Chocolate Kiss

Onethrutwelve (1997)

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You ever find yourself discovering a certain band or artist that just blows your mind upon first listen? I mean, you ever felt like, "Holy heck, this needs to be heard by all!!!" Yeah, I've felt like that for some time in regards to a Georgia band called Chocolate Kiss. You see, one summer day a few years ago before Modern Warfare 2 came out; I spent most of my time looking for this decade of certain music that slipped past me. I'm of course talking about '90s emo and that ultimate realm of collective-minded artists.

Digging through that emoisdead mediafire link that was unleashed a few years ago to the public was like discovering Atlantis. There was so much contained there that I was overwhelmed. Regardless, the nerd in me took the challenge and I spent many sleepless nights discovering lost treasures, and Chocolate Kiss happened to be one of, if not the best out of the bunch. Forming in 1997, Chocolate Kiss was a group that contained scene veterans from bands such as the Hal al Shedad and the wonderful Car vs. Driver. What these people created was some of the most touching and emotionally significant music of that time, and no one seems to know who they are (at least, from what I've taken…).

The album I'm writing about here is their debut called Onethrutwelve. I have to get this out of the way first, so upon first jam I thought this was a bit like the Promise Ring's album, Nothing Feels Good, in the fact that the songs seemed to flow and jangle the same way. I also don't mind slightly comparing this to Boilermaker and Christie Front Drive (comparisons are the stimulants of music critique…).

Opening track, "The Horizon Sky" sets things off with a nice buildup and the awesome singing of Matt "Catfish" Mauldon, whom you should know was the singer of Car vs. Driver. Guitarist James Joyce, of the Hal al Shedad, strums along nicely while second guitarist Bob Rob accompanies him and Kip Thomas keeps the drumming delicate and easy. Of note, they didn't use a bass player until their fourth and last album, but hey, that isn't much of anything here because the music is tops. You know, I could go through more tracks and list highlights, but that seems boring right now. I don't take this lightly, but I'll say it anyway: Every track on this album is perfect. I have no doubts in my words here. Every track is wonderful and needs your immediate attention. I love every one and I can't even begin to dissect them individually because I feel that would be a detriment to the band and what they accomplished here.

The blog, Beyondfailure, is dedicated to Georgia artists and there is a wonderful write-up on these guys. I suggest you take a gander over there if you want to know more. Also, I posted on these guys in my own blog (not plugging…) and I was contacted by a few members who were glad I wrote them up. They even encouraged the fact that I was trying to get their music out there. They want people to know, probably even more than I do. We shouldn't forget the past because we can learn from it. If you are craving that certain period that many say "had better music and emotion," then Chocolate Kiss are very much worth your time. Dig it…