The Chalets Album: "Check In" Release Date: October 2005 Label: Setanta Rev Value: [8.0/10] Genre: Rock Styles: Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock Check in

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review by:Playlouder
reviewer: James Harrison
Album Value: (3.5/5)

If one particular version of their origins is to be believed, The Chalets started out as a drunken pledge made between five festival-goers. Surprisingly for an idea forged in hazy days, the concept of The Chalets had the clarity and appeal to survive the morning after. Although their penchant for outlandish onstage costumes and their two-girl, two-boy up front formation might raise eyebrows amongst an all-too-often asexual indie scene, it won't stop the youth from having rude thoughts about their nurse outfits.

Perversions aside, the music is uncomplicated and brisk (women are rarely to be seen near prog records, like a musical burka), politely grabbing the attention with its enthusiasm and charm. The xylophone makes a fleeting appearance, as well as healthy splashes of kitsch synths, whippet-like guitars and some deceptively nifty drumming.(...)

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review by:Downled In Sound
reviewer: Mike Diver
Album Value: (8/10)

They've rather, and slightly sadly so, dug their own (critical) hole some months prior to the release of this, The Chalets' delayed debut. The likelihood of a single review making it five lines without making some remark or other about kooky, quasi-kinky on-stage attire and co-ordinated hand-on-hip dance moves is, frankly, slim. See? Point proved. The overriding aesthetic appeal of the band – the twin girl and three boy line up, each dressed to impress and to appeal to primal instincts (women may want to mother the men, men may want to take the girls back to mother) – makes analysing this all the more difficult: without the visual accompaniment, will Check In choke on its own cutesy, saccharine pop?

Well, no, actually: strip away all preconceptions and Check In reveals its charms. Yes, certain songs bring straight to mind those sultry poses and jerkily pop-rockin' indie-boys, but qualities are abundant from the outset, said opening line being the former paragraph-referencing, "You're making us wanna unbuckle our trousers". The only instantaneous gripe is that Check In really deserved an earlier release; so many of these songs – 'No Style', 'Gogo Don't Go', 'Beach Blanket' – are preoccupied with summer abandonment, with seaside liaisons and spontaneous trips away. As October skies turn grey, said efforts make for nostalgic listening..(...)

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review by: The Big List
reviewer: ?
Album Value: (-/-)

Somewhere on a radar between the Buggles, the B-52’s and Franz Ferdinand (well, if they were to be joined by a few cool chicks), you’ll surely find Dublin five-piece The Chalets, ready to burst from a massively retro bubble of slick pop-art and fiendish kitschness.
No strangers to the live circuit, particularly in Belfast, The Chalets have certainly amassed quite a cult following based solely on their sharp and kinetically energetic stage performances and in their debut album ‘Check-In’, the quintet have certainly managed to cement their reputation further by producing a bumper, fourteen track LP, which is most definitely worth checking out.
With their infusion of eighties inspired electro-pop, dynamic, expertly executed male/female vocal exchanges and slick harmonies to rival even the Futureheads, The Chalets certainly have a uniquely fresh and distinctly fun sound, with every track on their album, strong and memorable. Right from the plucky chords of the opening song ‘Theme from the Chalets’, (a humourous tale of male/female misunderstanding), ‘Check-In’ reels you into a web of bittersweet quirkiness and unadulterated fun.(...)

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review by: Artrocker
reviewer: Brad Barrett
Album Value: (-/-)

"Several of these little ditties don't belong to a band originating from Ireland. They should be basking in the beaming sun of UV ray raked beaches..."

Writing this on a dismal, dirty grey Autumn England evening is bound to taint my feelings with a little cynicism. The likelihood of bitter asides increase as do the odds of me feigning neutrality about The Chalets blend of summer pop.

Several of these little ditties don't belong to a band originating from Ireland. They should be basking in the beaming sun of UV ray raked beaches. Palm trees should line the limousine drive while they cruise a Chevy convertible into a fuschia sunset.

As it is the rather kooky, group harmony drenched melodic-drama, though tinged with Americana, resonates globally not just nationally. Through reveberating synths and lashing guitars, not forgetting call and answer vocal sharing, the band reimagine themes of dispirited love and snarling kiss-offs, as 60s girl-group anthems cattle-prodded with buzzsaw modernisms. Jagged two chord riffs? Check. Occasional seething interludes Depeche Mode would be proud of, as in "Gogo Don't Go"? Check. Nasty, imbalanced psycho-sex-groove pop like "Love Punch"? Err....check! (...)

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review by: Popmatters
reviewer: Andrew Lynch
Album Value: (4/5)

With their kitschy outfits, cheesy grins and day-glo accessories, The Chalets look more like a cartoon than a band. Thankfully, the hotly-anticipated debut album from the Dublin five-piece shows that there's plenty of substance behind the garish image. With three boys and two girls on board there's bound to be some sexual tension in the air, and the best tracks here are raucous tales of romantic conquests told from several different points of view. Musically it's a particular smart brand of glam-rock, with beefy guitars and screechy electronica that manage the difficult feat of engaging both the feet and the brain. Profound they ain't, but in a local scene that's groaning under the weight of drab singer-songwriters, The Chalets represent a very welcome splash of colour.

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review by: SugarBuzz Magazine
reviewer: Lydia (SugarBuzz Correspondent South Wales, UK)
Album Value: (-/-)

A bit of a modern Mamas and Papas is the ideal way to open this introduction to The Chalets. With their male and female vocals harmonising and mixing over each other it is an understandable comparison though the heavy guitars and bass line cut through to add a definite noughties edge to what is definitely a fun rock, though pop tinged album.

It has that bouncy edge that is reminiscent of the Bloc Party style of guitar work but this album is much more fitting for an earlier era.

It has a touch of glam rock with a sunny surfy Beach Boys 60s feel. From the outset with “Theme From Chalets” you know you’re in for a fun time listening to this album.

At times it can feel like the songs melt into each other but then you’ll get a little bit of a guitar riff that just marks it out as different. “Red High Heels” is a particular track that makes you take notice again as it has that sound which you can’t quite put your finger on as it feels similar to Le Tigre but at the same time Sahara Hotnights.

“Sexy Mistake” follows this same idea but then as the album rounds up you are faced with “Love Punch”, a darker almost rock synth track which to my mind is one of the stand out tracks of the album. Not easy to categorise, my best recommendation is to give it a listen and see what you think.

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