bob chance: it's broken

There's no one quite like Bob Chance. He's a California man who makes his own music. And here he is, on fire. It's a privately-pressed album that has become a cult item in recent years. DJ Shadow calls it 'hairy forearm disco,' I think it walks a fine line between the dancefloor and the asylum. Originally recorded and issued by himself in 1980, It's Broken represents Bob Chance's creative juices flowing and then possibly overflowing all over the place. He's a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist who writes his own songs. Trunk first came across the album in the USA, and decided to feature it as one of the strange slabs of vinyl I write about for my 'weird record' column in Mojo. I described it as the musical equivalent of Curry House DIY, an unusual and unexpected flow of ideas that maybe shouldn't work together but actually do in a most unorthodox and functional way. And if I have to describe the album musically to people I explain it has a touch of Giorgio Moroder, a bit of the Beach Boys and a sprinkle of Glen Campbell as a serial killer. How can you not love a nine-minute post-disco oddity called 'It's Broken?' Why would you not want to thrill at a five minute instrumental journey into Bob's jungle? And how about a short trip inside a stalker's van? Exactly, it's all irresistible. And now, thanks to this reissue, more of us can enjoy the genius that is Bob Chance and his very unique music." --Jonny Trunk