Latest quotes from ‘Capital’ and ‘A-Z’ reviews. Scroll down for more general quotes and a large archive.
Steve Lamacq - Radio 2
“Chris T-T is a man that we would trust with our lives. If he was standing for Mayor of London, I’d vote for him.”
Drowned In Sound (8/10)
“All the soaring altitude of an anthem but the instability of an emotional drunk by 8pm on a Friday. A fine example of immersive storytelling through indie-rock, even if it’s probably not for bedtime.”
Nick Aldwinckle - Last Broadcast
“The rabble is well and truly roused into scornful mockery of authority. A packed room hangs on his every poignant word.”
The Music Magazine
“The vocals are something to behold. The standout track for its sheer lyrical brilliance is ‘Old Men’. Chris not only uses contemporary issues veiled with a personal outlook but detaches himself from the ‘arty’ label that has been branded on him.”
Alex Duncalf - Bacon Music (4.7/5)
“Yet again, Chris T-T has delivered another musical achievement. It would seem Chris has his own genre… the dangerously explicit spoken word genius that is ‘None Of Them Give A Fuck About The Future’… no other albums are exploring as far into the heart of modern culture as Chris is.”
Emily Dover - Playlouder
“Capital gets better with every listen. The clearest voice of discontent in today’s music industry. There is a sense of urgency here that is utterly absent from the songs of his contemporaries. Chris has a rare gift of hitting the nail on the head more often than he hits his fingers and thumbs, and ‘Capital’ shows he’s getting better at this. ‘Black Music’ is a sort of Kraftwerk meets The Specials moment with poetic imagery taking the place of the usual expansive, descriptive storytelling. ‘Where Were You?’ is scuzzy rock n roll, rising into a rousing sing-along anthem, and chilling conclusion.”
Classic Rock magazine (!)
“An inspired coalition of contemporary production values, vintage psych scope, parochial Brit whimsy, driving krautrock tenacity and casual genius.”
Mark Edwards - Sunday Times (****)
“Anyone who has the first two instalments will need no encouragement to buy immediately. The 21st century Ray Davies: a witty inciteful observer of the bittersweet, and sometimes just bitter, truths about the city. What makes Capital different is a new aggression in the music… more personal tracks offer a welcome counterpoint to the bigger themes.”
NME
“Thankfully there’s more to his game than state-the-obvious pessimism. Think Brendan Benson gone psychedelic…”
John Aizlewood - Q magazine (****)
“The turbo-charged ‘A-Z’ is as grandiose as The Killers, the suave ‘This Gun Is Not A Gun’ and the punky ‘(We Are) The King Of England’ spit hummable fire, while closer ‘4am’ elegantly distils everything that has already passed.”
Alistair Fitchett - Plan B magazine
“A record that is immeasurably denser and harsher than 2005’s inch perfect 9 Red Songs, but it’s none the worse for that. Richly layered both musically and lyrically, the songs spin between vitriolic anger, witty self-deprecation and arch poliical condemnation. Like Kerouac and Wylie, Chris T-T understands what is subversive about love and knows that God is in the detail of everyday life. We should cherish such poets.”
Teletext Planet Sound (8/10)
“Far more vital and grimy than the New English Psychedelic tag that he’s been inexplicably lumped with, this is T-T’s finest work to date. From the Stereolab-laced bubblegum drone of ‘King Of England’ and ‘A-Z’ to the electro-funk of ‘Black Music’ and bittersweet balladry of ‘Ankles’, this is smart, observational pop at its best. That he can also recall the Leftist drama of Billy Bragg (’A Box To Hide In’) amongst it all hints at greatness.”
Die Young Stay Pretty
“Oh I like. I can get on board with this right now. Epic, anthemic and foreboding, reminds me of War Of The Worlds. Yeah, if I was proclaiming the end of the world I would play this loudly over the speakers.”
Lisa Holmes - New-Noise.net
“All hail the Mayor of London Underground (sorry Ken!)… Mixing politics, money and sex, to create gritty urban folk. At its heart, Capital is lyrically violent, musically experimental and thrillingly awkward. Much like living in London then - this is the soundtrack to your daily tube rage.”
Rockfood.co.uk (****)
“We’re starting to wish we’d paid attention a little earlier. Flirting with electro-pop one minute and fully-fledged folk-pop another, the record is tied together by Chris’s cutting and perceptive lyrics. Songs are so intricately constructed that they dare you to miss the thought processes and vicious messages behind each piece. Socio-political lyricisms galore - but rather than unions and socialism, the subject matter here is much closer to home for those of us who feel we’re watching our cities and societies in decline. A record for the children of a decade dominated by Thatcherism, who now find themself picking up the pieces.”
Stephen Brolan - The Fly
“Thank fuck then for the real thing, Chris T-T, whose latest offering brandishes his poet laureate credentials. Sardonic, side-swiping humour, hypnotic Psychedelic Fur-yness and Television-like rhythmic pummelling. Capital is a London tourbus loaded with disenfranchisement crashing into the social structure, with ‘A-Z’ and ‘Black Music’ providing the sparks igniting the cloak draped over this somnolent, sceptic isle. Climb onboard and allow Chris T-T show you the TRUE England.”
Rocklouder.co.uk (**** ‘A-Z’ review)
“Yet another reason to get excited about this artist… like an English version of the late great Grandaddy and a further improvement of his meshing of witty fantasy, dark humour and crushing realism delivered with a wry smile.”
Sunday Times
“British pop’s street-poet laureate and unsung genius returns.”
IsThisMusic.com (’A-Z’ review)
“Another winner from Chris T-T, one of the finest and consistent songwriters this country has seen this century.”
Playlouder.com (live review)
“The wit and tact to make tear-jerking tales from taboo ingredients. In this harsh and fickle world, there’ll always be room for new talent, and though Chris T-T might not be so ‘new’ these days, he’s a real talent, by anyone’s standards.”
‘This Gun Is Not A Gun EP’ reviews
Kirk Burton - IsThisMusic.com (****)
“Chris T-T is one of the best British songwriters of the last 10 years… demonstrates his ability to write great three minute pop songs while still having something to say.”
Rock Louder (****)
“Holds not just the promise of bigger things but the quality already evident in this man’s music… The real gem here is ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’, a surprisingly harder rocker from a man more often armed with only an acoustic guitar and a fantastic beard.”
YourMusicBox.Org
“I don’t mince my words when I say it’s the best EP I’ve heard in quite some time. Four tracks of utter musical deliciousness, with a nice dichotomy between meaningful lyrics and amusingly playful lyrics. Mr T-T sure can play.”
Die Shellsuit Die (9/10)
“There’s not a lot Chris T-T can’t do if he puts his mind to it. A lyricist of wit, cleverness, sarcasm and righteousness that few others can match. Anyone who thinks Ian Brown’s ‘Illegal Attacks’ is the height of pop political commentary best listen to Chris T-T and be put right.”
Dom Gourley, writing in Contact Music (8/10)
“The title track has both a potent message and radio-friendly quality about it that doesn’t diminish or compromise itself at any point, and should herald a glittering re-start for its creator’s career in the process.”
The Sun (3.5/5 - a ‘hot track’ of the week)
“…nifty…”
Click Music
“He pulls off some very tricky harmonic manoeuvres. Like The Mountain Goats, T-T will continue to make precious, political commentaries with catchy choruses and interesting rhythms.”
The Skinny
“Scythes through the bones of contemporary culture.”
Hard Rock House
“A songwriter who isn’t afraid to stand up.”
WeLikeClubbing.com (4/5) (!!)
“T-T looks set to win a lot of new fans with his latest effort.”
Everyone Could Be Light Green
“Refreshing, earnest, earthy and as pretty as an EP gets these days.”
More general quotes from recent articles
Brighton Evening Argus (live review)
“Enigmatic, intense, passionate and bristling with social witticisms, T-T is the antidote to the broken promise of the singer-songwriting genre. He reminds you how thought-provoking, necessary and downright exciting the art can be, channelling a mirage of issues into a psychedelic crossfire of indie guitars and folkish accapellas.”
Polly Bound, writing in Narc (live review)
“Glorious, soul-crushingly beautiful lyrics, crisp and loud over delicate twinkly guitar. ‘What If My Heart Never Heals?’, better than its album incarnation and true folk at its purest.”
Tom Robinson writing online for The Guardian
“Chris has inspired me, made me laugh and given me pause for thought ever since ‘Eminem Is Gay’ first landed on my desk. London Is Sinking is darkly brilliant, while 9 Red Songs is rough, ready and compelling.”
Drowned In Sound (Truck Festival review)
“A powerful enough performance to silence a rammed Acoustic Tent into flabbergasted awe. Too many protest singers, not enough protest songs… luckily we found the best one. And, cor, this guy can SING! Fantastic. He goes off to rapturous applause.”
Frank Turner, interviewed in Neu Magazine
“The way that Chris T-T has been treated by the folk community is monstrous to my mind because I think that he’s the best folk singer this country has produced in 50 years.”
Stool Pigeon
“There’s something so awe-inspiring about Chris’s words that they leave me in little doubt that they’re written by someone of real significance.”
The Fly
“T-T puts the lyrical boot in with righteous wit and scathing laser-sighted accuracy. Listen to Chris T-T, he talks sense.”
The Telegraph
“Darkness looms beneath the humour as the songs return to themes of social and mental breakdown. Inventive, widescreen arrangements encompassing cello, synths and delicately picked guitars… A seductive, highly contemporary brand of 21st-century English psychedelia.”
OLDER QUOTE ARCHIVE (thanks to Ballagroove on the Isle Of Man for compiling the list below, which we took from their website)
Sunday Times (Top 5 Album of the Year 2003)
“Fantastically intricate masterpieces utterly indispensable… genius… a modern-day Blake.”
The Guardian (4 Stars)
“The genius of Chris T-T’s songwriting is his ability to humanise even the most outlandish conceits. They seem instead like brilliant ideas that no-one else could’ve come up with.”
NME (8/10)
“A capital-centric folk wonder, he specialises in finding romance in the tiniest details of urban living, crystallising them in string-powered urban folk. Funny, touching and smart.”
Time Out: London (Critics’ Choice, 2003)
“The joy of Flaming Lips and the humanity of Ray Davies. A heartening, hopeful, sad record.”
The Independent (Gig of the Week)
“A national gem of a songwriter.”
Q Magazine
“T-T has a knack for making the mundane seem joyous. A combination of Badly Drawn Boy’s ramshackle charm and the observational wit of Jarvis.”
MOJO
“Surreal tales and a friendly but firm political clout. Check out this singular talent.”
RollingStone.com
“Very, very brilliant…”
London Evening Standard
“Lyrics of rare sensitivity and wit, kitchen sink songwriting with a killer line in black humour. An unseemly talent.”
The Big Issue (4 Stars)
“A 21st Century take on The Kinks, covering many musical bases. Yet the resulting collection remains encouragingly coherent. Chris T-T should be heartily saluted.”
The Morning Star
“An ambitious meditation on life, love, war and personal responsibility. The wittiest, wisest and downright strangest record I’ve heard in years.”
Manchester Evening News (4 stars)
“Chris T-T’s fourth album is a revelation. A storytelling sojourn through the big city set to queasy pop themes. How often do you listen with rapt attention to the lyrics of a pop song?”
The Independent (’Single of the Week’ twice)
“Highly memorable, hilariously vitriolic. A real joy.”
NME
“A wry smile, a white knuckle ride and builds to a blistering climax, Chris T-T mixes a damned compulsive rock cocktail.”
I HELD HER IN MY ARMS
“Genius! More powerful than amyl nitrate, more enjoyable than being Lucky Pierre.”
Sunday Times (Top 5 Album of the Year 2001)
“The finest (and maddest) British pop album of the year. Music so liberatingly, off-centredly, life-affirmingly free, it never had moorings to slip. Outstanding. Buy this record.”
Time Out: London (Critics’ Choice 2001)
“Thank God for the ‘The 253′! This is such a close and intimate record you can smell the toast and bus fumes. Its sincerity is so sharp, it feels like the watery sting in your eyes as a tube rushes past. Satirical, brittle and brutally intelligent lo-fi guitar pop. A work of wit and understated wisdom.”
PopMatters.com
“Rising English singer T-T continues to win plaudits from the quality press and his appearance at CMJ in New York confirms his ascent. Four albums in and a wholesale band change - trio to quintet - broadens the options, while the production values of this collection raise the stakes. But it is the songs, rather than technology or virtuosity, that win the day. T-T’s quirky Anglo drawl tells tales about the Thames, a motif that curls through this adventure, but also lends its emotional weight to anti-war epic ‘Cull’ and a re-telling of the Frankenstein myth, ‘7 Hearts’. As pure a slice of pop as you’ll hear in 2003. Frail, humane and life-size, this is a CD to treasure.”
KultureFlash.net
“Chris T-T is a national treasure. A man whose lyrics deal with the sublime in the mundane and whose tunes are made up of fizzing melodies and instantly rocking rhythms. He deserves to be huge but his underdog position allows him to write songs like new single ‘Eminem Is Gay’.”
DrownedInSound.com
“‘The ‘253′ is a low budget high vocabulary masterpiece. Split between daydreaming fantasy and cynical realism, this is a charming, rough’n'ready journey into the indifferent insincerity of the English psyche.”
Yorkshire Evening News
“This Boswellian diarist of the day-to-day is a skewed observer of city life and love’s revolving doors. A DIY Pulp, a more together Syd Barrett, T-T writes of a London bus route, one hedgehog’s lucky escape, Tony Robinson’s Time Team and of being ‘defeated’ by Daily Mail readers. Truly terrific, T-T should be the Ray Davies of new millennium London.”
TNT
“Genius voice of London, T-T can be Belle & Sebastian sweet or Queens Of The Stone Age menacing. Overflowing with intricate stories, lost souls, black humour, social conscience and a child-like imagination run wild.”
Logo Magazine
“The honesty and generosity of Chris T-T shines out of every moment of this fourth album; each more lovely than the one before. Clever, funny, individual, poetic and very, very poignant. The album benefits from sublime orchestral arrangements, Chris’s uniquely oblique approach to songwriting and his charming refusal to strike a single rock vocal pose. Every single track is a joy and the conclusion to final track ‘Oil’ is as thrilling a coda as you’ll hear on any album this, or any year.”
Ad-Hoc (Cambridgeshire)
“Chris T-T re-ignited the working class romance in me and I’m grateful to him for it. He oozes a confidence and passionately means every strikingly honest line. Imagine if Billy Bragg has been sent to singing lessons instead of socialist worker meetings and you’re getting the idea. This is songwriting at its British best with lines that hit home with startling regularity. Add to this a comic touch that fidgets playfully alongside the serious stuff and you have a winning combination. The boy’s a bit special.”
The Guardian
“Chris T-T creates fragmented songs that verge on the cool side of lo-fi without losing a love for pop. He’s the Phil Redmond of the DIY music scene, sweet on the outside, bitter at the centre. Simple, often humourous gems with twisted lyrics. His voice is Billy Bragg without the affectation but has power when he chooses to unleash it. And he can rock when he wants to, as guitars screech and build to a blistering climax.”