the chills c/d?

The documentary is at last available for digital purchase here in the US

https://firefilms.lnk.to/ChillsFilm

Great!

Hey it's actually sort of hard to verify after poking around... does anyone know if he is still dealing with that grim prognosis on some level?

Last I saw, and it made no longer be current, was that hep c can now be treated. in fact I want to say it might have been pioneering Australian or New Zealand medicine that did it. But if Martin has so much as a sip of alcohol it could be deadly, iirc.

He seemed well and in good health at the show last year.

Oh, for sure, they and he were great live last year.

See I thought the hep c was gone as of 2015 or so, but then sometime later he got that bad prognosis during the filming of the documentary, but this is why I'm asking. I haven't actually seen the film yet.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/92358051/the-chills-dying-front-man-martin-phillipps-is-given-miracle-reprieve-from-hepatitis-c--just-weeks-from-the-end-of-his-final-tour

As Martin Phillipps drove across the North Island as part of The Chills' reunion tour, he received a call to tell him that it would not be his last.

Phillipps, the driving force behind The Chills, had been suffering with Hepatitis C since the 1990s. The virus attacked his liver for almost two decades, and in 2016, the 53-year-old musician was told he had barely a year to live.

The disease, coupled with heavy drinking, had taken its toll on his liver and was now threatening to end his life. "It got to the point where I was warned that even mouthwash with alcohol in it could kill me," he said. But as The Chills made their way to Napier for the latest leg of their 11-stop national tour, Phillipps got the extraordinary call from his doctor to say a New Zealand-pioneered wonder drug named Harvoni, his last line of defence, appeared to be working.

That must have been a heckuva a feeling to be on the receiving end of that phone call.

The doc was really well made. Phillipps seems a tough man to get close to, but that is ironically maybe the movie's hinge.

Hey, new single

https://thechillsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/youre-immortal

gotten to the point that this is one of those threads that scares me every time it's bumped, even though lately it's been good news.

The world's insane BUT new album in April!

https://thechillsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/scatterbrain

A ray of sunshine in this dingy world. Good to see he's not deviating from his album title shtick.

omg! still haven't gotten over the magnificence (and existence) of the last two

something to look forward to!

Is Phillipps actively suppressing Brave Words these days? It remains their only pre-millenial LP I've never seen in the flesh, in any format, a pattern now extended to the conspicuous absence from Spotify and Bandcamp.

pre-millennial, rather.

The Homestead CD used to be legion in the used bins around here

(it's a fantastic album, which I assume they'll re-release once they come up with a conforming title for it)

Haha. That title business is endlessly amusing.

I just found myself praising BW in what must have been one of my earliest posts. I guess I've been using mp3/etc copies for some two decades then. o_O

It's well known that Martin hates the production on Brave Words. I had a chat with him last time I saw the Chills live and he was adamant that he's still going to remix it. I'd be surprised if it resurfaced with the original mix.

I never thought the mix was that bad. In fact I prefer it to the reverb-swamped professionalism of the albums that followed, I wonder if he thinks it just sounded cheap?

loved the Chills so so much. "Pink Frost" one of the great tracks.

― Dr Morbius, Thursday, October 9, 2008 7:41 AM (twelve years ago)

The Homestead CD used to be legion in the used bins around here

― fbclid=fhAZ3l (f. hazel), Friday, January 29, 2021 12:54 AM (twelve hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

was lucky to come across one of those a few years ago. definitely sounds better than the mp3s I had.

I personally don't think Brave Words sounds bad, maybe it was the relationship with Mayo Thompson? Felt had a similiar experience, Lawrence was so disappointed with Thompson's production that he considered throwing the tapes into the Thames.

honor the monolith

I don't really love The Chills right now, I don;t know why I started this thread 13 years ago!

A pretty idiosyncratic selection in the Guardian today:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/15/from-eerie-folk-lullabies-to-bouncy-b-sides-ten-of-the-chills-best-songs

Kiran’s a great follow on Twitter, not surprised she came up with that list.

oh shit, I didn't even realize the new album was out!

The new album's another solid winner.

seems the record store's having trouble keeping it on the shelves! I'll try again in a few days

I love the sequencing of Scatterbrain -- the first half's mortality suite, then the second's return to earthly things, like he's granting permission. We're each alone, and yet.

(it's a fantastic album, which I assume they'll re-release once they come up with a conforming title for it)

― fbclid=fhAZ3l (f. hazel), Friday, January 29, 2021 12:55 AM (seven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Simply, Brave

Spaceless: Bravewords

He once said it would be Braver Words.

Suave Words

It never ceases to amaze me just how many incredible songs continue to flow from this old school crew of New Zealanders. Just dozens and dozens and dozens.

(I'm including not just Martin Phillipps but David Kilgour, Robert Scott, et al.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUTp4eBokNo

So good.

Chills are playing two shows at City Winery in NY - some inexpensive seats available thanks to a labor day sale.

Weird that their website, or what appears to be their website, doesn't list a Chicago show, but they are coming here as well.

Turns out the upcoming tour is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Soft Bomb, at least according to City Winery's listings. Strange because their website lists it as the "2022 Scatterbrain Storms Tour"

New 3 track EP out on Bandcamp today.

I wish I could muster up some enthusiasm for the last 3 LPs but, while they're fine, it all just blends in my head. Nothing thrilling jumps out at me.

I'm actually not familiar with anything past Soft Bomb - I generally just listen to the three CD's I have: Kaleidoscope World (original CD pressing, not the later one with even more bonus tracks), Submarine Bells and Soft Bomb (which is interesting to hear using Christgau's suggested re-sequencing). Anything else I should check out?

I'd suggest to check/get the expanded Kaleidoscope World as I think that includes The Lost EP, which is essential imo

I don't recall "Sunburnt" being particularly good, but I really like "Silver Bullets" and "Snow Bound," and the new songs were great live. "Scatterbrain" didn't click with me the couple of times I listened to it, so I should go back.

The last two albums are almost as good as their best imo.

Brave Words still their highpoint for me but do people not like it or something? I know it's difficult to find nowadays.