Woah, Chrome is pretty fucking cool.

Dissonant alternative rock/shoegaze that perfectly captures the aquatic, drowning feel of the album cover. Lyrics are dark, the melodies are catchy and enveloping. A real trip where every song is a stand-out. To me, Chrome is Catherine Wheel‘s greatest album bar none, and one of the best alternative rock albums I’ve ever heard. Surprised it isn’t ranked higher. I think this is what Nevermind would have sounded like if it were a shoegaze album.

It’s also one of the only shoegaze albums I’ve heard where every song sounds distinctive. A real gem. Surprising variety of styles: you have the gothic rock tones of “The Nude,” the jangle pop of “Show Me Mary,” and the band’s biggest hit, the churning “Crank,” just for three examples. Oh, and I just have to mention my favorite, “Strange Fruit” (not a cover of the famous song of the same name). A heavy and gorgeous album.