Mark Burgess will release an EP this April featuring newly recorded versions of four unfinished songs by his band The Chameleons that date back to the 1980s, then will mount a spring European tour with his current group ChameleonsVox followed by U.S. dates in September.
ChameleonsVox’s new Where in the World EP — brought to our attention by Brooklyn Vegan — will be released April 23 on vinyl by the Moochin’ About label, and will feature three songs on the record, and a code to download a fourth track. The songs are written by Burgess and his Chameleons bandmates Reg Smithies, Dave Fielding and John Lever.
According to the label:
“The ‘Where In The World’ EP from ChameleonsVox consists of four original Chameleons songs, re-recorded in 2017… three on the vinyl edition plus an additional song on the EP electronic download — only previously heard as unfinished Chameleons demos spanning the whole of the band’s career. As a feature of their current live set the songs were universally well received by the fan base and so are presented here by popular request. ‘Dali’s Picture’ a discarded song written in 1981, ‘Ever After’, an unfinished demo from the Strange Times session that produced the band’s third album, and lastly ‘Denims & Curls’ and ‘Free For All,’ which were demos for a fourth album that never materialized due to the band’s disintegration. Despite the years in between, all four songs feel fresh, vibrant and contemporary…”
The vinyl EP is available to pre-order now.
Additionally, Brooklyn Vegan reports that Burgess also is working on new music with Julee Cruise, who remains best known for “Falling,” the theme to the “Twin Peaks” TV show. Burgess acknowledged the project on Facebook, but didn’t offer further details.
Following the band’s already announced European tour, ChameleonsVox returns to the U.S. for seven shows in September.
Below, see the tracklist for the new EP and the band’s U.S. dates.
Tracklist: ChameleonsVox, Where in the World EP
1. “Denims & Curls”
2. “Dali’s Picture”
3. “Free For All”
4. “Ever After” (download only)
ChameleonsVox U.S. tour dates:
Sept. 8: A Strange Day Festival, Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA
Sept. 9: Oakland Metro, Oakland, CA
Sept. 10: Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 13: Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
Sept. 14: Chop Shop, Chicago, IL,
Sept. 15: TBA, New York, NY
Sept. 16: Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Chameleons Vox performing ‘Script of the Bridge’ on North American tour in 2015
- ChameleonsVox to play ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically,’ ‘Strange Times’ in Manchester
- ChameleonsVox to perform ‘Script of the Bridge’ in U.K., Europe this spring
- Mark Burgess’ ChameleonsVox debuts video for ‘Sycophants’ — first new music in 10 years
- Mark Burgess to release new ChameleonsVox 4-song EP, tour Europe this fall
Excellent news. Although, I do keep wondering what happened to the new LP that was supposed to be released shortly after the 2013 EP. I thought that that EP was quite good and was looking forward to more original material.
The album never happened because the double digit sales of the EP meant that it wasn’t warranted. Everyone knows that the only way Mark makes a dolla these days is by endlessly re-bootlegging the same old Chams demos/sessions that appeared on the cheapo Imaginary CDs back in the day.