The Chairman Dances: The Strength Of Your Arm

photo: Brooke Marsh

Philly indie quintet The Chairman Dances are branching out musically on their new album, The Strength Of Your Arm, taking cues from jazz, post-rock and indie rock. Singer Eric Krewson wrote the songs the Fall of 2019 during his stay as an artist in residence in Washington state, in the remote Cascade mountains. Being alone most of the time inspired him to explore the need for human connection and also appreciating being left to his own devices.

With all band members pitching in to create the arrangements The Strength Of Your Arm became a treasure trove of musical bravery. Visited With Powers To Speak is an amalgam of spoken word and jazz, trip-hop gets a nod in View From The Doorway, A Way Through Hell is a late night speakeasy torch song, and lead single I Pulled The Sheet Back Over My Head is pushed forward by guitar motif that gets stuck in your head (but in a good way), before gradually evolving into a full-on orchestral pop track. Recommended if you like Jack O' The Clock.

The Strength Of Your Arm is a self-released album. Buy it from their website.

Tracks:

1. Introduction
2. Visited With Powers To Speak
3. I Pulled The Sheet Back Over My Head
4. The Way You Thought
5. An Arm Around Your Waist
6. View From The Doorway
7. Interlude No. 1
8. A Way Through Hell
9. Dove's Tail In Pink Light
10. Interlude No. 2
11. Interlude No. 3
12. Changed Everything
13. The Strength Of Your Arm
14. Sarah's Sisters

Live date:

• 09/03 Philadelphia, PA @ Ortlieb's
  (w/ Spelling Reform, Joshua Howard)

» thechairmandances.com

HCTF review of Child of My Sorrow.