RED SHAG CARPET - LIFT AND DROP
CD review
By David Ball (aka Jaimoe)
Feb. 1, 2006
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| Red Shag Carpet - Lift and Drop |
If their latest release Lift And Drop is any indication, 2006 could be a breakout year for hard-working indie-rockers Red Shag Carpet. The past three years have been busy ones for these four lads from Edmonton. They released their well-received self-titled debut, hit the road for three tours totaling 165 gigs (and counting), and still found the time to produce ten fresh songs for their new album. Their 2003 debut is a decent effort, but it best works as an appetizer for this fine sophomore CD.
Like their first album, Lift And Drop brims with catchy melodies and hooks, but what separates the two CDs is the band’s obvious maturity as songwriters and an overall evolved sound. The vocals are gruffer and more confident and Ted Ani has added balls and grit to his guitar, making Red Shag Carpet rock harder than ever before. The punchy power-pop opener “Star Of Your Film” is a perfect example of this. However, Lift And Drop’s best songs find the band adding elements of Wilco-inspired roots rock to their power-pop sensibilities. This experiment works well, particularly on three of the strongest tunes: “So And So”, “Ground” and “Our St. Drum”. Lift And Drop’s arrangements are still pretty straightforward, but Matti Darrah’s ever-present piano adds a melodic dynamic. Producers Red Shag Carpet and Nik Kozub did a great job capturing a loose and live tension manifested in the interplay between lead and backing vocals - one of the best things about Lift And Drop. And there’s a definite road-tested spark energizing the songs throughout. Red Shag Carpet’s future looks bright, but Lift And Drop proves that the present ain’t too bad either.
*** (out of 5)
Song Listing:
- Star Of Your Film
- Drop
- So & So
- Ground
- Paint
- Overtop
- Lift
- Our St. Drum
- Faceless
- Drawn In Chalk
Band:
Allan Pickard-drums, vocals
Ted Ani- guitar, vocals
Daniel Yarmon-bass, vocals
Matti Darrah-piano, vocals
Band Website: http://www.redshagcarpet.com/news/index.htm
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