Charlie Tipper Conspiracy - Ten

by Dixie Ernill

published: 30 / 5 / 2016

Label: Breaking Down Recordings
Format: CD

Despite changing from an experiment to a conspiracy, Bristol-based indie pop group Charlie Tipper still deliver an excellent follow-up album

Review

Marshalled by Tim Rippington, the Charles Tipper Conspiracy are a super-group of sorts made up mainly of survivors of various bands from Bristol’s thriving underground scene of the 80’s and 90’s. They began life under the moniker of The Charlie Tipper Experiment in 2013 and released an excellent album ‘Mellow On’ in 2015 as well as hosting various uber cool low key gigs around the Bristol area including the live debut of fellow Bristolian’s Karen and an excellent mini-festival titled ‘Rock and Roll for the Soul’ during which the end part of the band’s name changed from Experiment to Conspiracy. ‘Ten’ builds on the fine foundations laid by Mellow On and offers a degree of variation across its eight tracks that keeps things fresh and exciting. ‘They Made It a Crime’ highlights the plight of being gay in countries that still see it as a crime, driven on the rhythmic interplay of Jon Kent’s guitar and Harry Furniss’ keyboard. As opening gambits go, it’s right up there, only to be bettered by the next couple of tracks – ‘Life’s Too Short’, a warm and melodic track that I’m sure Grant Mclennan would have been proud of , and ‘Election Disco Blues’, a pleasant laidback stomper featuring fine cornet work by Furniss. The highlight, in an album lacking any filler, is the ‘Lunar Garden Party’ which has the same late 60’s/early 70’s feel that seemed to inspire Robert Forster’s very early Go-Betweens work, but interwoven with added Experimental Pop Band style keyboard work. Indeed there does seem to be a certain similarity between Rippington’s Bristolian singing voice and Forster’s own Brisbane drawl despite being over 10,000 miles apart! ‘Freak’s Retreat’ is packed with ba ba ba’s and again has a 60’s feel, while ‘Rose of Virtue’ is a slower more mournful number, before ‘Long Timed Gone’ provides a gentle closer to a quality body of work. ‘Ten’ is certainly one conspiracy theory that is spot on. Buy it.

Track Listing:-

1 They Made It a Crime
2 Life's Too Short
3 Election Disco Blues
4 Transmitting
5 Lunar Garden Party
6 Freaks' Retreat
7 Rose of Virtue
8 Long Time Gone