A collaboration between Magenta’s Robert Reed, vocalist Steve Basalmo, and a revolving cast of prog and rock oriented musicians, Chimpan A have a sound that’s varied and complex, but also often accessible. Although their 2020 debut album favoured longer arrangements, their overdue follow up ‘Music Is Art Vol. 1’ is home to a few much stronger, shorter pieces. There are a couple of epic tracks to be found during the eight song journey that blends pop, rock, electronica and prog influences into a smart and seamless menagerie, but the bulk of this long awaited release centres itself a little more around actual songs.

One of the record’s standout tracks, ‘Wolves’ was issued as a pre-release single. Given pride of place as the opening number here, if anything, it plays even more strongly as part of this bigger picture. It opens with a bright sounding, unashamedly 80s keyboard riff, but then slides effortlessly into a pop/rock blend that feels a little less period specific. The clean tones of the vocal, along with the perfect production values, sound very much like the band are paying homage to Patrick Leonard’s Toy Matinee/Third Matinee, whilst the arrangement also offers the occasional nod to ‘So’ era Peter Gabriel and even the later, warmer sounding material from Howard Jones. The perfectly formed arrangement allows featured vocalists Steve Balsalmo and Christina Booth to bounce melodies off each other, at times almost as if in a call and response style, and even though the vocal performances share a little more bombast, there’s nothing within that could easily be pigeonholed under “prog”. The adult pop leanings really come into their own during the strongest musical flourishes, though, with parts of the hugely melodic tune hinting at a love for ‘Seeds of Love’ era Tears For Fears and ‘Milliontown’ era Frost*. With the unexpected arrival of a hard struck bass drawing heavily on past works by Guy Pratt, any feelings that this tune sometimes sounds like a relation to 3rd Matinee certainly aren’t that wide of the mark.

Having drawn in the audience, Reed and company then bring out the “big guns” with the first of the album’s epics. ‘I Will Wait For You’ opens with bell like keys, which deliver an almost lullaby-like melody, before stident piano sweeps in with more of an adult pop vibe. The mix of stately keys and programmed rhythm, joined by a light breathy vocal, perhaps owes more to David Gray than your average prog band, but once a few jazzy guitars and a warm bass arrive, the overall sound is great. High toned vocals and gentle harmonies continue to take centre stage, even when the music begins to swell at around the three minute mark, and although this gives the impression that things are about to escalate further, everything soon falls away to reveal soft piano and vocal. This is rather moving; perhaps, even more than it should be, given its brevity. From there, things take a dramatic twists when the band shifts into a dance-pop sequence where a duo of female voices deliver the title as a hook against heavy beats. Some listeners will hate this, but Chimpan A then aim to bring the proggier element of their audience back on side with the help of a spoken word passage that sounds more like something derived from Mansun’s ‘Six’. Across ten minutes, this track throws everything out there in the hope that something will stick. There’s a lot to enjoy, but it only really finds its feet with the arrival of a final section when the piano balladry is augmented by an equally mellow acoustic guitar. This won’t click immediately, but in showcasing the band’s desire to mix genres in an unexpected way, it works. In some ways, it might’ve worked better with a shorter piece, but it’s impossible to find fault with the vocals or musicianship.

From here, the album sometimes becomes more accessible, and is often more interesting. ‘Saviour’ – very much a number that favours big melodies over prog rock indulgence – opens with a guitar line that leans towards a love of late 80s neo-prog, but it isn’t long before the band’s grand pop interests take centre stage. Armed with a stomping rhythm that sounds like a cousin of XTC’s should’ve-been-a-hit ‘King For A Day’ and a vocal that sounds like something inspired by a Eurythmics deep cut, the pop-rock core is actually stronger than before. For the bulk of the track, a very melodic female voice and solid rhythm section dominate, but an atonal piano occasionally creeps in to keep things suitably arty, and a huge lead guitar break adds a rockier edge – even if only briefly. No matter how many different musical layers are presented, melody is the key here. As before, there’s a lot about the arrangement that feels familiar; it’s a great love letter to a musical past that holds firm in the present, and that would be enough for most bands, but Chimpan A have even augmented their 80s inspired, radio friendly sound with a huge vocal that borrows influence from soul and R&B, just to keep everything a little more unpredictable. In and out in under four minutes, the succinct approach taken with ‘Saviour’ is just as impressive as the music itself. So many prog-oriented musicians have a tendency to stretch things out, just because they can. In contrast, Reed and company have a clear idea of where a song exists and how to focus on that, much to their – and this track’s – eternal credit.

Those who’ve found a love for the Chimps’ softer side will likely consider the short ‘Skeletons’ a highlight. Its blend of soft vocals, piano and orchestration is fantastic, and with the help of a melody that occasionally shares hints of a Neal Morse ballad alongside something very 70s, it straddles the world between MOR and prog flawlessly. Also latching onto a softer melody, the ten minute workout ‘The Keeper’ occasionally works some brilliantly mellow keys, but the bulk of the number is more concerned with sharing layered vocal arrangements over a mid tempo programmed beat. This takes Chimpan A away from their prog audience and shares something that feels more soul/R&B-centric. When it works, it really works, and the mid tempo arrangement and largely accessible sound is a perfect fit for some male/female vocals. Naturally, there will be fans claiming that this just isn’t arty enough. Those people are likely to get greater pleasure from a lengthy spoken word interlude, even if the subject matter isn’t uplifting. Whether this massive detour sits comfortably here is debatable; whatever the outcome, of course, you couldn’t accuse Chimpan A of playing anything remotely safely.

The equally epic ‘Dreaming Will Kill Us Dead’ is a little more like “typical” Chimpan A fare in that it blends contemporary adult pop with glitchy beats, and contrasts the track’s more mechanical heart with some superb, breathy vocals. There are times when Reed’s chosen melody veers towards a very 90s influenced, easy listening sound, but this actually sounds great when joined by a great bassline from Pratt who sounds like he’s been asked to guest on a dub reggae album. As with a couple of the other tracks here, the sweeping orchestral moments have an air of grandness – in the best possible way – creating some of the album’s finest melodies, making it easier to forgive a one line hook which occasionally feels as if it’s been shoehorned in. With so much great music being shared, and with the track really working a superb late night vibe, the arrival of another spoken word passage to pull things towards an inevitable climax feels somewhat out of place. It certainly isn’t redundant, but there’s a feel of repetition after being sequenced so closely to ‘The Keeper’. Nevertheless, fans will probably consider this an integral part of the album’s proggier heart.

In relation to most of this record, ‘Karl’s Song’ will be rather more divisive – in terms of accessible melodies, it’s actually one of the band’s slightest arrangements to date. Huge trip hop beats dominate throughout; a world of synths whip up an orchestrated heart and neither the musical or lyrical hooks present themselves with any real immediacy. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable; there’s a grandiosity here that’s certainly impressive, and over time, the melody begins to sound a little more obvious. The stately rhythm and strings, in places, both appear to take influence from Bond themes, whilst Pratt’s bass leans into an influence of a very different kind, dropping more heavy dub sounds against the rock-pop backdrop. Topped with a huge vocal, this certainly aims to be massive, but it never feels like much more than a slow burner. It’s likely to win over the audience in time, but it’s a huge musical step away from the pop-centric ‘Saviour’, or the band’s much earlier ‘Stars’.

Some of the prog fans are likely to bemoan the shift towards shorter songs, but in all honesty, given Chimpan A’s pop-rock core, the shorter songs on this record are often its crowning glory, but the two ten minute tracks with spoken word sections should keep the old proggers happy along the way. Even with a pop-centric core, there’s no way ‘M.I.A. Vol 1.’ couldn’t be considered “adventurous”; it’s the sound of prog musicians actually progressing. This isn’t every day listening, but in the right mood, it’s an album that should uncover something of interest with each play. For those willing to keep an open mind, it’s a recommended listen.

[The download includes bonus cover tunes which were issued as previous digital singles, along with a couple of remixes]

September 2025