When I first met Chris Ford, the force, soul, and spirit of Christopher the Conquered, it was through a mutual friend, who was looking for people to dress up in character and help create a scene to be photographed for Chris’ album cover.  At the shoot, there was a giant wooden box, shovels, red yarn everywhere, and a bunch of old devices that looked like they were from the 1950s, but, according to the storyline Chris had come up with to set the scene, were actually from the future.  A guy shucked his shirt off and lay down in a grave that had been dug, and everyone covered him up to his face in dirt.  The whole area looked like a scene from a spooky Mystery Science Theatre flick, which was a lot of fun, and all the people there were nice, throwing all their creativity and dedication into the project, and having a ball doing it.  Patrick Fleming from Poison Control Center was there and said he’d had a hand in some of the sound production, and I thought that sounded promising; he’s a pro, which meant this was probably a good-sounding record – he doesn’t just work with ninnies.  Everyone was sort of running about doing their story-jobs, Patrick was filming it all and acting sometimes, and photographer Jerrod Jordahl clicked through roll after roll of film as we sort of play-acted, with Chris loosely conducting things.  It was a blast.

I mention this in the spirit of full disclosure, but I hadn’t honestly heard a lick of music from CtC until much later (at a performance at the Maintenance Shop, actually, which was a great show, and a good introduction).  After that, I saw the video for the song “I Will Give You a Gun,” and it was visually interesting, with haunting music and visuals that tug you along like you’re being pulled through a David Lynch movie, via some of that red yarn.

And now, even later, I’ve finally gotten to hear the whole album, You’re Gonna Glow in the Dark.  And I’m happy to report it’s really great, living up to, and surpassing, the cool-looking album cover, trippy background story, and promise of good sounds.  Chris was an energetic and often raw performer, testifying and wriggling around on the floor, and that energy comes through on the album, but it’s also very focused and downright lush in places.  It is bombastic and baroque like Queen sometimes, but with the biting lyrical wit of Randy Newman.  There are elements of religion in the lyrics, and social commentary, some of which is hilarious, and some of which is scathingly sarcastic.

The album kicks off with “Insane Idiots,” which has great vocals that sound like they’re in your living room, before the song bursts into a crescendo of Technicolor horns.  The groovy “Rick the American” ends with Chris’ voice going into AM radio mode, and then the music turns into a carnival, complete with oom-pah-pah band.  Songs like “Falcon Cries at Midnight” and “Ants of Polk County” are like lo-fi hymns, with plaintive, soulful vocals, but there are dashes of glam-rock here and there, and every time the arranged horns come in, I couldn’t help but smile, especially when they sound like they’re playing in heaven, like they do in “Treasure Catcher.”  “I Will Give You a Gun” is a dirge with a slightly out-of-tune piano that adds to the effect. There are a lot of moments on this record where you feel like you’re in church, the Reverend Christopher trying to save your soul from consumerism and fear-mongering, and offering hope that is based on loving each other, while knowing that love is fallible.

The last song, “I’ll Stop Loving You,” details the timing of that event, including the incredibly clever lyric “when the number one song on the pop charts is actually good.”  Which is funny, but also, it seems, unfortunately, a long time off in the future.  And the wry wit involved – that when things finally get really great in the world, that’s when love will fail – permeates all the songs, and runs through the whole album.  Like a long line of red yarn.