Chachee - Dark Light

Chachee

Dark Light
​self-released; 2020

3.9 out of 5

By Dino DiMuro

The artist named Chachee is my kind of guy. Somebody gifted this Boston-based player a used Tascam Portastudio in the ‘90s, and he’s been filling shoeboxes full of Maxell cassettes ever since. He also plays drums for the band Woodsy Pride. This 13-song collection titled Dark Light was recorded by Chachee over the past few years in various Boston bedrooms and practice spaces using M-Track 8 and Audacity, and was mastered by Bantam Mastering. Finally, there’s a professionally duplicated cassette available on Bandcamp along with a digital download.

​Chachee drew inspiration from ’90s lo-fi punk and indie rock. “There is a melding of acoustic, electric and digital instrumentation with field recordings from protest marches, open apartment windows and animals sprinkled into the mix. Dark Light maintains its authenticity as a classic bedroom album set in a timeless story of the search for light among the darkness.”

Right off the top, you’ll notice that Chachee’s drum tracks are above the abilities of most solo recordists, since Chachee is an actual drummer. His sound is indeed somewhat lo-fi, in the sense that tracks are filled to the brim without too much worry about sonic purity, but it’s a fun and amiable sound. The average track length is about three minutes so you rarely feel his welcome is being worn out.

“Deep In The Clouds” starts us off with upbeat chiming guitars, a wah-wah melody line, understated vocals and tribal drums. “Back To Bed” has a late ’60s Monkees/Byrds quality, which is interesting since Chachee never mentions his intent to mimic this era or style. This may be a case of ’90s alternative bands grandfathering down these earlier influences. At any rate, this is a great song, if a bit dense.

“Bett to Moses and His Posse of Freaks” is a slower contemplative tune about what I’m assuming are Chachee’s posse of ’90s friends. The world weary vocals interact nicely with the grungy guitar melodies. “Grabbin’ Pussy” is a one-joke song but the joke is pretty funny, though it also features unexpected protest march sounds. “Sopchoppy Thunder” slows things down even further for a dark, bluesy lament. “Some days I don’t even know if I can keep it going without you.”

“Walking You Home” begins with some of Chachee’s found sounds, then melds into a lengthy Donovan-like folk instrumental. The picked guitar lines are so nice (even if slightly out of tune) that it makes me wonder what a studio-clean version of Chachee’s songs might sound like, but it definitely works here. There are distant vocals but they’re more for the vibe than lyrical clarity. I’m guessing all the real-life sounds are reflective of things you might hear walking home with someone you love. 

“While You Were Sleeping” features gently picked acoustic guitars with a plaintive Dylanesque vocal, upon which a clomping beat and reverbed electrics are overlaid. The drums here sound like they were recorded down the hallway of an abandoned castle, which I really liked. This is one track I would have welcomed more of. “Sad Day” features cool guitar dynamics with a Jim Morrison vocal vibe. “Cold And Grey” feels more retro-spacey with old-sounding drum and keyboard patches. “A Call From Nowhere” is a short bluesy track featuring Chachee’s expert acoustic playing and boxy drums.

“The Park” is a six-minute concluding track and features the bittersweet, lovely melodies Chachee has established that he can fire off on a whim. Acoustics, tremolo electric guitar and piano all frame Chachee’s vocals. At two minutes in, Chachee introduces highly distorted beats which (intentionally) throw the song’s already tenuous tempos even more off kilter. 

​Though I do believe there are other worlds for Chachee to conquer by spending more time on his sound and arrangements, there’s much to enjoy here, especially for someone like me who appreciates Chachee’s homegrown aesthetic.

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