Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Singleton is a Dublin musician and songwriter who has beavered away at the coalface for some time. "Twisted City" is a concept album of sorts that takes various London Underground stations as stopping off points for considered thoughts on the inconsistencies of love and relationships. It's an interesting set of ideas, complimented by some of the best pop/rock you're likely to hear this or any year - the kind of songs that you'd just wish someone like Paul McCartney would write again. Then again, McCartney's lack of inspiration is Singleton's good luck charm; it has certainly rubbed off on tracks such as "Worry Number One", "Pieces", "The Only One" and "Wherever" - little nuggets all that are chips off the big beautiful block that is "Twisted City". - Irish Times
Dubliner Chris Singleton's new album is inspired by his frequent trips to London for his twin loves (his girlfriend lives there and he recorded this release at Abbey Road studios) and is itself a musical representation of a journey across the capital by tube. Scribbled on the back of train stubs and discarded newspapers, the subject matter appropriately fits the real life experience of a young man discovering the capital and its confusing transit system and who's trying to make a name for himself in the music industry. Each of the eleven tracks represents a tube station and Singleton is blessed with an outsider's view and the talent to record the going-ons in such a poetic and visual manner. 'Twisted City's concept is a fascinating idea carried out with skill and flair by surely one of the most promising songwriters to surface this year. - Clash
Not difficult to guess this Dubliner's record collection, which surely must include most of the glam rock canon, with a sizeable dollop of late 60s psychedelia and possibly an XTC album or two. With a voice somewhere between George Harrison and John Lennon - a good place to be - Singleton pens catchy tunes too, like "Spirit in the Sky"-meets-"Ballroom Blitz" opener, "Worry Number One" and sublime Badfinger-esque ballads like "Tonight" and "The Only One". Elsewhere he recalls more contemporary fare such as Joy Zipper on the radio-friendly title track. Compelling stuff. - Hotpress Magazine
Discography
Twisted City (album)
Worry Number One (single)
Get Up (single)
Tonight (single)
All the above have received airplay on major stations in Ireland (including Today FM / RTE playlisting) and the UK (airplay on BBC Radio 2 amongst many other stations)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Chris Singleton is a name to remember. A Dublin singer-songwriter obsessed with classic 60s and 70s pop/rock, he writes gems of songs drenched in melody and wrapped up in a production style which brings to mind classic Bowie, Beatles and Kinks.
For the past couple of years Chris has been journeying to and from the UK, to visit his London girlfriend and work on an album called "Twisted City". Written on the back of boarding cards and tube tickets, or abandoned newspapers which he found in railway stations, the record is conceived as a tube journey through London. Each song is a stop on the line and deals with a different 'place', whether a London location or an experience.
The album's opener, "Worry Number One", starts with a driver announcing a departure of a train; from then on the train takes the listener through a diverse musical landscape. Taking in the upbeat glam of "Get Up", the acoustic melancholia of "Pieces", the perfect power-pop of "The Only One", "Stop Following" and "Wherever", and even a little punk-rock at the end of the title track, "Twisted City" is an album clearly made on -and about - a move.
Taking the DIY approach, Chris self-produced this record, played most of the instruments on it himself and then set up a label to release it on his own. But it wasn't long before people took notice; Universal liked what they heard so much they offered him a distribution deal in Ireland, and the UK quickly followed suit.
Reviews of Chris' work so far have been astounding. The Irish Times described his record as "some of the best pop/rock you are likely to hear this year or any year" and The Daily Express called it an "express train of emotions". It isn't just the national papers singing his praises though: top culture magazines such as Clash Magazine and Hotpress have also got behind Chris' underdog aesthetics, Clash going as far as to call him "one of the most promising songwriters to surface this year" and Hotpress describing his music as "sublime, compelling stuff". Chris' fascination with the London Underground led to his greatest exposure yet: ITV were so taken with his idea of launching his album on the Tube that they did a news feature on him which was broadcast to over 5 million people.
Chris is not your typical singer-songwriter and has never played it by the book. To record this album, Chris had to overcome a rare ear condition, hyperacusis - an allergy to sound in which everyday noises, let alone music, are extremely painful. He also experiences synesthesia, where he "sees" sounds and words in colour.
"Twisted City" was written, recorded and produced entirely by Chris and then mastered at Abbey Road by Geoff Pesche (Gorrilaz, Coldplay, Athlete). Consistently excellent throughout, the album could just be the sleeper hit of the year.
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