Chrome
Chrome gives Catherine Wheel's guitar music a harder, more direct shape. The melodies remain important, but the playing has greater force and the arrangements leave less behind a blurred surface. Rob Dickinson's voice meets that pressure with a stronger sense of purpose. The change brings several excellent songs, even if some of the softer detail has been lost along the way.
Crank shows how well the band can make that approach work. The guitar sound has a sharp presence, while the vocal melody keeps the song inviting. Additional vocal layers give Dickinson's delivery more character without crowding the arrangement.
I Confess makes particularly good use of the singing. The lead and supporting vocal parts work closely with the changing chords, giving the chorus a strong melodic centre. Catherine Wheel do not have to reduce the guitar weight to make that detail clear.
The Nude offers another convincing balance. Its fuller chorus has a broad, almost orchestral character, but the quieter mood survives inside the distortion. The contrast gives the music emotional force without depending entirely on loudness. Strange Fruit is more concentrated and fierce, with the strength of the writing keeping the heavier playing from becoming the whole attraction.
Dickinson and Brian Futter remain an effective guitar partnership. Their sound can be forceful without making the songs lose their melodic direction, while the vocal has enough character to hold its place.
The harder production also carries a cost. Some of the finer, gentler textures that made the band's earlier music distinctive are less apparent here. The sustained guitar force can become tiring, and the more direct approach does not improve every part of the sound. A little more space would allow the quieter details to make a greater impression.
Those limitations are outweighed by the strongest material. Chrome is a confident guitar record with melodies that remain effective inside its heavier setting. It gives Catherine Wheel a more forceful voice while retaining enough softness to keep that force expressive.
