ‘Ham' and ‘The Horse' which accumulated them a growing cult-following. ‘Mega Breakfast' could be quite possibly be the most important and interesting meal of the day?For starters, they open with the frantic and downright filthy ‘They Have A Name', with it's filthy guitars over a repeating punk mantra of ‘Heart-throb! Heart-throb! Heart-throb!" but later enters to territory more inclined to Hot Chip and their DIY electro-pop vibes completely whets the appetite. The first single taken from the album, ‘Fun & Interesting', sounds oddly warming and rousing but makes an instant impact, with it's harmonised vocal choir and sweeping strings, even though the context is completely off the wall (the chorus goes: Clone me another me! my generation needs another me!").Later ‘Caution Me' sounds deliciously brooding where it slowly builds enticingly. A gentle tapping beat which becomes a thumping hard-hitting tribal beat, which becomes a fuzzed out Whig out of guitars and static noise. ‘Carlos, Walter, Wendy and Stanley' (a song ‘inspired' when lyrics were needed and a book by Walter Benjamin just happened to be in the right place/right time) uses a gentle blend of skipping twee beats and frantic punk ska ingredients. The squiggling guitars should really annoy me but for some reason I cannot get enough of them. Sure there are tracks which are a bit miss than hit such as the more Justin Timberlake style R&B mash ups such as the breezy ‘Surgery', a song which has been growing on me on a few more listens but just oozes summery chart cheese, and ‘The Health of Nations' which leaves me feeling under whelmed. It's the ‘Dr Smith' lyric about economic lectures which draws me towards the skip button.The glitchy and jittery ‘I Saw Them' (a track used on a Discovery Channel programme about Aero GP pilots!) starts out with a simple, effectual synth noise skittering and the lyrics spontaneously reminiscing about seeing the band ‘They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them', who're companions of The Chap. They even recently did an album launch together, although I'm not sure if they played this song. It vexes on charmingly as it reaches it's soaring peak complete with world-music styled African chants. My own personal highlight, the desert I guess you could say, from the record has to be the adrenaline charged ‘Proper Rock' which is possibly the nearest they've come to catching their live euphoria sounds on record while they sing about "girls and clubbing" (If you ever do get the opportunity, go and see The Chap. I implore you1) It's infectiously catchy and exhilarating with it's soaring chorus of euphoric guitar riffs where they urge ‘Proper Rock not to disappear to outer space!". If there was any justice and fairness in this world, it would be a worldwide chart topping smash hit. Sadly there is no justice. But I guess I could see XFM picking up on this and rotating it on their play lists. BBC6 Music for sure.This reminds me. A great wise man from the Beeb, John Peel once said, "The Chap are both gear and fab!" and who am I to argue? Mega Breakfast is a real feast for the ears. 81%[Download The Chap Mega Breakfast]Links The Chap [myspace] [tlobf interview]