The title promises chaos. What you get is something else entirely. The Graceland Conspiracy is the new project from Colin Crooks, a man with a resume that screams noise. He did time in PBR Streetgang, put out singles on the legendary Good Vibrations label, and he’s still part of Belfast’s Bad Noise Monster. So when you hear he’s got a dream-pop outfit now, you might expect a train wreck. Instead, “We are chaos” is a slow burn that gets under your skin.
Crooks handles piano and bass, laying down a bed of gentle keys and rising low-end runs. Edelle McMahon takes the mic, and her voice is the star here. She floats over the arrangement with harmonies that feel like they’ve been lifted from some forgotten alt-pop gem. Paul Wilkinson adds chiming guitar work that never overpowers, just decorates. Gary Taylor keeps the beat simple and steady on drums. Jon McKinley brings brass that swells into a crescendo, letting the whole thing end on a high note. This isn’t a crew of strangers. Wilkinson and McMahon played together in the country-rock group Jackson Cage. Crooks and Wilkinson shared time in The Dollybyrds. Taylor and Crooks still play together in Bad Noise Monster. These people know each other, and it shows.
The song is about humanity. The “we” in the title is all of us. The “chaos” is the shared mess of being alive. It’s a heavy idea wrapped in a light package. The piano is delicate, the beats are soft, and the space between the notes says as much as the notes themselves. It’s a graceful tune about how existence can be beautiful and awful at the same time.
Some folks might remember Crooks from his louder days and wonder what happened. Nothing happened. He just found a new way to say the same things. “We are chaos” is self-released and out now. Give it a spin.
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