Chamberlain - Fate's Got a Driver

Chamberlain (formerly known as Split Lip) was a emo/punk/rock band from Indiana. They released Fate's Got a Driver in 1995 under the band name Split Lip, and at the time played a great brand of punk rock that was obviously heavily influenced by Jawbreaker...in fact Fate's Got a Driver could be a Jawbreaker record, so I guess you can take that as good or bad. Despite the similarity, it's still a great record, one that I think is vastly underrated and overlooked. In 1996 they changed their name from Split Lip to Chamberlain in an effort to distance themselves from the hardcore scene that had made them who they were. It's unfortunate because they went on to play a pretty boring country fried rock sound that was no where near as good as the early stuff. (The singer actually releases solo records under his own name on Doghouse now...pretty boring, adult contemporary stuff my mom would dig....I guess we all gotta grow up at some point).

Anyways, I guess I shouldn't shit on what the band became and focus on what they were. Really melodic punk/emo stuff, tons of great riffs and basslines and hooky vocal lines. The vocalist is actually a very good singer, and definitely stands out in a genre that doesn't always place importance on such things. (Probably why he went on to release the kind of records he does). There's even a pretty rad acoustic track at the end, which I guess in a way would hint to their later work, with the leaning's toward the rootsy country vibe they would embrace on the next record, but I think it still works well on this record and serves as a good closer. Definitely check this out if you're a fan of Jawbreaker, early Jimmy Eat World, Christie Front Drive, etc.
~AB

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