Zookeeper

Pink Chalk (2014)

RENALDO69

Mineral and Zookeeper are two different kinds of beasts in Chris Simpson's stable. Mineral's where he charts forth his aggression and helps fly the emo flag high. Zookeeper on the other hand is his more personal and stripped down solo effort that sees him basking in nostalgia and the warmth of life. If this solo project's his downtime, then I can only wonder what he's got planned with respect to writing any new Mineral stuff. Reason being is Pink Chalk feels more content and settled in terms of his lyrical narrative as opposed to the anxious and tense days of say, "February" or "Parking Lot."

Just listen to the self-titled track here and see for yourself. It has a mainstream buzz to it that you'd expect from Coldplay or some other bigwig yet you can't help but feel the indie/DIY pull that surrounds. And that's Simpson's magical ability -- easy to adapt to the big sound but also, one made to have you chanting in the underground. He doesn't ever refrain from pouring his heart and soul out and it suits tracks like "Conclusions." Violins surround his acoustic opener here and help carry forth the indie-folk vibe to the rest of the album. The string arrangement throughout sets a nice slow tempo to help level you out even more. Case in point, the piano-driven "Dark Road" and the electric-tinged "Beam With Us."

Simpson's theme on Pink Chalk seems to be that you ought to let the chips fall where they may. Evocative and mature songwriting and indeed, his most ambitious vehicle to date -- because it's all about exposure and vulnerability. I like that he doesn't rehash any of Mineral's essence also in his spacious and patient ambiance. It's a slow dance record that'll be garnering comparison to Neutral Milk Hotel, or even more boldly, Elliott Smith.

Why the latter? "I Never Knew" reeks of his acoustic splendor. By the time you get to lapping up more horns and piano medleys, you're pretty much at ease with what Simpson has to offer and that's a new peek into a secret dimension he didn't want to hide anymore. This album feels like a blessing because you never know what Mineral may or may not bring in terms of new music. So, let's ingest this as much as we can. Some songs feel like they can be let go but when Simpson strikes the iron hot, he nails it. These tracks stay with you and sink into you. Then upon further scrutiny, you can tell, this entire album is one huge love poem. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Low energy. Never boring. Endearing. Recommended.