 Four-piece band The Soundcarriers from Nottingham found life’s joy through jamming, improvising and experimenting and decided to share their good-natured spirits with the rest of the world, hence ‘Harmonium’. Citing John Barry’s soundtrack of Midnight Cowboy and producer Phil Spector as influences, the band’s sound is structured and conceptual on one side and very unconventional on the other, but above all, very sixties.
With 16 songs in 64 minutes the album is a bit long for the average listener, but then again, this is not a conventional album and definitely not produced for the pleasure of the average listener. Though a real concept doesn’t appear on the horizon in a very obvious way, the album’s main sound is one of simple ideas spun out for minutes, thereby regularly using soft, folkie female vocals mumbling unclear lyrics plus every instrument they could possibly think of, from organs and flutes to all kinds of keyboards, and of course, the standard rock equipment guitar-bass-drum.
A specific highlight is hard to mention, but this is really not the kind of album you can just divide between the highlights and the low ones. It’s not an album with regular songs, melodies or musicians you focus on while listening; you have to let it get through you. It’s an album you have to experience. Having said that, it’s probably not going to outsell Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller or Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’, simply because it’s way too experimental to enlighten the hearts of millions of lost souls walking around this Godforsaken earth.
‘Harmonium’ is basically just an album full of simple musical ideas, full of layers, full of instruments and songs that goes on and on and on. ‘Harmonium’ is, in short, an album for unconventional, open-minded people, an album for guys and girls who like to involve their daily reefer in their everyday businesses, an album for all those who are sick and tired of structured and non-spontaneous music that has been ruling the world ever since the summer of ’67 ended in a cold shower.
An album for people who don’t like to go to the edge, but prefer to get over it.
Last edited by jack s : July 7, 2009 at 04:04 PM.
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| | | | Overall Rating | | 7 | | Vocals / Lyrics | | 7 | | Musicianship | | 7 | | Production | | 7 | | Creativity | | 7 | | Lastability | | 7 | | Reviewers Tilt | | 7 |
70% | |
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The Soundcarriers – Harmonium [Album]
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New Warp signing Bibio: album ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ out 22nd June + free album sampler