NFT's Got You Covered! With Captain Chaos

This weeks cover album of the week comes from Captain Chaos (AKA Chris Clavin born Christopher Johnston but his name wasn't punk enough AKA that guy who's not as squirrelly as Spoonboy and not as cute as Matty Pop Charts AKA that guy with the devilock from Ghost Mice). In 2006, Chris released a CD-R limited to 51 copies called Your Bright Eyes Are Gonna Kill Me For Sure. And while it is an album full of covers of Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats and originals, it's mostly about how much Chris loves Bright Eyes. I'm not sure if I even like the album to be honest as I've got that syndrome that probably a lot of young men have where I just want to put my fist through a wall anytime I hear Bright Eyes song... not because I've hear every song by Conor on Pandora, he stole his sound from Dave Dondero or a kid who looked and sounded just like him stole my lunch, not just my lunch money, but my whole lunch back in the fifth grade. No! Because of girls man. Girls will break your heart, take your stuff and go out with your best friends all while listening to Bright Eyes, that guy you showed them to impress them with your extensive knowledge of things that girls will like instantly. But I digress and realize that not everything is about me...

Just kidding that never happened to me...

Captain Chaos - Your Bright Eyes Are Gonna Kill Me For Sure (2006)

The covers from the folk punk DIY acoustic musician (sometimes with friends) includes 9 Bright Eyes jams, two versions of The Mountain Goats' "Flight 717 To Denmark" (which features the lyrics "your bright eyes render all discussion" and "your bright eyes are gonna kill me for sure" (the origin to the title)) and The Extra Glenns (Nothing Painted Blue + The Mountain Goats) song "Going to Marrakesh. The track listing version that is on Bandcamp (different than the one I have had on my iTunes) breaks the album down like this: The Mountain Goats cover first version, track 2 "I Sing For You" explaining Chris's love for Bright Eyes and basically the reasons he would want to cover such an artist, track 3-11 various Bright Eyes covers from Fevers and Mirrors ("A Scale, A Mirror...", "Something Vague", "A Song to Pass the Time" and "An Attempt to Tip the Scales" without that awkward radio interview drenched in satire at the end), Lifted or... ("You will. You Will?"), I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning ("Landlocked Blues") the EP Every Day and every Night ("A Perfect Sonnet"), Don't Be Frightened of Turning the Page EP ("Oh, You Are the roots...") and Drunk Kid Catholic single ("I've Been Eating for You" listed as "Basket Ball"). Track 12 is a song about moving to Florida, "Sunset State" and the opening mentions that the covers are over and all he has for now. Track 13 is the Extra Glenns cover and 14-17 is more originals. The album then ends with the Alt. Version of "Flight 717 To Denmark".

All the covers are done in perfect Captain Chaos fashion; acoustic guitar, constant strumming and DIY recording. My favorites have to be "Landlocked Blues", "A Perfect Sonnet" which was probably one of my favorite Bright Eyes songs at one point, "An Attempt to Tip the Scales", both the Mountain Goats covers and The Extra Glenns cover. Most of the covers are actually pretty good and I knew they would as Chris usually does a fine job putting classics in the acoustic punk chokehold (check out "The Fool". It includes Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel" and Stephin Merritt's "The Book of Love". The Fool also has a song about how Batman sucks and my favorite CC track "The Simpsons", but that stuff is for a different post some day and not for this little side track bubble).

The track "I Sing For You" reminds a lot like "The Mount Eerie Show" by A Drum and an Open Window. Not just that they both detail a time when they say their favorite band play live but that I had a chance to see Bright Eyes and Mount Eerie once in my life (not at the same show) but didn't get to. I wasn't too bummed I missed the Bright Eyes show... I missed it to see Dan Deacon!

Even if you don't like Bright Eyes, I think you should still check out this Captain Chaos drop. It's free...

Bandcamp
Plan-it-x (I know I know)
last.fm