Chills Kaleidoscope World CD - Import

Kaleidoscope World is the Chills' essential document, a collection of tracks from early and mid-'80s EPs, singles, and compilation cuts. The influence of Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd is stronger on these early tracks than it would be on subsequent releases, both on the easygoing sing along numbers and the more experimental outings. The highlight (of both the album and the Chills' career) is their New Zealand hit single, the haunting 'Pink Frost'.

KALEIDOSCOPE WORLD contains 10 bonus tracks and represents everything the band recorded through early 1986, including all of the LOST EP, and the I LOVE MY LEATHER JACKET/THE GREAT ESCAPE 12"
KALEIDOSCOPE WORLD, The Chills' 18-track compilation culled from The Chills early and mid-'80s EPs and singles, is highlighted by the song "Pink Frost."
Kaleidoscope World is the Chills' essential document, although it's not an album but a collection of tracks from early- and mid-'80s EPs, singles, and compilation cuts. Perhaps that's not surprising: the Chills are more skilled at crafting interesting odds and sods than sustaining interest over the course of an album, where their somewhat monochromatic approach tends to drag things down. The influence of Syd Barrett/early Pink Floyd is stronger on these early tracks than it would be on subsequent releases, both on the easygoing singalong numbers and the more experimental outings. The highlight (of both the album and the Chills' career) is their New Zealand hit single, the haunting "Pink Frost." ~ Richie Unterberger
The Chills' Martin Phillipps mixes up melodic pop with elements of garage rock and punk, creating songs with a sweet melancholy all their own. Phillipps has always been the focus of the Chills, writing and singing the band's songs. His group has also rivaled Menudo in its sheer number of personnel changes. In a just world, the Chills would have sold just as many records.
KALEIDOSCOPE WORLD showcases the shifting line-ups and many moods of the early to mid-'80s Chills. "Rolling Moon" captures a mood of shambling joy, its simple, repeated keyboard riff sounding like a distant caravan crossing New Zealand's big-sky country. "Pink Frost" is undoubtedly one of the Chills' two or three finest songs, an eerie tale of finding one's lover dead and being stricken with waves of icy panic. Phillipps's ghostly voice floats over glacial, plucked chords, its elegance and restraint only adding to the menace. "I Love My Leather Jacket" could have been written for the wake of "Pink Frost'"s dead lover. The Chills' pumped-up fuzz guitars and a celebratory chorus of "I love my leather jacket/I love my absent friend" turn a song of loss into an exultant romp.