Chilly Gonzales

Ivory Tower (Arts & Crafts)

By Dana Raidt
Published: September 18th, 2010 | 7:00am

As an MC, pianist, pop singer, and frequent collaborator of Peaches, Feist, and Jamie Lidell, Chilly Gonzales knows a thing or two about different types of music. With Ivory Tower, “an existentialist sports comedy about chess and success,” he’ll make his way into film this fall, and if the flick’s musical counterpart is any indication, you might want to skip it unless you’re already a diehard fan.

Ivory Tower is a basic piano record tinged with bits of funk and electro. Perhaps it makes more sense when tied to the film, but the album on its own doesn’t seem to be anything more than a rambling jam session. Many of the songs, like “Smothered Mate,” seem as if they’re trying to emulate Morricone’s or Moroder’s film scoring style, but instead sound more like generic production music. The influence of German producer and DJ Boys Noize adds a nice dance element—his work on “Smothered Mate” is what eventually saves it—but sometimes Gonzales’ nonsensical ramblings (“I Am Europe,” “The Grudge”) sabotage an otherwise good track. Some of the instrumentals (like “Rococo Chanel,” “Final Fantasy”) are gorgeous, showcasing Gonzales’ skill as a composer, but overall, Ivory Tower ends up sounding a lot like a (barely) updated version of those “chill” music compilations that were so popular in the ‘90s.

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Arts & Crafts Records