Sunday, June 10, 2018

THAT FINE LINE BETWEEN GOOD AND DAMN GOOD



Laura Carbone’s latest, EMPTY SEA, is good but damn I just wish it was a little better….


Image result for laura carbone empty seaShe has many strengths and a great overall sound, conjuring up a heady mélange of reverb-laden artists from the past 25 years or so – the Spartan menace of Mazzy Star, the more feedback-laden ennui of Opal, the straight-up rock of L.A. Witch, and so on and so on.  She employs vocal tricks I remember fondly from the Breeders and utilizes a cinematic sound that, at times, brings “Wicked Game” to mind.  Her voice fits into it all perfectly, and her German-accented English gives the lyrics and phrasings awesome new twists.


But…..


Even though the songs are solid and the playing passionate, nothing really jumps out and grabs you by the throat (this is after 5 or 6 listens).  The songs float by in an interesting-enough haze, but the hooks aren’t particularly hooky nor the choruses overly catchy.  It’s good mood music, to be sure, but the moods are fleeting.  You sway to the songs while they’re playing, but you won’t be humming them for the rest of the day.  It’s a solid album in the darker dreampop vein (and I guarantee it’s better than anything the trendsetters and hitmakers are churning out this month), but ultimately it’s just a little disappointing.




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