Wow. Just…you know…wow.<\/p>\n
Now, I realize that you all normally expect better and more
\nelegant hyperbole from yours truly when I hit something I like. But
\nthe debut Vanguard Records CD from Carbon Leaf,
\nIndian Summer<\/i>, is about what you’d expect from a band with a
\nrep like theirs. Simply put, it’s damn great.<\/p>\n
About that rep — how many unsigned bands: 1) Appear at the
\nAmerican Music Awards; 2) Open for John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Great
\nBig Sea, Counting Crows, and 3) win the first Coca-Cola New Music
\nAward?<\/p>\n
Sound impressive? Damn straight it is; that or it’s the biggest
\npiece of hype since Orson Welles invaded New Jersey. I’m happy to
\nsay it isn’t hype, folks.
\nIndian Summer<\/i> is one of the most powerful, brilliant, and
\nelegant albums of roots-tinged rock I’ve ever heard.<\/p>\n
The production and engineering on
\nIndian Summer,<\/i> courtesy of John Morand and former Camper Van
\nBeethoven front man David Lowery, is excellent. Carbon Leaf’s sound
\ndepends strongly on stringed instruments, especially mandolin and
\nacoustic guitar, and the resolution on the CD is crystal clear and
\nheartbreakingly pure. The musicianship and performance on the CD is
\nexcellent as well; how many bands would take on a 6\/8 guitar intro
\nthat sounds for all the world like a bagpipe? (Check out “This Is
\nMy Song” for that, a rip-roaring tear through electric guitar fun).
\nAdd in intense songwriting that left me breathless at points and
\nwhat you have is a strong contender for my personal CD Of The
\nYear.<\/p>\n
There isn’t a bad song on
\nIndian Summer<\/i>, but this humble reviewer will bring a couple
\nto your attention. “Paloma” is simply incredible, its harmonies
\nhaunting and driving; “What About Everything?” is a Zen koan in
\nfour minutes of pop music; “Let Your Troubles Roll By” is a
\nrollicking traipse through optimism; and the closing track, “The
\nSea,” is a bluesy, shimmering word picture. Brilliant, I tell you.
\nBrilliant.<\/p>\n
Carbon Leaf’s
\nIndian Summer<\/i> has been a long time coming; this is a band
\nwho didn’t sign a record deal until they were damn good and ready
\nto. Enjoy the warmth, enjoy the summer; this is definitely worth
\ngrabbing now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":26781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7055],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-38053","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-carbon-leaf","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38053"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}